OEM 15 x 6 Steelies & 215/80R15 Combo

AutoCrat

AutoCrat

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My TJ is currently on these 15 x 7 alloys -

IMG_7378.jpeg


My heart is set on the following OEM steel wheels and wondering if I can get some more insight from you all experts. I am planning to go for 215/80/15 tyres for that classic tall & narrow look. My TJ is bone stock and purely drives on streets and occasionally on very light gravel trails. No intentions of ever using it for any serious off-road. So above mentioned tyre & wheel combo is purely for classic retro looks.

I would like to know from your experiences with OEM steel wheels, mainly any issues around balancing them etc? I figured aftermarket steels wheels have such problems. Also are there any ride quality issues such as poor brakes, wobble etc with narrow 215 tyres?

Here is the picture of Steel Wheel in question 😃 - (Thanks in advance)

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Vtx531

Vtx531

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I like your style..lNever heard of that size here though. Those narrow steel rims have a lot of offset and with tall tires it would throw off your ball joint/steering axis angles. I wouldn't do it but it could be done.

Jeep made a 15x7 steel wheel that have a similar look, not quite the same but they would be a little better for the offset.

115872AB-04F5-4B9D-A2C7-3559CBA0A474.png
 
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deadbeat son

deadbeat son

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AutoCrat said:
My TJ is currently on these 15 x 7 alloys -

View attachment 415524


My heart is set on the following OEM steel wheels and wondering if I can get some more insight from you all experts. I am planning to go for 215/80/15 tyres for that classic tall & narrow look. My TJ is bone stock and purely drives on streets and occasionally on very light gravel trails. No intentions of ever using it for any serious off-road. So above mentioned tyre & wheel combo is purely for classic retro looks.

I would like to know from your experiences with OEM steel wheels, mainly any issues around balancing them etc? I figured aftermarket steels wheels have such problems. Also are there any ride quality issues such as poor brakes, wobble etc with narrow 215 tyres?

Here is the picture of Steel Wheel in question 😃 - (Thanks in advance)

View attachment 415528

View attachment 415526

View attachment 415527

View attachment 415525
Click to expand...

Are the 215/80r15 really going to look tall and narrow? Narrow, yes, but at about 28.5", that size appears to be a smaller diameter than a 235/75r15, which is pretty small on a TJ. What about finding a basic 16x6 or 16x7 wheel and going with a 235/85r16 tire? That would only be 20mm wider than the 215, but it will be about 80mm taller.

Regardless, I do really like those wheels with a proper AT or MT tire.

1997_jeep_wrangler_20221028_192708970_ios-51125.jpg
 
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AutoCrat

AutoCrat

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deadbeat son said:
Are the 215/80r15 really going to look tall and narrow? Narrow, yes, but at about 28.5", that size appears to be a smaller diameter than a 235/75r15, which is pretty small on a TJ. What about finding a basic 16x6 or 16x7 wheel and going with a 235/85r16 tire? That would only be 20mm wider than the 215, but it will be about 80mm taller.

Regardless, I do really like those wheels with a proper AT or MT tire.

View attachment 415550
Click to expand...

I am currently running 235/75/15. Stock tyres on my TJ were 225/75/15 so Yeah very slight gain height wise but thought narrowing the tyre will get me the “tall & narrow“ look. My other option is “Bridgestone Desert Dueler (604v) 9R15. These are 9 inches wide and 29.52” tall (which is slightly narrow & taller than 235/75/15).

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I too like the looks of these 15x6 steelies so trying my best to work something with them 😅.
 
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AutoCrat

AutoCrat

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Vtx531 said:
I like your style..lNever heard of that size here though. Those narrow steel rims have a lot of offset and with tall tires it would throw off your ball joint/steering axis angles. I wouldn't do it but it could be done.

Jeep made a 15x7 steel wheel that have a similar look, not quite the same but they would be a little better for the offset.

View attachment 415539
Click to expand...

