Fordnatics List Archive

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Mail From: (email redacted) (Michael C. Calanan)

I'm considering replacing the 15" stock steel rims with 16" alloys that will
hold 225, 235, or maybe even 245's.

The car is a 1990 TBird LX with 5-lug rims. I'm not sure of the offset or
any of the measurements of the lugs and desperately need to know how I can
find out those figures. Anyone know offhand?

Also, does anyone know of which Ford-produced TBird 16" alloys were made
that will fit (any year of the MN-12 body style [after 1989, right?])?
I want an OEM look for the car and the only 16"ers I've seen
were on some 1990 SuperCoupes I saw that were a 5-spoke design. The only name
I can find to associate with them are "Hollander 1682." Any sellers/sources
of these?

Thanks,

- mike

+-------------------------------------------------------+
| Michael C. Calanan (email redacted) |
| Programmer / Analyst |
| Frontier Science and Technology Research Foundation |
| 4033 Maple Road Amherst NY 14226 |
+-------------------------------------------------------+

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: "Barry Wayne Freese, 314/822-7637" <(email redacted)>

> I'm considering replacing the 15" stock steel rims with 16" alloys that will
> hold 225, 235, or maybe even 245's.
>
> The car is a 1990 TBird LX with 5-lug rims. I'm not sure of the offset or
> any of the measurements of the lugs and desperately need to know how I can
> find out those figures. Anyone know offhand?
>
> Also, does anyone know of which Ford-produced TBird 16" alloys were made
> that will fit (any year of the MN-12 body style [after 1989, right?])?
^^^^
Just for my education, does anyone know the differences between what fits
in wheelwell of the ...-'88s vs. the '89-... T-Birds? Is there a
difference?

Mechanically, would Mike be able to use the 16" wheels from the '87 or '88
Turbo Coupes if styling was not an issue?

B.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Barry Wayne Freese `68 Mustang GT Fastback `88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For Evil to triumph, good people need only do nothing."

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: (email redacted) (Scott Griffith, Sun Microsystems Lumpyware)

On Feb 2, Barry Freese wrote:

> Just for my education, does anyone know the differences between what fits
> in wheelwell of the ...-'88s vs. the '89-... T-Birds? Is there a
> difference?
>
> Mechanically, would Mike be able to use the 16" wheels from the '87 or '88
> Turbo Coupes if styling was not an issue?

The obvious difference is that the '88-and-earlier Fox-based cars used
wheels drilled 4 on 4.25", just like the Mustang wheels of the same
era, whereas the MN-12 based '89-up cars use a very odd 5 on 4.25"
pattern. The offset on the 16"x7" '89-93 wheels is .39", whereas it
was .88 (same as the Mustang) on the 15"x7" and 16"x7" wheels used on
the '88-and-earlier cars.

If you are buying aftermarket wheels for the MN12 T-birds, watch out
for that funky 5 on 4.25" pattern. "Normal" Ford 5-lug pattern is 5 on
4.5", and more than one person has picked out a nice set of wheels
that have showed up with the wrong bolt circle...

-skod

- --
Scott Griffith, Sun Microsystems Lumpyware
expatriate SCCA New England Region Flagging/Communications worker
(and driver, of anything that turns both right and left,
and can pass tech...) Return Path : (email redacted)

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: "Barry Wayne Freese, 314/822-7637" <(email redacted)>


Michael, nice concise post.

Thanks.

B.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Barry Wayne Freese `68 Mustang GT Fastback `88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For Evil to triumph, good people need only do nothing."