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2005 Mustang GT Traction Issues?

5K views 28 replies 13 participants last post by  JetBlack 
#1 ·
I have a stock 05 GT manual CAI, Flowmasters, with 3.55 gears that spins the tires through first gear to redline? I have the 235-55-17 Pirelli's on the car and when I take off and ease off the clutch and when its out all the way and the RPM's are around 1000 put it to the floor and it just spins the tires to redline and then I shift to 2nd........... Is the wheel spin normal, I would rather the car launched forward more rather than spin the tires! I am not revving it up when I take off just flooring it after I let the clutch out all of the way through 1st gear I am thinking about 255's or 275's or 295's?? What is the largest rear tire I can fit onto my 17x8 factory wheels?
 
#2 ·
255/50-17's fit really well. not sure about the bigger sizes though i mounted mine myself and the bead of the tire and the lip of the wheel were practically touching before i sealed the beads. you probably could fit the 275 or 285 on there but it wouldn't give you very good milage. the nitto 555's are the best combination of grip and mileage on a tire that i've seen.
 
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#6 ·
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#8 ·
For starters I would avoid a tire designed for light trucks and SUVs.

The stock rubber is used as a jack of all trades and master of none. Good year round all season traction, higher mileage, performance, etc. It sacrifices in some areas to gain in others. Question is do you want a drag radial like a Street E.T. (probably overkill in your application) or a good overall corner carver? I run a set of 285's KDW 2s out back on a 10" wheel. They are not the greatest for straight line traction but extremely predictable under load in corners.

Toyo, Nitto, BFGoodrich, Pirelli and all the major manufactures offer very good compounds and tread designs. Selecting anyone of these will mostly come down to preference. Are you willing to pay a higher price for a sticky "R" compound that will not give you as many miles as some of the other compounds?

The decision really comes down to what you are willing to sacrifice in your tires. My car is not a DD and is stored in the winter so I can get away with putting a set of extreme summer performance tires on since it will not have to get me to work in the snow or other less desireable conditions for a rear wheel drive car.

Try to avoid simply looking for the widest tire possible to squeeze on your rim. You may actually compromise performance by putting a tire on the wrong size wheel. Tire manufacturers will offer an acceptable wheel width range and normally indicate the optimal size. Try and hit that optimal size but definitely stay within the recommended range. Going outside fo this range can result in a loss of sidewall performance or a reduction in your contact patch. Each manufacturer may vary in recommended sizes. Goodyear may recommend that a 255 be mounted on an 8" wheel while Toyo recommends the same size tire be mounted on an 8.5". Not all tires are made the same.
 
#13 ·
Be happy you can spin the tires. I can't spin mine on acceleration at all.


Please God, don't tell me my car is a lemon... :sadcry
LOL, you must have the 3.31 rear end like I do. I almost have to be turning onto a street from a stop to get the rear to break loose. Getting that 2nd gear chirp is like hitting the lottery. :hihi:

Need the Bama race tune and some 3.55's! :worship

~HA
 
#10 ·
Well my car isn't a daily driver so I could go for a softer compound rubber in a 255/50/17......... Which tires have the best summer traction??? The car won't be going to the track, but I want to be able to floor the thing through 1st gear without as much wheelspin as the stock Pirrelis.:bigthumbsup
 
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#14 ·
Well my car isn't a daily driver so I could go for a softer compound rubber in a 255/50/17......... Which tires have the best summer traction??? The car won't be going to the track, but I want to be able to floor the thing through 1st gear without as much wheelspin as the stock Pirrelis.:bigthumbsup
Check out any of the dealers:

Extreme Performance Summer Tires

And suspension upgrades as previsously mentioned will also help.
 
#11 ·
i have 20" inch rims all around., and tires nitto tr 555 /255/35/zr20 on the front and 275/35/zr20 at the rear., plus i drop the car 1 1/2 inch all around.....but any way hopefully this will help...the only thing is if i spray nos i wont hook for s**t beside that they look good and run good.....just my 2 cents good luck..:smoke:
 

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#12 ·
you can always get some good suspension stuff... Lower control arms and upper control arm, those will help some traction... less spin more go. They will launch you into tomorrow if you get some tires that will allow it :yup:
 
#15 ·
on the stock rim you can't go that wide. If you really want some good traction get a set of Nitto 555's on 18x9's or 18x10's for the rear with the 9's up front like i have. I have to TRY to spin the tires and it really doesn't happen. I have sooooo much traction its nuts even with the touchy 93 Race tune i've got. Now that i'm back to my stockers with the 235 Pirreli's i spin constantly.
 
#17 ·
I have a stock 05 GT manual CAI, Flowmasters, with 3.55 gears that spins the tires through first gear to redline? I have the 235-55-17 Pirelli's on the car and when I take off and ease off the clutch and when its out all the way and the RPM's are around 1000 put it to the floor and it just spins the tires to redline and then I shift to 2nd........... Is the wheel spin normal, I would rather the car launched forward more rather than spin the tires! I am not revving it up when I take off just flooring it after I let the clutch out all of the way through 1st gear I am thinking about 255's or 275's or 295's?? What is the largest rear tire I can fit onto my 17x8 factory wheels?
Check if both rear tires are spinning. If only one of them is spinning, then the the problem may be caused by burned out clutches in the limited slip differential. This normally causes the tire with the least amount of traction to spin when the engine goes WOT. And spinning one tire is much easier than spinning two.

If both tires are spinning and the problem happened last week, then it's possible that the recent cool weather in your area(high-60's, low-40's) may have caused the problem, since tires and road surfaces become a lot less sticky when the ambient temps get cool.
 
#20 ·
I've got the stock 17" Pirelli's and with my setup, I can chirp the tires quite a bit. Maybe my car was one of the "high stock output" models that naturally comes out of the "plant womb" with more HP than some others. Unless of course the previous owner changed the gears before I got it. But sometimes I can even get chirping going into 3rd... and once in a great while 4th gear.

And yesterday I gunned it, and the for the first full second the car barely moved, the tires spun like mad and then I rocketed off. And I wasn't even trying to do a brake stand.

I think every car comes out of the "womb" as an individual beast.
 
#29 ·
I have Nitto 555r 255/50-17s. They are great. Extremely sticky, side to side and much stickier on launch. I only break loose at the end of first or if I rev a bit before engaging the clutch. Very predictable. Spinning through second is reduced as well.

Now I'm back on my winter tires and it's back to feathering the gas.
 
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