Same wheels, different sizes?
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From: Ventura County, CA
Same wheels, different sizes?
I have 255/70X15" tires all the way around on my '59. They are mounted on 15X8 (standard offset) Chrome Smoothie wheels that have a 5 on 5.5" lug pattern. The '88 Dakota IFS that I'm installing this week has a 5 on 4.5" lug pattern.
NOTE: a month ago the front left hub cracked. My rod shop guy thought it could have been attributed to a combination of the weight of the front end coupled with the offset of the tire toward the outside.
Question: Should I go to a narrower tire (225/70X15) on a 15X7" wheel (with the 5 on 4.5" lug pattern) on the new IFS? Or can I use the same tires I have (the 255/70X15's) up front but just get the correct size wheel to fit the new lug pattern? Or, will I have to wait until the IFS is installed then measure from the hub to the fender, then determine what will fit?
My thoughts are: (1) I need to get a wheel that is not so offset outward as the 15X8; and (2) going to a narrower tire will lighten the load on an IFS that wasn't designed for such a wide tire. But I could be wrong or over-correcting to some degree.
Thanks for any help/advice in this matter...
Daryl
NOTE: a month ago the front left hub cracked. My rod shop guy thought it could have been attributed to a combination of the weight of the front end coupled with the offset of the tire toward the outside.
Question: Should I go to a narrower tire (225/70X15) on a 15X7" wheel (with the 5 on 4.5" lug pattern) on the new IFS? Or can I use the same tires I have (the 255/70X15's) up front but just get the correct size wheel to fit the new lug pattern? Or, will I have to wait until the IFS is installed then measure from the hub to the fender, then determine what will fit?
My thoughts are: (1) I need to get a wheel that is not so offset outward as the 15X8; and (2) going to a narrower tire will lighten the load on an IFS that wasn't designed for such a wide tire. But I could be wrong or over-correcting to some degree.
Thanks for any help/advice in this matter...
Daryl
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Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Littleton, New Hampshire
Same wheels, different sizes?
Daryl,
I'm no expert, but it seems to me a zero/standard offset wheel would not put any undue stress on the hubs. If the wheels had a lot of offset to the outside, then maybe. Perhaps it was just time for the old hub to let go. To be perfectly safe, you could measure some stock Dakota wheels to see what width and offset they are and try to match them. However, some deviation from stock should be acceptable. After all, you are dealing with 15 year old parts instead of 45 year old parts. I'd wait until you have the IFS installed and then determine what will fit, but I think the Dakota suspension should be able to handle 15x8 inch wheels with no problem if that's what you want to run.
I'm no expert, but it seems to me a zero/standard offset wheel would not put any undue stress on the hubs. If the wheels had a lot of offset to the outside, then maybe. Perhaps it was just time for the old hub to let go. To be perfectly safe, you could measure some stock Dakota wheels to see what width and offset they are and try to match them. However, some deviation from stock should be acceptable. After all, you are dealing with 15 year old parts instead of 45 year old parts. I'd wait until you have the IFS installed and then determine what will fit, but I think the Dakota suspension should be able to handle 15x8 inch wheels with no problem if that's what you want to run.
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From: Ventura County, CA
Same wheels, different sizes?
Vern,
Thanks! I just went and tooled around some websites and found out the standard size tire/wheel that my donor '88 Dakota came with. I'll take your sound advice: once the IFS is installed, measure the distance from hub to fender. Then, keeping in mind the standard size tire/wheel that my donor '88 Dakota came with, install an appropriate combination. I'm guessing somewhere in the 225 or 235 width, 65 or 70 profile, on a 15X7 wheel. I can keep the extra 255/70X15's for the back after they wear down.
Thanks for the input, Vern. Hope you're beginning to "thaw" up there in the GNW...
Regards,
Daryl
Thanks! I just went and tooled around some websites and found out the standard size tire/wheel that my donor '88 Dakota came with. I'll take your sound advice: once the IFS is installed, measure the distance from hub to fender. Then, keeping in mind the standard size tire/wheel that my donor '88 Dakota came with, install an appropriate combination. I'm guessing somewhere in the 225 or 235 width, 65 or 70 profile, on a 15X7 wheel. I can keep the extra 255/70X15's for the back after they wear down.
Thanks for the input, Vern. Hope you're beginning to "thaw" up there in the GNW...
Regards,
Daryl
