Rochester Posted August 13, 2011 Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 Hey, first time posting, so bear with me. I'm looking for help finding an 18x7" wheel that will clear the overhang on the calipers of my 2010 Shelby GT500. The rims need to have a 4" backspacing to look correct in the wheel well, and the spokes need to be able to clear a 1 3/4" overhang from the brake caliper. In other words, the caliper sticks out 1 3/4" outboard of the wheel mating surface on the brake rotor. Most cars are designed with the pistons on the inboard side of the brake caliper, allowing less than 7/8" overhang and almost any wheel will fit. With the Shelby, there are 6 pistons and 3 of them are on the outboard side of the rotor, making them very thick. The spokes of a standard wheel will not clear the "bulge". There are many big rims in multiple wide girths that will fit this car. The problem is that a good snow tire needs to be narrow to work. If it is too wide, it spreads the weight out (same pounds over more square inches spreads out the load). This is a problem on snow where you need a narrow wheel to dig in and make it to pavement. Forget about hole shots, I just need to be able to steer and brake in the snow for about 3 or 4 months. For many, it is probably a sacrilege to be discussing the thought of driving a Shelby in the snow. And, the thought has crossed my mind to buy a $2,000 beater rather than $2,000 worth of rims. Putting that aside, can we put our heads together and solve this burning question? I have found that ShowWheels.com can make a set, but do any already exist. Remember, these are for the winter and will not be on the car for more than 3-4 months, so they don't need to be high end show wheels, but they should look decent. Any ideas on a wheel that fits the need? 18" x 7" with a 4" backspacing and spoke clearance to clear the 1.75" brake caliper overhang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stngfever Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 GT500 in the snow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one_quik_pony Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Nokian Tires! I had a set of Nokian WR's on my rear wheel drive Porsche, and they were truly amazing. I was driving through Utah in a blinding snowstorm, averaging 50 mph, and pushing snow over the hood. How about a set of used 2007-2009 GT500 wheels, wrapped in Nokian Hakkapeliitta R tires. If you are concerned with the width, run four front wheels with matching tire widths. They can be run in dry weather as well...but resist the temptation to drive aggressively. They hook very well, and will wear down quickly! After I put my set on my Mom's car, they lasted MUCH longer, and she drives on them all year round. http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=11949&group=1.01&name=Nokian%20Hakkapeliitta R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rochester Posted September 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2011 Update: I have ordered the set from showwheelsusa.com. I'll post before and after pictures after they are built to my specs, shipped, and I get rubber wrapped around them. Should be about 4 more weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingsnut Posted September 17, 2011 Report Share Posted September 17, 2011 GT500 in the snow Glad I wasn't the only one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rochester Posted October 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 They have been designed and built and shipped. TPMS issues are figured out. Tires are mounted, and I'll try to get pictures up to show them on the car. A couple of pointers for those interested in figuring out their own wheels: 1. The TPMS on the 2010+ Shelby GT500s are the valve stem type. On these wheels, the stem hole is the only thing I didn't specify, and as luck would have it they came drilled in the center of the wheel, where they stems would hit the brake caliper on their way around. I used flush mount valve stems and mounted the TPMS sensors internally with band clamps and cradles. The cradles are available from Dill Air Controls (or eBay). 2. The ultimate goal for snow tires is to get them as narrow as possible, but able to carry the weight of that corner of the car. It is not about ultimate dry/hot traction, but dealing with sliding while stopping/steering. You're not going to be able to pull hole shots in the snow, no matter which tire you have. Miata net has a great tire size calculator to help with the math. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali_KR Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 Well done Rochester....back when I was kid, in the late 60's early 70's, we were a one car family, and that car was a 1967 GT-A Mustang Fastback, my dad drove that car everywhere, from winters with studded snow tires (I grew up in BC), to pulling a pop-trailer on logging roads in the summer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Hamilton Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 Well done Rochester....back when I was kid, in the late 60's early 70's, we were a one car family, and that car was a 1967 GT-A Mustang Fastback, my dad drove that car everywhere, from winters with studded snow tires (I grew up in BC), to pulling a pop-trailer on logging roads in the summer... You had one Cool Dad! Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rochester Posted October 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 Cali_KR: I agree, you had a very cool dad. It would be neat if you had pictures to post of that old Mustang pulling the camper. When I was a kid, my dad had a '69 Mach 1, but that disappeared when he couldn't buy insurance in Pennsylvania. Here are some more details on the rims. For these 18x7 rims, the key point was to keep the outside lined up with the original rims in the wheel well. The entire 2.5" of rim was taken from the inside, as seen in the low/rear picture of the car. The 7" measurement is from the inside of the rim, where the bead mates, making the overall rim width on these 8" including the lip. 4.5" backspacing 0.5" offset (12.7mm) 5x114.3 bolt pattern I ordered the KWC017 rims from Showwheelsusa.com To clear the caliper, the spokes of the wheel need to keep the following specs in mind: - 48mm overhang clearance - 204mm radial clearance Actually, that holds true for any replacement wheel. It's the biggest issue with replacement rims for the Shelby, because the calipers have pistons outboard of the rotor (most cars have pistons inboard and then use sliders to center the brake force.) Even if the diameter is right, the spokes typically scrape along the face of the caliper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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