Evening, I’m about to get a new set of steel 15 inch wheels for my 1999 Jeep WJ. Will 15x10 wheels with 4inches of backspacing clear the caliper? I also have 1.5 inch wheels spacers I don’t plan on using but would those help with clearance? Thanks!
15’s on Jeep WJ
- Thread starter Parketip24
- Start date
Advocate I
You'll prob have better luck on the WJ Facebook Groups (as scary as that is) with this specific of a question. When I still had stock axles/brakes because all my research said 15"s wouldn't clear. That said, steelies have more clearance *generally* and it's going to come down to our exact wheel/offset combo. I liked 16"s just fine on my WJ with the 32"s and still run them now with 35"s:
-TJ
Advocate I
Going for a wide stance, this Jeep ain’t climbing mountains just simple trails/hunting club roads
Member III
If your vehicle came with 15's they will clear.
If it came with 16's you may have to remove some of the outer casting from the caliper if they rub. Normally it's just 1/8" off the outer ends. I've done this with my disc sander. The other obstacle is the wheel weights. The stick on weights get scraped off without enough clearance. The inner part of the rim that has a smaller diameter is called the drop center. That's the area you need to watch if they balanced your rim with the weights on the inside.
If it came with 16's you may have to remove some of the outer casting from the caliper if they rub. Normally it's just 1/8" off the outer ends. I've done this with my disc sander. The other obstacle is the wheel weights. The stick on weights get scraped off without enough clearance. The inner part of the rim that has a smaller diameter is called the drop center. That's the area you need to watch if they balanced your rim with the weights on the inside.
Advocate I
Advocate I
JKs can fit a 16", most just don't do it. I have JK axles/brakes on the WJ and I run 16"s on it. I wish I had 17"s though (should have just bought new wheels when I did the bigger tires) so I could put a big brake kit for a JK on the front of it. The brakes are... "okay" at best.
-TJ
Tires will do that....
My brakes keep getting more ok as I put more miles and more tire on my rig...
Advocate I
Member III
My response was more generic. This way if the OP still went 15's and had an issue, he would have an idea what to look at.
In the late 80's, My sales staff wanted lowered trucks and raised trucks. All the 1500 series had 16 inch rims. They ordered 15's for everything in aluminum. That's when I first learned clearancing the caliper. Since then, I've modded quite a few calipers for people. For me personally, I would choose a 16 or if I was running 35's or taller a 17.
I've seen a number of smaller rims clear calipers just to have the tape weights hit.
