Hi everyone.
I want to get some nice alloys on my old girl
Can anyone advise as to the stud pattern I need and the offset etc? I’m not great with wheels to be honest.
Also what what be the biggest size I could get on the rear without any modifications. I’d love to go wider on the rear, make it look chunky! (I’d love firestones on there)
I don’t want low profile tires, I want some good rubber!
Advise on any alloy brands and tire sizes would be appreciated
Alloys
Moderator: redstangbob
Re: Alloys
It is a pretty standard Ford lug pattern of 5 on 4 1/2"
I have fender skirts and I wanted to have the same wheel dimensions on every corner so I can rotate the tires, so based on my calculations, 7" was maximum width. The limitations are inboard on the front tires when steering, and outboard on the rear tires with the skirts. Without skirts you might be able to get maybe another 1" outboard and run 8" wheels with a 4" backspacing.
There is a lot of space inboard in the rear, so if you are willing to have different wheels in the back, you might be able to run 10" wide wheels with 6" of back spacing. I suppose the limitation is in the tub, so carefully measure there. Also consider the tire width as some of them mushroom over the wheel rim more than others.
With 7" wide rims I have 235/50R18 tires and it looks like this:
download/file.php?id=12848&mode=view
These are American Racing VH502 which are custom made. The front calipers on '65 and '66 require extra clearance between the mounting face and the back side of the dish. This is the tricky part of Thunderbird wheels which causes people problems.
I have fender skirts and I wanted to have the same wheel dimensions on every corner so I can rotate the tires, so based on my calculations, 7" was maximum width. The limitations are inboard on the front tires when steering, and outboard on the rear tires with the skirts. Without skirts you might be able to get maybe another 1" outboard and run 8" wheels with a 4" backspacing.
There is a lot of space inboard in the rear, so if you are willing to have different wheels in the back, you might be able to run 10" wide wheels with 6" of back spacing. I suppose the limitation is in the tub, so carefully measure there. Also consider the tire width as some of them mushroom over the wheel rim more than others.
With 7" wide rims I have 235/50R18 tires and it looks like this:
download/file.php?id=12848&mode=view
These are American Racing VH502 which are custom made. The front calipers on '65 and '66 require extra clearance between the mounting face and the back side of the dish. This is the tricky part of Thunderbird wheels which causes people problems.
1966 Thunderbird Convertible (Emberglo / White-Emberglo)
Modified 428 - stroked, rollercam, aluminum top end, headers
Livermore, CA
Modified 428 - stroked, rollercam, aluminum top end, headers
Livermore, CA