Hello, It's my Birthday!

[REDanan]

And I'm new to the Forum. I'm celebrating my one-month anniversary of owning an Electric Blue 2004 PT Cruiser GT Turbo, or is that redundant?
I didn't want low profile tires and want to change down to 15" wheels.
Has anyone else done that - successfully? I've been told by the dealership, a salvage yard, and Tire Pros that they won't fit.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

[Hooligan]

Welcome to the Forum. Also welcome to your PT, you'll enjoy it and have a lot of fun with it. Also, it is a great way to meet new people.

[bados]

Originally Posted by REDanan

And I'm new to the Forum. I'm celebrating my one-month anniversary of owning an Electric Blue 2004 PT Cruiser GT Turbo, or is that redundant?
I didn't want low profile tires and want to change down to 15" wheels.
Has anyone else done that - successfully? I've been told by the dealership, a salvage yard, and Tire Pros that they won't fit.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

Welcome! I guess my first question is why do you want to make the swap?

[REDanan]

Originally Posted by bados

...why do you want to make the swap?

To save money on tires! No, for a smoother ride.
Today I tried on the 15" steel wheels and through my internet surfing found the offset went from 40mm to 36.5mm, so I only needed a 2.5mm spacer on the front wheels [the Universal wheel spacer from Pep Boys was too big in diameter, so I used individual washers]; nothing for the rear. So I'm GREEN to go! The special order Wide White Wall tires from DB will take 2.5 weeks [which still cost less than the 17", including shipping!].

Anybody want the stock 17"s with tires only 20k for $800 + shipping

[quicksilverdon]

Welcome.
Yeah, the stock steel wheels & tires fit the GT - many use them for winter.
First I've heard of any need for a spacer.

[apexanimal]

i don't know if the wheels from the non gts fit... but we all know that the steelies work just fine...


so there's that...

[bobs turbo pt]

welcome & enjoy !!

[prettybluewoody]

Happy Cruisin' Birthday! And as the owner of a 2003 electric-blue woody, I know you're gonna LOVE your 'early birthday present'!

[03electricbluegt]

Originally Posted by REDanan

To save money on tires! No, for a smoother ride.
Today I tried on the 15" steel wheels and through my internet surfing found the offset went from 40mm to 36.5mm, so I only needed a 2.5mm spacer on the front wheels [the Universal wheel spacer from Pep Boys was too big in diameter, so I used individual washers]; nothing for the rear. So I'm GREEN to go! The special order Wide White Wall tires from DB will take 2.5 weeks [which still cost less than the 17", including shipping!].

Anybody want the stock 17"s with tires only 20k for $800 + shipping

Please tell me that you didn't use hardware store washers behind your wheels ...
If so, I would be highly cautious. You need the friction load of the wheel against the hub to take up some of the impact of bumps and to keep the wheel "hub centric". Using washers puts a lot of shear load on the lugs. The washers simply don't have as much grab as the wheel mating surface does.
The purpose of the lugs is not to bear the load of the car but to hold the wheel firmly against the plate and let the wheels rest on the hub assembly.
Try to find some proper ring spacers at least.

Be careful...

Brian

[bobs turbo pt]

"Try to find some proper ring spacers at least"

do it a.s.a.p.