oewheelsdirect - Wheels for 18x10 DRs!!!

[Glenn]

July issue of MM&FF on page p.76 & 77 - oewheelsdirect in Riverside, CA - #951-276-1608. They seems to have several 18" wheels in 9" to 10.5" width in Mustangs/Cobra OEM styles. The 180 Bullet is very similar to the MM and is available in 18x10 in chrome ($210) and black ($165). I do not have any information on the BS or OS. But, if they are close to properly fitting we may have finally found our rims for the 305 DRs and at a very good price.

oewheelsdirect has been around for about a year. I am concerned that their website has been under construction for about 8-10 months. I checked several of the Mustangs, SVT and Cobra websites and can find no negative informaton. Everyone seems happy with the wheels. Has anyone used this company and have any information on the BS, OS and fit???

The MM OEM wheels are 18x8", 50 mm positive offset (measured from a 4.0" centerline) and 6.295" backspace (cc: Mac).

Glenn

[Marauder]

July issue of MM&FF on page p.76 & 77 - oewheelsdirect in Riverside, CA - #951-276-1608. They seems to have several 18" wheels in 9" to 10.5" width in Mustangs/Cobra OEM styles. The 180 Bullet is very similar to the MM and is available in 18x10 in chrome ($210) and black ($165). I do not have any information on the BS or OS. But, if they are close to properly fitting we may have finally found our rims for the 305 DRs and at a very good price.

oewheelsdirect has been around for about a year. I am concerned that their website has been under construction for about 8-10 months. I checked several of the Mustangs, SVT and Cobra websites and can find no negative informaton. Everyone seems happy with the wheels. Has anyone used this company and have any information on the BS, OS and fit???

The MM OEM wheels are 18x8", 50 mm positive offset (measured from a 4.0" centerline) and 6.295" backspace (cc: Mac).

Glenn

I'm waiting for them to get their website up and running so I can see what they offer. I saw the add in MM&FF but wanted a bit more detail.

[SergntMac]

The 180 Bullet is very similar to the MM and is available in 18x10 in chrome ($210) and black ($165). I do not have any information on the BS or OS. But, if they are close to properly fitting we may have finally found our rims for the 305 DRs and at a very good price.

oewheelsdirect has been around for about a year. I am concerned that their website has been under construction for about 8-10 months. I checked several of the Mustangs, SVT and Cobra websites and can find no negative informaton. Everyone seems happy with the wheels. Has anyone used this company and have any information on the BS, OS and fit???

The MM OEM wheels are 18x8", 50 mm positive offset (measured from a 4.0" centerline) and 6.295" backspace (cc: Mac).Glenn 18X10 is what you need to run the Nittos correctly. A 50mm offset won't fit without hitting the shock, but under that should provide the clearance you need. Shop for a 45-40mm positive offset?

[RR|Suki]

18X10 is what you need to run the Nittos correctly. A 50mm offset won't fit without hitting the shock, but under that should provide the clearance you need. Shop for a 45-40mm positive offset?

indeed, remember guys offset is from face to mount, so you must adjust when the width goes up :D mustang tuning has alot of rims that will fit the rear quite nicely

[Glenn]

Mac:

I am not good in this area of wheel fit, but I am trying to learn. Here is what I got and I need your comments on fit with my 305s DR.

"180 Bullet" wheel: 18x10" comes in two sizes - 30 mm OS with a 6.68" BS and a 45 MM OS with a 7.27" BS. Get this sale price: $170 chrome and $125 in gloss black with polished rim - unreal prices. Can these wheels possible fit even if they protrude alittle from the wheel well??

They also have two other wheels that seem close. A "270 Cobra R" ($195) in 18x9.5 with a 20 mm OS and a 6.06 BS. Also, a model "360 Mustang" in 18x9.5 ($195) with a 24 mm OS with a 6.19 BS.

Thanks,

Glenn

[wchain]

these guys have been advertising in MMFF for a while, and they change their name every coupla years

[SergntMac]

"180 Bullet" wheel: 18x10" comes in two sizes - 30 mm OS with a 6.68" BS and a 45 MM OS with a 7.27" BS. Get this sale price: $170 Glenn, remember that offset is the measurement from the center of the wheel to the mounting hub, and backspace is the measurements from the center of the wheel, to the back rim.

