03-04 Cobra wheels on a 4 eye.

[Domino]

How well do these fit? Will a 10 1/2" fit on the rear? I am getting two OE machined wheels this weekend and they will be on my car for a while. What tire sizes work? What axle length is best? Does anyone have pics of some on a 4 eyed coupe? I may have a wheel addiction since I have kept every set I have bought.

[wraithracing]

The 10.5 can fit on the rear of a Fox, but it's tight. The 94-98 SN95 rear axle track width should work. IIRC, the offset is too much for stock Fox track width. Could probably make them work with wheel spacers, but the wider track should be better.

Tire size will depend on clearance issues, etc. a 275 will work, but is a little small on a 10.5, so a 285 or 295 might be the better options if you can clear them. Some have fit as large as a 315, but that's actually a bit wide even for a 10.5 wheel and you will definitely need to use a BFH to clearance the inner wheel wells. Also you will want to roll the outer fender lips to be safe when running something this large and it will gain you at least 1/2" of clearance a the fender.

Good Luck!

Trey

[Domino]

For some reason I knew Trey would have the answer. I am supposed to get them this weekend and I figured they would go on the front. I would like to run 275/40s. but that may be too big for the front. I am certain that quad shocks would not make the final cut and I figured the wheel wells would have to get some persuasion. I was going to roll the lips anyway just to be safe. What about tail pipes? Please tell me I can keep them. I am also going to have to track down some center caps since apparently people are hoarding them and refuse to sell them with wheels.

[wraithracing]

Glad I could help.

The 10.5 will not fit up front. Trust me I have tried! I actually have a complete set of 4 Cobra R replicas in the 17 X 10.5 I bought for my NASA AI race car that I was test fitting Heck I had to install about 1" or so of washers/spacer or more just to get the wheel to clear the strut due to the offset. That was several years ago now, so I don't remember exactly.

Guys have fit a 275 up front, but I will guarantee it's going to rub! The quads will definitely have to go in the back and you will need to roll the lips, and probably need the BFH in the wheel wells. Tail pipes will depend on what size and brand you have and what tires you go with. They can be made to fit, but again it's TIGHT!

Everybody hoards the center caps on the OEM wheels because they are expensive to replace!
You might also want to think about the tire size too as a 275 on a 10.5 is actually a bit small. A 275 normally has a section width of @ 10" so it's narrower than the wheel. Normally you only want this in an autocross/road racing setup where you don't want any sidewall deflection. A 295 or 305 is probably more the size you want, but again it will make fitting it under the car even tighter.

Good Luck!

Trey

[Domino]

I was figuring the 9" wide wheels up front. I have 95 spindles, rack and Fox A arms. Right now I am running tri bars and I have no rubbing. What size seems to work on the front with a 9" wheel? The car is not lowered, but may be at some point. I would like to run the 10 1/2" on the back, but I do not want to lose my tail pipes. A friend of mine has a fender roller and I can get him to take car of that for me. I think my little coupe would look mean with Cobra wheels.

[wraithracing]

I run a 17 X 9 Cobra R on my Pace Car with a 255/40/17 up front with no rubbing or issues. I have the 95 spindles, Fox rack and Fox A arms, so same setup. I run a 24mm offset on the 9" wheel. I will probably be trying to install my 10.5" Cobra R's on my 91 GT next week when I get home, since I sold off it's current wheels. I just have to get them out of storage. I have a standard Fox width axle in it right now, so I can probably let you know how that goes if needed.

Here's my PC with the 255/40/17 all the way around.




Trey

[Domino]

255/40 for the front. Got it. I look forward to what you find. I actually know where a couple SVT caps are and I may be able to get them. If I could squeeze a 10 1/2" under the rear i would be as happy as baby in a tickle factory.

[wraithracing]

I will have to pull the 10.5's out of my storage unit, that may take a day or so since they are buried in the back. I am trying to remember what size tires are on them. I think one pair has 315/30's and the other has 345/30's IIRC. May not be a great comparison for yours, but we'll give it a try.

Trey

[Domino]

I really appreciate it. The SN95 rear is the unknown for me. I will post a pic of the bare wheel on my car when I get it.

