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1984-1993 Saleen Mustang For the Fox platform Saleen Mustang. Be sure to specify year, model and equipment if asking for help.

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Old 02-06-2017
Saleen 218 Saleen 218 is offline
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Default Q: Largest rear wheel width? - 1989 Saleen Mustang

I have an 89 Saleen. Does anyone know what the widest wheel and what the offset would need to be that I can install on the rear without effecting the quad shocks? I would like to go with 10" but not sure what the offset would need to be with out causing issues. Racing season coming up quickly and I need more rear grip. I have been running 17 X 8's all around in previous seasons. One season I used up the remaining rubber from my 06 GT front wheel tire combo. They were 18 X 9's from American Muscle. I can't find the same wheel anymore but everything on there is about 30mm offset.

Thanks!!!
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Old 02-06-2017
jcar302 jcar302 is offline
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Forget 10's.
You may be able to get a 10 in there, but it won't be with a tire suitable for a 10.
Probably rub pretty much everywhere.

I have to assume racing season is road racing correct?

It's tough to keep any tire size above a 265 from rubbing during hard cornering. Even this size requires the perfect offset. One wrong rub and you may kill a $200 or more tire.

You have a panhard bar or a wattslink? Fenders rolled?

Just use better racing tires in the proper size on whatever rim you choose.

Since your rear is wider than a standard fox, there isn't a ton of the right size wheels out there to choose from, unless these guys know of some.
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Old 02-06-2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jcar302 View Post
Forget 10's.
You may be able to get a 10 in there, but it won't be with a tire suitable for a 10.
Probably rub pretty much everywhere.

I have to assume racing season is road racing correct?

It's tough to keep any tire size above a 265 from rubbing during hard cornering. Even this size requires the perfect offset. One wrong rub and you may kill a $200 or more tire.

You have a panhard bar or a wattslink? Fenders rolled?

Just use better racing tires in the proper size on whatever rim you choose.

Since your rear is wider than a standard fox, there isn't a ton of the right size wheels out there to choose from, unless these guys know of some.
Thanks for the reply jcar302. No, this is just AutoX racing. I have the Panhard bar and the fenders rolled. I know the 18X9's w/ 30mm offset will work. I ran 275/35 Hoosier A6's on those a couple years ago with out any rubbing issues. (they were left overs from when I ran the 06 Mustang but really didn't help much as they were close to being used up). Just trying to find any advantage I can get because the newer Mustangs in my class are making it extremely hard to be competitive. I was close (within a couple of tenth's) but could never pull off a victory last year :)
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Old 02-06-2017
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Maybe swap the rear axles for standard Mustang width versions for additional space.

The 1987-93 Saleen Mustangs had a stretched rear track.
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Old 02-06-2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave View Post
Maybe swap the rear axles for standard Mustang width versions for additional space.

The 1987-93 Saleen Mustangs had a stretched rear track.
Thanks for your reply Dave.
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Old 02-06-2017
jcar302 jcar302 is offline
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The lemans speedlines were 8.5 with 30mm and 10mm offsets.
You can put a 275 on them, i'm 100% sure of that.

You really have to be careful that you don't make more headaches trying to get just a little more tire under the car. At a certain point you need to start clearancing the tubs (if you are that far, the quads are not fitting) and I really doubt you want to just start hammering away with a big hammer on your saleen.
I'd guess the only reason you didn't have issues with the 265 is because of the panhard bar, since the fox rear has been known to move as much as 2 inches in a corner.
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Old 02-06-2017
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Not sure if this is any help, but some flip the shocks/quad-shocks so you don't rub on the "body". I ran 275's on the old 17x9 Cobra R's. There were 2 different backspacings...the R58 (don't remember) and the M179 (6.74"). I would think for auto-x the quad's wouldn't be that beneficial anyway...I would probably just remove them for track day.
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Old 02-07-2017
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With the right offset, 275/40/17's can be ran on the back with a 17x9, and 245/45/17 on the front 17x8. Just ensure the rear fenders are rolled properly. That's with quad shocks.

I've see 17x10's with larger rubber with the quads removed.
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