Wheel Advice going from 19' to 18 or 17 for track
 

Hi all.
Happy New Year.
5 years of tracing at the BMW Driving school and two with my 2010 Mustang GT 4,6L Track Pak 1, I have added a Ford Racing Suspension and have worn out the orginal Pirellis 245 45 19s and am thinking about running 17s or 18s this coming summer.

Nito NT 05 tires seem ideal but what are the ideal rim and tire sizes that would work best for the track. Please let me know what you think. Thanks. Alan

You could go down to 17" and still clear your existing brakes, but the available 17" trackable tires aren't really tall enough for S197 Mustangs. You should be looking at 18" wheels that have enough spoke clearance for the GT-500 / Boss 302 style 14" Brembo brakes ... at some point you will probably want to upgrade to those.

Anyway, in the NT-05, which are a good choice, you can get 275/40R18, which is only a bit smaller than the original tire diameter for the S197. My buddy with an 07 GT who tracks his car regularly runs those tires on Steeda 9.5" wheels. Another good choice is the 2010 GT-500 vert wheels available from FRPP. They are 9.5", are OEM strength obviously, and a reasonable price, about $200 per corner. Don't think that it would be a great idea to buy any of the cheaper replica wheels that are available, with the intention of running them on track.

Vorshlag is selling some D-Force 18x10" wheels now that are the lowest price lightweight 10" wheels with proper offset for an S197 front and rear. More expensive than the GT-500 wheels at $309 US each, but the extra 1/2" is good for tracking the big car, and they are about 5 lbs. lighter than the Shelby wheels.

http://www.vorshlag.com/index.php?cPath=141_142_268


cheers
Ed N.

Nice wheels Ed. They remind me of some Rays Engineering wheels that I looked at last year. Similar look/weight, but a much lower price.

x 2 :tup

some great info from our info expert

Would you call him "The Wheel Deal" ? :wink: In all seriousness, wheely good information though.

LMFAO. You're on fire AP.

that he is

Great looking wheels. Thanks for your advice. They ship in February and together with the Nitto NT-05s they should be great on the track. Thanks for your help.

Yes, I will want to upgrade the brakes to Brembos ASAP. Next year's toy.
I am just concerned that the rims I buy will fit with the stock brakes now and the Brembos later.

Oh what fun it is to ride! Alan

hey Ed ... If I stay with my stock 19" wheels for tracking my 2010 Mustang GT can i move up from the 245-45-19s to say 265 40 19 offered by Nitto NT 05s? 245 is about 9.6 inches and 265 is 10.4 inches. What do you think? Alan

To me that would still work but I am waiting to see how wrong I may be lol

In theory that might be OK ... but your non-Brembo package wheels are only 8-1/2" wide, not really enough for 265s on the track. Also, pretty much the only tire in that size is the optional front Shelby Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar version 2, which is supposed to be a decent tire. But they are very expensive, and not a true track tire. Plus, when you're ready to go to the Brembo brakes, your existing wheels won't clear. If you're serious about it, IMO you are better off to pony up for the 18" wheels that will clear the big brakes, and then you can get the 275 40 18 in a proper tire that is more suitable for what you plan to do.


cheers
Ed

Fast Ed is AWESOME. You write a column Ed. :)

I will +1 one him

Great advice Fast Ed. Always willing to help people out. :tup

No worries, I've been through lots of wheel & tire fitments on various cars over the years, I pride myself on getting that as right as possible. In this case I have lots of direct experience with my friend's 07 GT at track days. We put the GT-500 Brembo brakes on it a few years ago, and there are only certain wheels, especially in 18", that will clear those big calipers and 14" rotors.


cheers
Ed N.

how much $$$$ to convert to the 5oo set up?

The kit from FRPP is about $1200, here is a link to it on the American Muscle site:

http://www.americanmuscle.com/svt-brakekit-0509gt.html

https://www.cmoc.ca/attachment.php?a...ine=1325504660


Other way to do it, if you can get wholesale pricing from your local Ford dealer, is to buy the rotors and calipers + hardware (use the 11-12 GT Brembo pack calipers, same part), and then go with some decent aftermarket pads. Rear pads should be upgraded at the same time to maintain a good front to rear balance. You don't really need the rotor dust shields on a summer only car, and the SS braided lines are an option. Anyway, you could piece it together for under $1000 doing it that way.


cheers
Ed N.

not a bad savings

That's what I love about this site...There are so many knowledgable members when it comes to Mustangs, and cars in general I suppose. I can't remember the last time I googled something about Mustangs, now I just post a question on here, and get all the answers a person needs. It's like an online Mustang Encyclopedia.:tup

great to hear

Thanks for this excellent advice Ed. Alan

he is a wealth of knowledge without a doubt

What an asset. Imagine buying the wrong wheels and tires and finding out that they won't work with next year's Brembo's. Ed must hold a PhD in Mustang Science (Physics). Thanks guys. Alan

Fast Ed isn't actually real. He's a cross over between a majic 8 ball and "state of mind". He exists on the internet only. I heard he was born from government testing on transformers - but that's unconfirmed. Just ask and he'll answer everytime. Its amazing.

Geez, I think that I'm real!! Stu (CaptVirgilHilts) will confirm (that I am a real pain in the ass anyway!) :LOL:


cheers
Ed N.

I don't know why, but this just came to me.....We need to start a "Dear Ed" thread.....You know, like the "Dear Abby" colum in the newspaper! :lol

sounds like a great plan

LMFAO, love it. Thats a great idea. We could give him his own section. LOL.

Absolutely. I just spoke to my friend, the Bishop and he told me that Fast Ed is going to get a VIP pass to the Track called Heaven's Glen. It has a Mother bus stop and unbelievable esses. You come out of them at 190 MPH and do the straight to the bus stop at 270 and have super heavenly Brembo kit that slows to to 150 for the bus stop.

I asked the Bishop if I could go too. He said, only if I know all of the stuff in Ed's superior Mustang mind. Apparently, the offical car of Heaven is the Boss 302. No hope for me. But Ed is a made man. Alan

to me the LS is Gods car