Front Tires and Rims

[Jimijames]

Hey Everyone

My passenger side front tire has a bent rim and was losing air.  I installed the spare, which is also losing air (30 lbs. every 3-4 days).  I want to fix the bent rim and buy 2 new tires.  I know that the tires should be "C" grade, 8 ply.  I found these online, that seem to fit the bill:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Thunderer-Ranger-R101-185R14C-Load-D-8-Ply-Commercial-Tire/447738501

 

Can y'all confirm these will work for the front tires?

Also, does anyone know how to fix a bent rim or if it's better to just look for a replacement?

[Jimijames]

It’s a 1986 Odyssey Mesa 2wd. The tires on the front now are 185/r14c

[linda s]

The tires are fine for your rig. I would check the age on the rear tires while your at it. Tires older than 7 years should be replaced no matter how they look. Look online for how to tell what year tires were made. 

Your front rims are standard Toyota 5 lug rims. In California almost any salvage yard will have a selection to pick from. 

Linda S

[fred heath]

Any 5x4.5 ( 5x114.3)x14” will work. Toyota wheels are “lug centric”. As long as the center bore is large enough any correct size wheel will work.

If you’re using front hubcaps it might be easier just to order 2 new generic wheels. Your getting new tires, might as well get wheels at the same time.

 

[Jimijames]

Linda, My front and rear rims have 6 lugs not 5.  I’ve attached pics. 

[Jimijames]

44 minutes ago, fred heath said:

Any 5x4.5 ( 5x114.3)x14” will work. Toyota wheels are “lug centric”. As long as the center bore is large enough any correct size wheel will work.

If you’re using front hubcaps it might be easier just to order 2 new generic wheels. Your getting new tires, might as well get wheels at the same time.

 

Thanks Fred. This is good information. The Odyssey didn’t come with hubcaps and it’s just the one wheel that is a problem and probably due to the bent rim. The tires are actually in good shape, but it would be easier to get the whole set. 

[Jimijames]

5 minutes ago, Jimijames said:

Linda, My front and rear rims have 6 lugs not 5.  I’ve attached pics. 

Unless you are talking about the inner lugs.  I profess my ignorance. What do these inner 5 bolts attach to?  When 

[fred heath]

25 minutes ago, Jimijames said:

Unless you are talking about the inner lugs.  I profess my ignorance. What do these inner 5 bolts attach to?  When 

If you have 6 lug front wheels disregard my wheel comment. Only good for standard 5 lug wheels.

[Jimijames]

7 minutes ago, fred heath said:

If you have 6 lug front wheels disregard my wheel comment. Only good for standard 5 lug wheels.

Disregarded.

[linda s]

Someone in the past put six lug adapters on your front wheels. Your going to need to find another 6 lug dually wheel. Try car-part.com

I will look when I get home. Too hard from phone

Linda S

[extech]

or... you could get 3 stock toyota wheels and sell me the adapters😉

[fred heath]

5 minutes ago, extech said:

or... you could get 3 stock toyota wheels and sell me the adapters😉

Then he would need to carry 2 separate spare tires. Good try though.

[extech]

zactly where im at

[Jimijames]

So, originally this had 5-lug wheels and it was retrofitted with a 6-lug adapter on the front?  Would that also be true for the rear duallies? (See pics I posted). I am not 100% on the 5-lug versus 6-lug history, but was under the impression that my Odyssey was factory 6-lug (if there is such a thing).  Now that I know that’s not the case, wouldn’t any 6-lug 5x4.5x14 rim work? What was the advantage of using the 5 to 6 lug adapter on the front wheels? Continuity and standardization? Sorry lotsa questions, but I’m still wrapping my head around this development. 

[extech]

so it came with 6 lug full floating rear axle, but the front wheels were stock 5 lug wheels.  the spare was a 5 lug wheel. it didnt come with a spare for the rear.  smart po upgraded to 6 lug front wheels so the 6 lug spare could be used in any location

[WME]

Basically extech  got it right. 6 bolt in the back, 5 bolt in the front  and a 5 bolt spare with no 6 bolt spare. Choices... limp on 3 rear wheels to the next tire store and demount the tire on the five bolt rim or buy a new tire (a non starter these days). OR buy the 5/6 bolt adapter and a 6 bolt rim. Install the adapter and the 6 bolt rim for a flat on the front and just the 6 bolt for a rear flat.

