Justy Wheel Upgrade

[RONAN]

Hi All

 

I have a 88 4wd with 12" wheels on it and was thinking about bumping up in size and was wondering what wheel/tire combos are out there reasonably priced to fit on the car without going through any headaches of modifying the fenders or fenderwells. Any and all suggestions appreciated...

[nipper]

i love the fact that there is a justy owner on the board

 

nipper

[Quidam]

Hi All

 

I have a 88 4wd with 12" wheels on it and was thinking about bumping up in size and was wondering what wheel/tire combos are out there reasonably priced to fit on the car without going through any headaches of modifying the fenders or fenderwells. Any and all suggestions appreciated...

 

Hi,

 

Athens, Ohio here. The bolt pattern is 4 X 100 and if you're not aware of it, Justy's came stock with 165-65-13 too. Aftermarket wheels in 12" and 13" are bolt on. Look at Konig Wheels for one manufacturer.

 

First question is: How much are you willing to spend?

 

Doug

[RdNkBrt]

there is a set of 13 in white powder coats out here in the local yard... need to be recoated though... probably not worth the while to ship though.

[RONAN]

Nipper> SHHHSH were here, always lurking in the shadows...

 

Thanks for the response Quidam,

 

I thought Gen1 Justys (87-88) came factory with 145/r12 and the Gen2 came with 165-65-13. I have 155/r12`s on it now and was wondering if any Justy owners with the Gen1 have installed 13`s without having to modify since it`s real tight quarters on all 4 corners ?

[Quidam]

Hi,

 

Enter "13" Justy wheels" in search, that should get you to a thread you may find useful. I've never seen a Gen 1 Justy in the flesh. The Gen 2 cars came with 12" and 13" tires and wheels.

 

Best guess is that you could go as large as 165-70 without cutting anything in 13". And probably 145-45-15 with the right off-set wheel.

[Esteban32696]

What's up Ronan?

I tried several ideas with 13" & went back to 12", on my older Justy. May try it again since I have a newer Justy, now. Even though another wheel may have same pattern size, the center hole MUST be as big as the Justy's wheel . On the front hub, there are a few protrusions that stick out & will not let a donor wheel fit, unless the center hole size is the same. Some people cut these off, or enlarge the hole of donor wheel. Also, I had trouble finding the right size tire that would not rub. Some were too wide, too tall, etc. You would either;; find the right 13" tire/wheel combo, alter the fenders, raise the car, to achieve the goal. GOOD LUCK !!Changing to a different size tire will also affect the power a little bit & speedometer readings. You are really changing the " final drive " ratio.

[RenaissanceMan]

 

I found this set off of a Mazda. 4x100 pattern is easy. The hard part is finding a set of rims that have a large enough center hole. almost every wheel out there has 2.125" diameter, and because of the stupid hub on the justy you need 2.25" diameter. So you could in theory hog it out if you needed to, but if you ever want to balance the wheel again you need to make sure the hole is round and on center. I got lucky with finding this aftermarket set of rims, and honestly if I still had them I would give them to you. Unfortunately I got frustrated with this car and its now probably made into soda cans and soup cans.

[Durania]

 

 

Damn! Thats a wicked tread on there.

[RONAN]

What's up Ronan?

I tried several ideas with 13" & went back to 12", on my older Justy. May try it again since I have a newer Justy, now. Even though another wheel may have same pattern size, the center hole MUST be as big as the Justy's wheel . On the front hub, there are a few protrusions that stick out & will not let a donor wheel fit, unless the center hole size is the same. Some people cut these off, or enlarge the hole of donor wheel. Also, I had trouble finding the right size tire that would not rub. Some were too wide, too tall, etc. You would either;; find the right 13" tire/wheel combo, alter the fenders, raise the car, to achieve the goal. GOOD LUCK !!Changing to a different size tire will also affect the power a little bit & speedometer readings. You are really changing the " final drive " ratio.

 

Esteban, I`m hanging in there for the long haul!<

Good advice, I forgot about the center hole protrusions and center hole sizing. Had it in my head that all I need to look for were 4x100`s with a 35* offset. Thanks for bringing that aspect to the table. I knew you guys would help out through your own experiences.

 

RenaissanceMan, I like the wheels you had and especially the grips that were mounted on it. But is`nt that a Gen2 Justy?

[Esteban32696]

I got a set of dirt cheap 13' wheels off a ' Vette. No, NO, not a Corvette,,, a "Cheeevette." They looked & measured to be just about right. NOPE, front wheels caught on those " tits" that stick out. I took a Dremel tool to those & got rid of them. I could see no purpose to them & it seems much less dangerous to grind on those than the center of the wheel. The wheels fit, then, but still had the problem of finding the " right size" tire to keep from rubbing the top of fenderwell, the front or rear edge, of fenderwell. Reinstalled 12" & went to other projects.I found those wheels at a junkyard with 1/2 way decent tires on them for $5/each.

[twobirds]

someone please correct me if i am wrong, but i believe that the ford festiva uses the same bolt pattern as the justy, as well as other parts.

[oronocova]

FWIW, my justy had 165/65R13's on it when I bought it. In my experience the 165/65R13 tire is harder to find and generally more expensive. I went with, and will stay with 155/80R13's which were cheaper at most places I checked and more plentiful.

I've been running them for nearly a year with no problems. At the very first they rubbed only slightly, and I had to trim a very little bit off my rear mud-flaps. Since then I have had no problems.

The thing I like about this size is that they are narrower than 165's so they get a better "bite" and they turn a little easier. Plus they are slightly taller than 165/65's so they give you a slightly higher gear ratio which lets you maintain highway speed at a little lower RPM. I hadn't have the car long when I switched but I have never noticed a difference in my MPG, I still average 37-40.

 

Hope this helps

-Jon

[RONAN]

Thanks for the response oronocova. Do you have a Gen1 Justy?

[oronocova]

Thanks for the response oronocova. Do you have a Gen1 Justy?

 

Hmm.. good question, I don't know what the difference is. What is the difference? Mine is a 1990 model; MPFI/4WD/5spd if that helps.

[nipper]

i didnt even know there were two generations....

*takes notes*

 

nipper

[RONAN]

The U.S Gen1 models were 87-88 and the 89-94 models were Gen2. This was U.S only, though. The actual Gen1 models worldwide started in 83? But don`t quote me on that one. As far as I know, there is 4 generations of Justys since they are still sold across the pond. Gen3 models were actually Geo Metro`s with a AWD driveline that Subaru sub-contracted out to Geo/Suzuki. I wish they were sold here in the U.S since there is a huge amount of (2wd`s) running around to scavenge parts from. I would have easier luck finding parts for a Stutz Bearcat and probably cheaper than hunting down parts for my 88 4wd. You see they offered 4wd in 88 and changed almost the entire design in 89, thus I`m stuck with a rarity for securing parts on the drivetrain. I have been able to modify some parts from a Gen2 to apply to mine but others are difficult.

[#89]

Hmmm...

 

Have been trying some plus size options (successfully).

 

Am now (depending on the weather) swapping between 15"s -

 

Sumitomo 195/50/15

 

 

OR

 

Blizzack 195/60/15 on steelies

 

 

Took a little doing, but definitely worth the increased traction/handling.

 

Cheers,

#89

1989 Subaru JUSTY RS 4WD

127, 313 miles

[Gloyale]

There is what I believe to be an 88 4wd here at my local yard. I have to go there soon to pull A/C stuff(really need to get there for that). Do you need antyhing in particular? it's a 5spd 4wd, red.