I had 4 new kumho 255/45/17 sitting in my living room waiting to put on my new stang when it arrives. I since traded them for a better size that won't throw off the speedometer. Now I have 255/50/17 waiting. In my opinion , this is the most important change I will make first. It will lessen body role,offer more stability and provide more grip around turns and at launch. Please post pics if anyone has done the change.I suggest to all to do so. The 255/50/17 will also give the car a much better look and stance. 255/50/17 is the way to go!!!!

 

a freind of mine suggested getting 18X10.5 rims and tires. I don't know anything about it except for the look of the wide tires. What would happen to performace etc.?

 

For cost reasons, I'm just replacing the tires that will fit on the factory rims

 

What's the difference in on the road tread width! 235 55 & 255 50's?
Tks

 

The wheel diameter of the tire is the same ( which it should be. The 255 is much wider. Here is a pic of my cobra with 255's These are 255/45/17. The 255/50/17 have have a bigger side wall which will show less wheel gap between the fender. Not to mention ,The 50 series will mach the diameter of the stock tire not throwing off the speedometer

 

The 10.5 inch wide wheel would be ok on the back if you wanted to go with 315's on the back. Other wise a 9 inch rim would be less expensive and you could put 275's all the way around like the 04 cobras

 

Would it still handle o.k. if you put the 250/55/17 on the back and left the stock 235's on the front. I have a daily driver. The 05 stang will be my weekend fun car. I will not put very many miles on it, so the two different size tires won't bother me as far as not being able to rotate them.

 

Geeeez. I really don't know about putting 255's on the back and leaving the 235's on the front. My guess is that if you leave the 235's on the front you will create an uneven amount of body roll which will cause an unstable feeling around corners.

 

The wheel diameter of the tire is the same ( which it should be. The 255 is much wider. Here is a pic of my cobra with 255's These are 255/45/17. The 255/50/17 have have a bigger side wall which will show less wheel gap between the fender. Not to mention ,The 50 series will mach the diameter of the stock tire not throwing off the speedometer [/b][/quote]
[/QUOTE]Thanks for the pics & info.

 

I dunno , I was going to go the 255/45 18 route. I want bigger wheels as well as wider tires! B)

 

Yes!!! You got it!! If people do decide to go with an 18 inch wheel.255/45/18's are the way to go
For both 255/50/17 and 255/45/18 your speedometer reads 60mph ,your actual speed will be 59.7 mph. thats the closest your going to get!!!
So to sum it all up 255/50/17 if your going with factory wheel
255/45/18 if your upgrading to a 18 inch wheel
Can't wait to see pics with the tire changes!!!!!!!

 

2005muzzy,
Glad you were able to trade in the 45s. Here is a link to one of my previous post with additional info about this: http://forums.bradbarnett.net/index.php?ac...hlite=2005muzzy

 

guess what guys.... the speedo gear will not have to be changed no matter what tire/wheel size combo you put on there. It's all recalculated so there is no speedo gear swap.
Now I say that like I have proof..... and I can't remember where I read it. I'll look for it.

BTW.... wo what tires are coming stock with these things.... several sources show the BFGs and others say Pirellis.... namely Car & Driver and I think MT did their tests on Pirellis too....

 

Pirelli P-Zero Nero 235-55-17

 

I'm sorry, but simply going to 255 tires on an 8" wheel will not drastically increase handling performance. Yes, you will get slightly more straight line traction with the wider tire, but you will have the exact same sidewall height and also a slight bulge. If you want good handling, you'll need to get larger diameter wheels to decrease those HUGE sidewalls on the 2005. Wheel width also makes a big difference. A 255 tire on an 9" wheel will handle a lot better than a 255 tire on an 8" wheel.

 

. The wheels you see here are 8 inch wheels. they are the stock wheel on the stock tires 255/45/17. No bulge at all!!! yes a 9 inch wheel is better but for cost reasons the 8 inch wheel on the 05 will do just fine. anything larger that a 255 will have to go on a wider wheel. I would tend to disagree on the handling part .More meat to the pavement will help the new mustang a lot around corners. Those stock 235s are just too skinny for the mustang.

 

The wheel diameter of the tire is the same ( which it should be. The 255 is much wider. Here is a pic of my cobra with 255's These are 255/45/17. The 255/50/17 have have a bigger side wall which will show less wheel gap between the fender. Not to mention ,The 50 series will mach the diameter of the stock tire not throwing off the speedometer [/b][/quote]
Call me silly but I have never seen a cobra with the back bumper of a regular stang.

 

yes !! you were the one that brought this to my attention. Thanks a lot! had no problem swapping tires. My best friend owns a tire shop.

 

Call me silly but I have never seen a cobra with the back bumper of a regular stang. [/b][/quote]
Thats the bumper that came with the 95 cobra. Ford didn't start using the cobra logo until 96 . Ok Silly

 

Thats the bumper that came with the 95 cobra. Ford didn't start using the cobra logo until 96 . Ok Silly [/b][/quote]
he is right first cobras had mustang on rear covers 94/95