S197 Mustang Owner Seeks Biggest Rear Tire Possible: What’s up in the Forums
Mustang Source member wants to stuff his S197 with some pretty massive rubber. But is the resulting headache really worth it?
When it comes to tires, bigger is almost always better. Except, of course, if you need some front skinnys for the drag strip. Otherwise, more width typically means more grip, and more grip is always a good thing. So one of the most common inquiries we get here at The Mustang Source are from folks looking to stuff the biggest tire they possibly can underneath their rides. Including this recent post from S197 Mustang owner Demonic25.
“I was wondering, will a 315/35/20 fit on my S197 Mustang without any problems? I’m thinking about lowering it with an SR Performance 1.5 all around. Or a Cobra Jet drag spring – 1.75-inches in the front and 1-inch in the rear.”
An ambitious plan, indeed. But as Gabe notes, it’s possible. With some additional caveats, of course.
“That’s a tall and wide tire. Yes it will fit, but you’ll need an 11″wide rear wheel with an offset of 56-59mm. You might also need to remove the shock boot for clearance. And you’ll definitely need an adjustable panhard bar to center the rear axle. That way those big meats you want back there will both fit inside the fenders. And you won’t have one sticking an inch outside the fender while the other one is an inch inside it.”
Obviously, that might be a little much for our OP, who’s just looking for the fattest rear rubber possible. And Bert has a pretty good recommendation on who to ask.
“The folks at Vorschlag are the best resources I know to answer this question. They have worked on this extensively for Mustang road track cars. Know all the fitment details and any modifications needed to push the envelope. They can also sell you the exact wheels needed to do it. And from what I have seen their prices are competitive.
275 or 285 is the most common ‘wide’ size for these cars. Those can be accommodated with the right wheels with no real issues. Beyond that, you need to start getting very careful.”
Gabe suggests going with something a tad smaller, which is probably wise advice at this point.
“There are a lot more choices in the 305/35/20 size, and they’re a bit easier to fit. Perfect fitment would require a 10.5-11″ wide wheel, but they’ll mount up just fine on a 10″ wide wheel. You just won’t get the full benefit of having a 305 since sidewall bulge will shrink the contact patch to about 285.”
So it seems that the OP might want to temper his expectations just a tad. Crazy wide rear tires certainly look cool, but there is a big trade off for going as large as he originally wanted. Still, we want to know what you think! Do you have an S197 Mustang with big rubber out back? Head over here and tell us what size tires you’re running, plus any mods you had to perform to make them work.
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