Anybody know what i need to get 2001 aluminum rims to fit on my 99... i know the studs are different and i read somewhere on here there is a conversion kit available

any thoughts

 

your 2001 will have 14 mm studs and the lug nuts will be flat on the back to hold the aluminum rims. older trucks had the 12 mm studs, not sure exactly when they changed. if you have steel rims, you might have tapered lug nuts,,, check if they are flat or tapered. as you know the newer rims pilot on the center hole and are not centered by the 5 lug nuts. all the nuts do is hold the rim tight. you can poke the studs out, drill out the hole and put in bigger studs to solve the problem. some guys just put the new rims on the smaller studs and let the center hole do the work. that might work, but probably not recommended by FORD. both trucks will have the 135 mm diameter stud pattern.

 

yes im aware of all that, thank you....

Im wondering about the conversion kit...my lugs are flat as well and arent taperd, they are just the smaller lug is all

 

You don't need anything just use your stock nuts with the new rims.

 

really sweet, sounds good to me...
thanks galaxie

 

FORD was very fussy about wheels & lug nuts. There was a recall on my '98 & they changed the lug nuts.

steve's comment: "probably not recommended by FORD" deserves careful consideration.

From what's been posted & what I've heard, what sounds "really sweet" to you, sounds to good to be true to me.

On a technicality, is "135 mm diameter stud pattern" accurate? I'd thought it was 135 mm stud-to-stud?

 

i know the diameter is the same, the only diff is the size of the bolts used

 

The 135mm measurement is not stud to stud, it is the diameter of the bolt circle.

 

The stud difference is 12mm ('97-mid '00) Vs 14mm ('00-'03) I've been running "oversized" stud holed rims for somewhere around 150K miles with absolutely NO problems. Since the rims are hubcentric they are not centered by the lugs hence "hubcentric" as opposed to the old style lugcentric rims which you would need some kind of adapter for.

 

Should've clarified. I didn't mean measuring stud to adjacent stud, which is obviously nowhere near 135mm. What I've seen was measuring from stud, across the pattern, to the 3rd stud, for 5 lug wheels. I believe this dimension is less than the lug pattern diameter (which would be harder to measure) whether taken through centers or from the outside.

I'm curious if the common practice of measuring across, stud to 3rd stud, is just a shortcut and/or way to estimate diameter (and diameter of which points?) OR if FORD's spec is actually 135mm stud to 3rd stud (and to which points) which is obviously different than pattern diameter?

MRW - How to measure bolt pattern

FORD created discord in '97 by introducing its odd lug pattern, that's just a little bit different, for no good reason anyone has been able to determine.

 

I bought my 1997 with rims already on it (14mm) and my studs were (12mm) and i did not know this...one day driving i heard a knocking...go to the back wheel and notice the holes were slopped out...so i figured it was just my fault for not making sure the lug nuts were tight enough..so i put my spare on and all good....about 4 months down the road..same thing happens with my front drivers side tire except it breaks a stud bolt off this time and my wheel falls off(at low speed thank god) the holes were slopped out bad)

even though the rim is Hub-Centric...if your lug nuts even come the slightest but loose every time you accelerate or brake the rim will spin on that hub and rest on the holes/studs. It would be a different story if the hub part was keyed in some sort of way to accept the rim...but it is not. It is all round which allows it to knock back and forth.

i am now also in the process of looking for rims and there is lots out there...but they are all off newer vehicles and 14mm holes.

would buying tapered lugs solve my problem? i know i can run with my lug nuts now...but considering what has happened to me in the past i would rather be safe than sorry if you know what i mean.

buying 14mm rims and putting them on 12mm studs with tapered nuts seems to make sense to me to solve the problem....but can anyone clarify?

THNX
Duggy

 

If the rim has a flat surface I wouldn't put a tapered nut on there, there might be a chance of cracking the rim if it was aluminum. If you insist on a tapered nut maybe take the rims to a wheel repair shop and ask them to put a countersink in each hole.

 

so what is the best route if i wanted to place 14mm rims on my 12mm studs?

THNX
Duggy

 

Frankly just put them on and make sure your nuts are tightened properly. The only other way I know of is to replace the 12mm studs with 14mm.

 

i also thought about getting a spacer made(2mm one) and placing this around the stud in order to stop the rim from having play.

you would really only need one per rim in order to stop the slop.

anyone else think this would work?

THNx
Duggy