Wheels and tires for Ford Taurus SHO

[Deewelch]

I'm looking for a set of Wheels and tires for my Ford Taurus Sho. Which brand would be the best to buy and install? Is there a specific wheel and tire combination in mind?

 

[rubydist]

Well you have opened a can of worms now! You will get 10 different answers from 10 different people on that one.

Are you looking for a different size or a different style than factory? What are your goals?

 

[E1]

Well you have opened a can of worms now! You will get 10 different answers from 10 different people on that one.

Are you looking for a different size or a different style than factory? What are your goals?

Oh come on !

We haven't even gotten into the can yet. We need to know which opener to use to even crack into this mess.

Let us start with WHICH SHO?

I hear the Gen 4's have much different needs than 1, 2, and 3, and nobody EVER posts Gen 4 questions here....

 

[GEN 3 SHO FAN]

Ok, according to his activity, it seems that he have a 1999 and a Gen 4... So he is at the right place.

As you have 2 SHO, I will probably write things you already know... (sorry). Finding used (I'm searching only used things, it cost less) tires and wheels for Gen 3 SHO may be difficult because the tires have a somewhat unusual size (225/55R16) and the wheels have a bolt pattern of 5 x 108 (mm, -> 4.25 pc) that is also not frequent. Since around 2011, Ford reused this bolt pattern but with a very different offset... (I bought a good set of wheels from a Focus Titanium in 18 inches only to realize that the wheel was touching the strut a lot.) The size of 225/55R16 was used only by one model of BWM from what I know. (Why used tires ? Because good used tires are safer than new cheap (chinese) tires.)

One of the solutions to find more good used sets of tires was to find others sets of wheels in other sizes (16-> 17 / 18 inches) which gave me more possibilities to find differents sizes of tires. (225/55R16 / 235/50R16 -> 225/50R17 / 235/45R17 -> 225/45R18 / 235/40R18) IIRC

The rarity of this bolt pattern was a good thing in a way because people selling these wheels stick with them until you find them, the price is often low. I was able to find a FAST chrome set with 5 arms that look like to the originals ones but in 17 inches. By these times, my trick is to buy used good tires from Subaru WRX owners because their car use Dunlop 235/45R17. (Many people retreive their tires too soon and re-sale them.)

For tires sizes, I will not recommand going above 235 because they will slide in water and the car stick on the road very well with 225 and 235.

 

[99sho-time]

TBh i went to tirerack.com what i got from them has been doing really well. choose what direction you wanna go 17, 18 even 19? they determine the correct offset and whatnot.

 

[RonPorter]

5x108 is far from rare! Been used by Fwd Ford products since the 80s,as well as Volvos and other cars I can't recall off the top of my head.

 

[GEN 3 SHO FAN]

Ford took a brake using this setup during some years. Between 1996 and 2011, there are only Taurus and Windstar that using it from what I saw. And sorry for my precedent advice, but here in Canada, we don't see a big bunch of Volvos but maybe there is more in USA...

 

[stephen newberg]

Interestingly, and for no reason I understand, Volvo does very well out here in the West of Canada. More of their cars than in the east, and way, way more of their full rig trucks. It would not surprise me if half the rigs hauling log and cargo trailers out here are Volvo.

smn

 

[luigisho]

I know there are truckers that really like volvo. Not sure why. I have heard of plenty in for repairs with lower mileage (especially as measured for trucking).

 

[peglegtom]

Have a used set of original size Continential DW's on original Gen 3 (97) chrome wheels if interested. Just want to get them out of garage and willing to help another forum member so could be low priced. Not sure where you are located, but i'm in SE WI. Let me know if interested.

Tom

 

[RonPorter]

I have a nice set of Elbrus 17x7.5" wheels with a 45 offset, that I used on two 89s. I'm in the Detroit area.

 

[GEN 3 SHO FAN]

For those who want to go with 18 or 19 inches wheels, here is an interesting link.

