15 or 17 inch Wheels?

I bought a 1974 Dodge W200 4x4 5-years ago. It ran but needed lots of restoration. The manual trans needed rebuilding (noisy, mostly worn bearings) so I pulled the trans and it has been sitting on a workbench in pieces the last 3-plus Years. I lost a tire while it sat (self destructed while parked).

I’m finally getting back to working on the W200 to get it back on the road. Figured a “used” tire would be good enough ‘til I got it back together and running, but truck has 16.5 inch rims.

16.5 rims are Not all that common lately and becoming less so over time. Got a used replacement tire 5-years back, now none were available (used).

At some point I’ll likely get New tires for it, but which size should I move into; should I choose 15-inch or 17-inch rims?

I have 33x12.50x16.5 tires on it and figure I’ll stick with “33’s.

I have 15-inch rims with 33-inch tires on my Jeep CJ -5 and I like that as is, but not sure which rim size to go with for the W200.

I run a 285/75/R17 on my 73 W200 and am very happy with it. I do have a 4" lift and could easily fit a bigger tire but the truck performs really well with the tall skinny tire and aluminum rims. With that tire size there is plenty of sidewall when using the 17" rim and I think it looks right.

-Jon

I'd go with the 17's. The 15s might not fit over the the calipers in the front. These days, tires for 17" wheels are probably more common than 15" anyway.

Good point about Front Drum Brake Clearance. Hadn’t considered it. I’ll measure and maybe 17’s are what I should go with... I was thinking I could better re-use tires between the Jeep and the Dodge (if both used 15-inch rims).

Also, would think the wider sidewalls would provide more cushioning (15’s).

A friend bought a ‘73 W200 that had a (dealer added) 440 and manual transmission truck, around 6-months after I bought my ‘74 W200 (factory 360/Manual trans). Always wanted to convert mine to a 440/Manual trans, but more work and expense than I’m up for, at least for now (will just build up the 360 a bit). Thanks for the reply.

Blown340,

Thanks for the photo and reply. Nice to see how your 17’s look.

Your ‘73 looks (better) but similar to my ‘74.

Thanks again,
DC

Go with 17 a lot more tire choices,belive it or not 15 is a dieing size.

Seems that way, though I read an article from “Four Wheeler Magazine” on tires written admittedly, five years ago, and it compared 15’s and 17’s with the Pros/Cons of each size.

http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/wheels-tires/1410-picking-the-right-size-wheel-for-your-truck-rim-

Also this from a Jeep forum:

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/15-vs-17-wheels.14538/

Pretty big difference between a Jeep and a 3/4 ton full sized pickup.
Can you even get 15" wheels with the 8 lug bolts?
I would do the 17" wheels because the 15" tires are getting harder to find, and that is not going to improve as time rolls on. In a few more years, I suspect you will likely only have one or two brands and sizes of 15" tires to choose from. Gene

I've got 33x12.5x16.5's on my 71 W100 that need replacing & Summit has these really nice Interco 33x12.5x16.5's for
only $289 each. Much cheaper than switching to 16"or 17" rims & tires. 16.5's are non beadlock but if you keep the pressure
up to normal, they're safe.

Appreciate the replies and info. Good to know.

DC

That's a great looking truck.. That's the same combo I put on the 74 RC when I did the 1 Ton Axle swap. I ended up going with Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT tires. Same size on my wife's FJ Cruiser too.