If you were bucks up, you bought 2 adapters and 3 6 bolt rims and went first class.

 

WARNING the 4wd 6 bolt rim is NOT the same as the 1 ton 6 bolt dually. The 1 ton rim has a 7.5" bolt pattern. The 5 bolt is 4.5". the 4wd 6 bolt is 5.5"

 

All this nonsense is only for 1986 and recalled and up graded 85 and earlier. In 1987 Toyota went to 6 bolt factory fronts

[linda s]

Yup my little Sunrader has 5 lugs in the front. Doesn't bother me at all. So here are some salvage yards near you that might have the wheels you need

Truck Parts Company

Home (danstruckandauto.com)

SV Auto Dismantling | Irwindale, CA (car-part.com)

Listings on the site I use can be old and not available anymore. Always call first. If no luck call these guys. They have been the Toyota mini truck go to place for many years. They also have mechanics who know these trucks.

CalMini-Truck Dismantler (calminirecycling.com)

Linda S

 

[fred heath]

You’re good with what you got. Ideally, your spare tire will also have 6 lugs. If the PO upgraded the front wheels hopefully they also upgraded the spare tire.

Linda is a great parts source. She should be able to locate another wheel for the front.

If your spare tire has 6 lugs, use that as a replacement for the front rim that’s bent. Use the bent as the spare until you get a replacement wheel or find a shop that can straighten the bad wheel.

[Jimijames]

29 minutes ago, fred heath said:

You’re good with what you got. Ideally, your spare tire will also have 6 lugs. If the PO upgraded the front wheels hopefully they also upgraded the spare tire.

Linda is a great parts source. She should be able to locate another wheel for the front.

If your spare tire has 6 lugs, use that as a replacement for the front rim that’s bent. Use the bent as the spare until you get a replacement wheel or find a shop that can straighten the bad wheel.

Except for the bent rim I need fixed or replaced.  The 6 bolt (adapted nonetheless) spare bolted right onto the hub as the fix for my bent rim with a slow leak.  A mechanic informed me the rim could be repaired. 
 

 

[fred heath]

OK. Reread your original post. Your spare is 6 lugs. How did you determine the rim was bent? The odds of both rims being bad is pretty astronomical. You can loose air for many different reasons. Have a tire shop check the wheels. Could just be a bad seal.

[Jimijames]

45 minutes ago, linda s said:

Yup my little Sunrader has 5 lugs in the front. Doesn't bother me at all. So here are some salvage yards near you that might have the wheels you need

Truck Parts Company

Home (danstruckandauto.com)

SV Auto Dismantling | Irwindale, CA (car-part.com)

Listings on the site I use can be old and not available anymore. Always call first. If no luck call these guys. They have been the Toyota mini truck go to place for many years. They also have mechanics who know these trucks.

CalMini-Truck Dismantler (calminirecycling.com)

Linda S

 

Thank you for the information and sources. I’m leaning toward trying to get this rim fixed and getting new tires for both fronts and front spare. 
 

Besides being dual, are the rear wheels any different than the front?  Reason I ask is I would want a spare for the rear. 

[Jimijames]

1 minute ago, fred heath said:

OK. Reread your original post. Your spare is 6 lugs. How did you determine the rim was bent? The odds of both rims being bad is pretty astronomical. You can loose air for many different reasons. Have a tire shop check the wheels. Could just be a bad seal.

It’s a visual diagnosis; a very pronounced dent at the lip of the rim. I could be wrong about that being the cause of the leak. I definitely need to get her into a tire shop and get a true diagnosis. 

[Jimijames]

1 hour ago, WME said:

Basically extech  got it right. 6 bolt in the back, 5 bolt in the front  and a 5 bolt spare with no 6 bolt spare. Choices... limp on 3 rear wheels to the next tire store and demount the tire on the five bolt rim or buy a new tire (a non starter these days). OR buy the 5/6 bolt adapter and a 6 bolt rim. Install the adapter and the 6 bolt rim for a flat on the front and just the 6 bolt for a rear flat.

