A wheel and tire package can really wake up your ride. Even with a factory paint job and a stock drivetrain, just dropping in a set of lowering springs and bolting on a sick set of wheels wrapped in sexy rubber will make a night-and-day difference in the way the car looks and drives. No matter what year Mustang you own, upgrading your wheel and tire package is a popular thing to do.
Notice we didn't say "easy," however. Sure, your basic Cobra R or Bullitt wheel upgrade is easy-they're factory wheels that for the most part bolt on without any problems (though there are exceptions, which we'll discuss later). No, what we're referring to is the owner who wants to stuff the meanest, most aggressive-looking wheel and tire combo he can under the fenders of his Mustang. If that's you, then you need to keep reading this article.
What we do want to state right out front is that there's no magic formula to get the maximum wheel and tire combo on your car. We'd love to say that all '94-'98 Mustangs will fit a maximum tire size of X, but we simply can't. Production tolerances of the body assembly, ride height, brake-hat location from aftermarket brakes, and so much more dictate what will fit and what won't. Our plan here is to educate you on proper wheel fitment and to share with you some known combinations that will fit without modifications on a stock Mustang. Ultimately, if you really want those 19x11-inch wheels on the back of your SN-95, you'll have to take measurements and probably use custom three-piece wheels to get what you want. We've all seen it done, but it's not cheap. Now you know why you see so many Mustangs running Bullitt and Cobra wheels!
So, what fits? That's the $20,000 dollar question. There are so many variables, it's difficult to give a definitive answer. So why are we even writing this? Because we want to be able to arm you with the most information we can so that you can make an informed decision on the wheels you want, what will fit your application, the right tire for your driving needs, and so on. With some math, simple measuring, and common sense, you can figure out exactly what will work for you. This way, when you order your new wheels and tires, you know they're going to fit.
The first thing to consider is how much room you have to work with. Gregory Smith of Weld Racing gave us some great information-stuff even we didn't know. He said that when it comes to Fox Mustangs, the rear inner wheelhousing differs from one body style to the next. "The convertible has the smallest," he says, "with the coupe in the middle, and the hatch body style having the largest inner wheelhousing." So, while the hatch might be a tad heavier and require more stiffening, short of tubbing the car, you can fit a larger tire in the rear of a hatch for racing than you can a coupe. How about that, all you hatchback aficionados!
Here's another interesting tidbit for you to pack away in your gray matter. According to the fitment testing at Weld Racing, the limiting factor on rear tire width for an SN-95 Mustang ('94-'98) is not the inner wheelhouse, but the exhaust tailpipe. Now you know why the tailpipes have that flattened area behind the tires. So while your 9.5- or 10-inch rear wheels might clear now, what happens when you want to up the exhaust with a mandrel-bent after-cat? It's not going to fit. Gregory also told us the New Edge model and its sharp wheel arches allow for a bit more tire under the car. "If you have a '99-and-up car, a 10.5-inch wheel with a 27mm offset will fit nicely out back with a 315 tire." Again, we're sure there's someone out there just itching to fire off an e-mail saying they have 335s on the back of their Mustang, but it all depends upon the vehicle, the wheel specs, and the brake package.