The +45mm offfset sounds like it may work here, but it's a guess. Can you pull a rear wheel assembly and measure from the face of the axle (hub) to the shock tower to check the clearance? Can you return the wheel if it has not been mounted on the car?

IMHO, the +30mm offset will stick outboard and possibly not clear the fender lip with a 305/45 tire in place, I know this from using a +35mm offset 18X9 on a set of BFG drag radials in 265/35-18 last season. They fit okay for the track, but the size was too small for the power involved.

The other wheels you mentioned and not any closer to your first choice here, the "180 Bullet" with a +45mm offset. Good luck!

[Glenn]

Appreciate everyone's information and help. One more question, what OS and BS "range" should I look for to use with my rear 18" 305 DRs and still stay within the wheel wells.

Thanks,

Glenn

[HwyCruiser]

My old (now teamrope's) 305 Nitto DRs fit nicely 9.5x18" 45mm offset Konig Beyonds wheels. There was plenty of clearance inboard away from the shocks but the outboard clearance to the fender lip was as close as I would feel comfortable with. So from this observation I would consider the 45mm offset the low range for a 9.5" wheel.

The effective offset on widened OEM rims is 50mm + 3/4", or 69mm. This is due to the 1-1/2" spacer effectively moving the centerline of the wheel 3/4" inboard. Since some of the members have had to run spacers to keep the inside sidewall of the DRs off the shocks, moving the offset an additional 1/8" towards centerline would give you a "safer" 65mm high range for a 9.5" wheel.

[HwyCruiser]

Glen, here's a good wheel offset calculator:
http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp

To compare the OEM and widened OEM wheels, enter in "current wheel specs" of 8" width and 50mm offset and "new wheel specs" of 9.5" width and 69mm. The outer position stays the same as it should be and the inner clearance is 38mm (or 1.5") less.

Using this same calculator, a 10" wide, 60mm offset wheel would provide 3mm more inner clearance than the widened OEM wheel (even better) while the outer position extends an extra 15mm (5/8") beyond the OEM outer edge, which is 9mm more fender clearance than my old 9.5" wide, 45 mm offset Konig. A 50mm offset wheel would provide 13mm more shock clearance than the widened OEMs but would extend 1mm further than the Konigs.

Backspacing for a wheel can be calculated by taking half the wheel width and adding positive offset (or subtracting negative offset), so for this wheel it would be 10" / 2 + 50mm = 5" + 1.97" = 6.97" for the 50mm, or 10" / 2 + 60 mm = 5" + 2.364" = 7.364" for the 60mm.

So it seems that a 10" wide, 50 to 60mm offset (or 6.97" to 7.364" backspace) wheel should work fine in the wheel well of our Marauders. I double checked my math by using the calculator referenced above, comparing this to both the OEM widened wheel and my observations with the Konig wheels and comes out OK... but there's always the reality test left to pass. Good luck on finding your wheel!

[Bowman9]

Please see this post for some visual aids.

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?p=401542#post40 1542

[Glenn]

I hooked up with Bowman9 at Mustangtuning.com and ordered 2 belmished Deep Dish Bullitt 18x10 wheels at a great price for my 315 DRs tires. They will probably stick out alittle, but they are only for the track so I can live with it. I will report on their fit next week. Thanks to Chris for his great help.

Glenn

[Bowman9]

Your welcome Glenn.

I just wish I could find rims for our marauders that will fit correctly with no problems.
I'm hoping that the new OEM 2007 Shelby GT500 wheels will have a better offset than the current aftermarket wheels.
The current 2005+ aftermarket wheels will not fit the new 2007 Shelby GT500, so there may still be hope for us. :)


I hooked up with Bowman9 at Mustangtuning.com and ordered 2 belmished Deep Dish Bullitt 18x10 wheels at a great price for my 315 DRs tires. They will probably stick out alittle, but they are only for the track so I can live with it. I will report on their fit next week. Thanks to Chris for his great help.

Glenn

[Glenn]

Chris:

Thanks very much. The Bullitts are really beautiful. They are being mounted tonight with my 305 DRs. I will give you a report this weekend.

Glenn

[Bowman9]

Cool let us know how you make out with them. :)

[magindat]

As you deal with offsets and back side spacings, don't forget to add the amount of sidewall that will 'bulge past the rim lip. To find out how much, get the 'section width from the mfg, subtract your wheel width, then divide that difference by 2. You must add this much to your total inside measurement (bss) or outside measurement to find your ultimate spacing.

