Ready to buy weld rt-s wheels... what offset/pad height?

[Fosters]

Ok, i'm set on the 15x8 for the rear and 17x7 for the front. I was able to find that I need a 5.5 backspace for a 15x8 wheel. According to Summit, Weld makes theirs a bit wider, at 8.25 it seems.

1. For the rear, do I need more or less backspace? is 5.5 fine, nothing going to rub?
2. For the front, I wasn't able to find the backspace, what would I need for a 17x7 wheel? My cruddy math and pitiful understanding of wheel tech says 4.5" backspace, but just want to make sure.

3. Do I need any kind of special lug nuts with these? or would the stockers work?

4. Last but not least, Weld specifies pad height - basically the clearance for the caliper, how arched the spokes should be. Should I look for low or medium pad height?

What's the best price you guys have seen on these? Team beefcake seems to have good prices but not on these sizes Summit is 300/wheel for the rears and 450/wheel for the fronts... anything else better? Maybe a package deal for the set?

Also, if anyone has pics with this setup, feel free to show off

 

[skwerl]

Medium pad height. You need .490" shank style lugs with washers, I recommend McGard. If you have ARP lug studs then you need the open end like these-
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000COS0C4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They come with black plastic caps to cover the open ends so you can use these with stock studs as well.

 

[retfr8flyr]

What Brian said is correct but I have to ask, why only 15x8 for the rear? 15x10 or even 15x9 would give you a much better tire selection.

 

[lindertw]

15x4 front, 15x8 rear (summit p/n [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]WLD-71MP-508A55A)[/FONT] on my '05... medium pad height:

I'm running a 28" front tire so it stands out a bit from the fender - a 26" tire would be less gaudy looking...

 

[skwerl]

^ I think he's running 17" rims up front so they tuck a little better. I never did like the looks of the 15" fronts because they stick out so far.

 

[mustangtcs]

AmericanMuscle has the wheels listed for your car.

 

[Fosters]

What Brian said is correct but I have to ask, why only 15x8 for the rear? 15x10 or even 15x9 would give you a much better tire selection.

Eh, I plan on running a 255 or 275 tire at most. if that doesn't give me enough traction I can still run the 295 according to MT's website. The 255/275 would be stretched on a 10" wheel. 9" might be a better choice indeed though.

Wonder if it's worth waiting till november for black friday sales... I don't want to though, lol.

^ I think he's running 17" rims up front so they tuck a little better. I never did like the looks of the 15" fronts because they stick out so far.

Yeah, had 15s for the old 04 mach1 and had to run 1" spacers. Not doing that again; nothing wrong with spacers, just looked odd. I have the non brembo brakes so from what I'm reading the 17s should fit without spacers, without griding of calipers, etc.

 

[skwerl]

^ I bought the 9" rear rims and needed to trim the shock mount and get the shock relocation brackets in order for them to clear.

 

[Grabber Blue 5.0]

Fosters,

Did you have a Mach 1 with a Whipple?

And I would really consider the 15x10 Welds. No spacers needed and the sway bar relocation brackets take maybe 10 minutes to do. Nothing else needed. More tire choices as well.

 

[Fosters]

No whipple, was all motor, ran 12.2@111mph. Hoping this one will do that while keeping more street manners

If you look at the rim size recommendations, the 10" rim is actually too wide for the 255 and the 275 Mickey DRs. Sure, you can probably stretch it, but they look all goofy when stretched. The 255 is the only one close to the 27" stock tire size too :\ I only have 3.15 gears so would rather stay away from the 28" tires for now.

What kind of gains did you see at the track with the boss intake?

 

[skwerl]

^ As you can see in my picture above, the 11.50" wide Hoosiers fit fine on the 9" rim. I would only use a 10" rim if you're pushing over 600hp and need lots of rubber on the ground.

 

[Grabber Blue 5.0]

Well I wouldn't be running any 255 drag radial period. I run a 295/55-15 which comes in at 27.8" tall. Works well with my auto/3.15 combo. But most are running a 28" tire with their auto with 3.15/3.31 gears and with a converter running low 11's high 10's.

I did the Boss Intake at the same time as my converter and picked up six tenths.