I have been trying for quite some time to figure out a wheel/tire combination to use as a spare in my son's '74 Dart Sport. I want it to sit down into the spare tire well, below the trunk floor, so the fiberboard spare cover and vinyl mat I bought will produce a flat finished surface. The stock tires are too tall by a couple of inches, causing a hump in the floor. A 15" Ford donut spare fits down into the well perfectly, and has the correct 5x4-1/2" bolt pattern, but the center hub hole is too small and the tire height is way too short.

Yesterday, I think I saw the answer to my problem.
At a local tire shop, we tried a 16" donut spare with a 145/80-16 tire. It fits the spare well just fine, but the wheel's bolt pattern was some type of multi-lug pattern and nothing close to our LBP.

So, did Chrysler use 16" wheels with the 5x4-1/2" bolt pattern on any of their cars? If not, I'll have to try and hunt down one from a Ford.

Thanks,
Jerry

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There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

No 16" wheels on any RWD Chrysler Corp. passenger car.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Dan,
I was told to look at the wheels on an Intrepid. Is it a FWD car, and does it really matter?

Jerry

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

I used a donut on my 71 Dodge Charger due to the fact that my fuel cell took up all the trunk space. If I am not mistaken it came from a mid '80's Diplomat/Fury. Now, as you know, the Charger is the big bolt pattern but it had a second set of holes to it which was a "smaller" bolt pattern but I do not know if it was "the" small bolt chrysler pattern. Hope this helps.

Russ

You don't want to use a FWD wheel. The wheel offset is wrong and will put the tire inward too much and it may interfere with the suspension.

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

I'll have to look at that, if I can find one. I wonder if the offset is going to be an issue for such a skinny tire. See why it's taking so long to resolve this? As far as I can tell, no one has had the single perfect answer.

Jerry

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

You can open up the center on the Ford spare to fit. The size difference is pretty small. You might look for a Mustang Cobra spare as they are larger to clear the huge 13" brakes.

Yes, Intrepids have the same 4.5" bolt pattern and my '96 Intrepid wears 16s. See if it bolts on and clears everything. You might end up having to find a wheel that fits and change the tire to get the diameter you want.

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Joshua

Yes and yes. FWD wheels have the wrong offset for use on a RWD application.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Not to mention that (IIRC) the bolt spacing is metric on Chrysler FWDs. It will reportedly slide on the studs of a large-bolt-pattern rear-drive hub, but it won't be *quite* right and so the lugnuts won't center down in the holes correctly.

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...except for the LH cars and certain other contemporaries of the LH cars, which have an actual, real, non-metric 4½" bolt circle.

The K-car based FWDs all had 5x100mm, except the large (Grand) minivans which had 5x115mm.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Thanks, Josh.
I thought about relieving the inside of the hub circle on the Ford donut spare, but its overall height is several inches shorter than the tires on Aaron's car. So, now I'm taking it back to the yard and looking for something else taller.

Jerry

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

My 71 d100 truck came from the factory with 16" 5 x 4.5" bolt pattern rims.
So look for trucks is that era for a wheel.
I still have one left that I use for a spare that I might get rid of.
Shawn

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1971 D100 SWB Step side, 225, 3 on the tree, 3.91 gear

Shawn,
How wide is the 16" rim?

Jerry

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

You could always get a custom wheel made. It might not be as expensive as you think. I have used Stockton Wheel Service in the past with good results. They were a little slow, but would make whatever I wanted. http://www.stocktonwheel.com/

There are lots of other custom wheel shops you could ask as well. They might have what you are looking for right on the shelf. I'd give Stockton a call and ask for suggestions.

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'68 Dodge Dart 4dr Sedan

in theory, couldn't you order a set of rims for an intrepid then with a different offset? there must be a custom shop already doing that for those folks who like goofy spinners and other such things.......

just an idea.