17 x 9 inch rims on a Foxbody.....

[kbbroiler]

Hey. I have a 1989 5.0 LX Coupe and I want to upgrade my rims to the SVE style rims and I'm wondering if anyone has rims of that size on a Foxbody with no problems. I'm just worried with rubbing against the fenders.


K.B

[MEANMCHN]

I've seen lots of foxes with 17x9 at the track, but it really will depend on the width of the tire since you can use everything from a 245 to a 285 width. I'd say optimally you should go 245/40/17-255/40/17 for a nice clean fit.

You can also use these to limit the steering rack if you're worried about rubbing: http://www.cjponyparts.com/steering-rack-limiters-pair-1979-2004/p/HW3457/

[ZR]

Agreed, fit ok but only if you have correct offset and stay conservative on tire size. On a side note, to me, the 17x8 Cobra / Premium GT wheel looks killer on a Fox.

http://www.pix8.net/pro/pic.php?u=11130S5RAi&i=1151614

[tulowd]

Have run 17x8.5 Borbets and 2 different sets of 17x9's on the front on both my lowered Foxes, both with the small fender openings.
Always ran 245/40 or 255/40 tires. 245/45 are a fail, too tall and not wide enough IMO. Too tall will cause as much rubbing grief as too wide.
255 is actually the ideal size for a 9". Try to stay at 25" overall height.

Offset on the 9" wheels should be app +25 mm, with a backspacing of app 6.0". I have early SN95 spindles, which move the mounting faces outboard about 1/8" over stock Fox spindles; later ones move them outboard app 0.3" per side.
http://www.maximummotorsports.com/tech_front_susp_7993to9604_spindle.aspx

Rears will fit np, if you decide to stay same wheels and tires so you can rotate them for max tire life and minimizing understeer.

[Mustang4]

Agreed, fit ok but only if you have correct offset and stay conservative on tire size. On a side note, to me, the 17x8 Cobra / Premium GT wheel looks killer on a Fox.

http://www.pix8.net/pro/pic.php?u=11130S5RAi&i=1151614

i'd agree with that, it's what I run on my fox.

http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o626/Bonsaipots/1EDE3F7C-18A6-44F6-B7DC-6F071698DD10_zpsfjkijakq.jpg

[Dutch]

i will be running 17x9 all four bullets on my 80. 245/40/17 front and 275/40/17 rear and i expect them to rub a bit. will roll rear fender and on full crank with a sn95 rack they rub a little not too bad

[90GT]

I have a 1990 hatch with the Ford M-2300-K brake kit. Im going with a set of Enkei RPF1's.. 17x9 with a 22mm offset up front and a 17x9 with a 35mm offset out back. Gonna run 255/40/17 tires all around.. hopefully this will not rub anywhere up front or rear.. allow me to run a bigger tire and save weight on my wheels. Im running stock 97GT wheels with 245/45's at the moment.

[tulowd]

I have a 1990 hatch with the Ford M-2300-K brake kit. Im going with a set of Enkei RPF1's.. 17x9 with a 22mm offset up front and a 17x9 with a 35mm offset out back. Gonna run 255/40/17 tires all around.. hopefully this will not rub anywhere up front or rear.. allow me to run a bigger tire and save weight on my wheels. Im running stock 97GT wheels with 245/45's at the moment.

The RPF's are epic; if running bigger rubber out back, I would get the 9.5 or 10" width for there; or same size and offset and same rubber all around for rotating and best steering response.

[90GT]

The RPF's are epic; if running bigger rubber out back, I would get the 9.5 or 10" width for there; or same size and offset and same rubber all around for rotating and best steering response.

My thinking for the rear wheel size was that I was trying to match the Ford Cobra R wheel that was offered for the M-2300-k kit. I believe those were the M179 wheels with a +36mm offset and 6.42" backspacing. The RPF1's are +35mm offset with a 6.38" backspacing. Pretty similar I thought, mind you i have no idea why Ford went this way. The Cobra R58 front wheels are +24mm offset with a 5.98" backspacing. The RPF1's have a +22mm offset....I havent found a backspacing measurement anywhere yet though..

