17" Front Runner Option

Thomas A

Registered User
For anyone looking for a spare tire or a set of front runners for the track that has 13" Cobra brakes, here is an option. This certainly isn't new info, but I'm not sure if anyone has really taken any pictures. While I really like Neiberts Bogarts, they didn't quite fit my budget. Although I will say I ended up spending double on these as what I had planned. They aren't real pretty, but they get the job done. They are a direct bolt on, and did not require any spacers. Haven't had a chance yet to see if they fit in the spare tire well. Here is the info and a few pictures:

Wheels 13.8 lbs
Tires 11.2 lbs
Mounted & Balanced 26 lbs

17x5 Lincoln LS Spares $125
M&H RaceMaster Tires $282
AirCraft Paint Remover $10
Silver Power Coating $60
Mount & Balance $33
Total Cost $510

I could of saved about $100 by going with a radial tire, but the weight of the tire would have more than doubled! I can't believe how light the M&H tires are. The $70 powder coating process wasn't necessary, but I truly hate black wheels, so it needed to be done. Overall I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, even though they aren't real pretty. For comparison, my 18x9 SpeedStars with 245/45/18 tires weigh about 58lbs each. I'm not sure what a factory wheel/tire weighs, but I'm guessing around 40lbs.

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It fits!! Well mostly. It is a real tight fit in the trunk, but it is in there. It is a just a little too tall, but I was able to get it to work.

On a side note, I weighed the OEM 16" aluminum spare/tire. It weighed in at 30lbs, 4 heavier than the 17" spare with the race tires. I also measured the actual contact patch of the front tires, and it was a mere 4.25"

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Thomas
 
Pre pollished...Clearance
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At the track...pollished
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I'm using hoosier front runners. Put together this about 4 years ago.

FYI...you need to go buy 10 lug nuts for the LS or LS based thunderbird. They are a shank type and the stock conical lug nuts are not safe to use on these wheels.

Chris
 
Jim Sanderson recently found me a pair of the 17" LS spares with temp tire and the matching lugnuts from a wrecking yard he frequents. These will be used for spare tires on my 91 & 93 SCs with 13" front brakes. I'm just hoping they fit in the SC spare tire well.

David

PS: Thanks again Jim !
 
I think they might just fit in your spare tire well. The temp spare is quite a bit smaller than the M&H tires I have mine.

Thomas
 
sure hope you dont have any probs w that wheel. think about what it was designed for, and max speed and miles that tire was rated for. be careful, they werent made for extended use or high speed! my 2 cents
 
The LS spares are 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern?

They are supposed to be 5 x 4.25" pattern and will clear the 13" brakes. If I had a flat now, the stock spare would only fit the rear because the brake rotors are a lot smaller. So if I had a flat on the front I'd have to put one of the rear wheels on the front and put the spare on the rear. Not sure how well that would work with 275 wides tires..especially with the deep dish 10" wide wheels I've got on the back of my 91.

David
 
sure hope you dont have any probs w that wheel. think about what it was designed for, and max speed and miles that tire was rated for. be careful, they werent made for extended use or high speed! my 2 cents

David is using his tires as spares.
Thomas Aden, Ken Wagner and several other members have been using the LS RIM with a RACING tire at the track for years with no problems.
 
The 17" LS spares showed up today...Wow they are a lot bigger. The diameter wasn't a problem, but it was a snug fit getting it into the well. The problem is the additional width of the wheel and tire. It's nearly twice the width of the stock spare and sits about 1.5" higher than the floor of the trunk. I would like for it to sit flush, but really isn't a big deal for me because I don't usually carry anything in the trunk.

David

PS: I'll post some pictures in the morning
 
Yeah, If I really wrestle it into the Mark VIII well it just barely fits top to bottom. The edge sits up slightly, but I have it tucked under the sub box so you can't really tell. I'm not sure how it compares to a MN12 in height.

I assume you tried flipping it over to see which way fit best? I found face down to provide the closet fit.

Thomas
 
Thomas,

Face down fits the best but only because of the tire retention bracket. I could remove the jack to lower the edge closest to the bumper, but the hump in the bottom of the well on the fuel tank end is holding the other end up. Not sure what is directly beneath that portion of the well, and it may be possible to do a little sheet metal bending with a sledge hammer to get it to sit flush. I'm not really concerned, and just happy to have a spare tire.

Here are a few pictures.

David
 

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