Real-Deal Wheels A MavroMont

The Project car
ELECTRONICALLY REPRINTED FROM JUNE 2008
Real-Deal
Wheels
MavroMont
Industries’
new wheels
put a radical
spin on Big ’n’
Littles for Fox
’Stangs
A
s hard-core enthusiasts, we
all have a good understanding
of how important aftermarket wheels and tires are to
the ever-evolving process of
modifying a ’79-’08 Mustang.
Upgrading to larger-diameter/greaterwidth wheels and bigger tires is more
the rule than the exception for many
’Stangbangers of the ’99-to-present era.
The envelope for how big a wheel-andtire combination can go is being pushed
all the time.
Fox owners, on the other hand, must
live with a fixed limit: a 17x9-inch maximum wheel size. In addition, 255/45 17s
and 275/50 17s are the tallest/widest front
and rear tires that will fit comfortably
inside the wheelwells without modifying
them or narrowing the rear end.
Sure, the extra inch of the 17x9s is
a nice step up from the 16-inch wheels
and rubber worn by many cosmetically
upgraded ’79-and-up ’Stangs. However, it
still misses the mark for those enthusiasts who want to put 17s on their street
Foxes and capture a drag-race appearance
in the process. Mustangs from 1991 to
1993 received 16-inch rolling stock from
the factory, and ’93 Cobras and Cobra Rs
were fitted with 17x7.5-inch (four-lug) and
17x8-inch (five-lug) wheels, respectively.
OWhat’s right with this picture? Well, if you’re
sharp enough to notice that the Pony-style wheel
has a five-lug Ford bolt pattern, you’re absolutely
correct. But that’s not all. Keep reading to see why
this wheel and Mavromont Industries’ other Pony Rs
are special.
Text and Photos by KJ Jones
Horse Sense: “You’re going to try and do what?! Put 17-inch 315 rear tires on a
Fox?! Without mini-tubs?! Man, they’re nearly 11 inches wide—there’s no friggin’ way.
It’s impossible!” That was the reaction of Race Pages’ associate editor, and your tech
editor’s good friend, Jason Reiss after hearing about our intentions of mounting huge
meats on the back of our project coupe. This one’s for you, Jase, and all the other nonbelievers out there.
The Project car
Thanks to the popularity of drag racing Mustangs in the NMRA and other
sanctions, the wheel-and-tire-influenced
“hot look” these days (especially for
Foxes) is based on using 15x8- or 15x10inch rear drag wheels and 15x3.5-inch
front wheels. The widest, cleanest-fitting
tires are used on the rear of the car and
narrower tires (better known as “skinnies”) up front.
Many of you have let us know how
much you dig the Weld Racing 17-inch
Alumastar 2.0 race wheels that adorn the
’86 T-top coupe detailed in Editor Steve
Turner’s feature article in our Jan. ’08 issue
(“Top This,” p. 102). Although the wheels are
designed for S197 ’Stangs, we discovered
their 17x9.25-inch rear/17x4.5-inch front
dimensions are Fox compliant. The way they
look on our rare Pony is one of the ’Stang’s
greatest assets—along with 830 rwhp, of
course.
Believe it or not, Weld’s bad-dude race
hoops weren’t our first choice of wheels
for the car. In the spirit of being true to
Fox Mustangs and their history, your tech
editor initially thought it would be beyond
cool to have the T-top coupe roll on the
ever-popular Pony star-style wheels—the
16x7-inch rolling stock that took the
’Stang world by storm when they were
introduced on ’91 LXs and GTs. A major
P“Our main objective is to offer wheel packages
for just about every possible suspension or brake
setup available for Fox-body Mustang owners,” says
Demetrios Mavrofrides of Mavromont Industries.