Thanks for the insight. All I heard that these wheels have 4.25” or 4.5” backspacing, maybe someone can confirm it. These were stock on YJ and TJ so assuming there shouldn’t be any issues with suspension etc.
 
macleanflood

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Im not a fan of steelies...heavy...but probably lighter than my 35s and aluminum rims...and I just hate how they rust.

If you love em go for it...I agree with the offset issues and 6" seems narrow.

Be cool to see a 6" rim on 33" pizza cutters.

-Mac
 
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AutoCrat

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macleanflood said:
Im not a fan of steelies...heavy...but probably lighter than my 35s and aluminum rims...and I just hate how they rust.

If you love em go for it...I agree with the offset issues and 6" seems narrow.

Be cool to see a 6" rim on 33" pizza cutters.

-Mac
Click to expand...

I heard these are the lightest wheels offered by Jeep ( lighter than any Jeep OEM alloys). Agree on rust issues associated with steel wheels, hopefully powder coating them would minimise it and besides Jeep will be used as a collector item so won’t see the elements much 😇.
 
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Vtx531

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AutoCrat said:
Thanks for the insight. All I heard that these wheels have 4.25” or 4.5” backspacing, maybe someone can confirm it. These were stock on YJ and TJ so assuming there shouldn’t be any issues with suspension etc.
Click to expand...

As for the backspacing - you may be right. The thing is... 4" backspacing on an 8" wide wheel means the tire is centered directly under the wheel mounting surface. 4" backspacing on a 6" wide wheel means it is centered inboard of the wheel mounting surface. Depending on the height of the tire, this greatly changes the steering characteristics and is why offset is more important and backspacing is a pretty poor measure that is mostly used to get a big tire to "fit" without rubbing on anything. Sort of misses the other important things though.

You could always fix that with wheel spacers if they dont bother you.
 
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AutoCrat

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As mentioned above by @Vtx531 & @macleanflood, that I might come across some suspension issues for my preferred wheel & tyre combo. I know it’s a long shot but anyone who are still using these 15x6 OEM wheels can please confirm. My only light of hope is that these wheels were offered stock on our TJ, so why they should have any negative impact on suspension, sorry my knowledge in this area is almost nonexistent 😀.

Or forum experts @Jerry Bransford , @mrblaine , @Chris, I know you all don’t prefer steel wheels but please chime in, it will be a great help 🙏. Once again my TJ will be used mostly on streets.
 
Chris

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AutoCrat said:
As mentioned above by @Vtx531 & @macleanflood, that I might come across some suspension issues for my preferred wheel & tyre combo. I know it’s a long shot but anyone who are still using these 15x6 OEM wheels can please confirm. My only light of hope is that these wheels were offered stock on our TJ, so why they should have any negative impact on suspension, sorry my knowledge in this area is almost nonexistent 😀.

Or forum experts @Jerry Bransford , @mrblaine , @Chris, I know you all don’t prefer steel wheels but please chime in, it will be a great help 🙏. Once again my TJ will be used mostly on streets.
Click to expand...

I would actually tag @psrivats in this one since he runs steel wheels and seems to be happy with them. I have zero experience with steel wheels whatsoever. I’d personally run aluminum wheels purely for the weight savings alone.
 
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psrivats

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Chris said:
I would actually tag @psrivats in this one since he runs steel wheels and seems to be happy with them. I have zero experience with steel wheels whatsoever. I’d personally run aluminum wheels purely for the weight savings alone.
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My choice of steel wheels is only because I simply could NOT find a set of alloy wheels in 15" size, 5x5.5 pattern and 4.75" backspacing. That combination does not exist in aftermarket alloy wheels. If I were to do this again, I would compromise on backspacing a little and get alloy wheels. No real complaints with mine but my jeep isn't very heavily used off-road.

To @AutoCrat .. you will be fully fine with those wheels for your intended use. I like the look of those OEM steel wheels too. Look up the below company, they make some alloy wheels in steel like designs.

https://fifteen52.com/
 
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