Wheel opinion needed

1990Coupe

Founding Member
Mar 11, 2002
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114
Toms River NJ
Hey fellas, Been a while since I actually posted a thread!

Still have the car, this July will be 10 years. I need some opinions. I have always toyed with getting another set of rims, Specifically Terminator, or 10th anniversary terminator wheels. They are 17s vs my 18s i have on there now and I just like the look of a fox with those two styled wheels. The bigger reason for this opinion is that my Wife thinks the ride in the fox is rough. Its lowered on steeda springs, and i still have the stock 4cyl struts (but they are still rebounding fine). Foxes ride rough, i really dont think there is anything i can do about that. I can put a new stock strut in, or even upgrade the strut, and go to a smaller diameter wheel with a bigger sidewall tire. But that will only marginally increase the ride over large bumpy roads. You can avoid potholes all you want, occasionally one sneaks up on you and thats why shes made the comment on seeing if i can get it to ride a little better.

What say you guys?? Here's a pic of the car currently.

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I like the wheels that are on it. But a 17 will cushion the road better than an 18.
And.....
Weight.

Foxes ride rough because they need some weight that is characteristically not part of the equation. I’d be willing to bet that the car rides even rougher w/o a passenger.
I’d characterize the ride quality on the red car as firm, not rough. I’d say that it’s the same on the monster.
Both cars had weight added to them. And both cars had/have big sidewall 17’s. The red car had full sound deadener installed, a roll bar, the matrix style sf connectors I build, a heavy ass 4.6, and soft C/O springs on all four corners. The monster has the same stuff, ( minus roll bar) and up until this latest iteration, a very heavy engine combo, sporting a turbo/ intercooler, water reservoir, and the equivalent of a cast iron turbo header.
I’m sure that if I ever get the throttle thing figured out, the new changes will be close to 150 pounds lighter than it was before, and will ride rougher than it did.
 
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I bet new shocks/struts would help. I had BBK springs with stock shocks/struts on my '95 and it rode like a brick even on 17" wheels. The black '86 I had for a short time had matching Eibach springs, shocks, and struts and rode much smoother. Matching components make a big difference. If you spring for adjustables, you may just find a sweet spot.
 
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I like the ones that are on it, but I think 17" is a more proportioned wheel to the fox chassis. I'd go with the 10th anniversary wheels


You've wives actually ride with you guys? Mine has yet to even sit in mine.
 
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I really don't want to add weight to the car, and i do like the stance. I'm sure if i went back to a stock spring/new struts that would help.

So on the fence here just because i do like the look of what I have on it now. When i built the car nearly 10 years ago, i was a huge Overhaulin guy with chip foose. So i was going for a look like that - older car massive wheels/great stance. Now i think as @Mustang5L5 said, maybe a 17inch wheel is a better size suited for looks on a fox? In the interm i'm going to do a new set of struts. The tires are going to need replacing after this season depending on how much I drive it, so that would be the time to pull the trigger on some new wheels. Basically whatever i can find on the internet is what id be going with because i dont want to buy new here.

PS yes my wife rides in the car, she wow'd me and drove it like a BOSS when we first started dating! She wants to go in more joyrides/road trips in it, she just wished it rode a little better over bumps. Id say it does ride firm, not like a brick or anything but hard enough that if i hit big bumps she cringes.
 
Just tell her you enjoy watching her jiggly bits do their thing when you're out for a drive, so you're not going to change anything.

Best advice yet...

I would find a set of shocks/struts to match your springs. I'd call Steeda (or Maximum Motorsports) and get a recommendation on what you should use based on your springs. That would be whole lot cheaper that new wheels and tires.
 
Going from an 18 to a 17 isn't going to fix any ride quality issues.
Shocks, struts, springs, isolators will fix it though.
With what you will spend on new wheels and tires you could redo a good portion of the suspension.
From a financial standpoint it would be senseless.

I don't know what steeda spring rates are like, but if they do like saleen used to, the shorten them and then stiffen the hell out of em.

Me personally?
If it's not a daily (and I assume it's not), i'd switch to MM coil overs with a good set of shocks up front.

Other tips would be make sure the interior is tight and there is nothing in the glove compartment or armrest. Crap rattling around in there gives the illusion of a worse ride than it really is.
I went back to my armrest delete plate (no 90's had an armrest) and that alone made the car quieter.

As far as weight and size goes, that might be a debate for another day.
Some wheels weigh more, some less, then you have the argument that depending on the weight of the wheel, the tire may actually be heavier so going to a larger rim and a shorter tire actually saves weight in some cases.
 
Dropping down to 17" wheels isn't going to make much of a difference. With the purpose of the car in mind, I would start digging into what spring rates for front coilovers would work best with whatever choice of quality strut/shock you plan on running.
 
Me personally?
If it's not a daily (and I assume it's not), i'd switch to MM coil overs with a good set of shocks up front.

Other tips would be make sure the interior is tight and there is nothing in the glove compartment or armrest. Crap rattling around in there gives the illusion of a worse ride than it really is.
I went back to my armrest delete plate (no 90's had an armrest) and that alone made the car quieter.

Dropping down to 17" wheels isn't going to make much of a difference. With the purpose of the car in mind, I would start digging into what spring rates for front coilovers would work best with whatever choice of quality strut/shock you plan on running.

Before I came back to check this thread, i was looking into spring/shock/coilover options. And its funny that i landed on MM front coil overs as an option that would seem to work best and allow me to keep the wheels I have.

The next question for me is spring rate - i read their document on it. Spring rate seems to be calculated differently for a coilover since its connected directly to my spindle vs the spring in the a-arm. I don't know what kind of spring rate to go with that will offer a better ride quality. From what I got, the higher the rate, the better the ride? Is this a wrong way of thinking?

Also - ive been toying with doing an armrest delete for a more old school interior feel.
 
The higher the rate the stiffer the spring.
A 150lb is for drag racing.
A 350 is probably close to what road race guys use.

I run a 275lb spring, i'm pretty sure 12 inch.

I really don't miss that stupid armrest.
I slammed second and the car hooked, armrest tilted back, broke the latch and dumped my stuff in the back seat...
 
Keep your wheels, the car looks good with them. Foxes don't have to ride rough but they do require a matching set of struts / springs / shocks for a better ride, and handling. Coil overs aren't necessary, just get quality parts that have matching specifications. MM is a great place to get what you need.