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For all considering 305-wide tires w/ stock suspension

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Should be a good time. Only 90 minutes from the ring too! I have a lot of work to do (and money to spend) between now and next spring to get her ready.
 

domesticpower

Track Addict
190
135
NS
How much street time have you logged with this setup (305s)? If so, is it livable as a daily? I am debating between 10" (285s) and 11" (305s) wide Apex wheel, but will be soon daily driving the boss for a few years while I live overseas. I know i wouldn't regret 305s on a track, just not sure for sustained street use.

I haven't logged too many street miles yet, but enough to make an impression (roughly 400 miles/640 km). Like others have said, it is 100% livable. My 71R's were fine driving around town even in the rain and your Michelin PS4's will be even better. Tramlining was a little worse than my 285's before, but nothing I wouldn't live with in a daily. There was a significant difference in tramlining between the factory 255's and 285's. If you are jumping from from 255's to 305's, you might be frustrated but most of the difference is coming from 255's to 285's so if you won't run smaller than a 10" wheel and 285 or 295 anyway, I say go all the way and have the car ready for track time when it comes!!
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,424
8,350
Exp. Type
Time Attack
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20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
From the lips of the remarkable Blacksheep 1 , remember his comment --- 275s are toooooo damn small for this car on the track! Just saying and where are you going to be stationed/working? You almost sound like it could be Spangdahlem, from your time to the Ring?
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,424
8,350
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
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Blair, Nebraska
Know it well , our family was Stationed at Bitburg AFB in the 60s ( closed now). Got to run Nurburgring in an Opel Rekord with our entire family and later in a Mini Cooper ( just dad and I ) borrowed from one of his wingmen.
 
That's great. We can only ship one car over, so was looking at buying a Mini S or a Golf GTI for the wife once we're over there.
 

cholmes1

400lb Gorilla
350
216
Denver, CO
I had a lot of doubts before pulling the trigger and it seems like I'm not alone judging by the number of wide wheel/tire threads on here and questions I got. Hopefully this thread helps everyone looking to fit something this wide, especially on stock suspension for class or budget. The tires do poke out a bit and I figured rubbing is all but guaranteed at full compression once I saw them on the car... but I couldn't be happier I trusted APEX and those on here who have run it. Here's what you need:

1. Camber plates: I have MM C/C plates and they are maxed out at -2.3 deg with the stock struts. I have been running them for about 3 years with many track days without issue. APEX recommends at least -3 deg in their fitment guide but I had no choice because I was maxed out.

2. 1"/25 mm spacer: I have Motorsport-tech 1" spacers and they look like high quality units. There is maybe a 1/4 inch clearance in the back so you can't go any narrower than 25 mm. http://www.motorsport-tech.com/adaptec/car/ford_s and you want Design 2.

3. Elongated studs: your best bet is to get the FPP hubs with elongated studs instead of reusing the old one. Bearings are consumables anyway so if you're like me and you've been enjoying your car for several years, it might be a good time. They are a bargain considering that they come with ARP elongated studs already pressed in. https://lmr.com/item/M1104A/Ford-Racing-Mustang-Front-Hub-Pair-With-3-Arp-Studs You will need open ended lug nuts which are sold separately.

4. A good quality 11" wheel: APEX of course! I got square APEX EC-7 19x11 ET52 for rotation, although APEX offers a different offset 19x11 so you don't need a spacer but the spacers will likely pay for themselves quickly in tire life (allowing rotation).

Here's how the car sits on 305/30/19 RE-71R's all around. I'll post a review of the tires if there is interest, but after a couple of days at the track, I can comfortable say there is no rubbing. The car feels fantastic with this setup. It looks great too... which was a very popular opinion over the weekend.

View attachment 8317
View attachment 8318


I'm running pretty much the same set-up as @domesticpower but was able to pinch out -2.6 camber out of my MM CC plates with Koni Sports and OP 25mm spacer up front. This leaves me with about 4mm clearance. Right now I have 305/30/19 on my EC7s with the same size RE71s on the Apex's SM-10s in the wings. Same FRPP front hub and ARP studs out back and doing both autoX and track work I have had zero issues and no rubbing. I have no vision of banging doors and stayed with 19 inch wheels because have a huge range of rubber just wasn't that important to me. Plus with the T Springs and the car lowered, it helps a smidge when loading it up on the trailer. (I still have to inflate the tires occasionally to prevent from the front splitter from catching even with the long Race Ramps) I'll share a picture when I get a chance but the look from the front on the 19x11 looks pretty much like DPs.

With APEX offering a 19x11 ET26 for the front, a spacer is listed as not being needed ( https://support.apexraceparts.com/h...5526493-S197-Mustang-Wheel-Tire-Fitment-Guide ).

Does this seem valid to you both? Are you both running square 19x11ET52's solely for the easy rotation?

I am in the process of ordering from Apex and TireRack and want to make certain I have all of the parts needed prior to installing.

Also, as odd as it sounds, any recommendations on open lugs? I have a set of ARP studs I will be installing on the front and rear hubs but cannot seem to find good quality open lugs.

Thanks!
 
Also, as odd as it sounds, any recommendations on open lugs? I have a set of ARP studs I will be installing on the front and rear hubs but cannot seem to find good quality open lugs.

Thanks!

One of our supporting vendors, Optimum Performance (see banner on the right) offers open lug nuts that I personally use on my car. I purchased their matte black ones to match my Apex EC-7s and they've held-up best against my impact wrench without any rounding of the flat surfaces, like others.
 
With APEX offering a 19x11 ET26 for the front, a spacer is listed as not being needed ( https://support.apexraceparts.com/h...5526493-S197-Mustang-Wheel-Tire-Fitment-Guide ).

Does this seem valid to you both? Are you both running square 19x11ET52's solely for the easy rotation?!

The ET26 has a different offset to run on the front without a wheel spacer. It fits but will not allow you to rotate front and rears. To run a square setup that you can rotate all around requires the ET52s on all four corners and the front wheel spacer to correct for the wheel offset.
 
Don't forget to use our Tire Rack link above when ordering tires.
 

domesticpower

Track Addict
190
135
NS
With APEX offering a 19x11 ET26 for the front, a spacer is listed as not being needed ( https://support.apexraceparts.com/h...5526493-S197-Mustang-Wheel-Tire-Fitment-Guide ).

Does this seem valid to you both? Are you both running square 19x11ET52's solely for the easy rotation?

I am in the process of ordering from Apex and TireRack and want to make certain I have all of the parts needed prior to installing.

Also, as odd as it sounds, any recommendations on open lugs? I have a set of ARP studs I will be installing on the front and rear hubs but cannot seem to find good quality open lugs.

Thanks!

Definitely a valid option. Only reason to run spacers is to rotate (or widen track, but offset will do that too). If you don't need to rotate, the ET26 offset should be fine.

I have a cheap set of open end lug nuts now that I got off of LMR to quickly get the car ready for the season. They've been holding up so far but I don't feel comfortable with them long term. Will probably be switching to something better quality like the OP set others are running and happy with.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,424
8,350
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
OP is a solid citizen and has high quality stuff and...............he can converse with you on an intelligent Mustang level ( not something you get everyday with many warehouses, etc. ).
 

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