13 Inch Wheels

[Dave5416]

My 1993 Civic LX uses 13 inch steel wheels. The owners manual says the tire size is P175/70R13 82S. I've had to replace two of them in recent years because of leaks caused by rust. The first one was about four years ago, and I was able to locate a used one in good condition. When the same thing happened two years ago, I found a new one online. It was the right size, but the offset turned out to be non-stock, so I had to replace the hubcaps with the kind that snaps on. They actually look quite nice, but I really wanted to keep the stock hubcaps.

So, now I have a slow leak that could be caused by rust (not sure yet). I've tried to locate replacement 13 inch wheels, but I've had no luck. I'd like to buy two wheels with the stock offset so I can use the stock hubcaps again. Does anyone know where I can buy them? If the stock offset is not available, I would settle for a non-stock offset. That raises another question. What is the stock offset? Thanks in advance!

 

[Mr.Baker]

Go to any pick n pull slavage yard, find some 13" wheels or upgrade to the more common 14" wheels.

 

[Dave5416]

Thanks for the reply!
I made the rounds of all the local salvage yards (and some not so local), and came up empty. I'm in the Boston area and there are a lot of them, but they all told me they don't get Civics that old anymore, and the ones they have are already picked clean. The used one I found was through a used parts dealer and came from South Carolina, if I remember correctly.
If I change to 14" wheels and tires, does anything else need to be changed? Speedometer? Transmission? My transmission is manual.

 

[Mr.Baker]

If I change to 14" wheels and tires, does anything else need to be changed? Speedometer? Transmission? My transmission is manual.

No and no.
Think about it, why would the transmission matter, what does that have to do with size of the wheel?
With that way of thinking, no one would upsize their wheels because of their transmission, that doesn't even make any logical sense.

As long as the overall diameter of the 14" wheel with tire is the same or close, you won't have any speedometer issues.
The Ex and Si models had 14" wheels from the factory, so this isn't any sort of huge leap.

 

[Dave5416]

Good to know! Thanks!
Four new wheels and four new tires. A lot of dough! I'm hoping someone can direct me to a source for a 13" wheel. The tires still have a lot of life left in them. I bought my Civic new in 1993. It has only 110 thousand miles on it. I don't drive a lot.

 

[Mr.Baker]

Four new wheels and four new tires. A lot of dough!

Really?
I picked up 4 18" stock Honda wheels with good tires from a local salvage yard for $110, 14's will be about the same and are more easily found.

 

[Dave5416]

I'll look into that. Thanks!

 

[Mr.Baker]

The pick a part salvage yards will be your cheapest option.

 

[Dave5416]

Problem solved! I found a 13" wheel on Amazon. The description says "Pacer 83B FWD BLACK MOD Wheel with Painted Finish (13 x 5.5 inches /4 x 3 inches, 35 mm Offset)". The Pacer model number is 83B-3510. The current price is $65.80, shipping included. The offset is not the same as stock, so the tire is positioned to the outside slightly, but it is barely noticeable.

 

[Mr.Baker]

I'd never buy wheels from big box Amazon to begin with but...
Great, now you have one oddball wheel with a 10mm difference in offset, when you could have spent about $20 at a salvage yard for the correct wheel.

It may be enough to influence handling, it may pull to one side and may handle differently, or negatively affect wheel bearings.