Eric Vaughn widened Alcoas

[COOL COBRA]

Nice write-up. And a beautiful car you have there!! The panhard bar should fix any of your problems, it did mine. I've not once had any rubbing issues. NOTE: I originally had non adj LCA's. While cleaning my wheels one day, I noticed the rear wasn't square under the car. Centered, yes, but not square. From a rear view, the rear was shifted clockwise. I swapped to BMR adjustable LCA's & solved the problem. Had to have the frontend re aligned afterwards also but all is good now. Just something for all to keep in mind when buying your suspension parts..

 

[Lethalchem]

So this isn't really as simple of a mod as some have said. Cutting, grinding, and banging stuff to make it fit right isn't the same thing as "fitting perfect". Thanks for the writeups guys, it helps us figure out what exactly has to be done. :thumbsup:

 

[COOL COBRA]

It's not as scary as it sounds Lethalchem. I, like TORQJNKY put the widened wheels on a week before the suspension. That's when I had to remove a small piece of the felt inner liner. If I'd done the suspension first, that might have not been necessary. The adjustable panhard bar is a must & will solve the axle centering problem. From a 5 mph roll, I have 100% traction @ WOT so it's well worth it to me.

 

[Cman01]

Just a question, doesn't widening a wheel like this or any other wheel make it a major + offset wheel?

The inside of the wheel would be way inboard compared to the OE wheel causing the issues described with rubbing and having to do some clearancing of the inside wheel well.

If you custom order let's say a 3 piece wheel you can have the width you want (to a point) without having to "massage" the wheelwell ever or as much.

Tony

 

[Lethalchem]

It's not as scary as it sounds Lethalchem. I, like TORQJNKY put the widened wheels on a week before the suspension. That's when I had to remove a small piece of the felt inner liner. If I'd done the suspension first, that might have not been necessary. The adjustable panhard bar is a must & will solve the axle centering problem. From a 5 mph roll, I have 100% traction @ WOT so it's well worth it to me.

But what about one side sitting higher than the other, etc? Will the suspension upgrades take care of that too? He also said the wheels would still rub even after the panhard is installed when fully extended.

Any concerns about rocks/debris on your rear panel since the tires sit out like they do now?

 

[TORQJNKY]

Just a question, doesn't widening a wheel like this or any other wheel make it a major + offset wheel?

The inside of the wheel would be way inboard compared to the OE wheel causing the issues described with rubbing and having to do some clearancing of the inside wheel well.

If you custom order let's say a 3 piece wheel you can have the width you want (to a point) without having to "massage" the wheelwell ever or as much.

Tony

Yes, but you can't custom order Alcoas, so we go through the trials and tribulations of modification.

 

[BLK03SVT]

Absolutely gorgeous Shebly- nice job on the stripe delete and chrome wheel combo- really looks sharp.

Both mustang's I've had that I used the eibach prokit springs on had a sag on one side, which always annoyed me. Wonder if the sag is due to the springs? I always liked the drop those springs gave, but stopped buying them due to the sag issues I had.

 

[TORQJNKY]

Nice write-up. And a beautiful car you have there!! The panhard bar should fix any of your problems, it did mine. I've not once had any rubbing issues. NOTE: I originally had non adj LCA's. While cleaning my wheels one day, I noticed the rear wasn't square under the car. Centered, yes, but not square. From a rear view, the rear was shifted clockwise. I swapped to BMR adjustable LCA's & solved the problem. Had to have the frontend re aligned afterwards also but all is good now. Just something for all to keep in mind when buying your suspension parts..

Thanks Cool Cobra :beer: Have you jacked up your car at the jacking points and with your car in neutral and tried to spin your rear wheels by hand? I'm curious to know if your wheels are contacting that bracket with the rear suspension fully extended. You wouldn't know it unless you did this or tried to take your wheels off in this condition. When you jack the car up, the wheel will eventually rest against the bracket, like it's at the bottom of the suspension travel, when in reality, the wheels are supporting the weight of the rear end while hard up against that bracket.

So this isn't really as simple of a mod as some have said. Cutting, grinding, and banging stuff to make it fit right isn't the same thing as "fitting perfect". Thanks for the writeups guys, it helps us figure out what exactly has to be done. :thumbsup:

Yeah, not bolt on to say the least. But I love doing things like this. I'll work it out and it will be perfect, one way or another. :beer:

But what about one side sitting higher than the other, etc? Will the suspension upgrades take care of that too? He also said the wheels would still rub even after the panhard is installed when fully extended.

Any concerns about rocks/debris on your rear panel since the tires sit out like they do now?

I don't know that both sides will hit, I'm just assuming they will by the current measurements I see on both sides of the car. I'll know more as soon as my replacement panhard bar arrives and I get everything squared up.

I think the small OEM mudflaps will be enough to prevent rock damage.

Absolutely gorgeous Shebly- nice job on the stripe delete and chrome wheel combo- really looks sharp.

Both mustang's I've had that I used the eibach prokit springs on had a sag on one side, which always annoyed me. Wonder if the sag is due to the springs? I always liked the drop those springs gave, but stopped buying them due to the sag issues I had.

