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Why I hate my axles.
by Trent Kendall, 8-11-04

When I originally ordered up all my 5 lug, 4 wheel disc brake stuff I went ahead and ordered Moser SN95 length axles because I was ignorant I thought that is just what you had to do. I knew I would be running 99 Cobra wheels. This length axle does make most stock Ford 17" wheels look "right" on a foxbody because of the extra axle length and the backspacing on the factory Ford wheels. However these axles make it virtually impossible to run any off the shelf 8-9" wheel with 10.5" slicks. Not only does it look stupid as hell but there is a good chance you could lanch the tire into the fender. Also my 17x8" 99 Cobra wheels look cool but I can't really fit anything wider than a 245mm tire on them without rubbing the outside of the fender.

I have called Centerline and Weld in hopes of ordering some 15x8" wheels with about 6" of backspacing but they no longer make custom wheels. So that means I have to order some nice but very expensive Bogarts. I am also considering going back to stock 87-93 length axles so I can run an off the shelf 15x8 drag wheel and for the street I will just run a 1/2-3/4" spacer in the rear for the Cobra wheels.

OEM 1999 Cobra Wheels, 245/45/17 17x8", 5.72" BS Thanks to Ford factory tolerances the pass. side sticks out about .5" further than the drivers side thus causing the sidewall of the tire to rub slightly on the rolled fender lip over bumps. This is due to the axle assembly being shifted slightly right.


Centerline Convo Pro, 15x8.5" 5" BS, 26x10.5" ET Street


Centerline Convo Pro, 15x8.5" 5" BS, 26x10.5" ET DRAG


Just for fun here is a Weld Draglite, 15x10" with 6.5" BS and 315 drag radials The tailpipes keep these from even going on.


94-95 Ford Mustang V6 wheels, 15x7 w/ 4.5" BS 26x10" ET DRAG, 1.49 60ft. These actually fit ok but the narrow wheel and wide tire make the car a serious handful at the top of the track. I have also tried 94-95 Ford Mustang GT "Waffle Star" wheels. They are 16x7 with 4.5" of BS ( I think). I have used 26x10" ET Drags and ET Streets on these wheels and they fit ok too.


My friend bought some genuine Saleen "Stern" wheels off of some guy so we tried them out too. They are 17x9 and 17x8.

Bogart Drag-on Star, 15x9" with 6.25" of BS. 27.5x10" Hoosier QTP's.

2003 Cobra 10th Anniversary Edition Wheels, borrowed from a friend just for some photos. They are 17x9 with 275's all the way around. There might be some clearance problems when the steering is turned all the way or when hitting a bump.


FR500 look alike wheels. These are also 17x9" in the anthracite or charcoal finish. Once again thanks to my axles I think the rears stick out slightly too much.