This is an '89 Dakota with stock steel 15" wheels with a 5 bolt pattern. I'm shopping the used market for 16" alloy wheels. How will I know what wheels will fit my truck? Is there a name for my fit or a measurement I should make? Thanks, Jim

 

That would be easy. 5 lug on 4-1/2" bolt pattern. Guys with 91 and up wish they had what you do.
older Dodge and ford cars and trucks. Millions came with that bolt pattern. AMC's too. Going newer, Jeep Wrangler til 2006, square body Cherokee till 01, rangers and exploders all had that bolt pattern. Gotta watch some of the fords,they had a smaller center hole. But anything aftermarket that would fit them would fit the 89.

 

Its not , just about the bolt pattern....... Your factory wheels are, (I think) 6in wide. Of course you can go wider, but you also need to consider the wheel offset....... as well as the tire size you plan to use.
Here is one article that gives some insight into this. https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-adv...your-car-57581

 

Round ones probably. Seriously, the 5 on 4 1/2 inch bolt pattern was used as far back as the late 1930's. You'll want late 50's or newer as those will be safety wheels. Since you'll be using radial tires the older split rims won't work. Even if you wanted to use them. Put one of your current wheels on the other side and use a tape measure to see the off set. Measure from the inside of the flange to the rim. Also measure the center hole on the wheel you have. Some wheels are lug centric and some are hub centric. I've put Ford rims on Mopars but the center hole had to be enlarged.

 

Thank you all for all that information. Some of that info would never have occurred to me to ask the question. I'm glad to find out that I have such an easy pattern to fit. Am I correct to assume that if I go to 16" tires, the rim will need to be a diameter of 16"? Some of the scrap and junk yards I visit have piles and piles of rims so I will basically be on my own to find a correct fit. Thanks again. Jim

P.S. in a former life I was a Ford guy and know that the wheels with the smaller center hole are from F100's and Ranger's

 

Mustang wheels may be just a bit tight. After market should be OK if they're stud-centric; if they're hub-centric you'll need to slightly enlarge the center hole.

Technically - the Dakota is a 71.5mm center hole, the Mustang a 63.9 center hole. This isn't really that far off. (The 63.9 may be different in different years.)

RwP

 

When the Magnum engines came out in the 1992 model year, Chrysler went with 6 lug wheels on the Dakota for extra clamping pressure. Somewhere you will find the wheel size stamped. If not, you want a 16 inch diameter on the inner part of the wheel. Not the flange. That will be bigger. Something has to hold the tire bead. Rereading my previous missive, I think it may have been a bit unclear. You want to measure the inside of your wheel flange from the flange to the inner part of the rim. This is your offset. You'll want a wheel of the same off set.

 

That measurement would be backspacing. Offset is the distance from the mounting face, to the centerline of the wheel.

 

Yep, you're right. I was dealing with 5 kids that had too much pie and a passel of dogs, one of which is a hyperactive Corgi who adores me when I was typing. I've always had a pile of wheels to pick from.

 

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