Will this Rim fit?

[in4no]

First off, hello to all!

I just got a 2005 sport trac and it's all stock right now. I am looking to change the wheels and tires on it right away though, but i had a couple of questions as i am truely confused about the fit of the wheels.

the wheel i am looking at has the following specs:

15x8 5-4.5 bolt spacing
Backspacing = 5.0"
Offset = +6.0mm

I would be looking to put Mickey Thompson MTZ 31x10.5.15 tires on these wheels as well. Can i get them on at stock hieght or do i need the TT/Shackle lift to avoid any rubbing?

Thank-you all so much in advance!

 

[John_Rock]

I believe stock backspacing is 4.5". Going to a 5" backspacing is bringing the wheel in closer to the brakes. And putting on a larger/wider tire you are definitely increasing your chances of having rubbing issues.

Not to mention with any 15" wheel on the Sport Trac you need to test fit the wheel to make sure it will not rub on the brake calipers.

You will probably want a wheel with 4.5" or smaller backspacing.

Regards,
John

 

[in4no]

Thanks John! I appreciate the fast response.
Upon further investigation, the same rim is available in the following specs:

15x7 5-4.5 bolt spacing
Backspacing = 4.0"
Offset = 0.0mm

will this be a good fit, or is the 15x7 not going to be a good rim size for the tire i am looking at? Oh, and it's an aluminum wheel....

sorry if these questions are a little dumb!

 

[John_Rock]

That's a hard question for me to answer. I went from stock wheels/tires to 15"x10" wheels with 35" tires. And I had already done the TT/Shackles and 3" body lift. And then I trimmed/removed anything in the way. My 15x10 wheels have 4" backspacing and like -39mm offset. I had to trim a lot.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like with 15x8" wheels. I think the skinnier wheels gives you a little bit more diameter with the tire. One friend I know on here has 35" tires on 15x7" stock wheels. But its a 1st gen truck and he has a suspension lift and has to use wheel spacers.

And please note again, with the 15" wheels you run the risk of the wheel not clearing your calipers. My 15x10" wheels have like 1/4" clearance. I advice you if you can to test fit the wheels first before buying them. In 2000 when they created the Sport Trac, it came with larger diameter rotors than the previous 1st and 2nd Gen Explorers.

 

[04trac]

ive got 16x8s with 5" backspacing, they fit just fine, but if you ever wanted to do a suspension lift you would most likely need something with less backspacing, i.e. 3 3/4 maximum backspacing.

 

[in4no]

Just checked the American Racing website (they are AR rims) and the application fit guide online says it will fit a 2005 Explorer Sport Trac. So it looks like i'm in business? Or could they be wrong?

No, i am only planning on doing a TT/Shacle and put nothing more than a 31 or 32 inch tire on it. The only snag is that i need to know for sure if it fits because i am in Canada and they have to be ordered in....