“We were the first company to offer a five-lug
17x10-inch wheel (four-lug versions of the wheel
also are available) specifically designed for Foxes
[PN 5055-154/argent (silver); $133 each, 5055-156/
chrome; $170 each]. Everybody else was selling
17x10.5-inch wheels designed for SN-95 Mustangs,
which really don’t leave enough clearance to fit
315/35ZR-17 rear tires on a Fox.” Pony Rs have a
6.4-inch backspace for use with a standard-length
Fox-body 8.8 rearend. The same wheel is available
with a 7.3-inch backspace [PN 5055-174/argent (silver); $133 each, 5055-176/chrome; $170 each] for
those who have SN-95 rears under their Foxes. Although backspace is the popular measurement enthusiasts
reference when trying to determine correct wheel-and-tire sizes for their ’Stangs, Demetrios says wheel offset is actually the more important measurement, so much more important that it’s accepted throughout the
industry as the standard value used for determining fitment possibilities. Offset for our wheels is 23.8 mm.
The figure is doubled (46 mm) for ’Stangs with post-’93 axles in the back.
A BRIEF LOOK BACK
MThis is where it all began. The original silver
four-lug, 16x7-inch, star-patterned Pony wheel
was first offered on V-8–powered Mustangs in
1991. It was love at first sight for hard-core Fox
fans as this style is arguably the best-looking
OEM wheel Fox Mustangs ever had.
PStock tire size
for factory Pony
wheels is 225/55R16. It looks more
like a go-cart’s tire
compared to the
11 inches of tire
width Foxes can be
outfitted with today
thanks to 17x10-inch
Mavromont Pony Rs.
MBecause the large, soft, oval-shaped bushing in Fox ’Stangs’ stock lower control arms
allow rearends to move backward and forward,
Ford installed two additional shock absorbers,
known as “quad shocks,” to the rear suspension
system. The shocks dampen wheelhop during
tire-blazing launches, although installing aftermarket lower control arms is a better bet for
eliminating wheelhop. However, there’s no way
a 17x10-inch 315/35ZR-17 rear wheel-and-tire
upgrade will be possible with quad shocks still
in place.
MThis is the rear tire that Demetrios is talking
about, Nitto’s 315/35ZR-17 555R Extreme Drag
Radial. The tire measures approximately a full inch
wider than the 275/40ZR-17 that many consider
to be the widest rear tire that will fit on a ’79-’93
’Stang, without requiring chassis, body, or suspension mods that can go far beyond simply rolling the
fender lips and banging on the inside wheelwells
with a sledgehammer. Our project car will definitely
look intimidating from the rear.
MOur Pony R front wheels (PN 5055086; $160 each) measure 17x6.5
inches and feature a 4.2-inch backspace
(8.9mm offset). The wheels offer plenty
of room for big-brake clearance. With
their intermediate width versus a 3.5- or
9-inch wheel up front, they’re greatlooking, safe alternatives that help the
combination look balanced when 285s
or 315s are mounted in the rear.
PDemetrios recommended Fuzion’s
ZRI 215/50R-17s as our front tires
since Nitto doesn’t offer NT 555 radials in this size. The tread pattern is
somewhat similar, and the height of the
tires should keep the coupe’s even-ride
stance intact.
The Project car
setback was the fact that our coupe sports
a five-lug setup, and a Pony-style wheel
wasn’t available with a 5-on-4.5-inch bolt
pattern at the time we started mapping
out the project car.
As we mentioned in our report on
five-lug conversions for Foxes (“Four No
More,” Dec ’07, p. 144), one of the biggest
hurdles for enthusiasts who wish to make
wheel upgrades on stock ’Stangs is the
limited assortment of wheel styles that
comply with the Fox’s now-ancient 4x4.25inch bolt pattern.
Well, it’s a new (and better) time for
Fox footwear. Thanks to a discovery made
by our fearless leader, we’re outfitting our
coupe with a reincarnation of our favorite
OEM wheels from Demetrios Mavrofrides
MFor grins, we measured the replica Shelby
wheel’s backspace and calculated 6.25 inches.
