Why you don’t run Mustang S550 wheels

[MrGearhead]

Well. I thought I was smarter than the average bear.... nope.. I picked up a set of 2012 GT wheels (18”) for my ‘06. In order to use them I need spacers. The stock lugs are 1 5/8” long so I would need spacers as thick as them. Looks like 2” is really the only option. 2” spacers will push the wheels just too close to the wheelwells.

 

[Dirtman]

Your going to jail!

 

[MrGearhead]

Few more..

 

[MrGearhead]

I wonder what spacers are on these?

 

[stmitch]

The last ones pictured look like SN95 wheels to me. And yes, shorter spacers take advantage of the pockets that are often machined into the back of the hubs for stud clearance.

 

[MrGearhead]

The last ones pictured look like SN95 wheels to me. And yes, shorter spacers take advantage of the pockets that are often machined into the back of the hubs for stud clearance.

Yea, they are SN95 wheels... If I want to keep running the 550 wheels I suppose I can find shorter lugs for the front.. 2” spacers look like they will fit in the rear. If I can find shorter lugs for the front I can run 1.5” spacers.

 

[MrGearhead]

Side note. I’m currently running a 1/4” spacer to allow the front wheels to fit.

 

[JoshT]

Shorter lug nuts or shorter studs? If it's lug nuts just get some basic open ended acorn lug nutss, they are about as short as you can get. If it's studs you may be able to get away with grinding them down a bit for clearance, just make sure you leave enough length to fully engage your lug nuts and preferably protrude through them by a thread or few.

Just word of caution, if using adapter style spacers (IE: spacer bolt to truck's studs then wheel bolts to adapter's studs) make sure you pull the wheel and check the torque on the adapter/spacer after a bit. It's very important. I knew I was supposed to do it, but didn't and it bit me in the a$$.



Those wheels look good on your truck BTW.

 

[cbxer55]

I use bolt on adapters on the back of my Lightning, since I am now running 12.5 inch rims in the back ,up from the stock 9.5. Got to move them out to clear the springs and the e-brake cables. Anyhow, thanks for reminding me, I need to pull the tires and check them. I torqued them with a torque wrench. But yeah, they could possibly, maybe loosen up a tad. I only use the billet adapters from Wheel Adapters.com. No way am i trusting El Cheapo Chinese castings. I've seen and heard horror stories about them. Breaking. Studs coming loose when trying to tighten or loosen lug nuts. That would be a horror story!

 

[sgtsandman]

If they are loose. Take the lug nut off and apply some blue thread locker. The lug nuts haven't moved on my trailer since I installed the 2" spacers on my trailer 8 years ago. When I switched from 12X4.80 tires to 205/65-10 tires and wheels.

 

[cbxer55]

I've run these adapters before, they have never come loose on me.

What I was talking about above was the studs spinning within the adapter while you're trying to tighten or loosen the lug nuts. Once that happens, you have a lug nut you cannot get off because the stud itself is spinning. Then you're in trouble. Guess all you can do is drill out the stud until the nut falls off. What a PITA that would end up being.

 

[sgtsandman]

 

[cbxer55]

What if, like my Mustang, the lug nuts are deep in wells on the rims? That isn't going to work. Always have to think of the worst case scenario. ;-)

 

[Snoranger]

What if, like my Mustang, the lug nuts are deep in wells on the rims? That isn't going to work. Always have to think of the worst case scenario. ;-)

Thats not a problem, it will cut through a rim.

 

[MrGearhead]

Ok... finally got it right... Before and after. Now I have to install the new upper and lower control arms so I can get the alignment done..