Stock 18" to 15" Wheels

I have, in the past, always gone up in wheel diameter. Never down any sizes. My question is, has anyone with a '00 or '01 that come with 18" stock wheels ever gone down to a 15" wheel? I haven't measured anything yet because I'm searching for a wheel lock key so I can take the tire off and check it out, but has anyone had a problem fitting a 15" rim on? Just curious about fitment in relation to the brakes...

If there is already a thread for this and I missed it I apologize and let me know.

Thanks!

--Stevil--

Stock 2001 Proton #0480

I have 15" rims on my 99 VX and they fit fine. The brakes/suspension are indentical on every VX 99-01.

I would still check to make sure you have clearance before buying unless you go with the same rims Eftren & I have. I believe the rear wheels are very close to the rotor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by VXorado

I have 15" rims on my 99 VX and they fit fine. The brakes/suspension are indentical on every VX 99-01.

I would still check to make sure you have clearance before buying unless you go with the same rims Eftren & I have. I believe the rear wheels are very close to the rotor.

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Awesome, thanks for the info.

No problem, what rims are you installing?

I'm not sure yet to be honest..It was just a thought I had while I was looking at rims and tires. I'm open for suggestions. I'm not so sure I want 18" wheels. In my humble opinion it just looks like too much wheel..Of course, mine is stock so I'm still running the 245/60/18 so I'm not surprised that it looks funky. I like the bigger sidewall and the more off-road look. I might even go with 33x12.5x17 on a lift, who knows. Yours is pretty nasty(in a good way, of course) looking!

I agree, you don't want the rubber band look on an SUV. I went with 15" rims for offroading and tire price. My tires would have been $400 each if I had 18" rims- I paid $210/tire. Additionally, when I had 33" tires on alloy 17" rims, the rims started getting chewed up from rocks.

...but I do like bigger rims, 15" rims just made the most sense for my setup.

Good luck with the search. :winkgray:

I know that someone here had an issue with a 15" Nissan wheel rubbing on the control arms and they had to be shaved down a small amount

I had 15" yota 6-spoke wheels on mine, no issues. Slight bit of offset, but certainly less than offroad style wheels.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by VXorado

I have 15" rims on my 99 VX and they fit fine. The brakes/suspension are indentical on every VX 99-01.

I would still check to make sure you have clearance before buying unless you go with the same rims Eftren & I have. I believe the rear wheels are very close to the rotor.

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Mine are 15" too but I was never sure if the brake clearance issue was avoided by the offset or not. Now I know.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/CIMG5225.JPG

That is what I have on my 15x8 rims. I had originally put steel Tech 1 Rock Crawlers on, but now I have Dick Cepek DC1s.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/501/image4.jpg

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Originally Posted by Stevil6531

I'm searching for a wheel lock key

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I don't have an answer to your rim questions, but I did have a tire shop take my old wheel locks off for me when I lost my wheel lock key. The tool they use "bites" into the key so it ends up making them unusable, but I had new keys to install anyway. If you can't find a key, and you have to get the wheels off, stop by your nearest tire shop and I bet they can help you out. The tire shop that I went to didn't even charge me to remove the keys since it was such a quick thing for them to do.

I would recommend 15x7 inch rims, and a 29" tire. I went with 31" tires, and needed to trim the cladding on my VX.

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Originally Posted by nocturnalVX

I would recommend 15x7 inch rims, and a 29" tire. I went with 31" tires, and needed to trim the cladding on my VX.

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I think he's planning on doing a lift.

Yeah I think I'm going to do a 3in lift and try out 33s. We'll see. I'm just shopping around right now. I want to wait to use my bonus to do it and I don't get that until early next year. Are the lifts fairly easy to install? Never done that either..

I know, I know... I'm a newbie..Haha

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stevil6531

Yeah I think I'm going to do a 3in lift and try out 33s. We'll see. I'm just shopping around right now. I want to wait to use my bonus to do it and I don't get that until early next year. Are the lifts fairly easy to install? Never done that either..

I know, I know... I'm a newbie..Haha

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We're all newbies, lol. It depends which lift you will choose. There are two: The suspension lift (easy), the body lift (difficult). The suspension lift requires replacing the rear coil springs and adjusting the front torsion bars. The body lift requires removing the body bolts and adding spacers. This sounds simple but there are posts in this forum that go into more detail.

Many people have run 15's, but the one guy with the Nissan wheels is the first problem ive heard of. Must be an offset related issue?
Besides looks, wheel size is summed up really easy. smaller wheels normally decrease rotational mass, unsprung weight, increase mpg (not including 8 ply or heavy treading)etc. Which is better for acceleration and offroad setups due to more rubber between wheel and ground). Larger wheels increase rotational mass and unsprung weight, but improve steering response. Also the "bling factor" hahahaha. At least in recent years offroad tires are made in all wheel sizes. Prior to the last 10 years, almost nothing offroad was for 16"+. Due to rough roads, unexpected VX usage in extreme weather, occasional farm duty, cost, availability, my stock 16" wheels with MT's have never let me down.

Have you ever thought of just getting some 16" stockers, and just switching on/ off road wheel setups based on your own whim and a 15 minutes with a wrench?

For lifts, do the suspension. Body lifts are great for a few inches, but there are better mechanical advantages to suspension lifts. Besides, for our rigs, they are cheap and easy. How can you beat that even when the performance is better vs. a body lift?