 

[RonPorter]

Not an issue on a street machine. Things like looks and handling/steering precision get better with lower profile tires.

And there's the issue of brake clearance. My car has Brembos with 390mm (15.35") front rotors, and combined with the 6-piston calipers, require 20" wheels.

 

[Qshiplvr]

Ok, according to his activity, it seems that he have a 1999 and a Gen 4... So he is at the right place.

As you have 2 SHO, I will probably write things you already know... (sorry). Finding used (I'm searching only used things, it cost less) tires and wheels for Gen 3 SHO may be difficult because the tires have a somewhat unusual size (225/55R16) and the wheels have a bolt pattern of 5 x 108 (mm, -> 4.25 pc) that is also not frequent. Since around 2011, Ford reused this bolt pattern but with a very different offset... (I bought a good set of wheels from a Focus Titanium in 18 inches only to realize that the wheel was touching the strut a lot.) The size of 225/55R16 was used only by one model of BWM from what I know. (Why used tires ? Because good used tires are safer than new cheap (chinese) tires.)

One of the solutions to find more good used sets of tires was to find others sets of wheels in other sizes (16-> 17 / 18 inches) which gave me more possibilities to find differents sizes of tires. (225/55R16 / 235/50R16 -> 225/50R17 / 235/45R17 -> 225/45R18 / 235/40R18) IIRC

The rarity of this bolt pattern was a good thing in a way because people selling these wheels stick with them until you find them, the price is often low. I was able to find a FAST chrome set with 5 arms that look like to the originals ones but in 17 inches. By these times, my trick is to buy used good tires from Subaru WRX owners because their car use Dunlop 235/45R17. (Many people retreive their tires too soon and re-sale them.)

For tires sizes, I will not recommand going above 235 because they will slide in water and the car stick on the road very well with 225 and 235.

You posted a comment about Focus Titanium 18" wheel/tire combo touching the strut a lot. Does that mean they are not useable? Is the offset the culprit? I'd like to find a wheel/tire combo that won't break the bank so I can do the Cobra R disc brake upgrade, but also want to be able to have a spare that will fit on any wheel in case it goes flat. What spare tire goes with the Focus Titanium 18" wheel/tire combo?

 

[gamefanatic]

You posted a comment about Focus Titanium 18" wheel/tire combo touching the strut a lot. Does that mean they are not useable? Is the offset the culprit? I'd like to find a wheel/tire combo that won't break the bank so I can do the Cobra R disc brake upgrade, but also want to be able to have a spare that will fit on any wheel in case it goes flat. What spare tire goes with the Focus Titanium 18" wheel/tire combo?

I use just the 17", but an 18 is known to fit. Keep in mind the rim is just part of the equation, but an imporant one. With stock shocks you will have clearance so long as you keep the offset about stock and the height about the same. Doing so can sacrifice the comfort, but add rigidity to the sidewall and faster response. Really a 17 is plenty good enough, but if you go to an 18, be sure your rim offset and tire combination will fit by measuring.
Also, keep in mind the stock break lines will barely reach, so when lifting the car off the ground you may want to support the suspension to keep from putting too much strain on the hoses. Its for this reason I got a custom set and made them longer. Just need to put the darn brakes on now!

 

[GEN 3 SHO FAN]

Hi guys,

In fact, 18" will fit but the offset will could make difficult to them on. The mags from Focus Titanium 2012 had the same bolt pattern but you will need spacers of around 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch. (I bought 1/4but I hadn't the time yet and I have good 17" on.) But it's clearly doable as we can see on this photo of a 97 for sale on marketplace. They look great and keep the original look of stock mags (5 legs) !

The other thing I saw is if your height sensor on your SARC struts isn't correctly or if you have tired spring and or strut in the front, the tire can touch the lower part of the spring on big bumps... (not good). I tought I have a shot sarc strut until I realize that the height sensor was unplug at one end (strut stays in soft mode all the time).

(For the infos on the SHO for sale, I will put it in the SHO finds section.