For those of you who have not purchased aftermarket wheels, did you go with the stock 17" or the optional 18"?

Is the tire width the same on both?

Do you think there is any benefit to going with an 18"? I know that with a shorter side wall, the handling is supposed to be a bit better, but does the ride suffer?

I'm trying to decide...I like the looks of the stock GT wheels but will always wonder if I missed something by not upgrading. Know what I mean?

Thanks.

 

Hey there, I have 19" PIAA Super Rossa Rims, and it seems that the larger the rim the easier it'll be to spin the tires, getting less traction. I'd assume that you'd be fine with the 17s since it'll allow you to choose something with a larger sidewall.

I also have my original 17s and wanted to know if anyone knows what the widest tire is that can fint on these stock rims....

 

I went with 17"s as I did not want to buy new tire as well, and deal with the low tire pressure sensors equipped on the 07's. I probably should have gone with 18"s but I do like the 17"s. When the tires are shot I'm going with 255/50/17... little more aggressive stands.

 

Go with the 18" Bullits or Fanblades.

 

If you mean the 18" polished aluminium, I think that's what I'm gonna do. A little more "retro" than the fanblades. (I'm pretty "retro" myself. )

 

Sorry , I missed the not, and it was even underlined...lol. Yes, definitely go with the 18" bullits

 

I haven't noticed any difference in ride between the stock 17" and 18". The 18" will stick corners better cos there is more meat, but the 17" are more nimble as there is less unsprung weight to toss around.

 

Thanks for all the comments guys.

 

I went with the 18" Fanblades from the factory, mainly because I liked the looks the best, as well as slightly improved handling from the shorter sidewalls (less deflection during cornering).

I've got a set of GT500 wheels waiting to go on the car now though, 18x9.5.

The wheelwells on this car are HUGE and can easily fit 19" and 20" wheels without looking out-of-proportion. The 17s just look too small in the wheelwells to me.

 

I've got the 17x8 upgrade wheels from '05, but I will probably upgrade to 18x8's in front and 18x9's in the rear when I get new tires......if i have a few extra $$$ by then

 

If you want to stay OEM, go with the 18".

The Bullitts are definitely old-school. I actually wanted the 18" bullits but accidently ordered the blades. (I ordered my ride back in the days when Ford had no pictures on website and nobody knew which wheel was 64w or 64e) . But I'm glad I got the blades because there were a lot of S197s with aftermarket bullits while I was the first in my area to go blade and them chrome them for a different stock look.

 

Yup those are the ones I'm talking about.

 

Hey P51, I gotta tell ya, those chromed fan blades look nice! They were actually my least favorite wheel when I ordered my car, but the chrome really sets em off. Probably wasn't cheap? I ordered the no cost 17" bullitts on mine and am going with after market wheels and tires. Mainly cause I want to get wider. I'm sticking with 17's so I can hopefully swap over the TPMS stuff.

 

Curious how much it cost to get the wheels chromed. I would love to do that to my 17" bullits.

 

It cost $125 per wheel.

 

My wife and I went with the 18" polished aluminum (Bullits) too because of the retro style. We didn't consider the effect these would have on handling.

 

Just curious - how did you manage it logistically? Did you have to remove the wheels and dismount the tires? If so, did you leave your car on jack stands?

I was going to be happy with the stock wheels - it was my wife who told me she liked the 18" polished better. I saw them next to each other at a local Mustang meet yesterday - she's right. (Whenever my wife suggests I spend money on a car-related toy, who am I to refuse? )

I'll be they look real nice chromed!

 

Hey, the fanblades are VERY retro. Just look at some old '65-66 GT350's. They have a similar 5-spoke "fanblade" style wheel. See the pic below

EDIT: My 2,000 POST!!!

 

I stand corrected...they sure do look GREAT on that Shelby.

 

I have the silver 17" bullitts but I want to polish them. I'm a fan of larger wheels, but I'd prefer the weight and cost savings of the 17"...plus I won't have to deal with the TPMS.