Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

General => General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion => Topic started by: thunderjet302 on October 07, 2005, 10:52:12 PM

Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: thunderjet302 on October 07, 2005, 10:52:12 PM
Hey guys did you know that the last generation (FWD) factory cougar wheels fit on a fox Cougar? I was driving home from work and I saw an 87-88 Cougar with 99-02 factory cougar wheels on it. I thought that fwd wheels wouldn't fit on our cars? Mabey I was wrong.
Title: Re: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: shame302 on October 07, 2005, 10:54:17 PM
yeah. i remember that being brought up awhile ago...maybe it was that guy....heh
Title: Re: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: Thunder Chicken on October 07, 2005, 11:21:34 PM
I think Mexcougar's got 'em on his car
Title: Re: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: MexCougar on October 08, 2005, 01:55:13 AM
Not the best option really. The offset in that type of wheels are not good. The bigger tire you can put in the front is 205 60 15. The only good thing is the relatively modern look, but trust me, i wont buy another set of tires for them. I bought that wheels because i was 17 at the time and safety was not a concern for me (they rub on extrreme corners). Now i´m killing for a good set of 14´s and getting away those 15´s. I had 3 sets of three wheels each (i had two wheels of 15´s for fox but they are rare, i never seen again one of those in my country) and those 15´s are my only complete set.

  Of course, my wheels are from a countour dohc. The Focus wheels can fit, too...

(http://teaca.iespana.es/almacen/Cougar.jpg)
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: cougrrr302 on October 09, 2005, 11:41:38 PM
So front wheels drive rims fit fine?
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: mike969mb on October 10, 2005, 07:13:06 PM
Quote from: MexCougar
The offset in that type of wheels are not good.



so what size offset would be recommended?
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: Sly1990 on October 10, 2005, 09:34:46 PM
There is a diff between FWD and RWD rim?  :eek: :dunce:
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: Thunder Chicken on October 10, 2005, 09:46:07 PM
Yes, there is. A FWD rim usually has the mounting pad located closer to the outer edge of the rim. If you want to see this in a very obvious example, look up a '66 Olds Toronado. I think they do this for a few reasons: First, pulling the tire inboard places the weight of the car more squarely over the wheel bearing, which is usually narrower and a different type of bearing than RWD cars. Second, an FWD drivetrain is fairly wide because the length of the engine and tranny, so they likely do it to help keep the track width down on small cars. This means that when you put it on a RWD car it will pull the tire inboard toward the center of the car. This will usually result in the rim or tire hitting suspension components. This isn't always the case (MN12 'Birds and cats have FWD-style wheels and can use Taurus wheels with no problems) but on Fox T-Birds it is.

Likewise, if you put a RWD rim on a FWD car it will usually stick out too far and rub on the fenders.
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: Billyf17 on October 10, 2005, 09:46:51 PM
The SVT Focus rims didn't fit my Cougar when I tried them, the hub wasn't wide enough.
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: Haystack on October 10, 2005, 09:53:04 PM
I tried rims from a tracert(escort) and they didnt clear my front hubs, but they fit the back fine, minus being smaller then my dounut. Also tempo rims fit great. I dont get it....
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: mike969mb on October 10, 2005, 11:19:22 PM
i was told that the hub bore is 63.9 is this true? the rims i was looking at where a 73mm bore i believe and would come with hubcentric rings. Would these rims fit okay? Anyone recommend good offset? How do you know if rims are for FWD or RWD if they are "universal" i guess you could say.
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: MexCougar on October 11, 2005, 12:48:05 PM
Really, i do not recommend this type of wheels to nobody. The answer is here....

[
Quote
This means that when you put it on a RWD car it will pull the tire inboard toward the center of the car. This will usually result in the rim or tire hitting suspension components. This isn't always the case (MN12 'Birds and cats have FWD-style wheels and can use Taurus wheels with no problems) but on Fox T-Birds it is.

Likewise, if you put a RWD rim on a FWD car it will usually stick out too far and rub on the fenders.


 And exactly that was doing, until i get a very imprudential fix....
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: mike969mb on October 11, 2005, 11:03:46 PM
isn't all that due to a wrong offset?
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: MexCougar on October 12, 2005, 02:06:39 PM
Definitively, Sir...

Well, guys, you are free to flame me , shoot me, etc. My Fix is Adding 12 Metal O-Rings per wheel ,3 by one of the 4 sides, all of the same lenght (using a vernier) . I have an inch and i can use the front wheels, but again, the offset is not correct for the FOX.


(EDIT) The Rear wheels fit fine, no mods are required...

(http://teaca.iespana.es/almacen/Cougar.jpg)
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: mike969mb on October 12, 2005, 11:06:56 PM
what is the correct offset and the range a offset can very and still fit properly with our cars?
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: MexCougar on October 13, 2005, 02:13:46 AM
Well, if you really want some of those wheels, you can use some custom spacers for the front wheels (if you want wider tires at the rear, you can use them too), but another word of advice, the cornering is bad for narrower streets, and parking between two cars is a new challenge....

For measures, i cant give a correct number, Maybe some of the guys can get that information...

(http://teaca.iespana.es/almacen/Cougar.jpg)
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: mike969mb on October 13, 2005, 08:16:52 AM
well just in general what offsets should i be looking at for 16in and 17in rims?
Title: FWD Cougar wheels
Post by: MasterBlaster on October 13, 2005, 08:19:39 AM
Quote
My Fix is Adding 12 Metal O-Rings per wheel ,3 by one of the 4 sides, all of the same lenght (using a vernier) . I have an inch and i can use the front wheels
Are you saying you have 3 flat metal washers on each of the 4 wheel studs as spacers, and they move the wheel 1 inch out from the hub???

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