OK, so -- this is getting ugly.  My mechanic says not to shave the calipers to fit the Samurai rims (insurance reasons), and also, he doesn't think the 1/4 inch spacers are a good idea for the same reason, plus he doesn't trust them long-term for something I'm gong to pound on pretty hard off-roading on a near daily basis -- and even if we did shave the calipers, I have an even older set of Samurai rims for my winter tires, and I just tried those, and they'd need a whole buch of caliper shaved and the spacers to boot if I wanted to make them fit, soo......

I visited the idea of using the stock rims with my LT235x75R15's (already own them -- they came off my 1998 Tracker), but the backspacing on the factory Tracker 15 inch rims won't work.  They are 4.25 inches of backspacing, and the 3.75 inch backspaced Samurai rims put the tires within a whisker of hitting the frame -- moving them 1/2 an inch closer is a Bad Plan(tm).  Furthermore, it's not like the pre-99 Trackers where you can just crank a bolt to adjust how far the tires can turn, so if I did it with the factory rims -- I'm running tires that sooner or later The Wife(tm) or I is going to get turned hard enough to get a really solid grip on the frame and probably break something.


So .... I am SOOOO not into the idea of buying brand new rims (I need 9 of them, plus the cost of having 9 tires moved over to them -- that'll break the $1,000 mark pretty easy up here Canada -- OUCH!).   

Which brings me to my question -- does anybody know of rims off of another vehicle (Ford F150? Dodge 1500? etc) that's 5x5 1/2 bolt pattern, preferably about the same width as factory Samurai rims (ie: kind of narrow), with somewhere around 3.75 to 3.25 inches of backspacing?   I could probably snag some from a wrecked vehicle or (or two) for about $100 a set.


Thanks,

Well, first of all what vehicle is this for? Vitara/tracker or a Grand vitara? They have very different setups.

2003 Chevy Tracker, the base model (manual windows, manual locks, etc).

so this base model tracker has a 2.0L and 15" rims on it then?

if it has 16" rims right now, only a 16" rim will fit, you can get 15"s to fit, but it takes the above mentioned wheel spacers and caliper griding....

if it has 15"s right now, you shouldn't have to much trouble finding a wheel to fit.....


 

Yes, it has 15x5.5 with 4.25 inches of backspacing on it, factory stock.    The calipers stick out WAY too far to fit Samurai or F150 rims on it.     Due to the calipers, I'm getting a bad feeling about what's going to fit (or not).

Try one of these two options:

a 5-spoke early 1990's Ford F-150 rim. The center hole is too small because Ford hubs are smaller than Suzuki hubs, but you could get a plasma cutter and open them up a bit. The only problem with this is, you need a special wheel balancing machine to balance the wheel because most machines use a cone-shaped device to snug the wheel down when they spin it. Since the plasma cut edge will not be perfectly round, the wheel will not balance properly this way and you will have a nasty 100km/h shake. If you can find a shop that has a wheel balancer that you can bolt the wheel onto, I don't see why it would not work. I have fit one of these wheels on my base Vitara and it had lots of clearance. The backspacing is nice too, at 3.75". I think they are either 7 or 8" wide.

Other option would be a Jeep CJ rim. They are probably harder to find but in my opinion they look a heck of a lot better. You might need to grind your caliper down ever so slightly though...I have fit one on my Vitara and it fit but if you get any mud in there, could be a problem.

Otherwise it might be an idea to get some 1" wheel spacers for the front off eBay and then get some wheels with 2.75" backspacing. That's probably over your budget though.

If you look on Masterkit1's website they have a Vitara like mine, so probably the same thing as your Tracker and they have the Sidekick "bullet hole" 15" rims on it. I asked them if they needed to do any mods to get them to work and they said no, so I bought a set of the rims but I haven't put them on my truck yet so I can't confirm first-hand if they work or not.

Try Gen1 KIA Sportage rims.  They whould work.

what's wrong with using the stock rims?  you'll learn to live with minor frame rub....

what's wrong with using the stock rims?  you'll learn to live with minor frame rub....

Because looking the situation over, I'm 99% sure I will be getting more than "minor frame rub" with the tires in question (BFG Commercial Traction's) and the factory rims.   At 3.75 inches of backspacing (the Samurai rims which don't clear the caliper), the clearance at the frame is marginal at best.   To in-board the tire 1/2 inch closer to the frame (which the factory rims would do), that looks like plenty to allow not just a little rub, but for a tire lug to hang up on the frame.

i run stock zr2 rims on my 03 2door with ssr's measuring just under 32inches tall, no spacers, sure it rubs a bit but you learn how to work with it, it really isn't that bad.  that's the last 2cents i've got for ya on this one.

If you're only fitting 235's on stock wheels rubbing will be very minimal.

Anyone know FOR SURE if either of these will fit over the calipers on a 1999-2004 TRACKER?:

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Wheels/Rock-Crawler-Series-97-Black-Monster-Mod-Wheel.aspx?t_c=11&t_s=209&t_pt=100021&t_pl=3369&t_pn=PCW97-5785


http://www.4wheelparts.com/Wheels/Rock-Crawler-Series-51-Black-Powder-Wheel.aspx?t_c=11&t_s=209&t_pt=100021&t_pl=3363&t_pn=PCW51-5785


Thanks,

When I tried (5+ years ago), no fit.  I ended up buying a set of GV steely take-offs from the dealer for cheap.

Brotherjack, I tried a set of Kragar 397 rims that were identical to those Pro Comp rims. No worky on my Vitara 2.0L. I ground down one of my calipers quite a bit and it was still contacting a fair bit. If you ran a 1" spacer they would work, but then your wheel would stick out quite a bit and you'd need to do some pretty hefty fender and bumper trimming.

On a side note, tonight I just grabbed one of my Sidekick bullet-hole rims from the basement and mounted it on my Vitara (on the side that hasn't been ground down) and it is a SURE FIT. So if you want some cheap, easy to find 15" rims, there's an option. The only thing about them is they don't look like they stick out any further than stock (didn't measure)...but you could get some 1" spacers for the front if it really bugs you. This would also make your front end flex better and ride smoother.

Yuck -- time to revisit this one.   The ZR2 rims I was looking to use have either 4.5 or 4.25 inches of backspacing (depending on which year they come from), not 4 as has been reported.   So, they would be no real improvement in frame clearance over the stock wheels.

Also, it looks like the Kia Sportage rims are going to be well over 4 inches of backspace, so that's a no-go. (I haven't had a set of these in-hand to try with -- I'm just repeating internet hearsay -- someone correct me if I'm wrong).

So, still on my list of things to try:

CanadianTire supposedly has some black steel 15x7's of unknown backspacing that their computer says will work on a Tracker.   They've ordered me a set, and we'll find out in a week what that turns out to be --- if they're 4.5 or less, that will work.

If I could find some old 15x6 Heep CJ rims with (I think they had) 3.75 inches of backspace, that will work if they'll clear the calipers (thanks Olija) -- but I hate to buy them without being able to lay hands on them and test-fit before I buy (and good luck with that in the middle-of-nowhere BC).

Otherwise --- I'm starting to think that no such wheel exists that will work on these, and spacers is the only option??


Anyone else have any further suggestions for some wheels to outboard the tires about half to 3/4 of an inch over stock wheels without using spacers?

Thanks,