Wheel And Tire
Installation And Fitment Notes
Billet Specialties Street Lite Wheel and Tire Combo SpecificationsFront
Wheels: 15x3, 1.75-inch backspacing
Tires: Kumho Power Star 758 165/80-15
Notes: For front caliper clearance, I used a Mr. gasket 7/16-inch wheel spacer and needed to clearance the caliper bracket about 1-2mm only on the outer surface to make sure there was ample clearance for the caliper bracket behind the wheel spokes. Since I used the 96-up front spindles, the 7/16-inch front spacer, and 1.75-inch backspacing pushed the front wheels and tires out just inside the front fender lip. Since my car is lowered about 1.7-inches, the front tires are just inside the lip and fit is a little tight, but safe. For Mustangs with stock ride height to moderate lowering, this combination will work just fine. For improved wheel-and-tire clearance, I recommend '94-'95 SN-95 front spindles. They bring the front wheels and tires in about 3/8-inch each side, and if you use a 1/2-inch spacer, the front skinnies will tuck under a little more with ample clearance.
Rear
Wheels: 15x8, with 5.5-inch backspacing
Tires: Nitto 555R Drag Radials 275/50-15
Notes: Again, since my car is lowered about 1.75-inches, there's minimal clearance issues, but I've put almost 200 miles on this setup and had no safety issues. I had no tire scrub issues on the driver side tire, and very minimal scrub on the very edge of the tire sidewall but no tire damage. Some cars may vary, but when plus sizing wheels and tires, some modifications may be necessary such as rolling the lip for optimum clearance. I've had no inner fenderwell clearance issues with this wheel and tire combo.
OEM Ford 17-inch Bullitt Wheel and Tire Combo Specifications
Front And Rear
Wheels: 17x8, 5.65-inches backspacing
Tires: 245/45ZR17
Notes: With the '96-'04 front spindles and the 1.75-inches suspension drop, the tire clearance up front is tight. There's little to no scrub up front. I have ordered a set of stiffer struts and shocks which will help tighten up the front suspension and reduce wheel jounce, which should eliminate any front tire scrub. I can also clearance the fender lip a little more if necessary. Since I went with the North Race Cars Fox-Length Rear Axle Kit instead of the SN-95 rear axles, I have test fitted 17x9 OEM wheels out back with a 5.97-inch backspacing and 275/40ZR17 tires with no clearance issues. I will clearance the rear fender lips some for added insurance.
Other Modifications Made During Installation
- Eibach Sportline Springs: 1.5-inch front drop and 1.7-inch rear drop
- Eibach Front and Rear Sway Bar kit
- Aftermarket upper and lower control arms
- New FRPP 8.8 Rear End Assembly with 3.73 rear gear ratio
Modifying Your Fox-Body Emergency Brake
You're going to have to make some minor modifications to the e-brake on your fox body so that it works correctly with your SN-95 rear calipers. The mission of ratcheting mechanism on the stock handle is to adjust the e-brake. It does this by placing tension on the cables and ratcheting up a tooth at a time. This function needs to be disabled with disc brakes.
There are two options, one is unwind the spring and hope the spike lines up with the ratchet every time. By far the most common is to push the handle down and manually unwind the spring about a 1/2 inch, then pin the handle with a bolt. This makes the handle non-adjusting but still pulls on the cables. This can be done with a bolt, a nail, or a zip tie. The key is to take spring pressure off of the cables. If the spring pressure on the handle is not reduced or eliminated, it can cause the rear brakes to drag as if the e-brake has been left on. Once the modifications are completed and adjusted, the driveshaft can be replaced.
Keeping Things In "Proportion"
Since we are changing the rear drums to discs we are going to have to do something about the brake system under the hood. Here's a couple options...
The new rear axle assembly...
The new rear axle assembly is aligned under the rearend of the car, again using the trans jack, and assembled to the rear suspension.
Once the brake lines were...
Once the brake lines were finished, John installed the new Fox-length rear axles, and buttoned up the rear bolting the rear cover back up.
Next the rear rotors, brake...
Next the rear rotors, brake pads, and calipers are installed.
New emergency brake cables...
New emergency brake cables from North Race Cars is the best way to go. They went in without a problem and to keep them in place you will need the e-brake C-clips (Ford PN 97413-S56).
To keep the e-brake cables...
To keep the e-brake cables from hanging down and hitting the tires, we bought a used set of stock SN-95 e-brake cable brackets that mount the lower control arms. You can also purchase these new from Ford PN F5ZZ-2530-AA.
Now the rearend fluids can...
Now the rearend fluids can be added. You will need two quarts of 75W-140 synthetic gear lubrication and 3.8 fluid ounces of friction modifier (Ford PN CM-19546-A1). To finish up the rearend, the rear sway bar, dampner, and driveshaft were bolted back up and the rear brake swap is completed. Make sure to modify your emergency brake assembly before installing your driveshaft back onto the car.