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Torq Thrust Wheels

7K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  jonthewick 
#1 ·
Looking to put the widest set of Torq Thrust IIs that I can stuff under my Bullitt.

I've found the following spec posted at IMBOC that apparently fits:

9.5 x 18 with 7.125 backspacing

A great start but I would love to get 18x10s on all four corners so I can run 285s. To do so I will need to determine proper backspacing.

Anyone done this yet?

I know there are a few vendors who have cracked the 18x10 backspacing for the front wheels but the wheels they offer just don't look right on the Bullitt IMO.

Living in SoCal with lots of amazing hilly, switchback roads you really put a car's suspension to work. I want to go 18x10 is to increase front end grip to eliminate understeer.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Some years ago Terry had his factory wheels widened...so it can be done. But he eventually went to larger dia. because the Brembo brakes won't fit with our stock wheels...think they need 19" as a minimum.

If it's serious canyon carving you like to do, you'll need bigger brakes as well.

Or...just buy a good canyon carving car and get it over with? ;)
 
#3 ·
pwd72s,

Yeah I remember when he had his factory wheels widened. That was a very cool mod.

Funny you mention bigger brakes...I have a full Stop Tech "Big Brake" kit sitting in my garage right now. I planned on getting aftermarket wheels that could accommodate them but never did.

I've done a lot of canyon driving here and while bigger brakes certainly wouldn't hurt I haven't experienced brake fade to the extent that I feel compelled to go with bigger brakes...to my surprise.
 
#4 ·
Maybe the canyons you drive allow enough time between hard braking sessions to allow cooling? Track drivers here have complained of fade with the stock brakes.

Me? No longer do club things...just an old guy who parks an old '09 green Mustang out behind a pool hall. It's been a long time since I've autocrossed or tracked, so my thinking is probably as obsolete as my car.

To my way of thinking, my Mustang is a well balanced car, but just a driver. It does all things well, but does none of them in a spectacular manner.
 
#6 ·
Hello all!

I also am interested in 18x10 torq thrust style replacement wheels to run 284/45 tires front and rear.

My understanding is that Tigerhonaker widened the rear wheels, but has anybody successfully installed 18x10 wheels in the front, torq thrust style or otherwise? if so, please provide details on the wheel type, brand, offset, back-spacing, spacers, issues, pictures(?), etc.!
 
#7 ·
I don't think you will find that information on this site.

But .............

If you are a member over on S-197 those guys have ran those size wheels front and rear.

Just go over and do a SEARCH and I think you will find what your looking for.


Tires and Wheels,
Want to know what tire to use?
Have a wheel fitment question?
Need to figure out which wheel stud to use with those new drag wheels?
Post all of your tire and wheel related questions here.

Here is the correct link below to the Wheel & Tire section on S-197.
I'm pretty sure it is a "Locked" internet site though.
So you will need to go through the little process to become a member.

http://www.s197forum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=98



tigerhonaker
 
#8 ·
Bullitt3041,
A lot has been done with 10" wheels up front on the S-197 chassis starting with the BBS BOSS Racing Wheel which is 18x10. Also Vorshlag did a bunch of research on 10" wheel specs and partnered with D-Force to offer a relatively inexpensive 18x10 that fits up front. Apex wheels also created an 18x10 spec'd specifically for the S-197 which is something of a BBS BOSS clone in appearance. Forgestar and Enkei make some 18x10's that happen to fit as well.
As for Torq Thrust style wheels I'm afraid you won't have much luck. BUT...if you really want 10" Torq Thrusts you'll need to do some field research to determine the proper backspace and offset. I started this process but stopped.
I looked into getting a set of custom Torq Thrust from American Racing spec'd for 10" front and back but decided against it.
If I ever feel compelled to go 18x10 it will be because I'm tracking my car so I'll run one of the aftermarket wheels spec'd for S-197s. These wheels are all much lighter than an 18x10 Torq Thrust.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the replies!

