I have a long write up on this very subject: http://www.van-dwellers.com/165wheels.html

I have Ford rims with the better lug nuts pointed out on the page with LT225/75/16 Dunlop Rover H/Ts on my '78 B300.

 

Thank you sooo much for putting the work into that page. That is what I needed. Good call on the lug nuts too.

Thanks again.

P.S. That page should be a sticky up top!

 

It cost me $100 for the lesson of the lug nuts, buying more steel rims thinking the original Ford ones I got were the problem. I went and got Dodge ones too. But they had the same problem.

Now I know.. never use those "bad" lug nuts, even on a trailer. I got the good kind from a salvage yard for free from a newer Dodge truck to fit my utility trailer. When I bought the extra Dodge rims I didn't end up using (no refunds, exchange only. I went back to exchange and we figured out the lug nuts were the problem) they gave me about 35 lug nuts free from I think Chevy trucks that used the same thread size.

Every salvage yard I have ever gotten lug nuts from have just given them away. I guess they don't want to sell them and be responsible for any bad ones you get that have your wheels go flying off at 70mph. So they give them away so they have no risk of liability.

But I trust my life with the used lug nuts. After all, they were still holding the wheels on the trucks just fine when they got smashed into or whatever. Get a few extras for spares in case you do find some bad or just in case you lose one or two. They're about $3 each for that kind. 32 at $3... $96 for lug nuts. Or free from a salvage yard. Yeah.

I agree it should be stickied.. maybe the mods will do it. I thought I posted a topic with it asking for it to be stickied but now I can't seem to find it.

(Oh, it was the topic about the washer fluid bottle where I said that)

 

This is getting frustrating... I got my rims and lug nuts, the first shop I took it to says the brake caliper is too close. They put some anti seize on the caliper and tried the rim. There was one little spot on the rim where it touched. I think it was when they took it off. anyway I'm going to anther shop to try again.

 

If the wheels are newer Dodge wheels, they probably have a different offset. It's possible that may befuddle a shop when you go to get an alignment or possibly affect handling because of a change in track width.

Also, Ford wheels do fit but they have a larger bore so all the weight rides on the lug nuts instead of the hubs as Dodge intended. The Falcon conversions weigh 3-1/2 tons+ so you may want to think about taking that risk and stick to Dodge wheels.

 

Lug nuts already take most of the pressure anyway. Using the better lug nuts like I recommend on my page, they should be fine with Ford rims. I do mention on my page about the larger bore though. I am having no problems with rubbing on the calipers with the Ford rims I got.

 

2 of my rims are aftermarket and have a larger bore and a slight different offset, so when I rotate it I keep both rims with the same offset on front or back.

It is my opinion the precise size bore make installing a rim Idiot proof, whereas having too big a bore could allow a person to tighten the rim down with the wheel off center. If one hand tightens each lugnut in progression before applying any serious torque, the wheel will be centered whereas this should be done anyway on a proper bore/hub scenario.

If the hub took all the weight of that corner of the vehicle, then the wheel would have to fit so tight over the hub that it would be extremely difficult to remove and re install.

I believe the full weight of the vehicle is on the studs, as I can slip a playing card between hub on wheel bore on my original rims. If all the weight was on the hub and the studs only kept the wheel on, then the playing card would not be able to be slipped in between the 2.

I have had these aftermarket rims with the too large bores for nearly 100k miles, and have done some serious offroading on them, becoming airborn more than once. Not one broken stud, no wheel related issues, and I only have 5 lug wheels.

 

Keep in mind that the B350-based Falcon Class B weighs nearly twice what your B250 weighs. Interesting about the space between your stock wheels and the hubs. I have the factory aluminum rims on my '91 B250 and they fit very tightly. So tight that you need to pound on the tire with a BFH or get behind it with a small scissor jack to remove one. Anti-sieze helps some.

With older wheels and lug holes that may be somewhat worn and elongated, I could see there's a chance of getting wheels mounted a tad off-center. It doesn't take much out-of-roundness to cause vibes and extra tire wear at highway speeds. The original hub-centric wheels from Dodge eliminate the chance of that,as you pointed out.

Yes, you would think that with 8 lugs holding the wheels on you wouldn't need to have a tight fitting wheel but for me, I wouldn't take the chance.

 

I wonder if the aluminum and steel hub expanding and contracting at different rates are part of the reason your aluminum wheels fit so much tighter than my stock steelies.

No doubt the dissimilar metals would contribute to the corrosion between them.

The only issues I've had removing my steel wheels was the lugnuts torqued by the previous owner.

I would prefer that my aftermarket rims have the proper bore, and would make the effort to buy them over the universal type designed to accommodate all brands. I was not aware of the issue when I bought my aftermarket rims a decade ago.

My GVRW is 6400. I think I am about 1000 under that with my interior and contents, But I take your point about the class B on a one ton chassis.

They sell the bore rings to make the big wheel bores fit the smaller hubs. Many are plastic.

Hers are some billet ones:
http://www.motorsport-tech.com/hub_rings.html

 

My van must have sensed us talking about wheels and tires. Had a flat last night (first in 6 years) and put the spare on the RF. Your playing card gap is a puzzle because my stock steel wheel spare fits tightly on the hub also. No gap at all. Could the rears be different?

P.S: travelling weight on my Falcon was 8000lbs. I'm wondering how close that is to Class C's which typically have duallies.

 

Seeing as how my rear axle is a Dana 60, which was also used on Fords, probably with the same exact hub, I doubt there is ever any problems with center bores being a bit larger. Unless they made different hubs for Ford and for Dodge which is possible I suppose.

I'm not sure if Chevys got Dana 60s stock or not? I know there's plenty of swaps out there but if not, then they'd need different hubs to fit Chevy rims due to the smaller bores. I do know Ford vans did. My differential cover came off of a 1990'ish Ford Econoline and it fits my 78 Dodge just fine.

I'm sure my old 16.5" rims were Dodge ones... though the old early 70s F250 hub caps fit them, as the do the newer Ford 16" ones I have now. Anyhow, I don't recall them fitting tightly on the hubs.

 

So I am a new owner of a dodge maxivan camper van It is a 1976, It has 15 inch tires and I wanted to get 16 inch tires. Is that do able? It currently has 235 70r 15. I have found some 16 inch steel wheels that came from a dodge truck. they are 5.5 1/2. If anyone could give me some advice I would deeply appreciate it thanks.

 

Older vans had 5 x 4.5. Check the years below (don't take the following guide as gospel though):

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7J...7J17pYhhC6LNDk2MjM4NTUtMTExZC00ZWI1LTlmYjAtYjYwOWZkNzU5OWQx/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1

What's the main reason you want to change? There are many variations of camper vans with widely varying weights. How is your van equipped? If it's a heavier version, a change to 15" light truck tires would give you longer wear and would be safer but less expense. You would gain a little ground clearance also.

Check Tire Rack for specs.