StoneWolfe

Hi all,

I've noticed that a lot of folks buy new Jeep's, especially Jeep Wrangler's, and immediately upgrade the wheels and tires to a bigger size, then sell their brand new OEM set of wheels/tires on Craigslist.

What do I need to know to be sure the wheels fit on my 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport?

What's the lug spacing for the 2001 Cherokee Sport?

I there anything else I should be aware of?

bender32

Your xj is 5x4.5 bolt pattern. The new jeeps don't have the same pattern. You will have have to buy adapters to run any newer wheels off if a jeep. I am running set of 17' moabs off a 2011 wrangler on my 2001 xj. All that was needed was a set of adapters. You also need to consider the size if the tire on the wheels you are wanting to run.

Google is your friend when trying to do something like this. Good luck

StoneWolfe

Awesome! Thanks for the insight. I had no idea these adapters even existed. A simple search of "2001 xj wheel adapter" brought up a ton of options.

And are you saying I need to consider the size of the tire to be sure they fit in the wheel well without rubbing, or is there some other consideration?

Does the adapter have to take into account only the lug pattern? What about stud size, hub/center bore, and offset?

I found a great table of the bolt pattern and wheel sizes at this website:

http://www.jeep4x4center.com/knowled...ifications.htm

I need all new tires and it's more affordable to buy a whole new set of wheels and tires off Craigslist from someone who swaps their OEM wheels and tires from their new ride for beefier ones. And since I live in the mountains it's going to be great to have a spare set of wheels to put snow tires on for the winter months.

StoneWolfe

I found a set of 16 inch wheels with 225/75/16 tires from a 2014 Wrangler Unlimited Sport. And I'm having trouble making sure I'm looking at the right adapter to buy to install them on my 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport.

Any guidance will be greatly appreciated.

SteveMongr

Xj bolt pattern is 5" x 4.5"
Wranglers after 2006 is 5" x 5"
Hub/bore is the same so you want 'hub-centric' spacers for 5 x 4.5 to 5 x 5.
Get brand name like Spidertrax, they are heat treated. 1.25" thickness is plenty.

Here is a picture comparing hub-centric to lug-centric spacers. I do not recommend lug-centric spacers.

andrewmp6

But for the price of the rims and good adapters you can buy rims that fit.

SteveMongr

^That is true. If he can find a set from 2006 and earlier he would be golden.

StoneWolfe

I've found several sets of brand new wheels and tires (four plus a full size spare) for around $300-$400. Like I said, people usually pull the stock wheels and tires off their new Jeep and swap for beefier ones.

You really think I can buy new rims and tires that fit my 2001 Cherokee for cheaper than $300-$400, plus the cost of adapters?

Seems like new wheels and tires would be more expensive. Four new tires alone would probably hit the $300-$400 mark pretty quickly.

SteveMongr

Tire & Wheel combo was harder to find for me.
I purchased five 'ravine' wheels for $200 from a tire shop (2006 Wrangler).
New 31" tires were $135 each mounted.

Fred/N0AZZ

I agree buy the proper size rims with the correct back spacing on them (to keep tires from rubbing on LCA's and other sheet metal) for your XJ. Then buy the tires when you decide exactly what size you want to run. That will depend a lot on what size lift you plan on going with.


The most popular would be a 15" rim and 8" wide with 3.75-4" of BS, that size you can install up to a 35x12:50x15's if desired. I have 2 full sets of rims for mine both steel as I off road a lot one of them are a set of beadlocks with 35's and can air down to 5psi if needed. The steel Soft Eights with the 33's I only air down to 12-15psi on a 8" rim any wider and you will knock a tire down.


Steel D-Rings or Soft Eight knock offs can be bought new for $45-55.00 in a lot of places Summit or Jegs for a few.


I bought a set (of 5) of these 33x12:50x15's Gladiator GR9000-MT's for $596 mounted/balanced/with a road hazard warranty from a local tire shop. They work great off road and no problems on the highway either, shop around and save up a little money then just buy once.

StoneWolfe

Ya'll make a compelling argument.

I'm probably going to take your advice then, and just shop around for some good used wheels that fit my Cherokee without the adapter and then find a good deal on some beefier tires.

I'm not looking to add a lift kit or do any crazy modifications or anything like that, (although a lift of a few inches would be sweet), I just need new tires and I figured I could get used wheels and tires for the price of new tires. This would have been good because I wanted to have a winter and summer set. Winters in the mountains around here make driving tough.

Thanks for all the advice. I guess my idea wasn't the best idea after all.

If you have any other suggestions, let me know.

I guess having two sets of wheels isn't necessary. Maybe I'll just try and find a good deal on a larger set of all-terrain tires.

I wish I knew someone in the West Virginia area I could hook up with that's down with working on their own Jeep.

SteveMongr

You have a good idea with the new tire wheel combo. It's just the added expense of $180 adapters that is the issue. And if an adapter is damaged somehow, the wheel will not fit without it.

The ravine wheels I run have 1/2" less backspacing than stock XJ, am using 1" spacers to compensate. But wheel will still fit and function with out them.
You will likely run into the same situation. The backspacing is often different for stock jeep wheels from other models.

Check this thread for factory jeep wheels http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f15/a...tures-1151525/

mschi772

I may be biased, but my list is better.

1976gmc20

I have those "Lace" 15" wheels on my XJ: silver rim and gold lacing. I think they look sort of stupid.


I'd like to get a set of stock steel 15" wheels.

bender32

I went the adapter route with a set of 5 wheels/tires off of a 2011 wrangler. For my whole setup I have less than $350 with adapters.






My advice is take your time looking for the right deal on the setup that you want if your not in a rush and only buy it once. Good luck!