If there are wheels that have fit, then there must be an offset/backspacing combo that works! I will check into the wheel and S197 sites as cwebb and tigerhonaker suggest. Thanks!

Also, I understand American Racing has "blank" torq thrust IIs which maybe could be configured to the right offset/backspacing combo? Something to check into.

Alternatively, it appears 18 x 9.5's can safely accommodate 285/40's:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...YR8PSAS3&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

...so maybe an 18x9.5 wheel could allow for more flexibility in the offset/backspacing? Unfortunatley, I don't see Torq Thurst IIs in 18x9.5. Mine is a daily driver, so weight is not so much a factor...just looking for the authentic look but WIDER.

The more I think about it, maybe the question moves to tire size...and my question should have been "has anybody successfully installed 285/40-18s in the front of a Bullitt?" And, if they can fit, does it look any good? I guess I can search the S197 site for that as well.

And, yes, I could always go with a smaller tire, but...

I will keep y'all updated with anything I find!

Cheers.
 
#10 ·
bullitt3041,
Yep, AMR offers custom built Torq Thrust wheels that are built to the customer specs.
That's what I was once considering.

While a 285 tire may 'fit' a 9.5" wheel but even with the lower 40 height it will be too wide for that wheel and will compromise steering response.

A good friend who has years of experience with tire and wheel fitments on S-197s for both street and track found that for street use a 275/45/18 or 285/40/18 tire greatly mitigated understeer and offered tremendous cornering and stopping grip without totally compromising steering response...but here's the important part...on a 10" wheel.

If you want I can talk to him about ideal tire fitments for 9.5" wheels and et you know what he thinks.
 
#12 ·
Thanks Jimbob...yeah, I just confirmed the same with AMR that they will accommodate custom offset/backspacing. Great info on 9.5" vs. 10" wheel, cwebb, thanks for that!

So, it looks like 18x10 is the way to go for me...better for the 285 tire and available in the Torq Thrust IIs (which is what I really want). And maybe I can work with AMR to calculate the correct offset/backspacing to mitigate any excessive bulging in the front/rear to make sure it will look good.

Then I only need to work on getting the necessary finances in place (i.e., convince the wife of the importance of replacing perfectly good wheels/tires :grin:).

Cheers.
 
#14 ·
While I'd love to see a decently priced Torq Thrust styled wheel in 18x10 or 18x9.5 with clearance for the Brembos, I think you'd get 99% of the performance from your stock wheels and these tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...45YR8PSS&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

265/45/18 didn't used to exist, but now that Porsche and Mercedes Benz are using it, it's a great option for our 18x8.5" wheels. It's not cheap, but if you're going to splurge anywhere, do it on tires. It makes a bigger difference, dollar for dollar than anything else you can buy.

I'd also check out the newer 275/45/18 options. Thats technically the largest sized tire that will fit our wheels. The added sidewall height and width would give it a cool old school look too. If you buy a tire with a stiff sidewall (most all Max Performance summer tires have them) the tire should perform 98% as good as on a wider wheel.

Now that my car has been relegated to strictly aggressive street duty, I'm trying to talk myself out of buying these ...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...5YR8SPC5&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
 
#15 · (Edited)
Wheels and tires purchased - I finally convince the wife it was necessary to replace perfectly good wheels and tires!

Unfortunately, the plan for 285 width tires on AR torq thrust IIs did not pan out, for several reasons:

285s required 9.5" or wider wheels, torq thrust IIs (one-piece VN215) only come in 18x8 and 18x10, and I couldn't confirm a good fitment/appearance of the 10" wheels with 285 tires on the torq thrust IIs, particularly in the front. Besides, the 285 tires were almost $100 more per tire and, because my B is a daily driver, I needed all-season tires of the same size (to rotate) and the tire options are very limited. So, I settled on 275s. They are cheaper, there are more options, fitment is good (better range of offsets will work), will fit on 9", and the appearance, although not as beefy as 285s, are beefier enough.