MRudy Guardado, a technician at the Firestone
Auto Care Center in Reseda, California, assisted us
with mounting and high-speed balancing our coupe’s
new rolling stock. Tape-on weights are affixed to
the back of each wheel to ensure there won’t be
any abnormal vibration or ill handling coming from
the tires when we’re rolling down the boulevard at
a nice clip.
MOnce the tires are
mounted and balanced,
installing everything is
an afternoon project
that requires only a
few tools. Critical tools
include a 4-pound
(long-head and handle)
and 3-pound (shorthead and handle)
sledgehammer; a bright marking crayon; and Snapon Tools’ 18-volt, ½-inch-drive cordless impact gun
(PN CT4850; $449.96). The outer lips of our coupe’s
rear wheelwells were trimmed and rolled in a pitside thrash at PINKS All-Out: Las Vegas (“Lights,
Cameras…Action!” Mar. ’08, p. 128), but having
Eastwood’s fender roller (PN 31158; $249.99) handy
is a good idea, as the outer areas may require some
attention if your ’Stang is lowered. We also had a
cutoff wheel and a pair of snips on standby, but the
job didn’t require using either of those tools.
MFor a non–mini-tubbed Fox ’Stang, 6.5 inches of
backspace offers the best fitment of 10-inch-wide
rear wheels. Mavromont’s Pony Rs’ backspace
checks in just below that maximum. We verified
this by laying a wheel face down, then placed a
straightedge diagonally across the inboard flange of
the wheel. Using a tape measure, we measured the
distance from the intersection of the straightedge
and the wheel’s inboard flange to the wheel’s hubmounting pad. That distance equals the amount of
backspace.
MFor street purposes, the coupe was equipped
with 17x9-inch replicas of ’07 Shelby GT 500
wheels, with 275/40R-17 Nittos in the back and
235/45ZR-17 555s in the front.
MThe project car’s AlumaStealth fuel tank doesn’t
leave adequate clearance for a standard floor jack,
which can make things challenging when both rear
wheels must be elevated. OTC’s lightweight aluminum, 2-ton racing jack (PN 1532; $324.95) features
a low-profile design that makes lifting our coupe’s
back end much easier. The OTC adjustable jackstands are there for additional safety, of course.
MWe mounted a new wheel on the ’Stang to
determine the clearance—or lack thereof—of the
wider 315 with the inner wheelwell. This is a look
at the conflict area—the lip/edge portion of the
wheelhousing’s rear area. Our ’Stang obviously has
rear coilover shocks, but on a stock Fox-body, it’s
the section just after the shock where the curve to
the back of the inner wheelwell begins. The clearance concern is the same on both sides, and it will
require a good amount of massaging to achieve an
acceptable amount of space for the new tires.
MMarking the area to be modified makes things
much easier. Use a marking crayon or other brightcolored marking pen. The material below the mark is
the stuff that must be eliminated.
The Project car
and the crew at Mavromont Industries in
Orlando, Florida.
With Mavromont’s new Pony R wheels,
our coupe has the throwback look
that we wanted from the outset. These
new-school Ponys (available in chrome
and argent, the silver/gray color of the
originals) are spitting-image replicas of
the beloved ’91-’93 ’Stang wheels, save for
unique center-cap emblems.
The news of five-lug Ponys certainly is
exciting for Fox purists like us, but these
wheels have one specific quality that
actually rates higher than their diameter
and extra lugs. You see, the baddest ver-
MStart by using the long-handled, long-head 4-pound sledge. The hanging metal that makes a sharp edge
along the inside wheel must be knocked back toward the center of the trunk. Then, using the top of the same
hammer, bump the folded edge upward.
MThe smaller, 3-pound sledgehammer is then used to tap the folded material against the back side of the wheelwell. This is somewhat of a finesse procedure to
make sure the original flow of the wheelwell is retained.
OYou can almost think of the process as reverse
fender rolling. The backside of the inner wheelwell
looks similar to an outer lip that has seen the business end of an Eastwood tool.
