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Wheels - Bolt pattern, Hubs

What is the bolt pattern of the Tbird / Lincoln rear hubs?
5 on 4.25"   is the original bolt pattern.

What kind of wheels will fit on the rear after I install the Thunderbird / Lincoln IRS assembly?
The original T-bird or Lincoln wheels will fit, of course, but 5 on 4.25" and there are aftermarket wheel options for 4.25" or 108mm bolt pattern. Check Discount Tire or WheelMax for other options. Select a 1997 Ford Thunderbird when asked for vehicle information.

The most common bolt pattern for aftermarket wheels is 5 on 4.5" This is the bolt pattern used by Mustangs. There are two options to change the pattern to the more popular 5 on 4.5" pattern - commonly referred to as the "Ford" bolt pattern. The first option is wheel adapters. This will increase your track width - which you may want, depending on the look you are going for... or you can replace the wheel bearings. The wheel bearings will change the bolt pattern to 5 on 4.5" without the need for wheel adapters / spacers.

These wheel bearings are available through Ford.
One choice is to purchase them from Ford Racing... Click FORD RACING to find more info about the 4.5" bolt pattern wheel bearings.

The second option is to purchase Mustang Cobra wheel bearings. The Cobra wheel bearings are 5 on 4.5" bolt pattern.

Here is a collection of information from customers. I cannot confirm the info, but it makes an excellent starting point if you would like to change the bolt pattern.

Here's ten days of research boiled down to a paragraph.
Best Priced high quality rear wheel bearing BCA Part# 513058 $28.79 each

For those needing rear hubs, Southwest Ford in Weatherford, Texas
Prt# F3SZ-1109-A $109.70

The Mustang hubs #YR3Z-1109-AA are only $76.48 if you
want the 5 x 4.5 pattern.



What is the track width of the T bird / Lincoln rear suspension?
I measured the hub - to - hub distance on a Lincoln IRS and found it to be - 63"

I also measured a T bird rear suspension with tires / wheels installed - The Outside / Outside tire measurement is about 66 1/2" ( using the factory T bird wheels / tires ).

The spec'd track width of the Lincoln Mark  8 is 1,529mm or 60.19" - but track width is a funny thing - since it is a measurement from the center to center of the tire... which is only useful if you have the tire and wheel ( especially offset ) info... which is usually not given... The only offset info I can find online indicates it is 38 - 40mm. With this in mind, the calculated hub-to-hub measurement is 63.25" which compares favorably with my measured 63"

If you would like to narrow the track width, you can utilize a higher offset wheel. Positive offset moves the wheel closer to the center of the vehicle - essentially narrowing the track width.


For more information... call dave - (321)960-5945 or email dave@truckIRS.com