Is there no source (or was there ever?) for 16 x 7 Magnum 500 rims?

[MoPar~Man]

I'm not in any sort of serious active search mode for my next rims to replace my 14 x 5.5 Magnums, but if I were, and feel free to talk me out of it, but I would move to 16 x 7 Magnums. And I know we're talking aftermarket here as they were never originally made larger than 15" (maybe not even larger than 14" - and those were riveted from what I've read).

Thing is, I don't think I can find anyone selling these in 16" size, and I don't want to move to a 17". And I don't want wider than 7".

 

[crv]

Legendary Wheels make a Magnum 500 in 16x8, is that what you're after? Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[MoPar~Man]

I don't want a rim that wide, because I don't want wide tires. 225 is what I'd aim for. And the 8" rims have back-spacing too high (like 4.5 inches).

I wonder if 16" rims have problems clearing the upper control arm, which is why you don't see many rims that size.

 

[3C's & a D?]

You don't see many rims that size because it's a very uncommon tire size. You may want to look into finding tires in that size before you spend too much time looking for the rims, because you might not be able to find any tires to your liking.

I think part of the 16's unpopularity is due to the short lived 16.5's. People were accidentally mounting them on 16 inch wheels and several people died, which led to discontinuation/recalls of the 16.5's.

 

[Toolmanmike]

American Racing makes Magnum Style wheels. A friend has some on his Coronet. They are 17x7's. Check for tire availability. 16" tires are getting hard to come by I understand.

 

[CBODY67]

16.5" wheels were TRUCK-type wheels. Used on 3/4 and 1-ton trucks. NOT car wheels by any stretch of the imagination. WITH split-ring rims, whose rings could fly off and hurt people/things. Which is why they leter had to be inflated inside of metal pipe fixtures.

16" factory wheels were popular in the 1990s and earlier 2000s. 225/60x16 was the popular tire size on Chrysler LH cars and almost every other car that used 16" wheels, back then.

The real and original Magnum 500s from Motor Wheel Corp were 14" for Chrysler use and 15x7 on Boss Mustangs. Of course, the 15x7 Ford Magnums will fit Chrysler products, too. Which explains the repro Magnum 500s from Ford wheel vendors (as noted).

In MANY cases, the PRICE of 17" wheels is less than for similar-size 16" tires. IF one is buying wheels and tires, the savings by going to 17" rather than 16" is not trivial.

17" wheels might look out of place on some cars, but just remember many who like then are a part of what I term "The Hot Wheels Generation". Names after little cars with huge wheels on them.

P235/55ZR-17 BFG g-Force COMP-2A tires have a revs/mile number of 766 revs/mile. Which is dang near identical to a P225/70R-15 BFG Radial T/A tire revs/mile number. Think G70x15 or H78x14 size equivalents. Of course, no whitewalls in those particular 17" tires. 17x7 VN501s are available, too.

Hankook Kinergy ST (and some others) offer 15" whitewall sizes. Diamondback Classics will fuse whitewalls (several designs) onto normal radial sidewalls (new tires) "for a price".

Enjoy!
CBODY67

 

[bronze turbine]

It's a shame to me that 16" wheels are losing their popularity because to me they seem like the perfect size for a mid to full size car. Back in the '90s everything from a mid-size on up had them. My Sable wagon and my Odyssey minivan both have them and they are ideal. I was surprised when my tire guy told me the sizes I use are not that common anymore. I'm not a big fan of low-profile tires. They ride like crap, especially on an older car, and they don't do well with pot-holes. It seems like just about every time I drive the Schuylkill Expressway I see some dude with these crazy massive rims sitting along side the highway with a blown out tire. Where's the sense? I understand that you need bigger wheels to clear bigger brakes, but still I think a 16" wheel is plenty big for that, and you can still get a decent height sidewall to cushion out the bumps. I've only ever seen 16.5" wheels on trucks. I don't even think you can buy passenger car tires in that size. Our Chevy van had them. You could get 8-ply tires that size.

 

[MoPar~Man]

16.5" wheels were TRUCK-type wheels. Used on 3/4 and 1-ton trucks. NOT car wheels by any stretch of the imagination. WITH split-ring rims, whose rings could fly off and hurt people/things. Which is why they leter had to be inflated inside of metal pipe fixtures.

16" factory wheels were popular in the 1990s and earlier 2000s. 225/60x16 was the popular tire size on Chrysler LH cars and almost every other car that used 16" wheels, back then.

The real and original Magnum 500s from Motor Wheel Corp were 14" for Chrysler use and 15x7 on Boss Mustangs. Of course, the 15x7 Ford Magnums will fit Chrysler products, too. Which explains the repro Magnum 500s from Ford wheel vendors (as noted).

In MANY cases, the PRICE of 17" wheels is less than for similar-size 16" tires. IF one is buying wheels and tires, the savings by going to 17" rather than 16" is not trivial.

17" wheels might look out of place on some cars, but just remember many who like then are a part of what I term "The Hot Wheels Generation". Names after little cars with huge wheels on them.

P235/55ZR-17 BFG g-Force COMP-2A tires have a revs/mile number of 766 revs/mile. Which is dang near identical to a P225/70R-15 BFG Radial T/A tire revs/mile number. Think G70x15 or H78x14 size equivalents. Of course, no whitewalls in those particular 17" tires. 17x7 VN501s are available, too.

Hankook Kinergy ST (and some others) offer 15" whitewall sizes. Diamondback Classics will fuse whitewalls (several designs) onto normal radial sidewalls (new tires) "for a price".

Enjoy!
CBODY67

The 300M's I've owned (2000 through 2004) had 17 x 7 rims as standard (225/55R-17). The '99 M with PHP package actually came with 16" rims (don't know the exact tire size). The M-specials in 2002-2004 came with 18" rims (245-45-18).

I see lots of choices in 16" tires (225-65R-16 and 225-70R-16) with prices starting in the $100 - $125 area. Including Hankook Kinergy. But yes, no white-walls in any 16" tires do I see.

@Toolmanmike Definately don't like the look of the 17" rims.

I don't know if this is a mis-print or not - 16 x 7:

Magnum Wheel Kit (16x7) Set

Our customers rave about our Magnum 500 wheels! Our Magnum 500 wheels are the best on the market, not a lower priced inferior product. Our wheels are correctly centered and welded completely around all surfaces. We use the correct shade of semi-gloss black paint and triple chrome plate them to...

www.macsautoparts.com

But it's listed as out of stock. Too bad - it says they're chromed (not machined).