Deer Hoof Fitment

[tajvelocity]

Long story short, I'm trying to ditch my super heavy (listed as 26 lbs.) 15x8 Crager steelies and 31's for lighter factory wheels asap in the interest of better mileage and driveability. A gentleman on Craigslist has some 14" deer hooves for sale but says they didn't fit on the front of his 99 2wd (mine is also a 99 2wd, Mazduh). Is this true? I know the deer hooves are from a previous gen truck, but I'm surprised and bummed that they may not fit. Rangers are all 5x4.5 sure, but what about the wheel bore size? The wheel guide in the tech section doesn't have any measurements for the center hole of Ranger/Expo wheels.

What the heck wheels can I run on this thing?

 

[JimRummy]

It sounds to me like the person was saying that they had a 4wd truck, with some 2wd wheels. I have both a set of the 14 & 15'' alloy deer hoofs, and they both fit excellent. This wouldn't be the case if I had a 4x4 though. If the wheels originally came from a 2wd truck then thats all they'll fit, but the 4x4 wheels fit everything.



Those are 14's

Those are 15's

 

[adsm08]

I think the issue is in the brakes. A 14" rim may not fit over the IFS front brakes.

 

[tajvelocity]

Well my OEM steel rims were 14", but they were badly rusted and had to be scrapped. I also think I have the smaller of the brake options for my truck because when I replaced the rotors last time, the first set they gave me wouldn't work. The set on CL has the the two small holes in between each hoof which the guide in the tech section says were found on 93-95 trucks:

So yeah, I think he was referring to his truck being 2wd but I'll confirm. He also said they "won't fit in the center". I'll attempt to get some more info from him.

Thanks!

 

[tajvelocity]

CL dude apparently doesn't like emailing and his phone is broken. lol.

I found this http://adaptitusa.com/referencebook.htm which says all Rangers have a center bore of 70.3, 4WD and 2WD. I don't know if this is accurate.

 

[bigmark303]

I have the 14" deer hooves on my 98 2wd right now.

If I remember correctly it was the 98+ 4x4 that actually had a smaller hub bore on the 15" aluminums and they wouldnt fit over the 97 and prior 4x4 hubs.

 

[tajvelocity]

Well I scored some 15" Deer Hooves (without the little holes/dots) from U Pull and Pay with some questionable tires that I hope will last the summer. I measured the center bore of those and from a rim that came from another junked A arm 2wd Ranger and they looked the same. I took my wheel off when I got home and it fit over the hub. I didn't put the lugs on or anything because I immediately started tearing down the front end but they fit. They were inside an Explorer at the junk yard, but that doesn't mean they came off that truck.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

The issue is in fact the hub size.

My 93 14"s with new tires, wouldn't fit my 98... I sent them with some guy on Craigslist for a trailer.

98+ Ranger Exploder and B-series have a bigger hub center. New wheels go on older trucks, older wheels do not go on newer trucks without wheel spacers.

 

[tajvelocity]

Yup. I guess I have the newer Deer Hooves. Now I know!

 

[tajvelocity]

Sigh. Wrong again. Is this not enough thread through the lugs? They're finger tight.

Stock spare for comparison.

I guess there is a bit of a beveled edge to the mounting pad on the Hooves that the stock rims and my steel rims don't have. Is there too much thread showing on the lug nuts? Are extended studs an option? I banged one out of an old rotor and that was easy enough. Thing is, the new rotors have some finned part on the back that would stop the studs from coming out and I'm not sure how to remove it. What are my options? Get different wheels?!

 

[tajvelocity]

Crap. Do the fins on the back of the rotor have something to do with ABS? I don't have ABS!

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Yes, It's the exciter ring for the front speed sensor.

Just leave it alone, it will effect nothing. And it doesn't make it the wrong part,

 

[tajvelocity]

Thanks! What about my wheel/lug nut issue?

 

[bigmark303]

The issue is in fact the hub size.

My 93 14"s with new tires, wouldn't fit my 98... I sent them with some guy on Craigslist for a trailer.

98+ Ranger Exploder and B-series have a bigger hub center. New wheels go on older trucks, older wheels do not go on newer trucks without wheel spacers.

Just asking if you are sure? I have three 1998 2wd Rangers right now running 93-97 deer hoove wheels. They fit just the same as the stock 98 steel wheels that were on them. One has 1997 14" deer hooves, one 15" 1993 deer hooves and the other a combination of 1993/1995 deer hooves.

Or is it just the 98+ 4wd front hubs that are larger?

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

I may be wrong, but these 2wd 93 wheels did not fit this 2wd 98...