• From engines to seat belts, people perform all manner of modification to their cars, but the factory specs sum up how a vehicle was intended to operate. Mustang wheels, in particular, go through many changes if a person wants to turn their 'Stang into a show piece or a racing machine. But Ford's factory wheels provide the intended handling and ride quality for the Mustang.
  
  

Wheel Size and Width

• According to American Muscle, 16-inch wheels are the standard stock size rim for Mustangs. Stock wheels for a Mustang are 8 inches in width, according to American Muscle. These 16-inch by 8-inch wheels can be expanded after purchase to as large as 17-inch by 10.5-inch wheels on the back of the Mustang for racing and handling purposes. But American Muscle states that factory 16-inch by 8-inch wheels provide the intended handling and ride quality.
  
  

Offset and Backspacing

• Wheel offset is the distance from the hub mounting surface to the center of the wheel, while wheel backspacing is the measurement from the edge of the rim to the center section of the wheel. The wheel offset and backspacing determines how much a wheel emerges and is exposed from the wheel well. Front-wheel drive Mustangs will have positive offsets, but Mustangs equipped with larger wheels will have a negative offset, according to Mustang Evolution.
  
  

Lug Pattern

• A wheel's bolt pattern, also known as the lug pattern, is the pattern formed by the bolts on a tire. These can consist of cars with only four bolts or larger vehicles with 8-bolt tires. Factory bolt patterns for Mustangs differ, depending on the year and model. Mustangs manufactured between 1979 and 1993 had a 4x108 bolt pattern, meaning the wheels consisted of four bolts with that formed a circle with a diameter of 108 mm. Mustangs manufactured after 1993 have a bolt pattern of 5x114.3, including the Mustang GT and Mustang GT Cobra.