Interchangeability of GM steel rims and wheels


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Old 08-14-15, 12:13 PM
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Interchangeability of GM steel rims and wheels

As some may know, Chevy no longer provides a spare of any kind in some of their newer car models. Instead, at least with our 2015 Malibu they've installed a 12volt air pump in the wheel-well where the spare would be stored.

I'd like to get an extra rim from a auto recycler and keep a spare tire in the wheel well rather than an air pump. So my question is, are all 16" GM rims interchangeable and how can I find out for Which Chevy Models & Model Years are swappable?
I remember that occasionally a car maker would change the rims some way or another so that they wouldn't interchange with earlier models but don't know if that's still typical or not.

The Malibu takes a tire size P215 X 60 R16. The current rims are the plain steels rims. Last time I picked up a pair of steel rims for winter tires on another car, they were each around $25.00 apiece.

thanks for your reply,
greynold99
 
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Old 08-14-15, 12:21 PM
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Nope, all rims are not the same. In addition to the number of lugs, the spacing of the lugs can change so you would want to find the offset for your rims. Might be something like 5 x 125.
 
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Old 08-14-15, 12:24 PM
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Old 08-14-15, 01:17 PM
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There are plenty of places to just order a spare, tire and all. By the time you find a wheel, buy a tire, have it mounted and balanced, you'll have spent more than just ordering one.

The Ex's Soul is the same way, fix a flat and a little compressor. I don't even remember if it has a jack...but I think so. I checked on the price of a factory spare...$125 and all done as I mentioned above. I think it was a actually a spare "kit", with the needed hold downs and such.

It's a brand new car, have you checked with your local dealer or online? Why try to cobble together something?
 
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Old 08-15-15, 07:26 AM
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No, Kia Soul (why would you call that car a SOUL?) is so light that even teenage driver can easily hold one side up by hand, while undoing lugs and removing tire with the other hand. Who needs jack?
Sorry, GG, I couldn't help.
Many junkl yards give away donut spares for free. You simply need to find the right size/spacing one. From what I recall back from my GM ownership times, they made it very hard to interchange wheels between even close size vehicles.
 
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Old 08-17-15, 12:08 PM
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Thanx for your replies

Thank everyone for responding...
I hadn't thought of just getting a complete tire/rim from the Chevy dealer... Just assumed it would be too expensive or more expensive than getting a used rim from the auto-salvage yard and buying a new tire.
I never liked the Donut spares but that's a good suggestion and probably weighs less than a full-sized spare.

Someone suggested full tire/rim might be readily available from a non-GM source -- If you know company name, I'd appreciate it.

[Stickshift - Could you explain how the hole pattern is 5 X 120? I couldn't come up with that from that web link - 215/60 R16 7Jx16 ET40 unless one or the other was English vs. Metric measurement...]
greynold99
 
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Old 08-17-15, 12:12 PM
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5 x 120 is the number of bolt holes and the diameter of the 'circle' created by them - it's the Bolt Pattern column on the page I linked.
 
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Old 08-17-15, 01:02 PM
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you can go to any web retailer offering tire/wheel packages and it will give you a price for a new wheel and tire. Some may offer a steel wheel (typical of a full size spare) and then you can choose the tire to either match what you have or anything else that fits. I tried using the 2015 Malibu LS which had the same 16" rims and came up with $253 plus shipping/tax for the set. Just looking at one dealer site for genuine GM parts came back with an OEM rim alone for $190 plus. Not sure what you want to spend but there are plenty of options for new. Another direction is to find a web site for Malibu enthusiasts. They often upgrade/modify their vehicles and may be selling off their original or aftermarket parts that will fit.

- peter
 
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Old 08-21-15, 10:51 AM
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Thnx to Pjaffe & Stickshift

Very helpful and thank you both.

$350 is a bit too much right now with the car payment and insurance increase to come up with monthly...
And it looks like I can get a new tire installed (mounted & balanced) for around $120 plus a used rim, at around $50 - but even that's going to have to wait for a couple of months.
Hopefully won't have any need given it's new but you never know.
Thanks again guys,
greynold99
 
 

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