Okay...I've been lurking around on here for a while now, I've read the FAQ, I've used search, etc. But I am VERY confused as to what kind of wheels I can fit on my 06 GT. I know I can fit 18, 19, or 20 inch wheels as-is or even if I lower the car, which I plan on doing (no more than 1.5 inches). Is there an ABSOLUTE guide out there in Internet land somewhere that tells me what wheels will fit on my car WITHOUT modification?

From my understanding, the stock 17 inch wheels and 235/55-17 tires are approx 27 inches tall. No big deal...I can easily figure this part out and order the right width vs. profile tire to get at that 27 inches. And pretty much all tire & wheel retail websites I visit agree on that. For example, I can go with an 18x8 inch wheel with 255/45-18 tires and still obtain that 27 inches.

However. How about offset? This is where I get confused & frustrated. Different websites list different acceptable offsets. I found a very nice site (thanks to someone from this forum) at bigcustomwheels.com that has a flash program that allows you to plug in various numbers and it will give you all the info you will need. It then proceeds to give you tire & wheel packages that they GUARANTEE will fit on your car. I found the wheels I want (which they guarantee to fit): Falken Koblenz 18x8, 5x114.3 bolt pattern, 35mm offset. Unfortunately, they didn't have them in black/chrome, which is the color that I want. So I call edgeracing.com (who DOES have this exact wheel in black) and they told me that it will NOT fit my car.

Anyway...I feel I've done my fair share of research, but I don't feel much closer to actually being able to purchase the wheels I want - which needs to be soon because I would like to have them mounted and balanced on some tires and ready to go when my Mustang arrives at the dealership.

Any help would be appreciated.

Tony

 

Tony, you are correct on the tires...I currently run 255/45/18's for street use and they are 27 inches tall.

I also run 18X9 03/04 cobra rims that have only +26mm offset. They do not stick out, they fit, but you can not go with a larger tire with this combo then the 255/45/18. I mention this to show you that there are many different offsets that WILL fit your car. If you want to run a 285/40/18 lets say, you need a 18X9.5 with +45mm offset or so. I have seen wheels with this tire from 40mm offset to 50mm offset fit. Remember, offset is how far the mounting point of the wheel is away from center. + offset will move the wheel in the fenderwell, -offset will move the wheel farther out. And to confuse you further, you will not need as much +offset if the rim is not as wide. So on the 18X8 you mention, +35mm offset is plenty....seeing how I am running an 18X9 with +26mm and the sidewall of the tire is just inside the fenderwell.

Check my pics to see how the 18X9 with only +26mm offset fits.