Need wheel and or tire suggestions

[Sigpros]

Hello,

New guy here. My son just bought his first truck. A 1997 Ranger, it is regular cab short bed 4cyl automatic. It is going to need some tires and I see the 14" tires are pricey. I would like to get him some tires for his birthday but I was wondering about some newer rims. Maybe even a factory take off option I might be able to get for the same price as the 14" tires. I do not know anything about switching wheels and would like to know what are some options to be looking for that would bolt right on and make the little truck look better? Or ones that don't take a lot of modifying? My son is 15 and super excited about his ranger. Thank you for any help

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I put the 27 inch general grabbers for 14 in rims on the ass end of my truck. Ive been happy with them.

But Explorer, aerostar, ranger, mustang (pre 08 i believe) and crown vic/marquis/town car rims will fit

 

[ericbphoto]

Here is some info about sizes and measurements from our tech library.

1983-2011 Ford Ranger Wheel Fitment Guide - The Ranger Station

We see a lot of questions on our site about wheel fitment. This page is a guide as to what size wheels your Ford Ranger takes, and how to measure wheels in general. Quick Info: The Ford Ranger, Bronco … Continued

www.therangerstation.com

 

[Sigpros]

Thank you guys. I just found these off a sportctrac. They would look good on there if they would fit

 

[Sigpros]

 

[Sigpros]

I also found some Mercedes wheels pictured above

 

[Uncle Gump]

You need to be careful with back spacing on wheels. I kinda doubt those Benz wheels would work without wheel spacers.

If you can pull off a wheel swap without spacers/adaptors... IMHO you're going to be better off for it.

 

[Sigpros]

Trying to see if the sport trac wheels would just bolt on and be ok. They have almost brand new tires on them and I think they would make the truck look pretty good

 

[Blmpkn]

Trying to see if the sport trac wheels would just bolt on and be ok. They have almost brand new tires on them and I think they would make the truck look pretty good

The sporttrac wheels *should* have the proper backspacing/offset to fit the ranger.

Those merc wheels are almost guaranteed to need spacers.

 

[Sigpros]

Anyone know what these are off and if they will fit?

 

[rubydist]

Those are Mustang wheels. They need about 1" to 1.5" of spacer or adapter to work. I have Mustang wheels on my truck now w/ 1.25" adapters.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Anyone know what these are off and if they will fit?View attachment 96020

Mid 00's mustang. I had them on a 99 crown vic. I had to run like 1/4 inch spacer...and it would rub if i went full lock right.

Not sure it applies to a ranger

 

[JohnnyO]

Thank you guys. I just found these off a sportctrac. They would look good on there if they would fit

The wheels will fit fine but the Sport Trac OE size of 255/70-16 will probably be too tall for a 2wd Ranger. You could sell the tires and I'd say get 235/60-16 at most.

 

[BroncLander]

You need to be careful with back spacing on wheels. I kinda doubt those Benz wheels would work without wheel spacers.

If you can pull off a wheel swap without spacers/adaptors... IMHO you're going to be better off for it.

Unless of course a person swaps to full size axles. Then the reduced backspacing is much to be desired.
On my rigs, I always prefer about an inch of poke. It's not legal, but they generally tend to not bother anyone here for it. Some guys here are cruising around with 6 inches poking out. Something tells me it's something they "save" as a reason to unleash hell on someone who's driving like an idiot. For me, the reason I like poke is that it just adds a bit more stability on an angle.

 

[Sigpros]

Escape wheels probably wouldn’t fit either? Found a set for $150.