help me decide -- 69 mustang

[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.

looks GREAT to me from these angles:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

then you look at it directly from the side, & you see this :
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

right now, i can get the rear wheels made in 18x9.5 for $299 per wheel. the current 17 in tires on the car now are 26" tall. i have a set for my 36 ford that are 20" rears. i think i may bolt one of them up & see what the overall diameter looks like & go from there, but am open to any suggestions, even if its "your crazy, they look good as is", lol!

[oestek]

I'd keep the wheels but add some more tire height.

[sellersrodshop]

checked into that, but not much is offered any taller that will fit a 9.5" rim. in reality, if these tires were the size the manufacturers listed them as i would probably be happy. they are listed as being 26.1" diameter, but are a stretch to hit 25". if i had that extra 1/2" of sidewall to help fill out the fenderwells, it would make a world of difference. danged oval fenderwells!!

[LowFast]

I'd keep the wheels but add some more tire height.

Agree. Wheel size looks good just need more meat out back. Also try painting the inner wheel wells black. Might also help visually.

[Kcrain]

Nitto makes one for sport trucks in a 275 /50 zr 17 I'm running a set on the back of my chevelle. Nitto says the tire is 27.8 tall and good for a 9.5 wheel

[xplane]

These are 245/45ZR17 Front and 285/40ZR17 Rear Nitto 555's which are 25.7 and 26 inches OD. These are mounted on 17x8 F and 17x9.5 R, obviously the ride height has not been set yet.
5671156712

[sellersrodshop]

These are 245/45ZR17 Front and 285/40ZR17 Rear Nitto 555's which are 25.7 and 26 inches OD. These are mounted on 17x8 F and 17x9.5 R, obviously the ride height has not been set yet.
5671156712

we are essentially running the same , i just opted for the 235 up front. are those measurements you listed advertised or actual measurements taken from your set? if those are advertised, i would be curious to see what yours measure for comparison. i have another set of 245/45-17's on 8" wheels that measure right at the 25" mark also. thats 3/4" shorter than advertised on that size.

nice car by the way! should look great when you get the ride height set. i bought a white 69 mach in 1985 from the original owner for $325. mine had the red interior but had the black/gold stripe like yours. brings back memories... like the magnums too. i'll be darkening up the blasted centers on mine for a more "magnum" look.

[sellersrodshop]

o.k. reviving this thread... been busy in the shop lately, but ended up selling the wheels off the car last weekend. after doing some measuring, the rear tires were advetised as being 26" tall, but in reality, barely hit 25" on a good day. i'm in the process of deciding if i will go with 18's front & rear, or 18's in the front & 20's in the rear. here is the car with the 20x8.5 wheels from my 36 bolted up for reference. these are 27.5" tall. if i went with something this size, i would need to shift the rear back about 3/4" to center it :)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

if i go with 18's in the rear, i can go with 295/45-18's which are the same diameter (have those on a 69 p/u or possibly a 285/40-18 for a little smaller diameter. if anyone is running a 285/40-18 & can post up an actual height measurement, that would be great! i don't trust the calculators on the websites as they are not accurate.

[SRD art]

My 275-50-15 drag radials were supposed to be 26 inches but even off the car they were closer to 25. There's a lot of variation for the same "size" tire between manufacturers.

I'm not usually a fan of 20s but those look fairly decent. Can you post a pick of the truck? on 18's sounds like a meatier sidewall may lose some of the pro-touring lowered look, but I'd have to see the tire to judge. Either way, just make sure the rear tires have the same or slightly larger sidewall height to keep things looking "right". JMO.

[sellersrodshop]

heres the truck

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/01/HPIM0970a-1.jpg