Upgrading the wheels and tires improves the look, performance and handling. Our 2021 All-Wheel Drive Ford Transit is definitely getting the tried-and-true KO2 tires upgrade (same as our previous van build), but this time we’re also in the market for a wheel upgrade. Keep reading to learn more!
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1. Wheel Size Basics
Choosing a compatible wheel size is critical, but it can be quite confusing. Here is what the wheel size numbers mean:
- Diameter: Measured from bead seat to bead seat (in).
- Width: Measured from bead seat to bead seat (in).
- Bolt pattern: Bolt count x Pattern Diameter (mm).
- Backside Spacing (not always shown): Measured from hub mounting surface to outermost edge (mm).
- Offset: Measured from hub mounting surface to wheel centerline (mm).
- A positive offset is when the hub mounting surface is in the front (towards street side) of the centerline.
- A negative offset is when the hub mounting surface is behind of the centerline.
- Below is an overview of the offset impact:
Not shown in wheel size number:
- Center Bore (Hub Bore): Diameter of the center hole where the spigot fits through (mm).
2. Ford Transit Factory Wheel Size
The Ford Transit comes equipped with the following wheel size from factory:
RWD – Rear Wheel Drive
(SRW – Single Rear Wheel)
16 x 6.5 | 5 x 160 | 60
- Diameter: 16″
- Width: 6.5″
- Bolt Pattern: 5x160mm
- Offset: 60mm
- Center Bore: 65.1mm
AWD – All Wheel Drive
(SRW – Single Rear Wheel)
16 x 6.5 | 6 x 180 | 90
- Diameter: 16″
- Width: 6.5″
- Bolt Pattern: 6x180mm
- Offset: 90mm
- Center Bore: 138.8mm
3. Ford Transit Aftermarket Wheel Upgrade
When shopping for new wheels, it is critical to keep the same bolt pattern; anything else simply won’t fit.
It is possible to choose a slightly different diameter and width, but at the risk of creating issues such as rubbing against the van structure (wheel well) or against suspension components.
Choosing a different wheel offset is possible, but related issues are a bit more complicated than just the fit (e.g. rubbing). Indeed, as opposed to a sport car, changing the offset on a heavy/tall van will have huge effect on performance/handling and can make it potentially dangerous to drive!
So that explains why we’d rather not venture much outside of the factory specifications.
3.1. Wheels for the AWD Ford Transit
The AWD Ford Transit came out in 2020 and the bolt pattern is a bit unusual, so it took quite some time for an aftermarket wheels offering to develop. Fast forward a few years later, here are the available options we are currently aware of:
Method Wheels
MR701
Method Wheels
MR703
Ultra Motorsports
Hunter Van
Black Rhino Wheels
Arsenal AT BR006
Note: Don’t forget to get TPMS sensors:
TPMS Sensors
(choose “Shop TPMS By Vehicle”)
Method Race Wheels MR701/MR703
We decided to install Method Race Wheels MR703 on our AWD 2021 Transit, because the dimensions are identical to the factory wheels, and because, well, we think they look absolutely amazing! If you’re into off-roading, the Bead Grip on these wheels allows to deflate the tire to lower pressures without loosing the bead which is quite nice. The difference between the MR701 and MR703 is aesthetic: the MR701 has a 8 window design and the MR703 has a 12 window design. We paired the MR703 wheels with all-terrain KO2 tires (faroutride.com/ford-transit-larger-tires-upgrade) for a HUGE improvement over the stock setup. 🤩
The wheels/tires combo fits like a glove with the FVC roof rack (faroutride.com/roof-rack)! 🤩
Lug Nuts
Good to know: the MR701/MR703 are designed to reuse the factory lug nuts. Aesthetic is not great though, so we went ahead to design and 3D print some covers for them:
It’s always so satisfying to put the 3D printer to work!
Got a 3D printer at home? We do have the .stl file available for the lug nut covers:
Lug Nut Covers
(Digital download for 3D printing)
Or get some from Amazon:
Lug Nut Covers
3.2. Wheels for the RWD Ford Transit
We honestly didn’t mind the look of our factory wheels/covers on our 2016 RWD Transit, so we left them as-is (paired with our usual KO2 tires):
We’d like to add wheel recommendations for the RWD Transit, so if you did upgrade please leave us some feedback in the comment section at the end of this page. Thanks! 🙂
4. Larger All-Terrain Tires Upgrade
We’ve been running the KO2 since 2016 on our Transit, and we love them! Here is the data and useful info we gathered (sizes, load rating, etc.) about upgrading the tires on the Ford Transit:
