Question about wheel swap on a Dodge Neon?

Question

I would ike to put at set of 17" wheels from an SRT-4 Neon on to my regular SXT Neon which now has 15" wheels. I know the bolt pattern is the same, but does anyone know how a 2 inch larger rim would affect things like speedometer accuracy, and would the fact that my SXT has rear drum brakes vs the larger rear discs on an SRT-4 be an issue? I want to be sure since I am considering bidding on a set on ebay and don't wnat to be stuck with something I can't use. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I think the swap will work without any problems. Magnum had a good idea about checking the wheel offset. A change in offset will affect handling and stress/leverage on bearings and steering components. http://neons.org has a chart which calculates tire/wheel changes effect on speedometer accuracy. For example if your stock tire size was 185 60R15 and you change to 205 50R17 (the stock SRT-4 tire), indicated 65mph will actually be 68.6mph. Although it may not be a consideration, chains cannot be used with the 17" Neon wheels and tires.

Answer 2

Firstly, that is good they are the same bolt pattern.

However, you have to make sure they have similar offset or backspacing. The distance that the rims will move inwards or outwards from the moving components in the wheel well. Or that matter how much the tire will hang outside of your wheel wells if you get a positive offset vs a negative offset.

If they have similar/same offsets and same bolt pattern you are laughing. I don't think you would have to get your speedo calibrated if you got low profile tires on the 17's to match the total diameter of your 15 inch wheels and tires. Rear drums will not be an issue vs. disc brakes.


Also, I know a few customtire websites actually have measurements of most vehicles and you can type in the specs of the rims such as bolt pattern, offset and tire sizes to ensure they will fit your vehicle.

Good luck

Answer 3

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html Your speedo will depend on the gearing of the trans as well as the tire size. For example, your speedo might be off by 7mph with 235/45/17's but only 4mph with 245/30/17's.

Why would the drums matter if the discs on the SRT-4 are larger? If you were going the other way around (ie. had an SRT-4 and wanted smaller rims on it), then you'd have to worry about clearance issues. Given that the drums are SMALLER than the discs, you'd be fine.

Answer 4

well if you know the exact model of the rims you can always look for them on the www to find manufacturers specifications
about the speedometer it might show you a little bit less than your actual speed, since the distance traveled per wheel revolution is greater (about 13 %, according to geometric rules)
the issue of drum breaks, since you said that the regular discs are larger doesn't seem to be a problem
anyway make sure that, even if there's a similar number of bolts on the hub, they're also similarly spaced (same diameter)
you might want to consider that changing the wheels will stress all moving parts more than the ones originally designed by the manufacturer

Answer 5

I think that the Stratus wheels also fit. I have a 98 Neon and have been looking at new wheels. I have steelies and wheel covers :( I think I heard that VW 5 lug wheels fit right on as well.