[djl45]

Thinking out loud. Really don't like the Pirelli PZero tires on my '15 but, at the moment, can't justify replacing a set of tires with less than 10K miles on them showing no wear. However, when I do replace the PZeros, I have been considering reverting to a conventional configuration with front and rear wheel/tire of the same size. From what I understand, the 19" Y rear wheels will mount to the front hubs and clear the caliper so I think I can retain the OEM look by purchasing a set of those rear wheels and run the same wheel/tire assembly front and back. I have seen OEM wheel for sale on Ebay; apparently a lot of owners want different style or 20" wheels to replace the OEM 19s.

I believe the offset of the rear wheel will push the tire to the outside and I have not checked to see how far out I can go considering the offset and wider tire width which could be a show stopper. I can say that I would not replace wheels and tires to convert to a conventional wheel/tire configuration and would retain the OEM stagagered setup with different tires; better ways to spend the cash. Not being and expert in this area I am inquiring here what the pros/cons of making this change might be?

 

[huberoy123]

One opinion from American Muscle website. https://www.americanmuscle.com/upgrading-your-mustangs-wheels-and-tires.html

 

[JBert]

First, I think you need to be really clear about what wheels you have, how wide they are, and what offset they have. Maybe you are already clear on that; but I am not. I am not sure if your wheels are actually different front to back, or the same.

On the S197 cars, you could use the same wheel on all four corners and the offset would be correct. For example the GT500's came with 19x9.5 wheels front and back, all four wheels the same, with the same offset (not sure but I think it was 44mm), so they could be moved front to back with no issues. They were designed to clear the brakes in the front, and they fit on the back too.

On the GT500's, from the factory, they used 255 tires on the front and 285 on the rear. I have a set of those wheels, and I put 275's on all four, and they fit fine on my 2010.

Next, you want to size the tires to match the wheels. Generally for traction (on the back) you want the widest tires possible, without going too wide for the wheels. 275 is generally about the widest for a 9.5" wheel; 285 on a 10" wheel. If your current wheels are 9" or narrower, you probably want to think about new, wider wheels.

Next, think about -- why would you want to put a narrower tire on the front? Narrower tires will reduce steering effort a little and tramline a little less than wider, maybe hydroplane a little less . . . but if you have any road track duty in mind, you want the most rubber you can fit on the front as well as the back.

 

[Pete Grimaldi]

A 20" wheel will definitely give you a more harsh feel. The 19" tires for daily driving would be better. If you go staggered you can't rotate the tires. If you currently have the same wheels and tires on all four corners, the wheel offset should be the same on all. From your post it seems like you are implying that you have an offset setup. If you are not going to the track, the same on all four corners would be best IMHO.

Pete

 

[JBert]

. . . . If you currently have the same wheels and tires on all four corners, the wheel offset should be the same on all. From your post it seems like you are implying that you have an offset setup. . . .

I have a feeling he might have different tires front and back, but the same wheels, like what they did on the earlier GT500's, but not sure . . . now rereading the original post, I am not at all clear what he has now versus what he is thinking about buying

 

[djl45]

I have a feeling he might have different tires front and back, but the same wheels, like what they did on the earlier GT500's, but not sure . . . now rereading the original post, I am not at all clear what he has now versus what he is thinking about buying

Current staggered wheel/tire arrangement is the Performance Pack setup on a 2015 GT Premium; 255x19x9.5 and 275x19x9.5; I was thinking the front wheels were 9" when I first posted the question and was thinking of purchasing a set of OEM 9.5" wheels to replace the 9" front wheels; my bad. So, to revert to non-staggered so normal tire rotation is possible. So I guess the solution is pretty straight forward; replace the 255s on the front with a set of 275s. I believe I have read, perhaps on this forum, that, while the tire charts don't suggest it, some have run 285s on 9.5" wide wheels; dunno about that though.

 

[JBert]

Current staggered wheel/tire arrangement is .... 255x19x9.5 and 275x19x9.5; .... solution is pretty straight forward; replace the 255s on the front with a set of 275s. I believe I have read, perhaps on this forum, that, while the tire charts don't suggest it, some have run 285s on 9.5" wide wheels; dunno about that though.

Yep, I would go with 275's on all 4. You can go with 275/40 for a slightly higher sidewall and slightly larger OD than factory; or 275/35 for slightly lower sidewall and slightly shorter diameter. I had a set of Bridgstone pole position S4's in 275/35 and they were quite stiff (that tire has a stiff sidewall anyway) ; when they wore out, went to 275/40 MPSS and I like the ride a little better. (haven't tried them on road track yet).

To check tire fitment, look up the tires on Tire Rack and check the "specs" tab; that will show you the tire manufacturers recommended rim width range. I'm pretty sure you'll find that 285 is right on the edge for a 9.5" wheel; yes it can be done but it will be a little "squishy" ; probably OK on the back but I would not want that on the front.

 

[dgc333]

Current staggered wheel/tire arrangement is the Performance Pack setup on a 2015 GT Premium; 255x19x9.5 and 275x19x9.5; I was thinking the front wheels were 9" when I first posted the question and was thinking of purchasing a set of OEM 9.5" wheels to replace the 9" front wheels; my bad. So, to revert to non-staggered so normal tire rotation is possible. So I guess the solution is pretty straight forward; replace the 255s on the front with a set of 275s. I believe I have read, perhaps on this forum, that, while the tire charts don't suggest it, some have run 285s on 9.5" wide wheels; dunno about that though.