[Domino]

Since I had nothing to do today I started digging into posts here and elsewhere. I have found several people with these wheels, but the biggest I could find on a Fox with an SN95 rear was a 9" wheel. If anyone has pics of a 4 eyed car with 03-04 Cobra wheels(not anniversary wheels) I would like to see them. Especially if there are any with 10 1/2" on a Fox.

[mr.gone1985]

I just put 17x10.5 FR500s on with no problems or rubbing yet. Fit much better than I was expecting.
[URL=http://s468.photobucket.com/user/mrgone1985/media/DSC_9112_zps2ed6f254.jpg.html][/URL]

[mr.gone1985]

I also have the Cobra brakes with the stock length fox axles.

[Domino]

That does fit well. What size tire are you running on the rear? That really looks good. Did you roll the fenders or anything?

[mr.gone1985]

Running a 275/40 and the fenders are not rolled or anything else done.

[Domino]

I picked up my 2 stock wheels today. I have to decide which way I am going with the rears. I still want to do 10.5" wheels and I am going to get the ones I have now put on first. The story behind the two I have is that someone bought wide wheels fro the rear and they just had these laying around. I figure 255/40s on the front and I am still uncertain on the rears. I may still go back with 9" wheels all the way around, but I still don't know.

[wraithracing]

The advantage to running the same size on all 4 corners for a DD is the ability to rotate tires to maximize wear and long term durability.

If your Mustang is a weekend cruiser or just plain play toy, then running the big wheels and tires out back is always cool!

Trey

[Domino]

My car is definitely a daily driver. I am seriously considering running 17 x 9s all the way around. Then I can keep my SN95 rear for now and keep the same size tires on all four corners.

[wraithracing]

Then I would recommend the 9's all the way around. it will save you money in the long run. Yes, the wide wheels in the back look cool, but the added rolling resistance and weight will most likely cost you MPG and the tire costs will be higher and you can't rotate. That's the same reason my Pace Car has 9's on all four corners with the same 255/40/17's. My only issue is that I can't rotate the wheels due to different offsets, but I can have the tires rotated to improve my tire life.

Trey

[Domino]

Another thing that occurred to me is that a 10.5" wheel will not fit in the trunk if I have a flat. I guess I will work on getting a couple tires on the ones I have and then start looking for a couple more OE wheels.

[wraithracing]

It will fit in the trunk. You just won't be able to close the trunk lid.

Yes, sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the sake of daily transportation. It's the same reason I am selling off some 18" Bullitt wheels in order to buy the exact same wheels in 17" for my daughter's 86 coupe.

Trey

[mr.gone1985]

My car is definitely a daily driver. I am seriously considering running 17 x 9s all the way around. Then I can keep my SN95 rear for now and keep the same size tires on all four corners.

I would run 9" all around w/ the same size tires on a DD.

[Domino]

I guess I will start combing Craigslist and ebay looking for two more wheels. Once I get a couple tires on these wheels I will first mount them both on the same side and take a pic for motivation. Then I will run them on the back. It seems like it is a lot easier to find one here and there than it is to find a full set.

[Jack Hidley]

If you are going to use even 75% of the grip offered by a 10.5" wheel on the rear a Fox Mustang, it is going to rub.

In the 2nd photo of post #11, you can see where the tire or a hammer has already bent over the bottom edge of the inner fender lip. To use 100% of the tires grip, this area will need to be moved 1" inwards. This takes a lot of hammering as the floorpan needs to be deformed in this area to move the inner fender this far.

In the 3rd photo, you can see where the tail pipe has been rubbing on the tires sidewall.

If you plan on using all of the grip the tire offers, a 9.5" wheel is about the widest you can put on either end of a Fox Mustang.

[Domino]

It looks like I will be running the 9" wheels. It may take me a while to scrounge them up, but I have time. If a 9 1/2" were available i would probably buy them.

[Domino]

If I go with the 9" wheels will I be able to keep my quad shocks? I am going to run them on the rear for a while and I am hoping they will not scrub with SN95 axles. I am eventually going to put Fox length axles in when I build my new rearend.