Newb with wheel swapping question

J.J. · Feb 15th, 2005, 08:13 PM

Just to let it be known, I searched the threads before asking this question and found no info. so here it goes:

I recently purchased a used fully loaded 02 back pathfinder SE 4x4 with tan leather interior. I real cherry in my opinion, but I am rather biased. The 16 inch wheels on this vehicle are appealing, but I would rather have some bigger wheels.

I came across some 6 spoke 18' Armada wheels for a real good price and decided to buy them. The bolt pattern is the same 6X5.5 but my questions is about the center bore. Will these wheels be a perfect fit or do they need to be bored in the center? I have searched everywhere for this info. I even called Nissan and they couldn't tell me. It was unbelievable!

Thanks in Advance
JJ

wh22366 · Feb 15th, 2005, 10:05 PM

There are usually several sets of wheels off the big Nissans for sale on eBay at any one time. Most of the sellers will answer questions about their stuff if you ask nice in an email. Write a few sellers and ask for backspacing and center bore measurements (to help you decide on a bid). You should get what you need. Alternately, go to a friendly dealer and ask to measure the center hole in the spare hanging under the tail of a new rig. I was wondering about the same thing -- let us know.

Blank · Feb 15th, 2005, 10:09 PM

you shopuld be ok... but id definitly confirm it before investing $$$, make sure you get smaller tires for those wheels or your speedo will be WAYYYYYYYY off!

J.J. · Feb 16th, 2005, 09:14 AM

Bump

Rowboat Pathy · Feb 18th, 2005, 03:51 PM

Congrats on your new Pathfinder purchase. I feel your pain on those stock 16-inch wheels. As a matter of fact, I am swapping mine out for 2003 SE wheels. I think it's cleaner and more up to date looking.

While I won't be able to tell you whether those Armada wheels will fit, I just wanted to give you a friendly word of caution should you choose to get used wheels. If you do get them from Ebay or from junk yards, and if they are honest enough, try to find out whether those wheels are true. More often that not, these wheels were taken from wrecked vehicles and they could be damaged beyond the naked eye.

I thought a found a good set of used wheels, but I was later informed by the seller that two of the four were not true. I was disappointed, no doubt, but I appreciated his honesty. And yes, I got my money back.

If you do find out that those Armada wheels would fit, the best place to get them (aside from getting them new) is from the dealers. I actually called most (if not all) of the dealers in California asking for wheel take-offs. People these days are so quick to bling their rides that there are a lot of take offs from Armadas, Titans and 350Z. What's even better is that some dealers will sell you the whole set (including tires) at a ridiculously low price. And these wheels have very low miles on them because the swap is already done at the lot.

Sorry for the long email, but I hope this helped somewhat. Oh, and good luck with your wheel upgrade.

J.J. · Feb 18th, 2005, 07:45 PM

Just in case someone, someday decides to search for this info, I will state the following. The Nissan Armada and Titan wheels are 6X5.5 and the center bore is 3 inches. The Nissan pathfinder wheels, at least for the 02', are 6X5.5 and the center bore is 4 inches (i.e. the pathfinder has bigger hubs).

Therefore, the Armada/ Titan swap is doable, however, you must have the wheels bored in the center 1 inch. Just becareful not to bore out the center completely or you will be stuck w/o a center cap.

JJ