The GT Performance Package wheels are 9" wide on the front and 9.5" wide on the back. The Ecoboost Performance Package wheels are 9" wide front and back. Lots of people pick up a set of rear PP wheels for the front and run a square setup

The widest tire that is recommended for a 9" wheel is a 275. The widest tire for a 9.5" wheel is 285.



Dave

 

[jc9909]

Mine came with 20" rims from factory not staggered. 265/35 ZR20 Tire

 

[ONEZ ST]

A 20" wheel will definitely give you a more harsh feel. The 19" tires for daily driving would be better. If you go staggered you can't rotate the tires. If you currently have the same wheels and tires on all four corners, the wheel offset should be the same on all. From your post it seems like you are implying that you have an offset setup. If you are not going to the track, the same on all four corners would be best IMHO.

Pete

If the offsets are non-directional they will be able to swap side to side but not criss-cross. It doesn't give the full benefit but helps even out wear for the pair of tires.

 

[silver_stang200]

I have a staggered set up on ONX 275-40-18 18x10 rear and 245-45-17 up front 17x8

I Never ever rotated tires on any of my cars or my truck when I had a square set up

 

[djl45]

I haven't looked to verify the width of the wheels on my '15 GT with the PP but have relied on articles (see below) from Edmonds etc. on what the PP includes. In any event, there are two ways to square up; replace the 255 front tires with 275 or purchase a set of OEM rear 9.5" wheels (based on dgc333 has posted) for the fronts since I don't want 20" wheels. Surely the front fender will accommodate a 20mm wider tire. I am still unsure about offset and assume that the rear 9.5" wheel offset (if 9.5" wheels are required) will clear the front Brembo but have read that a 5mm spacer is required; don't know being new to the S550 platform.

Well, there is third option, new 19" wheels, either 9.5" or 10" and new tires which is a rather costly option and leaves a guy with a set of wheels and tires taking up valuable real estate in a garage housing three motorcycles.duh.gif

On the other end, the GT has similar upgrades with the addition of a few items as well. It has six piston brakes up front attached to 15 inch rotors (stock 2014 GT500 brakes). The rear brake upgrade is the same as the Ecoboost. The rear gear ratio is upgraded to a 3.73 ratio, which is perfect for all around driving aspects as well as performance. In combination with the 3.73 ratios, there is a Torsen differential as well. Moving the car, there are 19x9.5 inch wheels all around, with 255/40R19 Pirelli tires in the front and 275/40R19 Pirelli tire in the back. Rounding out the specific upgrades is a splitter that aids with brake cooling for the front brakes.

 

[JBert]

easiest way to find out for sure: take one of your rear wheels off, look at the back of it and note the size markings (usually they are stamped with diameter, width, and offset) . . . take one of your front wheels off, look at the back of it and take note of the size markings . . . then put the rear wheel on the front, and see if it clears

 

[GT'sGT]

If the car spends most or all of it's time on the tack I'd do any upgrade that could possibly give me an edge over the competition including gutting the interior and stripping every ounce of extra weight, (wheel wells, headlights, all but the driver seat, door panels, all of it goes) if it spends all or most of it's time on public streets, I'd leave it bone stock to have a good safe car that is well engineered and has maximum resale value.
Looks are not really important because frankly no one is looking at your car but you, everyone has their own lives and are not concerned with what others are doing or driving as long as you stay out of their way.

 

[GT'sGT]

Mine came with 20" rims from factory not staggered. 265/35 ZR20 Tire

I like this grill better than the one in the other post you made. It looks right for the style of car.

 

[ONEZ ST]

easiest way to find out for sure: take one of your rear wheels off, look at the back of it and note the size markings (usually they are stamped with diameter, width, and offset) . . . take one of your front wheels off, look at the back of it and take note of the size markings . . . then put the rear wheel on the front, and see if it clears

JBert, sounds like something I would do. But I would go all-out and reverse the offsets so the wider pair is on the front and drive around to see how the 275's work in the front. However, to maintain some degree of vanity with fatties on front and skinny's on the back I would cut out a couple eye holes in a Pontiac Aztek car cover and toss it over the car to mask my identity.

Sounds to me the OP really needs to sort this out with a visit to the local wheel & tire store to window shop, spend some money and then find out of there is happiness or buyers regret.

 

[Jackson3010]

He will not be able to run stock rear wheels or stock size wheels in the front the offset backspacing will not work will smash your fender If you want to run a wire wheel and tire package upfront go get custom wheels and tires

 

[Jackson3010]

GT 350 can run wider wheels up front because it has a wider fender is not the same fender as a regular GT. If it was as easy as buying two more wheels running up front someone would’ve done it three years ago

 

[dgc333]

GT 350 can run wider wheels up front because it has a wider fender is not the same fender as a regular GT. If it was as easy as buying two more wheels running up front someone would’ve done it three years ago

The difference between GT350 fenders and stock fenders is the vent on the trailing edge.

As far as putting the 9.5" wide rear PP wheels on the front people have been doing that since the S550 came out in 2014.

Dave

 

[JBert]

. . . .As far as putting the 9.5" wide rear PP wheels on the front people have been doing that since the S550 came out in 2014. . . .

Yeah I would have been very surprised if Ford had screwed that up on the S550 cars; the S197's could run the same 9.5" wheels on all four with no problems at all.


I think the confusion might be coming from talk about extremely wide wheels and tires, like 305 or 315 tires on 11" wheels; then things get a lot tighter and a lot trickier.