The torq thrust IIs did not work out either. I really wanted the classic look, but AR’s 18x9 VN215s only come with a 0mm offset! There are, of course, the two-piece VN205s which I could get in 18x9.5s (and should fit with a whole range of available offsets), but they are more than twice the cost at $400 per wheel (vs. about $200 for the VN215s)! Finally, and really the deal-breaker for me, the more I envisioned the wheels on my B, I really couldn’t get over the gray color. I really like the mag gray, but it just didn’t work for me on the B. So I ended up starting my search over with a new mind set.

My research suggested that the safe bet for price and appearance was 275s on 18x9 black wheels – beefier tires on wheels that will support the 275s and more easily fit on the B, and look good (a 9” wheel is listed as the narrowest wheel recommended for 275/40 tires so will probably bulge ever so slightly, but I think I actually prefer the old-school look as opposed to a more vertical wall with an 18x10 wheel). I was still hooked on a classic wheel look and decided that, after much research and pricing, AR’s black 18x9 torq thrust Ms (AR105M) would meet that goal nicely – a bit more modern but still a torq thrust. I have been hard-pressed to find reviews/pictures of black 18x9 torq thrust Ms, with 34mm offset (AR105M8966B) and 275/40 tires for fitment and appearance, but in my research, the fitment/appearance should be exactly what I have been looking for. AR also offers a 24mm offset model (AR105M8165B) but I thought it might stick out too much.

So, I purchased black 18x9 torq thrust Ms with a 34mm offset and matched them to 275/40r18 BF Goodrich Comp 2 A/S tires. And I’m sure if anybody has made it this far in my wheel/tire chronicles, they are saying “great, happy for ya, BUT WHERE’S THE PICS?” And unfortunately, that’s where my story takes an annoying turn: AR’s black 18x9 torq thrust M wheels are nowhere to be found…back-ordered everywhere I looked! And, of course, the site I purchased mine from did not indicate that until the day after I purchased the wheels! My tires arrived within two days and have been sitting at the shop for two weeks now waiting for the wheels, which according to the latest estimate, might be shipped two weeks from now! Maybe in two weeks, two months, or two years, I will be able to post some pics…stay tuned.

You can imagine the wife's reaction to all of this...
 
#18 ·
You could do a light scuff on the wheels and hit it with a matte clear. That would certainly remove the gloss look....
 
#20 ·
So, I cancelled my wheel order with the vendor because, after a month of waiting, they told me that it will be another month or more due to back order delays! Of course, I only did this after shopping around the country for another source and finally found/purchased 4 other wheels, one in CA, two in OH, and one in PA...no one location had a set of 4!

Love 'em or hate 'em (because they are not stock), they're on the B and turned out to be exactly what I wanted in appearance and fitment :clap: (so I love 'em). And, if anybody is wondering what black 18x9 American Racing Torq Thrust Ms with 34mm offset and 275/40 tires on all corners looks like on B with stock suspension, here are some pics...







 
#24 ·
I have been going back and forth on this. First thought was No, I like stock better but the more I look the more I like the Gloss Torq Thrust wheels.

I think I am becoming a "convert". The gloss look with a highly polished DHG car and those beautiful polished rims, I am starting to luv it. It does seem to make the stock rim a little dull but then again that was the goal of a Bullitt.
 
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#25 · (Edited)
I was in the same boat! It was not an easy decision for me: I really like the original wheels and replacing them meant I would break one of my own rules by changing something on the B that is unique to the Bullitt model. Ultimately, what I saw in the Torq Thrust Ms was a worthy compromise between accommodating the desire for wider wheels/tires and maintaining to a sufficient degree the look of the classic Bullitt and the modern 08/09 Bullitts. Also, because I am keeping the original wheels with tires mounted, I can quickly revert back if I want to :wink:
 
#26 ·
I used to have 295s Rivals on my 18x10 Torque Thrust M rims, backspacing of 45MM, it fit the rear great but the front interfered with the caliper without a 1/8" spacer. Hope this helps.
 
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