am i being picky???

[SELLERSRODSHOP]

i've decided i'm just not happy visually with the current rear tire size on the mustang. at the time, concensus was that everyone was running 17x9.5 wheels with 275/40-17 tires. i did alot of measuring & went with the 285/40-17's. this is all based on original fenderwells. this car has never been wrecked & is rust free, so really haven't had the heart to start cutting it...yet. i love the wheels & am happy with the 17x8 up front with 235/45's, but the rear diameter just doesn't cut it. thing is, i see other cars that i really like, crunch the numbers & there isn't any real difference in the diameters between theirs & mine. here are some pics, let me know if i'm just being anal (which i AM when it comes to wheel/tire fitment) or should i change direction on the rear.

they look great from these angles:

when you look at them straight on from the side, this is what you see. damn oval fenderwells..:

thing is, if these tires actually measured out at what the man. advertises, i would probably be happy, but they spec them at 26" diameter, when in all reality, they measure only 25". i may end up selling them & starting over with 18" wheels. any opinions?? if i'm crazy, tell me...

 

[SELLERSRODSHOP]

i meant to add, this is what i'm looking to achieve;

the flores car:

another car i admire, although his tires spec out at the same diameter as mine, but looks MUCH better IMO. this car is the one i based my research on when i ordered my wheels/tires as everything pretty much specs the same except for the use of 17" vs 18" wheels.

 

[RyanG85]

Yes it does look like you need to fill those wells out some more. IMO the lower profile tires look out of place on these older cars especially in the rear. I wouldn't go with a larger rim, just a taller tire.

 

[SELLERSRODSHOP]

Yes it does look like you need to fill those wells out some more. IMO the lower profile tires look out of place on these older cars especially in the rear. I wouldn't go with a larger rim, just a taller tire.

here lies the delimma... the only thing available thats taller is too narrow to fit the 9.5" wide rim or is a truck tire. if i went with the sport truck tire, the sidewall proportion would be off front to rear.(275/50-17) when that visual is off, the rear wheel looks like it is a smaller diameter than the front. (i said i was anal about wheel/tire fitment, didn't i?? :shrug)

 

[AzPete]

Yep....does not look good. I agree that the larger rims through the look off along with the low profile tires.

I would start over with rims and tires myself...... Find one you like and see what is different and maybe try someone else's setup on yours to get an idea of the look.....

 

[SELLERSRODSHOP]

i could always pimp my ride & run my 20's for the 36 on it. lol! :hide

 

[Fst Blk]

If there is one body style that can pull off 20's it's definitley the 69-70.
Bill

 

[Jonk67]

I think one big visual difference between the other cars pic'd and yours is that their fenderwells are freshly blacked also where yours have the stock dull gray look. Putting a fresh coat in the fenderwells would help some then look at them again. The grayish background makes the extra space more obvious/pronounced to me.

Won't the tire get even skinnier with bigger rims? I think you'd be robbin' peter to pay paul..
Jon

 

[SELLERSRODSHOP]

I think one big visual difference between the other cars pic'd and yours is that their fenderwells are freshly blacked also where yours have the stock dull gray look. Putting a fresh coat in the fenderwells would help some then look at them again. The grayish background makes the extra space more obvious/pronounced to me.

Won't the tire get even skinnier with bigger rims? I think you'd be robbin' peter to pay paul..
Jon

i appreciate that!! the "stock dull gray look" is called "dirt"!! :yah actually the tire sidewall stays the same, overall it just gains an inch of diameter with the wheel size.

285/40-17 the sidewall is 40% of the treadwidth, approx 114mm you gain the difference in diameter with the wheel.

285/40-18 same treadwidth & sidewall, just larger hole in the center :thu

on the black car, he's running a 295/35-18. in the manufacturers specs, that is so close to mine there is only a 4 revolution per mile difference.

the red flores car is running 285/40-18's. same treadwidth & sidewall depth, but is 1" taller & has 29 revs per mile difference. also, if the other brand tires actually measure closer to specs than mine do, there could actually be a 2" difference as mine only measure 25" tall vs. all the spec sheets showing 26". funny how an inch can make all the difference in how something looks (thats what she said!!)

 

[Fast68back]

I think your backspace is off, pushing the wheel out a .5" or so would make them look bigger.


I dont have a shot looking straight on like your picture

 

[Horseplay]

I think one big visual difference between the other cars pic'd and yours is that their fenderwells are freshly blacked also where yours have the stock dull gray look. Putting a fresh coat in the fenderwells would help some then look at them again. The grayish background makes the extra space more obvious/pronounced to me.

The car being black also helps to cause the gap to kind of blend in an become less obvious.