Buying new rims - tire shop says 5.75 back spacing...?

Pancake81

Bought an X
Location
BC
I have decided to get some new rims and rubber. Went into my local tire shop today and priced out a package, Hankook mud terrains 265/70/17 with some alloy rims. I was always under the impression that the first gens had a stick backspace of 5.5(?). When talking with the shop he looked it up and was positive it was 5.75. He even called another shop, and they confirmed 5.75.

If they sell me the 5.75's will they fit?

Truck is:
2002 Xterra
PML
Supercharged with stock 17's
RLC front bumper

Sorry for the newbie questions. But I would be pissed to drop $2,000 and have my tires rub like crazy.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
That size works out to a 32x10.50. Which is bang on for tire width. You should be golden. I ran 32x11.50s with just a PML and just had to trim the fender plastic a little. So with 10.50s should be fine.
 

Pancake81

Bought an X
Location
BC
Thanks Prime, you are a wealth of knowledge. I knew the tire size would fit, as that's what I have have always run. I am just a rookie when it comes to backspace, and the shop through me off when they said 5.75. I was positive the stock rims were 5.5 back spacing...

I was just worried with the different back spacing the tires would rub. So 5.75 is not an issue, correct? Should I ask for 5.5 as appose to the 5.75?
 

caseycamby

Suspension Lift
Location
Marion, NC
I'm 99.9% sure the stock backspacing on all first gen trucks are 5.5. You could even get away with running a little less than that and give it a wider stance. But you definitely can't go wrong with 5.5.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Okay. So. Factory 17" SE wheels have a +40mm offset. The wheels are 17x8. Convert 40mm to inches, its about 1.5"....

SO center on the rim is at 4" then you add the 40mm offset that takes the mounting face of the wheel to 5.5" total backspacing.

Stick to 5.5 or less. You don't want to go to 5.75" backspacing. That will cause problems.
 

Pancake81

Bought an X
Location
BC
Well I went back and talked to the guys again. They showed me their book that outlines compatable rims with each vehicle. The xterra had a range of offsets that were acceptable, and the rims he wants to sell me were in that range. Although they were 5.75's...

To top it off, he said they would stick out a touch further than 5.5's, but they would work fine. My understanding was 5.75's would be approximately 1/4" closer in. I am out to lunch?
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Yeah. That shop is on crack. The higher the backspacing, the more tucked under the wheel well. Lower backspacing would push the wheels outboard.
 

Pancake81

Bought an X
Location
BC
I am going to be honest. I am pretty frustrated with the whole after market rim shopping. I keep paying to have my winters put on, then my summers, and repeat. $80 a pop adds up after a few years. It seems hard to walk in a shop and get an affordable rim in 5.5 back spacing. And I really don't know enough to confidentially by a 5 inch back space, or 5.75 back space, etc.

My local kijiji has a pair of pathfinder take offs for $200. Descent looking rims. If they fit maybe I will just buy them for my winter tires.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
I am going to be honest. I am pretty frustrated with the whole after market rim shopping. I keep paying to have my winters put on, then my summers, and repeat. $80 a pop adds up after a few years. It seems hard to walk in a shop and get an affordable rim in 5.5 back spacing. And I really don't know enough to confidentially by a 5 inch back space, or 5.75 back space, etc.

My local kijiji has a pair of pathfinder take offs for $200. Descent looking rims. If they fit maybe I will just buy them for my winter tires.
What year pathfinder?

And I agree. Aftermarket rims are difficult sometimes. OE rims will always fit.
 

Pancake81

Bought an X
Location
BC
Also, is the center bore (hub size) an issue on the pathfinder rims? I may swap over to warn hubs also, not sure if they are bigger than stock, but something to consider when run shopping too
 

Pancake81

Bought an X
Location
BC
Hmm. Well I could stay with the auto hubs. Can you school me on the wheel spacers? What does one need to know?
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Hmm. Well I could stay with the auto hubs. Can you school me on the wheel spacers? What does one need to know?
A wheel spacer reduces the effective backspacing of the wheel. Typically 1¼“ to 1½“. The spacer works by bolting on to your factory lug studs and giving you new ones that are out further. Any lug centric spacer will work just make sure and use red loctite on inner lug nuts to make sure they don't go anywhere.
 

Pancake81

Bought an X
Location
BC
So... Pardon my noob again here. But wouldn't running a wheel spacer be equivelant to running less back spacing, thus making the rim stick out further. Leaving me the same issue of rubbing in the front?

If not, perhaps I will grab those Titan rims. He has dropped the price to $200 obo
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
So... Pardon my noob again here. But wouldn't running a wheel spacer be equivelant to running less back spacing, thus making the rim stick out further. Leaving me the same issue of rubbing in the front?

If not, perhaps I will grab those Titan rims. He has dropped the price to $200 obo
Effectively yes. A 1.25" spacer will take a wheel with 5.5" BS and make it 4.25" BS. It pushes the rim outward. But. Since the tires you're running aren't crazy wide, it may not be an issue.

Notice, I said "may"
 

Pancake81

Bought an X
Location
BC
So I found some stock 17" supercharged rims (same as I currently have) for sale. I also found some desert runners for a great price. Is there any down side to jumping down to a 15" rim? I know rubber is a bit cheaper, and you have more side wall for airing down and off roaring. But are there any negative effects to mileage etc to running a 15" over a 17" on highway?

Nissan frontier 6bolt alumn factory rims $200.00 on Kijiji http://www.kijiji.ca/v-tires-rims/calgary/nissan-frontier-6bolt-alumn-factory-rims-200-00/1151109921

265/65/17 on Kijiji http://www.kijiji.ca/v-tires-rims/edmonton/265-65-17/1125781140

Only trouble is, they are both 1000km away. I may take the wife's Honda Civic and do the trip though. Pretty cheap on fuel
 

Muadeeb

Nissan al Gaib
Admin
Location
Dallas
No negative effects to 15 over 17. As you said, rubber is cheaper for 15s. I don't think there will be a huge mileage difference. The biggest issue is you're driving an underpowered brick.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
The 4.1" backspacing is extremely low. As a rule you don't want to go lower than 4.25" so depending on your tire size, you may be in for a bad time.

They look like they should fit over the hubs.
 

harryron

The Grumpiest of Mid-Westerners
Location
ohio
The 4.1" backspacing is extremely low. As a rule you don't want to go lower than 4.25" so depending on your tire size, you may be in for a bad time.

They look like they should fit over the hubs.
Why don't you want to go lower than 4.25 back spacing?

sent from the middle of a corn field.
 

KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
Why don't you want to go lower than 4.25 back spacing?

sent from the middle of a corn field.
On our trucks, lower backspacing becomes a problem because it makes the inside edge of the tire stick out further. At full lock, the inner shoulder of the tire will rub on the back edge of the front fender.

The first set of wheels and tires I bought were only 31x10.5r15's, but the wheels had 3.75" of backspacing. They rubbed baaad, even on pavement. I had to turn my steer stops out all the way and they still hit.
 
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