When you’re looking for new rims for your vehicle, your Dodge will accept the rims from most Ford F-150’s manufactured between 1954 and 1998 as well as all Ford Broncos. Likewise, most Dodge rims made from 1961 to 1998 will fit a Ford.
Match the Bolt Pattern
The years of manufacturing make a difference because companies tend to change their designs over time. Dodge rims use what’s known as a 5x5x5 bolt pattern, which refers to the number of bolt holes and their distance apart. In this case, there are 5 holes with 5.5 “between them.
To get that measurement, if you looked at the rim as a pentagon, you would measure from the top-most hole to the bottom-left or right hole. With the other bolt patterns, whether 4,6, or 8 lug holes, you just measure the opposites.
Around the mid-to-late 1950’s, Ford adopted the 5x5x5 blueprint, so it was pretty easy to put on a Dodge. The only reason you couldn’t is if the center hole isn’t the right size, but there are ways to work around that.
Ford Broncos were all made with 5-hole rims, so your Dodge should have no problem accepting those parts. As for the other way around, Ford wheels will take rims from Dodge vehicles made until 1998 without much issue.
What’s Different About Ford Rims?
Around 1998, Ford changed their rims to use flare nuts which don’t fit correctly on a Dodge rim no matter the year. The only way to fix this is to switch out the flare nuts for regular lug nuts, but there might still be some sizing issues with the lug holes.
Check the Measurements
On top of the right bolt pattern, you need to find the right wheels. There are potentially 3 measurements to keep in mind when you’re searching for tires: offset, backspacing, and diameter. The first 2 are mostly the same thing and the diameter is just for your consideration.
How to Measure Wheel Offset
Wheel offset is measured in mm and you might see it as +20mm or-12mm. Offset and backspacing both have to do with how far your tire will stick out from the wheel hub, so you want a positive number.
In order to get the offset, you have to take the distance between the farthest wheel flanges. If you half that, you’ll get the measurement of the wheel center line. Subtract it from the backspacing. Next is a simple conversion to millimeters and you’ve got your offset.
To know if it’s a positive or negative offset, compare the wheel center line to your backspacing result. It is positive if it is greater than the backspacing, and vice versa, so you want a wheel with a greater center line distance than backspacing.
How to Measure Wheel Backspacing
As for obtaining your backspacing, that’s the distance from the wheel studs to the exterior. There are no calculations involved and it’s measured in inches, so feel free to just use a ruler to find it without trouble.
Unlike the wheel offset, though, you want a higher backspacing measurement because fewer inches equates to the wheel sticking out of the wheel hub more. However, it’s important to keep in mind that going too far one way or the other can damage your vehicle.
To avoid this or your tire jamming on the undercarriage, keep in mind that most Dodge vehicles are manufactured with around 5 or 5.5 “of backspacing, so you want a tire that is close while still having the interchangeable 5x5x5x design.
Tips For Choosing Your Wheel Diameter
Of course, to help with the backspacing you can choose a tire with the right diameter. Choosing a smaller diameter, for instance, could give you more backspacing to work with, but there are still limits.
More diameter tires are more expensive, especially if purchased used, and add weight to your vehicle.This in turn adds to the torque and will increase your gas usage as well as initial horsepower.
Technically, you can put a wheel as small as 15 or 16 “on your Dodge or Ford, but it’s ill-advised. Especially with the 15 “, you run the risk of snapping the rotors if you have too much backspacing, so go with at least 16” or more.
Summary
If you’re looking to swap rims between a Dodge or a Ford, you can generally do so if they were manufactured between the mid-1950’s and 1998 because they share a 5-lug design with 5.5 “spacing.
There could be a snag with the center hole diameter and anything post-1998 might need replacement lug nuts, but the Ford Bronco rims are completely interchangeable with Dodge.
One last thing to keep in mind when you’re trying to swap rims is to consider the size of the wheels. The offset and backspacing are the most important measurements to identify or understand, with the diameter of the wheel being a secondary consideration.
Hi, I hope this article was helpful to you. If you've ever owned a car before, it's inevitable that you will deal with your fair share of car issues. I know I have, and that's why my passion is to research common car questions and answer them.
- 10w20 vs 10w30: Which Is Better? - June 14, 2022
- Clay Bar vs Rubbing Compound: Which Is Better? - June 14, 2022
- BG 44K vs Techron: Which Is Better? - June 14, 2022