mountaineer w/ lightning rims or 31's or 30's

I have 2 questions, hopefully someone can help. I have a '99 mountaineer and would like to fit either a set of 18" ford lightning rims on or put a set of 31x10.5 15's or 30x9.5 15 on the stock rims. Does anyone know where I can find the adapters to change the rims and if they would fit? Or would the 31's or 30's fit without a lift ( i would be willing to use a wheel spacer)? Thanks

 

[Heath]

Lightning wheels won't fit, they're a different bolt patern...

 

[mercmountaineer]

Thanks. I was wondering if anyone knows of an adapter from the mountaineer bolt patern to the ones on the lightning rims. And if the rims would then fit on the truck.

 

[hunterdan]

I have 2 questions, hopefully someone can help. I have a '99 mountaineer and would like to fit either a set of 18" ford lightning rims on or put a set of 31x10.5 15's or 30x9.5 15 on the stock rims. Does anyone know where I can find the adapters to change the rims and if they would fit? Or would the 31's or 30's fit without a lift ( i would be willing to use a wheel spacer)? Thanks

15" tires will not fit an 18" wheel. To get 31's you would need to find the metric equivalent and go with that. to get 31's you would roughly need a 265/65R18, comes out to about 31.4". I believe the bolt pattern on the lightning rims are 5 on 5.5" or some metric equivalent.

Dan

 

[osker75]

exactly what i was about to say

 

[Heath]

He's not trying to put the 31's on the lightning wheels... He's trying to put them on the stock wheels is he can't get the lightning wheels to fit...

 

[mercmountaineer]

Thanks Heath. I would love to put the lightning rims and tires as they are, onto my mountaineer. The question is what would I have to do to make them fit. If they can't Then I will put 31's or 30's on the stock rims. Thanks

 

[section525]

I've never heard of a 5x4.5 to 5x138mm (or whatever the F150 is) adapter. But chances are you can get a Lightning wheel replica with the correct bolt pattern.

 

[mercmountaineer]

Actually it's a factory lightning rim off of my friends 99 lightning that was totalled.

 

[the_tool_man]

Hi mercmountaineer:

I've considered the same combination on my Explorer. As others have said, Lightning wheels won't fit on your Mountaineer. What you would need are wheel adapters that bolt up to your 5x4.5 hubs, and have a 5x5.5 bolt pattern on them. A set of good-quality hubcentric adapters will cost nearly as much as a set of wheels, and will push the wheels out at least 1.25 inches. I suspect the tires would rub (at least in the front), but I haven't taken any measurements. I gave up at that point.

As far as I know, no one makes a Lightning wheel replica in a 5x4.5 bolt pattern. I wish they did, because I really like the '99 style a lot.

Another possibility, if you're determined, is to swap out rear axles from an F-150 or Expedition into your rear axle (they may need to be shortened). I'm not sure about the front. I doubt Expedition hubs will fit, but maybe they could be modified, or custom flanges made by a machine shop.

Ultimately, it would be a lot easier to find another wheel that fits. Let us know what you end up with.

Regards,
John.

 

[Heath]

The lightning wheel is not a 5 on 5.5 its metric...

 

[mercmountaineer]

Thanks for all the help.. The lightning rims are'nt worth it. So I'm going to go with 31's ...or bigger. Thanks again

 

[the_tool_man]

The lightning wheel is not a 5 on 5.5 its metric...

You're right. I looked it up. 5x135mm.