I am looking to change the tires on my 1968 E-Type OTS. My question is if there is a quick way to determine if I have 5" or 6" rims? I still have the tires on it from when I bought it. The four tires are 205/75 R 15. The spare is a 185 R15. The spare may be a different size rim and tire so it fits in the boot properly.
I have read that the rims may say 5J or6J on the back. I did not see this on the spare. Is there a way to easily determine what size my rims are?
Steel rims have the size stamped on the flat bit that bolts too the hub , facing out !
Using a tape measure or rule, you can get a close enough measurement by measuring the rim width where the tire bead seats, or as close as you can from the ‘outside’ of the wheel. You will then need to subtract double the thickness of the wheel material, about .2" on steel wheels.
If you had one of these you could measure the outside of the rim. I’d guess a 6" wheel will measure between about 6-1/8" an d 6-1/4" since you’d also be measuring the thickness of the steel in the rim.
As Steve indicates, you can get close enough by sticking a tape measure through the spokes and eyeballing it. You’ll be able to tell if it’s a 5” or 6”. You should also be able to tell whether or not the spare is the same as the other four. Based on the tire size, the spare is almost certainly 5”.
I think that drawing may prove misleading as the Jaguar wheel isn’t quite shaped like that.
On the E-Type the apparent rim width is quite a bit more than the actual rim ‘size’… i.e. a 5" rim is about 6 1/8" wide:
We are in agreement, so let me try again.
The E type rim shape is almost exactly the same as the provided diagram, as evidenced by your photo. Perhaps I did not make it clear where to measure: as close as you can to the bead seat width, labeled “rim width” in the diagram.
One never measures the overall rim width, as that leads to all sorts of confusion, as well as does not allow comparison between types/brands of wheels.
Steve Williams
402.690.8655 cell