I have a set of Steeda Ultra Lites I's, 17x9, +28mm offset and 6' backspacing...they were fine on the back with 275/40/17's... but the fronts scraped the wheel on the control arms at full lock.. no idea why.. I didnt think a few mm would add up I guess..lol.

[tulowd]

Lots to think about, but a 275 doesn't really belong on 9" wheel unless you already own both, lol. Perfect fit (ideal sized tire on matched rim) looks right and works best from all perspectives.

Offset and backspacing are related, so you can figure it out here:
Wheel Offset

http://b.cdnbrm.com/images/prm/homepage/TouchClarity/images/articles/wheels-rims/wheel-offset-diagram-thumb.jpg?Lo0P=460d21ec193abb93829326b3ec24c92d131 303 (http://b.cdnbrm.com/images/prm/homepage/TouchClarity/images/articles/wheels-rims/wheel-offset-diagram.jpg)
Offset is the distance from the center of a wheel to its mounting face (see image for reference).


With a higher offset, your wheels mount farther inward, providing greater clearance between the outside edge of the tire and fender, but less clearance between the inside edge of the tire and your vehicle’s suspension
With a lower offset, your wheels mount farther outward, providing a wider vehicle stance. For example, a lifted truck with oversized tires often requires 25mm-50mm (approx. 1-2”) less offset than stock, so the wheel and tire are farther toward the outside. This provides more clearance from the suspension. Some lifted trucks even require a zero or negative offset rim in order to clear large tires
It’s important to check with your installer before purchasing to ensure that the wheels you order provide the proper offset to give you the look and clearance you need



Wheel Backspace

http://b.cdnbrm.com/images/prm/homepage/TouchClarity/images/articles/wheels-rims/wheel-backspace-diagram-thumb.jpg?Lo0P=017e5a93206df1e1c0da54ae9e6649e9130 824 (http://b.cdnbrm.com/images/prm/homepage/TouchClarity/images/articles/wheels-rims/wheel-backspace-diagram.jpg)
Backspace is the distance from the inside edge of a wheel to the mounting face. A wheel’s backspace is equal to ½ the wheel’s width + offset (in inches) + ½” (see image for reference).


More backspace indicates that the wheel protrudes further into the wheel well and closer to the suspension parts – which increases the risk of rubbing
Less backspace indicates that the wheel protrudes less into the wheel well and therefore reduces the risk of rubbing
Lifted trucks and SUVs often have a maximum allowable backspace pre-specified by the lift kit manufacturer. With too much backspace, your wheel or tire won’t fit your lifted truck or SUV
Few trucks accept more than 5” backspace. Less than 5” backspace is more common on lifted trucks, but confirm with your lift kit manufacturer to be sure
Check with your installer prior to purchasing your wheels to ensure you are ordering the proper backspace for the look and clearance you need



Don't forget the floating axles in a c-clip 8.8 move a little side to side, and the whole rear end moves about an inch on each side.
Tire height and width, as well as placement (offset/backspacing/wheelspacers) all play important parts.

The factory 45 series tire selection is a total fail and was engineered in by the NVH weenies in accounting. My current rear 10.5" Termi clones have a 27mm offset and 6.8" backspacing. I did run a 1/4" spacer with them, since they have 315/35 Nittos wrapped around them. They're 25.5" overall dia, as are 275's; the 255's are 25" which is better on the front of a Fox, especially if it's no longer sporting the OEM 4x4 look.

[Mustang4]

I have a 1990 hatch with the Ford M-2300-K brake kit. Im going with a set of Enkei RPF1's.. 17x9 with a 22mm offset up front and a 17x9 with a 35mm offset out back. Gonna run 255/40/17 tires all around.. hopefully this will not rub anywhere up front or rear.. allow me to run a bigger tire and save weight on my wheels. Im running stock 97GT wheels with 245/45's at the moment.

Surprised that you didn't look at the +35mm offset on the front and the +22mm offset on the rear. In my 91 the +24 offset of 17 x 9" Cobra wheels were great in the back but a pain in the front, needed more offset. I'm running 94 spindles and Cobra brakes and Fox length axles in the rear with Cobra brakes.