GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only

Wheels must be replaced if  1 or more of the following conditions exist:

    • Wheels are bent
    • Tires have excessive lateral or radial runout
    • Tires leak air through welds
    • Wheels have elongated bolt holes
    • Wheel nuts do not stay tight
    • Wheel nuts are heavily rusted

Wheels with excessive runout may cause objectionable vibrations.

Replacement wheels must be equivalent to the original equipment wheels in the following ways:

    • Load capacity
    • Diameter
    • Rim width
    • Offset
    • Mounting configuration

A wheel of improper size or type may affect the following conditions:

    • The wheel life
    • The bearing life
    • The brake cooling
    • The speedometer/odometer calibration
    • The vehicle ground clearance
    • The tire clearance to the body and chassis

Steel wheels can be identified by a 2 or 3 -letter code stamped into the rim near the valve stem. Aluminum wheels have the following items casts into the back side of the wheel:

    • The identification code
    • The part number
    • The manufacturer ID