15 vs 16 in steelies for my 73

Greetings and Salutations,

I just bought a 1973 CJ-5 that's in beautiful condition. I'll post some pics soon, but for right now I was hoping to get some wheel advice. It is 99% stock, which I like, except for the aftermarket rims and wheels. I want the stock white steelies and I found someone who has a set of 15''s and a set of 16''s for around $65 each. I have no idea how different these sizes look on a stock CJ-5 so any photos of these setups is greatly appreciated.

The 16's also come with worn, but usable, tires to use so that is a plus as I'm on a tight budget. Eventually I would get either pair blasted and coated, but I also want to know if a short term solution (1-2 years) could be sanding by hand and rattle canning them white till I can save some more money. Anyway, your opinions are appreciated.

Thanks,
Jason

 

Your Jeep would have had 15" wheels from the factory, if that's what you are asking.

If it were mine, I'd avoid the older 16" wheels and leave them the the 2A/3A/3B/Utility owners. I'm not sure that the 16" wheels will work tubeless tires too... maybe. My experience with the style of wheel of the 16-inchers has not been good. Mine were Fords, but a couple of them were cracking around the stamped crown of the center. I'd also look closely at those 16" wheels to make sure they aren't Ford wheels that have had the centers cut out. The Ford pattern is the same as Jeep except for the center hole.

 

I agree with tim

but
for $65 I'd get both sets. run the 16's untill you can get the 15's blasted and coated, then swap the tires over from your current Aluminum rims to the 15's. then you can sell the 16's and the Aluminum rims as the same time, and probably recoup cost of your costs.

 

For me it's a matter of what size tires I want to run. I like tall and skinny and there are fewer options in 15" rims than 16" for this. I like the 235x85-16 size, which is roughly 32x9.50-16 and available in a huge variety of tires. The options in tall skinny 15's are quite few, but one of the better options is the 31x9.50-15 Super Swamper Radial TSL. BFG was making their AT and MT in a 33x9.50-15 for a while but I'm not sure if they still are.

If it's not a big deal either way I'd avoid the 16's and stick with 15's for the reasons above.

 

Thanks for the info. At $65 a pop plus shipping I don't know if I can afford to get both sets, but I guess if I could resell them later... Wouldn't 33'' tires be pushing it for fitting in the wheel wells on a stock 73 with no lift?

 

I think these are all 4.5 in wide rims. Is that too skinny for a 235x85-16 or 31x9.50-15 tire?

 

The 15" Jeep wheels are either 5.5" or 6" wide, inside bead to bead. I had thought they were all 5.5" in 5 lug, but I measured my wheels this weekend and they seem to be 6" (they measure 6.25" outside, and the steel is about 1/8" thick).

The tire manufacturer will give a recommended wheel width. You can go a little narrower than that.

 

fyi, any tires for a 16" will be a good deal more expensive than 15". my wife has 16's on her truck, tires are generally around $50+ each more than the 15" version. i'd take that into consideration-as my wallet is always a factor.

if you like them though, run them.

as far as blasting and painting...not sure where you are at, but here in san diego i found a great place that blasted and powdercoated a set of wire-spoke wheels for the wife's 64 mgb. came out GREAT, and i thought at $50 each it was a deal. they literally came out like new-took them to the tire shop and the guy crapped himself-he thought they were brand new.
place is called R W Little.

 

I have heard that not all 15 in wheels will fit on my 73; I have 11'' drums all around. I don't know what year the wheels above are from, but I found another deal where I can get a set of 4 15'' steel wheels from a 64 cj-5 for $25 each plus shipping. They will need blasting, but for that price I would do it.

If I understand correctly I am safe with pretty much any 5x5.5 16'' wheel, but only certain 15''s. How do I know which ones would fit? Can I ask the seller to measure something that will let me know? Thanks for the help, I'm slowly picking this up...

 

I know that there are 8" wide Kelsey-Hayes wheels that will not fit. These were offered with the Renegade 1 package, and are keenly sought after. They only fit over the 10" brakes though.

