QOTD #59: What wheels will fit on a 1984 Pontiac Fiero?

Remember when the 15″ tires on Classic SAAB 900s looked huge? They were huge because normal cars came with 13″ tires. But it’s not like that anymore. Now that 16″ tires are the new norm for Honda Civics, it is more difficult to find 14″ tires for cars like my 1984 Pontiac Fiero. Even TireRack.com (which usually carries a huge selection) offers only one choice in the size 215/60 R14. With that in mind, I have begun to wonder about future pricing and availability of non-normal tire sizes for this car. Perhaps finding some used 15″ or 16″ wheels would be a better solution with more options for the future. But what rims can replace my 1984 Pontiac Fiero wheels?

As you may know, it takes more than the same bolt pattern to fit wheels on a car. You also need to consider the wheel’s bore size (the hole in the middle of the wheel) and offset (the distance from the inside mounting plate to the inside edge of the rim). So, if you can find a car with similar specs, this might just work.

Fiero Wheel Specs

Bolt Pattern	5×100
Bore	57.1
Offset	42

A quick Google search will provide you with a variety of ideas. However, all ideas are not equal. Be careful what advice you follow. Even the answers on some Fiero forums are a bit suspect. The best information I found was at Wheelfitment.eu. Although they include some European only models, they list a number of North American models that match exactly. Here are the best options that have the exact bolt pattern, bore, and offset sizes:

Perfect Matches

YEAR	MAKE	MODEL
82-90	Buick	Century
82-88	Cadillac	Cimarron
89-96	Chevy	Beretta
82-05	Chevy	Cavalier
89-96	Chevy	Corsica
95-07	Chrysler	Sebring
92-99	Olds	Achieva
95-05	Pontiac	Sunfire
98-11	Volkswagen	New Beetle 16″

There are a couple of vehicles that come very close to the specs. If you don’t mind an offset of 40 instead of 42, try these wheels at your own risk:

Almost Perfect Matches

YEAR	MAKE	MODEL
87-95	Chrysler	Lebaron
94-05	Chrysler	Neon
00-10	Chrysler	PT Cruiser
95-00	Dodge	Stratus
91-96	Volkswagen	Passat B4 VR6

One other thing needs to be mentioned. If you are going to search the junk yard for a used wheel and tire combo, you need to consider whether the existing tire will fit inside the wheel well without rubbing. Thankfully, Tiresize.com makes things easy with a Tire Size Comparison Calculator. This tool will keep you from making some bad decisions.