T-bird wheels on my '90 SHO

[91 SHO PLUS]

Hello SHO guys & gals!

I just bought a set of '96 T-bird wheels for my '90 SHO. They are 16" x 7", with 39mm offset, and generic center caps with the exposed lugs, NOT THE ONES WITH THE BIG T-BIRD EMBLEMS!! I'm wanting to mount the widest possible tire I can without cutting back the rear fender lips. I'm pretty sure 225x55's would fit, but what about 235x55's?

If anybody's had any experience along these lines with a GenI SHO, your input would be greatly appreciated! I'm thinking about buying a CHEAP used 235x55 from a local used tire dealer for like $20 & having my son, who works at Firestone, mount it to experiment before spending $300-$400+ on a set of tires!

Thanks & everybody have a nice & safe 4th of July.
thumbs_u
Jeff Parker,
Columbus, Ohio

 

[RI-SHO]

With a 16"x7" rim yon dont have much to play with, you could get away with the 235mm tires but its not gonna be easy to mount at least you "know" person whos doing it . It'll be like mounting 225mm tires on the stock 16"x6" it can be done. Since your getting such a deal on the 235/55's go with those, but your gonna have a pretty thick wall just like the stock tire, if you ever upgrade go with 235/50/16 a bit smaller wheel diameter.

 

[DeaconBlue]

The 235/55-16 are too tall, the tread will not fit under the lower spring perch on the struts, plus with that offset they would rub on the sheet metal fender lips even if the spring perch was not a problem. Go with the 225/55-16 size, plus there are a lot more choises out there in that size.

 

[nc89sho]

I'm running 225's on my slicers (16/6) and they almost rub in the back.

 

[91 SHO PLUS]

DeaconBlue, I'm pretty sure the 235's would be too wide, but I can't see how they could be too TALL since they are exactly the same diameter as the stock 215x65x15, 26.1". You're definetely right about more choices in 225x55's, probably 4 or 5 times the selection! thumbs_u

nc89sho, I've thought about going 225/50's but I was afraid my speedometer/odometer would be too far off because they are about 1" smaller in diameter than stock! I suppose if I could find a real nice CHEAP used set of 225x50's it would be worth a try.

Thanks for your input, and keep the info & ideas coming!

Jeff

 

[RI-SHO]

With my 25.4" 235/40/18 tires my speedo is only off by 2MPH at 60MPH, so I can live with that. And stock SHO size is 215/60/16 with a 26.2" diameter .

 

[mholhut]

Jeff,

A 235/55/16 tire is taller than a 225/55/16 tire. The middle number, which reflects sidewall height, reflects a percentage of the tire width. So 55% of 235 is larger than 55% or 225. Also note that actual sizes of tires will vary with the manufacturer... meaning that a 225/55/16 from Dunlop will vary slightly in size from a 225/55/16 from Kuhmo for instance.

 

[CharlieSHO95]

If you can find a car with the right wheels and tires, check out the section width of the tires on a set of 16x7 inch wheels, like a '94-'98 mustang with the 16" 5 spoke wheels. That will tell you how wide the 225-55's will be on your wheels. You can compare that width to the width of what you have, then add the additional width and see how close it is to the fender. That's what I did before I put slicers on my '89.

My experience is different brands have different widths, even though the sizes are the same. Example, Bridgestones run narrow compared to Firestones in the same size.

 

[jedhead]

I have 225/50ZR-16 Dunlop SP8000 on my '91. The tires are mounted on stock slicer and have no rubbing problem. The speedo reads a little fast, but I did notice the car accelerates a little faster than before. Also you will scrape more too since the car will sit lower. Right now www.tirerack.com has Yoko AVS intermediates for $60 each a great buy for some very sticky tires. Your SHO will corner like its on rails.

Bob

 

[GreenBird]

Wow something I might know more about.....

245's are commonly installed on sport/SC wheels, and 255's are possible. so you don't have to worry about going too wide for the wheel.

seems to me you guys need a calculator!
I've been linking to this one for a couple years now...
http://www.c5-corvette.com/tirecalc.htm