If you were bucks up, you bought 2 adapters and 3 6 bolt rims and went first class.

 

WARNING the 4wd 6 bolt rim is NOT the same as the 1 ton 6 bolt dually. The 1 ton rim has a 7.5" bolt pattern. The 5 bolt is 4.5". the 4wd 6 bolt is 5.5"

 

All this nonsense is only for 1986 and recalled and up graded 85 and earlier. In 1987 Toyota went to 6 bolt factory fronts

Actually the spare has the 5/6 bolt adapter, so besides needing to get a new tire I’m good.  I will get the motorhome into a tire store to determine if the bent rim is an issue or not. I assumed it was the reason I had a slow leak, but I may be wrong. If. It’s the cause and cannot be repaired, then I’ll begin searching for a replacement. Thank you for all your help. This is a great community. 
 

[Jimijames]

1 hour ago, linda s said:

Yup my little Sunrader has 5 lugs in the front. Doesn't bother me at all. So here are some salvage yards near you that might have the wheels you need

Truck Parts Company

Home (danstruckandauto.com)

SV Auto Dismantling | Irwindale, CA (car-part.com)

Listings on the site I use can be old and not available anymore. Always call first. If no luck call these guys. They have been the Toyota mini truck go to place for many years. They also have mechanics who know these trucks.

CalMini-Truck Dismantler (calminirecycling.com)

Linda S

 

So if my bent rim needed to be replaced, I could use a 5 bolt Toyota 1 ton rim with my existing rim 5/6 adapter (from the bent rim)?  Is this the correct one:

http://search4721.used-auto-parts.biz/images/interchange/thumbW69197B.jpg14x5-1/2 (4x2), 1 ton

[WME]

There is no thing as a 1 ton 5 bolt rim. That is a standard Toyota pickup rim. You could remove the 5/6 bolt adapter and just bolt up that rim to the stock 5 bolt hub. Get 2 5 bolt rims and keep an 5/6 adapter and a 6 bolt rim and press on.

In your case there is a complacation in that you have 6 hand hold rims. New Toyota MH have 3 hand hold rims. They are interchangable IF you have the right lug nuts. 

[linda s]

No I posted places that have 6 bolt dually rims. I do not recommend you go back to original. The dually is an upgrade you should definitely keep. Those places are super close to you

Linda l

[mpanzar]

i have an extra rim i can part with if you need it. $100 + shipping?

[WME]

I'm just answering your questions.. Linda is right the best you can do is get a 6 bolt rim

Edited February 1, 2022 by WME

[Jimijames]

On 1/31/2022 at 12:15 PM, fred heath said:

Any 5x4.5 ( 5x114.3)x14” will work. Toyota wheels are “lug centric”. As long as the center bore is large enough any correct size wheel will work.

If you’re using front hubcaps it might be easier just to order 2 new generic wheels. Your getting new tires, might as well get wheels at the same time.

 

Will my “adapted” front wheels (including spare) fit the dually rears? Or are the front and rear completely different?  I am aware that in their natural state, my fronts are 5 lug and rear are 6 lug. However since I have been enlightened by this forum that my fronts were originally 5 lug (1986 only) but have the 5/6 adapter, I was just wondering about front/rear interchangeability. 

[Jimijames]

On 1/31/2022 at 2:08 PM, linda s said:

Someone in the past put six lug adapters on your front wheels. Your going to need to find another 6 lug dually wheel. Try car-part.com

I will look when I get home. Too hard from phone

Linda S

We’re you able to find a 6-lug dually. I had no luck searching. 

[Jimijames]

On 1/31/2022 at 5:27 PM, WME said:

Basically extech  got it right. 6 bolt in the back, 5 bolt in the front  and a 5 bolt spare with no 6 bolt spare. Choices... limp on 3 rear wheels to the next tire store and demount the tire on the five bolt rim or buy a new tire (a non starter these days). OR buy the 5/6 bolt adapter and a 6 bolt rim. Install the adapter and the 6 bolt rim for a flat on the front and just the 6 bolt for a rear flat.

