Cobra R's without spacers?

[FrankRizzo]

Do you mean that little lip you are supposed to use to jack up the vehicle?

BTW - the only place mine rubs on is the swaybar.

Sorry for the large image size..

 

[X24]

Im confused as to what "lip" you are talking about. Is it the one in FrankRizzo's pic under the sway bar? What is that for?

 

[james t]

it is on the bottom of the lower control arm facing rearward. if yours isnt rubbing there then there is no reason to trim it.

 

[X24]

Well I dont have the cobra R's on yet. Is it the horse shoe shaped piece that is about 2"long

 

[Troll]

From what I can tell all explorers were built a little offset to one side on the frame. That is why they rub on one side and not the other. All you need is one spacer on one side because they ussually only rub on one side. I run my x with out a spacer because I never turn the steering wheel all the way lock because it is bad for the powersteering pump.

 

[Stomper]

Hey Guys, I'm pretty new to Explorer Forum (like two weeks), and this site rocks!!

I have made alot of the street upgrades to my 97 Sport that EE recommended and now I'm looking into the Cobra R wheel upgrade. Allot of you are getting the 17x8 inchers and I'm looking to go with the 18x9 inchers.

I agree that the 3/16" spacers from EE seem a little too thin for the 1" offset (24mm) that the R's have. Has anyone tried the stud-type spacers like from Performance Products? I am not interested in having vibration in my X, but $130+ per pair is stoooooopid!

Lemme know.....Thanks!

 

[cobrajeff]

I'm using 3/16" spacers...

My tires are way oversize.....295/55X17 on 8" Cobra wheels in front, and on 17X9" Cobra "R" rims on rear. Without the spacers, the front tires wouldcontact the upper ball joint in the front. Also had some problems rubbing the e-brake cables on the back, tied them tighter to the frame with large plastic wire ties.


Front tires will touch fender edges at full-lock - I try not to do that except at very low parking-lot speeds.

Dead Link Removed

I have not had any vibration problems with the spacers - they're "off the shelf" speed shop items. I am careful to keep them centered as I tighten the wheels up, though.

Regards,

Cobrajeff

 

[X24]

I would rather have less steering range than run spacers. If you really want a set of spacers, I have a set of 5/16" spacers that you can have for $30 plus shipping.

 

[Stomper]

Anyone have any opinion about which is a better way to go 17's or 18's?

With the 17's I can run 275-60-17 and get to my stock 30" overall diameter. If I go to 18's I can run 275-55-18 for a little less sidewall and a little better handling. Just wondering if the ride will be too stiff with 18's for everyday driving.

I have the opportunity right now to get a really sweet set of 18" Cobra R replica's for CHEEEP brand new. Just don't know if I should pass it up.

Thanks alot for the input, gents!!

 

[X24]

I say go with the 18's.

 

[james t]

i'll second that. really not any noticable difference in ride etc.

 

[Big Poppa]

Stomper
Did you get the 18's? or anything else?
What is a reeeely good deal for the 18's and who makes them (what finish)?

Anyone know of a cheap place to get R's or similar rims?
Thanks

 

[02XSport]

ebay seems to have decent prices and a wide selection of cobra style wheels. Also, try some of the mustang forums and you might find some used ones at a good price.

 

[X24]

I got mine at www.gefracing.com . By far the cheapest place I have found and they are real.

 

[Stomper]

Hey Big Poppa! I ended up getting Silver 18"x9" Cobra R Replica's from eBay. They wheels are high quality and came perfect! The seller was moore9911 if you want to do a search for his auctions. Awesome to deal with, and the wheels came fast. They DO have a +24mm offset though (about 1 inch), so unless you are getting a 255-55-18, you're gonna be rubbing. Well, hell, you'll probably still be rubbing!

But, I do agree with 98FordX24 about the GeFracing site. If you want to go with 17 inchers, that was the best deal I could find, too. Hope that helps!

 

[Big Poppa]

Stomper, do you mind telling us how much you paid?
Any pics of them on your truck?

Thanks

 

[Stomper]

No problemo.....I paid $672 for the set of 4 plus $80 shipping. For a grand total of $752. That's $188 a wheel shipped, and a pretty good deal I think for decent 18"s right to my doorstep! Keep in mind that they are 9 inches wide with the +24mm offset. I think most 18 inchers are 8.5" wide, so check your clearance. I am going to try out a set of spacers from performance wheel and tire. A little spendy I know, but I'm dying to try.

Sorry, just got 'em and I won't have a chance to put them on my X for another week or so. I'll be sure to post a pic when I do. Thanks!

 

[X24]

Stomper... Those wheels look just like real Cobra R's except for the certer cap. Good find!

 

[Stomper]

Got my tires mounted on the 18" Cobras today!

Hey Guys, whaazzsssuuup?! The other day I took one of my front tires off to just check fitment of the new 18"x9" Cobra R replicas (+24mm offset). Turning from lock to lock, the wheel cleared everything just fine. BUT.....it was very apparent that with a tire mounted I was going to be rubbing on the front sway bar. This didn't give me 'warm fuzzies,' so I decided to have the tires mounted and check clearance again.

Got my new 275-55-18 Michelin Cross Terrains mounted today and my suspicions were correct! I can turn the steering wheel with stockers on it two full turns from center to lock in either direction. Now, I can only turn the wheel about 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 turns before the steering wheel stops because the tires are hitting the sway bars.

I will be ordering some spacers with lugs from Performance wheel to go all around, as I originally planned. But I am still trying to decide what thickness to go with. 1" will return the wheel offset to center and eliminate my problem, but I was thinking if I'm gonna do it and spend the money, maybe I should go with 1.25" or 1.5" and widen the track a little bit and give me a little extra clearance between the tires and sway bars.

Here are some pics, so gimme feedback as to which size spacer I should go with 1, 1.25, 1.5" THANKS!!!

 

[Stomper]

Got my tires mounted on the 18" Cobras today!

Here's a pic of the front straight on so you can see how far the front tire/wheel sticks out.