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Will 14" centercaps fit on a 15" wheel?


STPL

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2017
Messages
94
City
CT
Vehicle Year
1994
Transmission
Manual
My credo
N/A
I'm fixing up a 94 2WD Supercab this summer. Heres a pretty basic question that I just cant find a solid answer for. I'm looking to upgrade my 14" wheels for some 15"s. I found a set of four 15" deer hoofs on craigslist for 100$, but they don't come with centercaps. Can I swap the centercaps from my 14s on to the 15s? Do I have to have center caps with these rims? Included pics of 15s from craigslist ad.


EDIT:

ANSWER: The 14" center caps will NOT fit on the 15" wheels because the 14" center caps are held on by 3 little screws and the 15" center caps are held on by little spring clasps that grip the lug nuts. If I wanted to run the same center caps I would need to find 15" wheels from a pre '95 ranger. Finding those specific wheels will be even harder, so I grabbed that set of 15" post 1994 wheels for $100. Thanks to 4x4 Junkie's info I learned that running wheels without center caps isn't detrimental to anything but looks, so I can take my time finding a cheap set of center caps.

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They should, it's still a 5x4.5 bolt pattern.
 
They should, it's still a 5x4.5 bolt pattern.

That's my thinking, too. I would just hate to get all the way there, pay for them and then get back to my truck and find out they don't fit. If I get a few people confirming I wont have any problems I'll go pick them up today or tomorrow.
 
So I'm not going to absolutely swear to it, but I've owned a 14" and 15" set of those deer hoof rims between my '94 Ranger and '94 Explorer. Pretty sure I moved those caps back and forth once or twice because I didn't have two complete sets.
 
They should fit...I took some of the old 14" 8 hole aluminum rim center caps...the ones that look like a manual front locking hub...and put them on similar 15" ten hole aluminum rims and they lined up perfectly...

I probably have a bunch of the aluminum screws used to fasten them on the rims...still finding parts for that truck a year after I sold it and thought I gave the new owner everything.
 
If your center caps are the type that are attached with the three screws (used up thru '94), they will not fit later wheels from '95-on since they lack the holes for the screws to screw into (which it looks like those 15" deer-hoofs are of the '96-'97 variety).

If you can find 15" wheels from a '94 or earlier truck, then your center caps should fit no problem.

FWIW, later center caps should be readily available in wrecking yards, as well as on Ebay. Anything from '95 -'11 you can swap center caps around on (there are styling differences at certain points across those years though).
 
If your center caps are the type that are attached with the three screws (used up thru '94), they will not fit later wheels from '95-on since they lack the holes for the screws to screw into (which it looks like those 15" deer-hoofs are of the '96-'97 variety).

If you can find 15" wheels from a '94 or earlier truck, then your center caps should fit no problem.

FWIW, later center caps should be readily available in wrecking yards, as well as on Ebay. Anything from '95 -'11 you can swap center caps around on (there are styling differences at certain points across those years though).

Good call! I don't see the 3 screw holes that hold the center caps on the 15" wheels. I picked them up yesterday anyways, it will probably be even harder to find wheels for a specific year, I'll pick up center caps eventually, but will it hurt to run these wheels without center caps?
 
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but will it hurt to run these wheels without center caps?

What, aesthetics? Maybe... (depends on what your opinion of ugly is lol)

Hurt the wheels themselves or the truck? Absolutely not.

Also (I forgot to mention), the later center caps will also require you get the factory lug nuts from a later year also (the caps are retained by pressing them over a rib around the nut's circumference). Nuts from any '95-'11 Ranger, '95-'02 (possibly later as well) Explorer would work.
 
What, aesthetics? Maybe... (depends on what your opinion of ugly is lol)

Hurt the wheels themselves or the truck? Absolutely not.

Also (I forgot to mention), the later center caps will also require you get the factory lug nuts from a later year also (the caps are retained by pressing them over a rib around the nut's circumference). Nuts from any '95-'11 Ranger, '95-'02 (possibly later as well) Explorer would work.

Thanks a lot, you're the man! That sounds like problems I can deal with. This truck is going to be an ugly work in progress for a while anyways so whats one more ugly part? Solid information, Ill keep an eye out for later model center caps and lug nuts at the junk yard. Good to know its not going to give me problems on the road.
 

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