Forgeline F01 Wheels Flow Into Father’s Day Surprise Form

When it comes to Father’s Day, the options for gift-giving are a lot simpler than a certain other parent’s day. While my mother deserves an abundance of presents and praises for putting up with all the chaos I caused in my youth, my father and I relate a lot better over our love of cars.

Naturally, when I started thinking of ideas of what to get my dad for Father’s Day, his 2021 Mustang GT surfaced in my head. Although he plays off emotions of excitement well, I knew one thing that he would be inwardly ecstatic about: wheels and tires. Add in the benefit that I would win Father’s Day against my siblings, who neglected to remember just how deep our father’s passion for Ford runs, and it was destined to be a win/win situation for me.

While the third-generation Coyote engine in his Mustang has no problem producing great power, the 235-series rear tires that it came equipped with do not allow it to be transferred to the pavement. On more than one occasion, my father found himself grasping for the “Oh, God!” handle, as my mom turned a leisure launch into a John Force-inspired smoke show. Why Ford Motor Company used such a small wheel and tire combination on a high-performance vehicle will never cease to confuse me, but now helps me understand insurance rates on the Blue Oval’s Coupe.

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Aside from the lack of grip, the 18×8-inch wheels have a positive offset of 40mm that positions the wheel inside the wheel well. Aesthetically speaking, these weak specs and wheel position lends the Mustang to a meek appearance, rather than the muscle car vibes it strives for. This was something my father and I had often discussed changing in the future.

At this point, I knew what I wanted, but also knew what I didn’t want to spend my time doing. I wanted a wider wheel that could fit a larger tire and in turn, create a wider contact patch. I also knew I didn’t want to spend hours on an offset calculator developing paralysis by analysis. Compounding my problems was the fact that I had procrastinated in getting these on order in a timely manner, so I would have to verify stock with whomever I put my order in with.

The stock offset made the wheels sit inward of the wheel well, giving off a less than stellar appearance. The Forgeline F01 offset pushes the wheel towards the lip and is 20x11 in the rear and 20x10 in the front.

As my internet search began, I stumbled upon Forgeline Wheels‘ newest Flow Formed Series of wheels, specifically the Forgeline F01. You may remember Forgeline from our recent Shelby GT500 build, which had a price point that was above what my dad deserved from me. Hey, don’t shame me, he gave me as much grief as I gave my mother. The F01 uses a different manufacturing process than the Forgeline GS1R wheels we utilized on our GT500. Instead of a fully-forged custom wheel machined from a raw forging, the F01 is manufactured using an advanced flow-forming process. It all starts with a tilted gravity casting from which the barrel is then rolled out under pressure to form the final wheel. This greatly reduces the price point and is still stronger and lighter than most aluminum wheels, including the stock hoops found on his Mustang.

I wanted to eliminate the guessing game about wheel offsets, knowing that if it was incorrect, I would never hear the end of it. Thankfully, Forgeline has the fitment optimized for the S550 Mustang. This includes more width, a more aggressive offset, and enough brake clearance to clear any factory brake package. Everything was shaping up to be a solid choice, I just had to make sure these were in stock as Father’s Day was quickly approaching. The Forgeline F01 for the S550 turned out to be in stock and ready to ship! I just had to wait for the present man aka UPS, to stop bringing my wife’s e-commerce purchases and unload the set of Forgeline wheels.

Forgeline

The Forgeline F01 wheels transformed the car not only in handling, but in looks, as well. The narrow 18×8 wheels were replaced, as was the commuter car appearance.

While the hurdles to get the wheels were easily overcome, getting the Mustang away from my father was a little more difficult. After all, retirement means sitting next to it in the driveway and waving at neighbors passing by. However, my sister came in clutch with a plane ticket for him to come visit, which meant I was the “lucky” one to drive him to the airport at 2:30 a.m. But, it worked out perfectly for me to have the car in my possession and install the wheels with nothing more than a breaker bar, torque wrench, jack, and stands.

After completing the install in the hot driveway (thanks to my current projects occupying the cooled garage space), it was immediately clear that the Mustang now has a brute appearance, as the wheel and tire lip now sit flush with the fenders. The once bargain-bin wheel selection from Ford was now a stout 20×10-inch wheel wrapped in 275/35-20 Continental Extreme Contact Sport up front, and 20×11-inch rear wheels with massive 305/35-20 tires wrapped around them.

Forgeline

I had a few days left before my dad’s flight returned to Austin, Texas so a trip to a few famous hill country roads became my destination. Leaving the first stoplight, I immediately noticed that I could now utilize power shifting through the gears, including that sneaky shift under power to second that has brought many Mustangs into an unauthorized lane change. My trust in the Forgeline wheels was developing quickly, as I pushed the car into a few tight corners. Each time the car felt completely different from before, as it hugged the corners almost instinctively.

The Mustang had transitioned from a cool cruiser into something that could actually handle the power it was given. Everything from slick streets to hard launches from the factory powertrain would no longer threaten the safety of occupants or surrounding businesses. The once docile commuter car appearance has been replaced by the stout set of wheels and gives off a high-performance impression. The wheels just had one last obstacle: my dad’s approval.

The biggest part of this Father’s Day gift was to surprise him, so I had kept this project a complete secret from my family. My dad thought I was taking the Mustang to save gas over my Lightnings and maybe shoot some photography of it for future editorial. Meanwhile, my mom thought I was taking it racing. It was the perfect plan. Needless to say, I was extremely excited to see the look on his face when he finally had a second to breathe after getting home from the airport.

After dragging him into the 100-degree heat, we sat down in his usual crow’s nest spot in the driveway. Unfortunately, his seating arrangement did not allow a clear view towards the wheels. I found a workaround by moving the car over, so my mom’s parking spot would be vacant. When pulling back into the driveway, I could see his head tilt and start staring towards the car’s lower corners. While the man lacks expression, it was clear that he had caught onto the Forgeline additions. His words would affirm these suspicions as he let out a “Wait a minute!” and proceeded to interrogate me on where these fresh wheels and tires had come from.

Forgeline

It’s hard to imagine a better Father’s Day gift than a set of wheels and tires from Forgeline. Giving the gift only required me to install them, as they came mounted and balanced!

Even with my sister’s plane ticket purchase and my brother’s amazing cooking, these wheels have taken Father’s Day gift-giving up a notch and can only be rivaled by how much it has elevated the Mustang’s appearance. My father is still getting compliments on the wheels and is overly eager to share just how they came about to land on all four corners of his pride and joy. To say these wheels were a good purchase would be an understatement.

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About the author

James Elkins

Born into a household of motorsport lovers, James learned that wrenching takes priority over broken skin and damaged nerves. Passions include fixing previous owners’ mistakes, writing, and driving.
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