Sure do wish these 205/75/14's werent so new I have seen all kinds of 15" rims from explorers etc that sure would look better. I am trying to locate (with paying arm & leg or firstborn child) a 16 hole aerostar hubcap. BTW---what a PIA to put on ! Guess I am stuck for 40 - 50K miles, michelin, ya know! Tried crying, but they are still there--

 

what is a 16-hole Aerostar hubcap ? do you have a picture?

 

Jose--
Yes, I can take a pic (jpg). Been a long time since I posted any pics, need to relearn how to do it. I may PM you a jpg since I know how to attach them.

It is a full OEM hubcap with 16 small vent holes around the outside edge. Flat center w/blue oval in the center. I think it was not completely snapped in when tires were put on and popped off somewhere down the road. Have seen them on Ebay-----roundtuits, ya know. Checking locals also.

 

Did some searches on these subjects, many very old, so I will try to stick-em here.
asavage had an old post on full size spare underneath, so maybe he is "listening"! for that matter any one of you experts
Crawling around underneath the rear this afternoon. Inlaws bought a full size spare when new (215/75/14), been on back cargo floor all this time. takes up too much room. Underneath is the tonka toy spare, never been dropped until now. The full size will fit underneath on this extended van. Sits slightly higher than 3rd member while at rest. About same on bounce. Cant help but notice the small size winch cable. Will it hold and is it advisable.

Just went through waterpump/thermostat/fan clutch. Runs at ~185 deg per scan tool. If air is on and idling, temp creeps up, goes to 230 deg, after long idle, but drops immediately when moving. I replaced fan clutch, not tested yet. 230 deg seems in range of dash guage, between "A" & "L", but I am not sure on these things it that is normal for Fl or is it too high, even temporarily. BTW, no coolant leakage.
Saw an ad on Ebay for a 2 core radiator for these things, what do you thing about those. Unable to find a 2 core anywhere else as well as a heavy duty fan clutch.

Tx for all the help----finding out that I actually didnt know everything !

 

That sounds like the stock wheel covers that came with my 1990 XLT. I lost one a few years ago when the tire blew. I've been trying to decide between trying to find one in the local salvage yard (haven't found one yet), or get a set of 15" wheels from an Explorer, and move up to 15" tires.

 

94/95 OEM Mustang Wheels 15" excellent choice for replacement wheels on Aerostars. This is both a taller & wider rim, be sure the tire you pick will run on a 7" wide rim. Plenty strong and easily found replacements.

You can see them on my 96 AWD pictures, look for the really nice wheels on Bertha. These also provide lots of cooling air for the the rotors. Red the Aerostar is wearing the 16" Mustang wheels. I will post pictures of them.

I found clearance issues with the front hubs, with 96 and later Mustang wheels & the center caps. Due to offset issues. Stick with the 94/95 Mustang Factory Alloys if you want an inexpensive, strong, available sets.

I am running both 15" OEM Factory Mustang Alloys with Michelin Defenders 215/70/15 on my 96 AWD. These are really quiet and have low rolling resistance.The speedometer is now accurate, was off by 2 mph.

I also run a set of 225/60/16 Nokia Snow tires on 16" OEM Factory Mustang Alloys. Same correct speedometer readings, based on my Garmin GPS. I do appreciate the improved handling of the 16's yet the cost per tire is much more expensive.

Different tires of the "same size" are actually different sizes. Odd but true. The 225 is about 3/8" wider then my 215 tires. Biggest difference is the 60 Series vs 70 series. The 10mm difference is about 3/8".

 

Thanks, I'll probably go with the 15" version to avoid the clearance issues, and to put a taller sidewall between the wheel and the road.

Tire sizes are nominal for the widest part of the tire, so it's very likely that the same stated size from different brands will have different actual sizes. There was some brand that had at least 3 sizes in series that had the same tread width; the sidewalls just bulged out a little more on the "wider" tires at the rated pressure.

 

I've changed for Jeep Wrangler old 15" steel rims with 215/65-15, just needed to welding ring to adjust center diameter. Wrangler rims have a little wider offset so I don't have interference with the body; and concerning handling it's just like night and day; with cheap Marangoni tires for heavy load i've lost the "marshmallow" feeling in turns of the 215/70-14, just a little more oversteering with these rims.