I don't know for sure about the earliest 15" wheels. The Wagoneer has always had the 11" brakes, so it's possible that 15" wheels from the mid '60s on will clear 11" drums. Certainly any 5-lug Jeep wheel from 1972 on will be ok.

This seller wants $65 for the set plus shipping, or $65 each? The later wheels shouldn't be hard to find locally - these wheels were used up to the introduction of the Wrangler, so a set from an '80s CJ-5, CJ-7 or CJ-8 will work fine. I'd think something like $20-25 each would be a fair price.

Try advertising on your local Jeep or 4x4 club boards - that's a good place to make contacts that can steer you to local sources, if someone does not have the parts you need outright.

<edit> Also - search the Early CJ-5 board about the early wheels. You could post up there if you don't find your answer.

hth!

 

There is a chart in the tech section under brakes that shows what will fit and what will not.

 

I'm glad you found some steel wheels. To stay stock, I woudl go with the 15inch wheels. Your speedometer woudl probably be more accurate also with 15in.

I am also looking for a set of 15 in steel wheels for my 73 cj 5. It has some nice chrome mags on it now. I am going to clean them up and probably put them on our classified ad section, and then eBay if they don't sell first.

If anyone on this board wants to trade stock rims for aftermarket rims, please email me.

Thanks
Cliff

cliff.todd@sbcglobal.net

 

Thanks for all of the help. The limiting factor are my 11 drum brakes. That guide in the tech section was very helpful. I need to check whether my drums are finned or not and then really try to buy 16''s local so I can actually mount them to check the fit before buying.

CT, pm me and I will point you in the direction to where I found some of the 15 wheels.

Jason

 

15" rims will fit 11" brakes, even the finned ones.

 

No, not older ones. The ones from 1972 to 1986 will or if you could find some off an old waggy or p/u. But the older 15" from cj's won't.

 

Not to throw a monkey wrench into this discussion but...

I have a 73 CJ5 that I am 100% sure is original.

It has 16in rims that are stupid skinny (approx. 4.5in).

7.50x16 Super Traction front, P78-16 rear (Gateway Bias-Ply Buckshot Mudders)
Note: I realize running different size tires is terrible, I am making strides at a remedy.

The Buckshots measure 10.5in from outside lug to outside lug, and scrub terribly, even with new Skyjacker Nitro shocks (with original springs).

I write this apparently not to sway you to a particular set of rims, but for your consideration.

P.S. from your pics it looks to me your jeep may have a hair of lift under it.

Good hunting,
Switzer

 

The speedometer accuracy depends on the final drive ratio. So you would either need to run a tire diameter that is very close to your stock tire size (28-29") or change the speedometer gear to match your tire diameter. Wheel size doesn't matter in this equation, you can have 15" and 16" tires that are the exact same overall diameter.

 

Unless the PO lied to me, there is no lift. He seemed like a really genuine guy and bought the CJ new in 73 so I doubt it, but anything is possible. It does have brand new leaf springs so maybe it has a little less sag than most CJs running on older springs.

In other news, my day has been exceedingly crappy, but I did just find a set of 5 15x6 steel wheels for $40 each. They still need to be sand blasted and painted, but are in good condition, are appropriate for my year CJ, allow me to re-use my existing tires, and are cheaper than anywhere else I have looked. They should be in next week. I'll post back how everything turns out.

Cheers! Here's to small victories.

 

I think there were 3 different 16" rims, 4.5" early CJ, 5"? 5.25"?? early pickup and 6" late or J truck? They were for 6.00-16, 6.50"-16 and 7.50" (235-85-16") respectively and again I think? The thing you have to look for is the off set of the rim, most will rub bad! Summit racing has some good deals for 16"- 5 on 5.5 rims.

Dale

 

Having a set of wheels sand blasted and primered doesn't cost all that much, at least a round here. I have heard that baking soda blasting is the way to go as it doesn't pit the metal. I have no idea what that cost. The last time I had 4 wheels sand blasted and primered, it cost me 20.00$ a wheel. That was a couple of years ago.