need to replace wheels

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Jan 26, 2017 | 08:53 PM

tom from mass

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need to replace wheels

1997 F-250 XL 7.3L
Had some vibration at 30-40 mph. Tires are Cooper 2 yrs old not much mileage. Had tires high speed balanced and rotated at Ford dealer. The tech said that my wheels have a lot of rust (20 yrs. old) and they don't fit as tight around the center hole. The vibration is better but not perfect. The parts guy found some steel ones oem but for an outrageous price of over $300/ea. These are the original wheels. What dimensions should I look for when looking for aluminum wheels? what is the size of the center hole? Is its measurement in inches or mm. Do the numbers and letters on the tire give enough info as to what is the correct size wheel to order. I do not want anything made in China only made in U.S.A. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. These are 8 lug wheels.
Thanks,
Tom

Jan 27, 2017 | 12:44 AM

ciamcoop

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I don't know what the measurement of the center hole is, shouldn't matter as long as its big enough to fit over the axle hubs. The bolt circle should be 8 on 6 1/2". As far as wheel size if you're running the stock size tires they should be 16" diameter, and 7" wide.

Jan 27, 2017 | 06:07 PM

Red97350

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From: Eastern CT

You should be able to find a set of factory Alcoa's on Craigslist pretty easily. You're probably looking at around $500 for a good set.

Red

Jan 28, 2017 | 12:21 AM

arse_sidewards

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Red97350

You should be able to find a set of factory Alcoa's on Craigslist pretty easily. You're probably looking at around $500 for a good set.

Red

You can probably find a set of steelies for under $200 if you're patient. Price some cheap rims online and don't pay more than that for CL rims.

Jan 28, 2017 | 09:24 AM

whiteboyslo

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From: Poway, CA

Quote:

Originally Posted by ciamcoop

I don't know what the measurement of the center hole is, shouldn't matter as long as its big enough to fit over the axle hubs.

Not quite true. Ideally, you want the wheel to fit snugly to the hub in order to let the hub support the weight, as opposed to the wheel studs. That's what hub-centric means.

Most aftermarket wheels will oversize the center hole in order to fit as vast of a selection of vehicles as possible. You can then buy rings that slide over the hub to make up the difference.

OP, I'd recommend just hitting up Craigslist and finding some used factory wheels. Steelies shouldn't be hard to find, but it took me forever to find a decent set of factory Alcoas for a reasonable price. Just make sure to find ones that are made for our trucks. Most out there come from 99 and newer, which is a different bolt pattern and won't fit.

Mike

Jan 28, 2017 | 10:30 AM

arse_sidewards

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'99 and newer wheels won't fit unless you get wheels off an E-series. None of the E-series ever went metric. Some people say they did in '08 but I just went through Rockauto looking at brake parts to confirm that and everything is 8x6.5 to present. It looks like there was a front end revision in '08 since everything fits through '07 or '08 onward (rotors got thicker, different bearings, probably other changes too).

BTW, I'm also in MA so if you're just gonna throw out the old rims I'll give you a couple bucks for them since I need a set of rims I don't feel bad about cutting up for a project.

Feb 7, 2017 | 03:03 AM

Monty Gentry

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semi-floating

90 F250 over 8500 4:10 I paid for steelies on Tire Rack...89.00 each. 8.5x17....factory wheels were 16x6.5...1/8 spacers on the rear to clear the flange.

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