This is the 15x7 +0 steel wheel currently on our 1998 Suzuki Jimny Wide. I'm not a huge fan of "wagon wheels" on modern 4x4s. Just get new ones, right? Well, it's not that easy.
As I talked about on our sister site, Crankshaft Culture, finding wheels in the right size and spec simply isn't simple in the USA. We don't get the 2019–2026 Jimny, which still uses the oddball 5x139.7 bolt pattern with the big centerbore (108mm). This relegates us to wheels that'd look better on a 1980s Suzuki Samurai or Sidekick (or an old square-body Blazer) than a '98 Suzuki Jimny.
Jimnys (even the Jimny Wide like we have) are small. The factory wheels are 15x5.5 with a +5 offset. Sure, some Geo Tracker/Suzuki Sidekick/Vitara wheels have the same bolt pattern, but their offsets are generally much higher, somewhere between +17mm and +23mm. This means we'd have to run spacers, and I don't want to run spacers.
Alternatively, I could get a different set of aftermarket steel wheels domestically, though there aren't many options. Aluminum alloys are out of the question. That is, unless I'm willing to source expensive wheels from other parts of the world. And even if they're not expensive, shipping, duties, and tariffs make them so.
These 15x7 +0 steelies are shod in 235/75R15 BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires. I love the look. Frankly, they're a bit big for the Jimny. I should really be on 215/75R15 instead. This would help with the rubbing. But going to a narrower wheel with a bit more offset could also help with the rubbing.
Most of the wheels that are available in the U.S. that'd fit are 0 offset or lower. Those might fit Suzuki Sidekicks and Chevrolet Trackers, like our old 1995 Suzuki Sidekick, aka the Teal Terror, but the Jimny? Not so much.
So stay tuned as we continue to figure out what we'll do with our Jimny's rolling stock.
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