Thanks! I had the lowering springs on before I started any of this and didn't have a sag issue. Once I get the rear end centered, that should give me a better idea if I have another problem I have to tackle.

 

[Tob]

Thanks TOB. I'm kind of leary about cutting the bracket completely off if it serves some purpose. It's only welded to the frame, from what I can see, so I would think knocking it in away from the wheel would one, keep it in place to serve it's purpose and two, move it away from the wheel. Thoughts?

I understand your concern. Spend a few moments and go through the following thread.

http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...-some-rear-bump-stop-relocation-brackets.html

With the proper tools, removing the bracket isn't that bad. I'd get rid of it before I tried to bang it into the shape I wanted it to be.

 

[Lethalchem]

Yes, but you can't custom order Alcoas, so we go through the trials and tribulations of modification.

Any idea what the offset is on the alcoas? What offset would be perfect if you chose a custom wheel where you could avoid some of these issues on a lowered car?

Glad to hear the rocks won't be a problem. I like the way the alcoas stick out. I don't want it tucked in. Thanks!!

 

[TORQJNKY]

Any idea what the offset is on the alcoas? What offset would be perfect if you chose a custom wheel where you could avoid some of these issues on a lowered car?

Glad to hear the rocks won't be a problem. I like the way the alcoas stick out. I don't want it tucked in. Thanks!!

Alcoa offsets and recommended tire sizes are:

Shelby Forged 20"x9" (front) 24mm offset (Recommended tire size: 255/35/ZR20)
Shelby Forged 20"x10" (rear) 36.7 mm offset (Recommended tire size: 275/35/ZR20)

Not sure what the perfect offset would be. True Forged might be able to answer that for you.

 

[DaFreak]

Great thread TORQJNKY. Just had my rears widened by Eric Vaughn too. Went with 11.75 so looking forward to your final result.

 

[acroholic]

Shelby CS1 20" wheels are 11" wide (rears), and these are supposed to bolt straight in with no issues on a stock GT500, and you can mount Nitto NT05 315s on them. Cruzin Concepts sells staggered 20" sets with different tires on them (including NT05s with 315s on the rear). If I dont get Alcoas I'll get a set of these. The NT05 tires are halfway between an all season and a drag radial, and per the Cruzin Concepts review they do pretty well in the rain as well.

 

[TORQJNKY]

Great thread TORQJNKY. Just had my rears widened by Eric Vaughn too. Went with 11.75 so looking forward to your final result.

No problem. I'm looking forward to the final result as well. I'm gonna do some work on the brackets on both sides this afternoon. I'll post more pics as I progress.

Shelby CS1 20" wheels are 11" wide (rears), and these are supposed to bolt straight in with no issues on a stock GT500, and you can mount Nitto NT05 315s on them. Cruzin Concepts sells staggered 20" sets with different tires on them (including NT05s with 315s on the rear). If I dont get Alcoas I'll get a set of these. The NT05 tires are halfway between an all season and a drag radial, and per the Cruzin Concepts review they do pretty well in the rain as well.

Shelby CS1's are not my preference in wheels and IMO look no where near as good as Alcoas. I don't mind a little modification to make something look the way it should. :rockon:

 

[TORQJNKY]

Bracket problem solved

Today I solved the problem I had with the bracket hitting the wheel. The wheel only hit the bracket when I jacked the car up by the jacking points and extended the suspension. Basically, the wheels would hit the bracket on the way down, way before it was fully extended. When it did this, the wheels would be supporting the weight of the rear axle against the side of the wheel...NOT GOOD, don't want a bent wheel! If you jacked the car up by the pumpkin, the suspension would stay put and not extend, no problem. You may never see a fully extended suspension condition under normal driving conditions, but better safe than sorry. This reminds me of the ole IRS bolt issue on the 03/04 Cobras.

Not many people want to cut and grind on their new GT500, but if you do it right, it comes out nice.

Here is where the wheel was hitting. Keep in mind, these were only widened to 11.5"s.

This is what I did to correct it. I got the Dremel tool out and went to work.

I cut along the sides in the configuration you see below.

Then got out my BFH and folded them inwards. Top, then bottom then sides.

After I got the tabs bent over, I smoothed it out with a little sand paper then painted it.

This is the final result. Suspension fully extended and plenty of room to spare.

God I love the stance on this car!!! :rockon:

 

[Hwy. Chile]

Frigging awesome!!!

 

[Devious_Snake]

excellent work!

 

[Snoopy49]

Now your all set for some Dukes of Hazard jumps.:banana:

 

[TORQJNKY]

Now your all set for some Dukes of Hazard jumps.:banana:

I'm not really concerned so much about something like that. It only took jacking the car up a couple of inches and it hit the bracket. I'm just trying to protect my investment and help others out who want to do this.

 

[Lethalchem]

Alcoa offsets and recommended tire sizes are:

Shelby Forged 20"x9" (front) 24mm offset (Recommended tire size: 255/35/ZR20)
Shelby Forged 20"x10" (rear) 36.7 mm offset (Recommended tire size: 275/35/ZR20)

Not sure what the perfect offset would be. True Forged might be able to answer that for you.

Ok, but you put the rear 20x10 on the front and widened the original front 20x9, so the offsets you listed above are flipped now right?