86 GT with 17" x 8/9" wheels

[EightySixGT]

Anyone have experience with installing 17"x8 and or 17x9 wheels on an 86GT? I have a 2" lowering kit. Wondering what sort of issues I am going to run into. I am not opposed to running 8" on all four corners, would prefer the 9" on the rear. Any recommendations on tire size or things to avoid would be much appreciated. I am sure all this data is buried somewhere in the forum so sorry if this has already been answered several times.

[ashley roachclip]

I have run 17x9 on the rear 17x8 on front on an 84 with C springs .
275 /40 on the rear
245 /40 on the front , no issues .

[stangPlus2Birds]

You're doing a mod that is not supported by the factory. The tolerances on Fox stangs suck.

Also, when people say they are running xyz tires, rims, lowered, there are a lot of factors! The tires alone make a big difference.
Are the fenders pushed out, are the lips rolled, etc.


I know the history of my car 100%. I was there when my car was special ordered, and when it was picked up from the dealer.

I also know what did not work on my car, even though other people said it was fine. Just to find out, that they forgot to mention a lot of other stuff.

I have to run wheel spacers on the front of my car. I forget the width. I got a few widths, and tried them all.
I have to run rack limiters.
At full jounce (compression) in the rear, both of my rear tires slightly rub.
(Note, if just one rubs, the rear-end my be shifted a little from bushing wear.)

The specs and pictures for my car:
http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/te...Mach1_springs/

1986 Mustang
Mach1 Springs, Steeda 1/4" front spring spacers (placed on top of the isolator),
BBK poly top & bottom isolators, new Fox FCAs,
Tokico 5-way adjustable struts (set on 4 out of 5).

The front fenders sit ~26-7/8" from the ground
and that's with 245/45/17 RE730s (@32 PSI) which are the correct diameter for the car.
The Mach1 springs are rated at 600lbs/in vs the 425/530 lbs/in stock GT springs.

Also: MM Caster Camber plates, MM bumpsteer kit,
STB, subframes, M2300K Cobra brake kit, ABS, SS brake hoses,
poly swaybar end-link bushings, poly swaybar bushings, heavy swaybar end-links, etc.





I do not roll the fender lips, and I will not push out the front fenders.
Imho, the great thing about a Fox Stang is that people can choose what mods they want to do for their car.

Btw, the front clearance is so tight, that when I used to put on my Blizzak snow tires, they rubbed when turning.
(My car no longer gets driven even in "good" weather in the winter. To much hassle swapping tires, cars, etc.)
However, iirc, Blizzak slightly changed the tires I use a number of years back. So, the newer Blizzaks may have more or less clearance.

So, again, even the exact tires used do make a difference in clearance.

Good Luck!

[wraithracing]

As stated already, all Foxes are unique and different. Sometimes you can copy someone else's setup and everything fits with no issues and other times they don't.

First and foremost, lowering a Fox 2" causes all kinds of issues with the suspension, alignment, etc. I personally don't recommend it, but once again it's your car and your choices.

Second I highly recommend a set of Maximum Motorsports C/C Plates NO MATTER what ride height you run. They are the best IMHO and absolute necessity. I run them on ALL my Foxes!

Third, consider that running staggered wheels prevents you from being able to rotate your wheels/tires. Yes, the staggered look is cool, but if you actually drive the vehicle a lot and want to maximize your tire life then being able to rotate them is a huge benefit. Also the Mustang will handle better with a square setup then with the staggered setup if that is important to you. If you are more of a drag racer/straight line kinda guy then no issues.

Forth point, running 8" wheels up front is not a big deal in my experience as I have done it on multiple foxes over the years. Same for a 9" out back. As already mentioned your ride height, wheel offset, tire diameter, and alignment will all affect how well they fit. I personally run 9" Cobra R's on my 79 PC with 255/40/17s. My rear wheel lips are rolled for clearance, but up front there are no modifications. I have a slight rub with the front wheels turned when going up or down a driveway or incline, but otherwise no issues. The shorter 40 series tires help with the clearance over a 45 series. Yes, I had to swap speedometer gears to adjust, the overall height difference is @ 0.6-0.7" depending on brands of tires, wheel width, etc. so that helps with the clearance and also lowers the car a bit more without having to drop the actual suspension.

Last point, my combo is running 03/04 Cobra suspension on all corners which includes the IRS out back, so a bit different than a stock Mustang. I do run Fox length control arms up front as there is NO WAY to fit a 9" wheel up front with the SN95 length control arms. I am also running the 5 lug spindles and brakes so that affects my wheel offsets, etc. If you are running a standard 4 lug setup then none of my specs are helpful to you. The front wheels are 17x9 with 24mm offset, the rear are 17x9 with 36mm offset due to the IRS wider width. Honestly the rear just barely clear my rolled wheel lips and I would prefer to run a 40mm offset for a bit more clearance in the back. Good Luck!