If you were bucks up, you bought 2 adapters and 3 6 bolt rims and went first class.

 

WARNING the 4wd 6 bolt rim is NOT the same as the 1 ton 6 bolt dually. The 1 ton rim has a 7.5" bolt pattern. The 5 bolt is 4.5". the 4wd 6 bolt is 5.5"

 

All this nonsense is only for 1986 and recalled and up graded 85 and earlier. In 1987 Toyota went to 6 bolt factory fronts

So for the dually wheel, will any 14”, 6x7.5 fit the dually or is there another factor (1-Ton designation) I need to be aware of?

[linda s]

Did you not call any of the places I posted. They were all within 30 miles of Orange county. Scroll back and look. The only Toyota rim with that lug pattern is the dually. All of them only used on the heavy duty trucks that had dually wheels. Scroll back and look at my earlier post. The one where I say I have a 5 lug front. You're not asking for one your year. You're just asking for a dually. Don't make it more complicated than it is. Call them

Linda S

[WME]

Your 6 bolt rims front and rear are 6 bolt, 6 hand hold rims are interchanable front and rear. So no problem.

 

Replacement rim... simple buy a 6 hand hold rim, problem is they are rare.  The newer 3 hand hold rim is OK IF you get the correct lug nuts 

[thewanderlustking]

Jimjames, in almost every town is a franchise called the Wheel Doctor.  Look for them, or if you can't find them, go to your local tire shop and ask them who repairs rims.  Yes, normally you would go online to Amazon, Tire Warehouse, or eBay and get a wheel, but you have a rare wheel that is valuable because it is hard to find.    

 

An average wheel is $150 to repair.  Your mileage will vary, I bring them enough work that I might get a better price than the average person walking in.  

 

Have a tire shop look at it and have them tell you where you can get it repaired, IF IT EVEN NEEDS TO BE.   This is not advice from another Toyota Motorhome expert.  This is advice from somebody who has been in the automotive industry for over 25yrs with almost all of that time spent in tire heavy shops.  It is EXTREMELY rare for a vehicle more than 4-5yrs old to come in with 4 straight steel wheels.  The wheels on these Toyotas though, are as close to BOMB PROOF (like beyond bulletproof)  I have ever seen.  In all my years doing tires, I have never once seen one of these dually wheels that are bent.  I also have 11 of them, all more than 35yrs old, and every single one I have balanced is ARROW STRAIGHT.  Pretty sure I have balanced ALL of them too.      

 

Yes it is possible, but any hit hard enough to have bent one of these small and super thick wheels, is probably going to have caused a serious accident and done visible damage to the truck or suspension components.  Yes, I do see maybe a minor lip wobble in one of the pictures.  But not a bend that's severe enough to cause a leak....  More likely you have rusty/crusty 35yr old wheels and they simply need to be cleaned and bead sealed where the tire mounts up.  Or even more likely you have crappy stems.  

 

But also remember this, pretty much every tire that sits, leaks air.  I make it part of my monthly routine to start the truck, and check air in all the tires.  I am usually somewhere between 2-8psi low from last top up.  Also make a point to drive and move the RV.  Don't just let it sit unmoving in the same spot for months on end.  I drive it around the block so my tires aren't sitting in the same spot.   General rule of thumb is if you are loosing more than 3-4 psi of air a week, you have a leak.  But 3-4psi is also the difference between a cold early morning, and a hot sunny afternoon.        

 

Better yet, I messaged you my phone number.  I have 4 of the 6 hand hole 6 lug wheels.  Come by and pick them up with the crappy tires on them, and they are free!  But likely that isn't realistically accomplished, so I can dismount the tires and ship the wheels to you.  Check your messages.           

 

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by thewanderlustking

[thewanderlustking]

On 1/31/2022 at 9:23 PM, Jimijames said:

Except for the bent rim I need fixed or replaced.  The 6 bolt (adapted nonetheless) spare bolted right onto the hub as the fix for my bent rim with a slow leak.  A mechanic informed me the rim could be repaired. 
 

 

 

Sorry, I missed this.  If a mechanic said it could be repaired, either go do this, or hit up mpanzer or me.  I didn't see his post before I messaged you.