I have been saving some money for awhile and was thinking about getting new rims for the stang, the only thing holding me back was lack of knowledge in the wheel world....so for the big question....
will upgrading my wheels from 16" to 20" cause any problems etc... just wondering what im in for before i dive in.. thanks
Those are some sweet lookin wheels.Have you looked at tire prices for any 20 inch wheels, makes me cringe. Less side wall means you can damage your wheels by going over potholes, big bumps, or even railroad tracks. Where as, depending on your driving style, you might get 40 thousand miles from a set of 16" tires, you might be lucky to get 15 thousand miles from the 20's. Your braking performance will suffer also because of the increase in rotating mass. If you got the money for tires, and maybe big brakes and an extra wheel incase the inevitable happens, along with the patience to slow to a crawl over rough railroad crossings you cant go wrong. 20" wheels on our cars just look right, but my car serves commuter duty, and if i had money for 20" tires and wheels i woulda got a gt.
I'm thinking the taller the wheel, the less side wall and the rougher the ride. I think the suspension is stiff enough already since I'm not racing in montecarlo :~) My plan is to stay with the retro theme -- hell, 15" wheels were "big" back then. 16" Chrome spokes all around, keeping the stock size 215s on the front and wider/taller in the rear like we did back when I was in high-school. Keeping thinner tires up front should help prevent hydro planing too. I've seen kids with these really wide tires on small cars just totally lose it on the highway.
Also witha taller wheel/tire combo you will lose mpg as well as some of the initial oomph when you take off due to the higher rotating mass. I had 18's w/ a 40 profile tire on a car that was designed to have 15's and the ride was horribly stiff. I also could not get off the line very quick but damn they looked cool. I guess it depends on what you want to do with your ride.
My stang came with the Saleen suspension and Saleen wheels. I took them off for the winter and put on OEM 17" take offs. Only drove the 20"s for about 400 miles, and noticed no real issues with them. But then it was only for 400 easy miles...
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2005 Mustang V6 Convertible manual, no exterior emblems or tape, wing delete, Saleen Racecraft suspension, Saleen wheels, GT front fascia. GT Bullet takeoffs. '06 Dodge RAM 3500 DRW QC LB Cummins G56 daily driver Power added by Mads Electronics
Printable Version
16" wheels to 20" wheels...driveability quest... - 
