AU Ford Falcon - SPUD Project

Wheels & Tyres

Wheels & Tyres

Known factory tyre sizes

use the below table as a reference for wheel sizes that should fit all models of Falcon, sorted by rolling diameter:

All sizes collected from the mycar website. As such information may be incomplete or incorrect

Size	Diameter	Notes
225/50R16	632mm	XR6/XR8
215/55R16	643mm	Falcon S
235/45R17	644mm	TL50/TE50/TS50
205/65R15	648mm	low models S1
215/60R16	653mm	low models S2&3
245/40R18	654mm	TS50
225/50R17	657mm	Fairmont GHIA
225/60R16	677mm	Fairlane GHIA

Information about the range of wheel sizes for the AU Falcon can be beneficial if your local roads authority employs model-based wheel size limits, as any sub-model, such as a Forte, can use the tyre size of the Fairlane GHIA as a base diameter. At time of writing, this somewhat preposterously allows for a 265/65R17 tyre (diameter 777mm, 100mm larger than stock or 50mm lift in height) to be fitted to any AU Falcon in Victoria, Australia, assuming it can somehow be fitted without lifting the suspension in the vehicle or breaking any other rules in the relevant legislation.

General notes - how to read tyre sizes

using the example of 205/65R15:

• 205 is the width in mm (from outer to inner rim) of the tyre
• 65 is the aspect, so the percentage of the tyre width that makes the section width (distance from edge of the tyre to the edge of the rim).
• R15 is the size of the rim it is designed for, in inches

Offsets

Default offsets

Available information for the AU Falcon suggests that the OEM wheels fitted to all submodels generally ranged from +30mm to +50mm offset. It should be noted that pre-AU vehicles have a closer offset (approx. +10mm) and as such tend to foul on AU Falcon components

Limits

Success has been reported using wheels up to and including the 18x9.5 sizing, assuming appropriate sized tyres are fitted (generally those with tyres around the stock rolling diameter, e.g. 265/35R18) and assuming an offset of approximately +20mm. This however leaves very little clearance room and may not be desirable for driving comfort.

Other notable information

• PCD: 5x114.3
• Thread: 1/2”

Wheel Dust Covers

many AU Falcons came with wheel dust covers that functioned by blocking brake dust from settling on the mag wheel options that the model had, however they came with their own long term problems, such as:

• becoming rusty over time (for models with steel covers)
• fouling on the side of brake calipers if dented, and most importantly;
• becoming a potential catalyst for front brake rotor warping conditions, a significant maintenance problem within these models

If the additional cleaning of the wheels is acceptable, it is recommended that you remove these covers as they cause more problems than they solve on the whole

Photo of plastic cover on a S1 15” Mag (highlighted orange in picture to the right). Note that the plastic cover is apparently glued to the wheel and will likely need to be broken to be removed

Photo of steel covers post-removal, which can be found on newer 16” mags. These particular ones were removed in 2023, from a S3 with “Sharkfin” style mags

Removal

Removal of the wheel dust covers is simple, as below:

1. remove the desired wheel
2. pull the dust cover from the exposed area

   There may be rust holding the cover to the rotor, but DO NOT use prying tools if the steel cover is on the rotor as this may damage the brakes

   Some earlier mags came with plastic covers instead, which aren’t as likely to cause issues but are harder to remove. A chisel can be used to snap one edge of the plastic cover, and the rest of the cover can be removed with moderate force. Note this will render them useless after the fact, and there is no known way to get them off consistently in one piece due to age and adhesives used (see image before these steps)

3. reinstall the wheel, noting:
   • before you install the wheel, now may be a good time to clean behind the wheel unobstructed
   • you should tighten as much as possible while the wheel is in the air, then tighten again once the car is on the ground, to ensure a snug fit