For example, if a 305 has a section width of 12" and you mount it on a 10" rim with 6" bss, the side wall will add 1" of bulge to the bss for a total of 7" needed for shock clearance.

Just cuz the rim fits don't mean the package will!!!!

Good luck dudes!

BTW, if anyone will have a rim off any time soon and has at least a 2 foot straight edge and a ruler, I'd like to walk you through how to get the ultimate bss and fss spacings so we can figure out rims and tires more easily. PM me.

[SergntMac]

The factory OEM wheel offset is 50mm positive, no argument, right?

Offset is the measurement from the centerline of the wheel to the mounting pad. No argument again, eh?

On a Weldcraft (Lidio) widened wheel, the extra 1.5 width is added to the back of the wheel, after the centerline. The backspace changes, but not the offset. The mounting pad is still 50mm positive from the centerline, which allows you to predict where the outside of the wheel and tire will be placed in the the wheel well.

If you counter with "if the wheel is now 9.5" wide, the centerline has moved". In a sense, technically correct, yes. But, the location of the mounting pad in relationship to the outside of the wheel and wheel well is not affected and you should treat it as unchanged.

BTW, I have fit as much as a 35mm positive offset on a Marauder, and it fits. Looks funny, but it fits, and this is why I suggest that a 40-45 mm positive offset will fit correctly, and look good, and the additional offset should allow for an 18X10 wheel.

[RR|Suki]

The factory OEM wheel offset is 50mm positive, no argument, right?

Offset is the measurement from the centerline of the wheel to the mounting pad. No argument again, eh?

On a Weldcraft (Lidio) widened wheel, the extra 1.5 width is added to the back of the wheel, after the centerline. The backspace changes, but not the offset. The mounting pad is still 50mm positive from the centerline, which allows you to predict where the outside of the wheel and tire will be placed in the the wheel well.

If you counter with "if the wheel is now 9.5" wide, the centerline has moved". In a sense, technically correct, yes. But, the location of the mounting pad in relationship to the outside of the wheel and wheel well is not affected and you should treat it as unchanged.

BTW, I have fit as much as a 35mm positive offset on a Marauder, and it fits. Looks funny, but it fits, and this is why I suggest that a 40-45 mm positive offset will fit correctly, and look good, and the additional offset should allow for an 18X10 wheel.

Mac the problem here is that the offset is by the centerline.... so when the width moves from 8in to 9.5in the centerline is no longer 4in on each side... it's now 4.75 on each side... so here is where you can say the offset is like 35 now or something, then you can relate it to other wheels, it just might be easier for people to think of it that way

Oh also... I think where the offset really is an interesting trick, is with deep dish wheels

[Mr Johnson]

How about a picture for everybody?

Follow the link (http://www.rsracing.com/tech-wheel.html) for a nice picture and explaination. Perhaps with a common point of reference it will be easier to discuss further.

[Glenn]

I have the 305 DRs mounted on the Bullitt Deep Dish 45 mm OS wheel with 7.26 BS. What a beautiful looking tire and wheel combination. I went ahead and mounted the DRs because the wheels are belmished and cannot be returned. So its a small gamble on how much they will stick out. But, I will use them. I will put the wheels on the MM Saturday and give a full report on how they fit.

Glenn

[Bowman9]

Please supply pics if possible.

[Glenn]

The 2005+ Mustang Bullitt Deep Dish 18x10 wheels from MustangTuning.com are a good fit on my MM with the 305 Nitto DRs. Special thanks to Chris for his work with me to find these wheels and sell me some blemishes at a great price. I am very pleased with the results. I now have a great looking set of 18x10 wheels for a price of one used MM wheel. I have been looking for wheels of this type for over a year.

The shock clearance (see 4th photo) is about an inch and the tire sticks out about 1 1/2 at the rear of the wheel well (see 2nd photos). After using the Nitto 295s for 6 months the 305s on the new wheel and mounted on the car look very good. The 295s really fill the wheel well right up to the edge so the 305s do not extend out that much more. I also attached a photo (3rd) of the wheel well without the tire to show how the 295 apparently rubs the shock during hard turns.

Finally, I have a good looking, very inexpensive 18" wheel in a solid 10" width that is the perfect width for the 305 DRs. Now, looking for 12.6s on the front page of the Timeslips.

Thanks for everyone's help in this search. I think we have a real winner here.

Glenn