A factory alternative to aftermarket wheels...

[honu]

I am the original owner of an '02 Liberty Limited. When it came time to replace the tires a few years back, I was looking for a way to save a buck or two.

Well, I also own an '07 Magnum and I'd swapped out the stock 18" alloys for a set of the Challenger SRT wheels and tires... so, I thought, what the heck.

I slapped the Magnum wheels on the Liberty and they bolted right up... or so I thought. Shortly thereafter, a member here pointed out the bolt patterns were slightly different between the cars... the Liberty's being 114.3 on 5 (I believe) and the Magnum's being 115 on 5. He advised that I watch for any indication of wobbling or damage to the lug bolts/holes in the wheels.

Well, I've monitored the situation for a couple of years now and I thought I'd check back and let you know that I've experienced no problems what so ever.

I've kept an eye on it and have also had the wheels/lugs/rotors and drums inspected by the dealer. The torque on the wheel nuts have remained consistent, there's no sign of damage to the studs themselves or any galling in the lug holes on the wheels. Apparently, the wheels are "hub centric", meaning the lugs take very little of the mounting stresses, the wheel center sits on a flange machined into the brake rotor and/or drum.


I can't "recommend" you mount up "non-matched" wheels on your Jeep, but thought you might be interested in my experience. My Liberty is NOT run hard off-road, perhaps a fire trail or dirt road occasionally, so it's not subjected to high stress loads... it's primarily street driven or towed behind our motorhome.

Anyway, here's a photo to show how the wheels look on the Liberty...

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BTW, the Magnum wheels are 18"x7" and with the extra width, I ended up with a very slightly wider track... maybe a 1/2 and inch or so on each side. The tires I have currently mounted are Cooper 255/55-18's. I have had no issues with rubbing or interference with suspension/frame/bodywork.

As a bonus, these wheels are factory forged, so they're strong and best of all, can be found on the forums/E-Bay for fairly cheap... I've seen sets selling for under $300 bucks.

Like I said, thought I pass on my experiences

 

[CzarKJ]

Very cool for a street only liberty. When the ones around here go bigger it usually turns out ghastly but yours looks clean! Glad it all worked out for you!

 

[honu]

Very cool for a street only liberty. When the ones around here go bigger it usually turns out ghastly but yours looks clean! Glad it all worked out for you!

Thanks, I Know what you mean about how ghastly way oversized wheel/tire combinations can get... Donks come to mind.

For the type of off-road "adventures" I engage in, this set-up works well...and looks pretty good too.

 

[tommudd]

hate to say it but I wouldn't run a mismatched set of wheels like that on mine
What happens over time it will actually bend the studs somewhat and weaken them
I'm happy you haven't had any issues yet but not a good idea overall

 

[CactusJacked]

The bolt pattern difference comes out to about 1/32". I have read from guys that had their studs snap off over time from off-sizing their wheels just like what you're doing. The studs are being stressed at an angle, even though a little, but still they're stressed.

 

[kj04libby]

I honestly love the look but I wouldn't wanna run them being that its not an exact match. I'd be nervous that I'd just hit a pot hole and wreck after my wheel falls off. Lol.

 

[streetglideok]

Like what has been said, you're asking for a wheel off. I once had a customer(yes I have plenty of stories lol), that had unilug wheels. Oddly enough, both sets of holes were very close in size, and so you could accidently slide the wheel onto the wrong holes. First time I have encountered this. Guy kept having broken studs, and nearly a wheel off a few times on one wheel. It ended up in my lap the last time, and I noticed immediately the tweaking of the existing studs. Lil more inspecting and found what was going on. New studs and nuts, and an education to everyone involved and the problem was solved. Besides, not to take away from the look, but those wheels wouldn't last 2 minutes on the trails around here,lol.

 

[02blue]

Just noticed this thread. I like my stock Jeep 16s so I wouldn't try it, but my 2011 Avenger has the 114.3 on 5 bolt pattern and 18x7. I'm assuming they wouldn't fit since it's a FWD. I'd have to check the backspacing etc. They are nice looking rims though.