How to alter wheel bolt circle?

In reply to Gasoline :

I have one of those drill guides to go from 4x108 to 4x100 if I need to. My plan, such as it is, was to go to 4x100 since everything I own uses that pattern.

In reply to Pete Gossett :

13" wheels would be almost 14" OD,which is bigger than the ID of the 15" ones. The 13" would have to be turned down in a lathe. If I had access to a lathe it would be pretty straightforward to remove the centers from two sets of fifteens and make a new set of 15x10 with a 4x100 bolt circle. I do like the way your thinking. You could do what you suggest with aluminum wheels and then TIG them together, too. I just need a lathe and a TIG and someone who knows how to use them. I wonder if Andrew Nelson would adopt me?

I like where you're going with this.  One word of caution of course.  Altering aluminum is tough enough, but altering/welding/machining a cast alumnum wheel that sees a heck of a lot of stress is not where I would want to go.  If you're a fabulous TIG welder, maybe, but it sounds like one pothole might send the rim to another zip code.

That is, of course, if I'm the one holding the tig torch.  Maybe a better metallurgist can chime in on that.

Take a look at my wheel thread from last week.  If you're looking to machine aluminum, look no further than a flush cut carbide bit chucked up in a router.  You might find a combination of bit and guide bearing to make a 13" wheel fit inside the rim of a 15x10 wheel.

Most aluminum wheels have about 1/2" lips, some more like 5/8".  But you're right... Lathe is the easy button here.  For me, steel would be the go-to since I can weld it safely myself  If that were the case, I would simply widen a set of 15x6 steelies from a Corolla or something, or take the center out of some 15x10 truck wheels and weld in the center part from some 15x6 steelies with the right pattern.

But honestly, there are tons of Ford, GM, and Jeep trucks out there with a 4.5, 4.75, 5, and 5.5" bolt pattern that you will probably get lucky enough by finding a pre-existing hub that has the truck pattern on it.  Buy the hubs from a junkyard and re-use your bearings to keep costs down.  It might be a longer shot, but that would at least be the "safest" way.

The most likely scenario is welding some 4x100 centers into a set of 15x10 rims. It's the easiest for me to do at home. Widening a set of steelies would require more welding and getting the strips cut at the local steel supplier. That all goes to the budget. Any hub changes will add front brake costs to the budget,too. Best bet is finding two sets of cheap steel wheels to make one set. I just keep stumbling on aluminum sets for $100 OBO and think it would be nice to be able to utilize them somehow.

DeadSkunk said:

I had thought about drilling the 4x100 pattern through the aluminum wheel, even though there isn't enough meat for the complete lug seat, and then bolting  a round ring flat against the outer surface. The ring could have a centering lip on its back surface. The lug nuts would then be sandwiching the wheel between the ring and the hub face. The studs would be behaving like drive pins on center mount racing wheels. That started feeling kinda sketchy though.

I think you're on the right track here. Sandwich the aluminum wheel with steel plate on each side and use the 5xwhatever holes to secure them with bolts. The inner plate will need to be thicker to counter sink the bolt heads in. Now drill the 4x100 pattern. You will probably need longer studs as the inner plate will act as a spacer. Not sure how close the 4x100 studs will be to each bolt, but look at an 8 lug truck wheel, not much meat from hole to hole. I only has to last the weekend, not 100,000 miles.

Surely basset will make a 15x10 in 4x100.  I bought my 15x10 for my neon from them.  Unless your scared off by the weight.  

In reply to 79rex :

I found 15x10 Bassetts on my local Craigslist for $70 each. That's a great price for wheels that are virtually brand new, but this is for a Challenge car so $70 a wheel is out of the question. I'd like to end up at $100/set if possible, $150 at worst. And anything I concoct will likely weigh more than the Bassetts. It's all about Challenge budgeting.

DeadSkunk said:

The most likely scenario is welding some 4x100 centers into a set of 15x10 rims. It's the easiest for me to do at home. Widening a set of steelies would require more welding and getting the strips cut at the local steel supplier. That all goes to the budget. Any hub changes will add front brake costs to the budget,too. Best bet is finding two sets of cheap steel wheels to make one set. I just keep stumbling on aluminum sets for $100 OBO and think it would be nice to be able to utilize them somehow.

 

Understood.  The way I widen steelies is to find freebie wheels and cut a section of the rim out to weld into the wheels I want to keep.  Practically free that way.  In effect, take 8 skinnies and make 4 wide wheels.  I helped a buddy with a set where he took a set of 13x6 and made them into 15x9 by cutting the inner and outer bead rail off the 15s and welded them onto the bead rail of the 13s.  The other common way is to just use some meat from the rim of another wheel, cut your inner and/or outer lips off, cut a band off the donor wheel, and weld it between your two rings.

It's labor intensive and it seems like you're shying away from it, but I just think it's a lot safer than re-drilling aluminum wheels and using plates.  I know we all play to our talents and strengths and yours are different from mine, I'm just thinking that on a challenge budget, free steel wheels might be better than $100 alloys.  Just sharing what I, personally, would do.

In reply to Curtis :

So, the 15" bead rail are welded around the outer perimeter of the 13" wheels? Never thought of that one.

Caution not  all wheel centers are the same dia. so those 15"s must drop down to the 13" dia.

Call Bart wheel's, they were the go to Guy's for oddball stuff in the Day. see what they get for the wheel (BAND ) and see if they have a center that fit's.