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A popular mod for car enthusiasts is to fit more modern-looking wheels to older vehicles. Sometimes they’re aftermarket, sometimes people get a set from the automaker itself, but what’s less common—save for a design like BBS’s basketweaves—is putting older wheels on newer cars.
That’s just what’s happening today, though. Thanks to a post on Twitter by car enthusiast NotchbackFiero, we finally have a picture of what nobody has been imagining since the new Mustang was released in 2014—an S550 ‘Stang on wheels from a ’90s SN95.
The knife-edge styling of the new car doesn’t quite vibe with the six-spoke rounded form of the SN95 wheels, but it’s not as awkward as you’d think. The Mustang in question could probably use a bit lower ride height and maybe some tire shine, but the combination works better than it should.
This wheel swap is possible because the Mustang actually hasn’t changed bolt patterns since 1994. Since then, it’s been 5×4.5, or 5×114.3 in metric. That means a lot of Mustang wheels likely fit other Mustangs. Brake sizes will prevent some SN95 wheels from fitting, but these 17- by 8-inch units bolt on just fine.
Unfortunately other SN95 wheels in period styles like these are only 15 inches in diameter, and they won’t fit around new Mustang brakes. If you look carefully you can see the rotor and caliper are pretty close to the barrel of the wheel. Anything below 17 inches won’t fit, even on lighter cars like the base EcoBoost Mustangs which get smaller brakes. The brakes on more powerful Mustangs like the GT350 and GT500 are too large to clear SN95 17-inchers—so sorry, guys.
While these old ’90s-era Mustang wheels were obviously never designed for a new S550, they still look reasonably sharp. Got a new Mustang and some old SN95 wheels laying around? Well, you might’ve just found yourself a new set of winters.
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