MAlthough it isn’t required, we gave the front portion of the inner wheelwells the same treatment as
the rear. This was really just a peace-of-mind move
since the front area isn’t affected by the width of
the 315s.
sion of this new wheel is 10 inches wide,
and it features a 24mm offset. This makes
installing Nitto’s massive 315/35ZR-17
Extreme Drag Radial rear tires on Foxbody Mustangs possible—and it doesn’t
require mini-tubs, shorter axles, or
anything beyond removing the useless
quad shocks and opening up the inner
fenderwells. More conventional 17x9-inch
versions also are available for those who
want a uniform look at all four points.
So now we’re updating our coupe’s
appearance with Mavromont’s version of
a big ’n’ littles combination for the street.
Naturally, the 17x10s highlight this setup,
but they’re certainly not outdone in any
way by the new 17x6.5 Pony R wheels that
are going up front on our ride. While the
The Project car
MThe modification process isn’t all about making a few “love taps” on the rear wheelwells. We suggest using a piece of 2x4-inch wood to really get the inner edge to
conform. We like to make sure the tires don’t come in contact with any metal under the car, so we spent a great deal of time shaping the area and creating more than
enough clearance on the front and back sides.
MFor comparison’s sake, here’s a look at the back of our coupe with a 315/35ZR-17 mounted on the 17x10inch wheel (left) and a 17x9-inch–mounted 275/40ZR-17 (right)...
M…and here’s the aggressive look that
our project car now has with its big rear
wheels and tires planted firmly on the
ground.
OOne thing we really dig is the fact that
3-inch wheel studs have plenty of room
for a clean fit underneath the Pony R’s
slick center caps.
MSure, our T-top coupe is without many things
common to most street ’Stangs—namely a full
exhaust system; standard rear shocks and coil
springs; and in some instances, the original quadshock system—but achieving this look is still possible for these cars, as the main modification is only
the adjustment of the inner fenderwells. Removing
the quad shocks is mandatory, and you may have
to check for proper e-brake cable and tailpipe clearance, which can be achieved by rotating these
pieces or moving them out of the way.
MAs Editor Steve Turner would say, Mavromont’s
big ’n’ littles 17-inch Pony R setup is “the hotness”
on a Fox-body ’Stang. We finished up just as the
SoCal winter rain returned, which prevented us
from adjusting the rear coilovers to bring the back
of the coupe down a bit for a level ride height. The
front springs don’t require any adjustment. You can
bet we’ll make the suspension tweak as soon as
it’s dry again, and we’ll be out on the road, cruising
and turning heads with the project car’s sinister
new look.
The Project car
new fronts aren’t the slimline 3.5-inch–wide
wheels that are more akin to this look, we
feel they will offer a clean, balanced smallerwheel appearance up front. With the addition of Fuzion’s ZRI 215/50R-17 radials,
they offer greater safety and stability when
cruising down the freeway at a brisk pace.
Associate Editor Johnson prefers traditional
3.5-inch–wide wheels up front, but he’ll be
hard-pressed to find a 17x3.5-inch Ponystyle wheel anywhere.
Read on as we take you through
our installation experience. Mavromont
Industries’ Pony Rs are definitely must-
have wheels for any Fox owner and lover
who wants their LX or GT to have the
style of a super-stout drag ’Stang—with
more rubber out back than it can stand
without sacrificing any of the stocker-clean
profile that forever endeared us to Pony
wheels back in 1991.
5.0
SOURCES 5.0
Mavromont Industries
Dept. 5.0
P.O. Box 568395
Orlando, FL 32856
(407) 297-3553
www.mavromont.com
Posted with permission from the June 2008 issue of 5.0 Mustang ® www.mustang50magazine.com. Copyright 2008, Source Interlink Media. All rights reserved.
For more information about reprints from 5.0 Mustang, contact Wright’s Reprints at 877-652-5295.
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