The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline will trailer wheels work on the truck?

Getting late and my mind is turning to mush, but will go ahead and ask something I could probably figure out on my own in the morning...

Anyways, is there any reason this 15x6 trailer wheel wouldn't work on my stock pickup? etrailer wheel My main concern is the zero offset and whether that'd create a handling problem, as the original wheels are slightly positive offset if I recall. They're inexpensive and with chrome baby moons would have the look I'm after for an alternate set of wheels/tires to lower my tall gearing a bit. Perhaps a 205-75-15 or 215-75-15 tires.

I'm probably over-thinking it, but they're ALOT cheaper than what I've found elsewhere such as Wheel Vintiques. Not to mention free shipping.

I used the 16"x6" 6 etrailer wheels on my truck. I also used wide burge lug nuts to better center up on the studs.

The "official" answer is "no". That's because most trailer wheels don't have a DOT number stamped on them for car or light truck use. In practical terms, they will work fine. You might get a little grief from some tire shops if they know how you plan to use the wheels- - - -sort of a liability C Y A maneuver on their part.
Jerry

Hmm...hadn't thought of that. Description says it "meets DOT specifications" and the etrailer rep doesn't poo-poo this customer with Q&A about using it on his Toyota Land Cruiser.

Etrailer web page:

Sturdy steel construction
Excellent corrosion resistance
Black powder coat finish over e-coat primer
Conventional design does not have spokes
High-quality wheel meets DOT specifications
Made in the USA

If you want to split hairs here, I am sure the DOT has a spec for trailer wheels. I think the trailer wheels I have seen, quote a number for it. Some of them also specifically say for trailer use only, for the reasons that Jerry mentioned.

I've never used an installer I thought was sharp enough to look or even care about DOT markings on a wheel. (perhaps because they've mostly been rural) Tires are a different matter because "TRAILER USE ONLY" is molded in the sidewall of those.

Begs the question...when did DOT stampings first appear on passenger wheels? Venturing a guess, was it sometime after the Advance Design years?

That's one thing the internet is good at........splitting hairs.



The specs of the trailer wheels in question have a capacity spec of 2600 pounds each and the 16x6-6 rated at 3050 pounds


Rim dimensions: 15" diameter x 6" wide
Bolt pattern: 6 on 5-1/2"
Wheel bolt size: 1/2"-20
Pilot diameter: 3.65"
Offset: 0
Capacity: 2,600 lbs
Limited 2-year warranty

Showkey do you remember any DOT markings on your wheels?

Here's another etrailer link where they seem ok with mounting on a passenger vehicle. I'm sure it'll vary by tire installer. Hopefully most won't have a problem with it.

There are no markings on the outside of the rim.
I think they are clearly marked in the inside with the size stamped in the rim. They came with labels and stickers on the rim but do not remember what all was on the labels.

My installer did not look twice at the rim other than to confirm the size matched the tires.
Think Installers will be more likely to question a 60 year old rim that is riveted, rusted, pitted in the bead seal area, likely could be bent, originally set up for tubes. Even an restored rim might generate more scrutiny.

Since the truck is 7/16" studs and the wheels are 1/2" holes wide burge lug nuts are the best solution to center things up.

There was no DOT in the Advance Design years.

Yep, and the old question of whether to use tubes in tubeless tires on tube rims that don't have the bead lock drives a lot of us crazy.
Would you have a link for those nuts? I measure the lug holes on my stock rims at 9/16 and they seem ok with regular lug nuts.

And wasn't life simply grand in those days!

There was no DOT in those days, but we were regulated by the ICC and in Texas by the RRC. I don't know which was worse. This is what the DOT has to say about wheels.
393.205 Wheels.

(a) Wheels and rims shall not be cracked or broken.

(b) Stud or bolt holes on the wheels shall shall not be elongated (out of round).

(c) Nuts or bolts shall not be missing or loose.

Would you have a link for those nuts? I measure the lug holes on my stock rims at 9/16 and they seem ok with regular lug nuts.
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I purchased my lug nuts at a swap meet from a large lug nut seller ( all they sell is lug nuts every size and shape) explained what I was doing........he said use this wide bulge nuts. Thing it's bulge not burge but have heard it both ways.

If your rims had 9/16" holes your nuts maybe ok.

I had a look at my wheels. They are sitting in the shop waiting for paint. They were recently sandblasted and painted with DP50 primer.

I cannot find any DOT markings on the wheels. What I did find was "Kelsey" and "15x6 JJ" stamped on the inside. There are some codes stamped near the hole for the valve. So don't bother looking for DOT codes.

Most of the FLAPS up here carry a variety of "bulge" nuts. I saw some one time in Walmart. They were made in China and because of the bore inside, some of the thread was missing!

I just went out and had a look at one of my trailer rims. I believe it is a Dexstar. Here is what it says.

MADE IN USA DOT T-16x6K HEAVY

TRAILER USE ONLY
6 01 02 3 03 MM

As others have said: The Dexstar rim sold by E-trailer can be used on any truck as long as the load rating is not exceeded. The "K" is the profile/cross section shape of the rim. This rim will accommodate many hub cap types from the 60's. Maybe 50's. It's an exact copy of steelies used in the day. The wheel will not know if it's on a trailer or a truck. It is DOT approved. They don't exactly say it's OK for a truck for legal reasons.
You could make a case that trailer wheels need to be stronger than truck wheels (maybe not off road).

Offset? "Slightly offset" is pretty much the same as zero offset. Depending on what dimension slightly is.