New Wheels & Tires on the Travato

This week I got new wheels and tires for the Travato.  There was nothing really wrong with the ones that came with my van, but I didn't care for the styling and thought they were difficult to clean.

So I ordered the Rial Transporter 16 x 6.5" wheels in bright silver from the Tire Rack: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialPartNumber=TP65666M61BS&wheelMake=Rial&wheelModel=Transporter&wheelFinish=Bright+Silver+Paint&autoMake=RAM&autoModel=ProMaster+3500&autoYear=2015&autoModClar=

When you order wheels from Tire Rack, you can also order tires and new TPMS sensor and have them assemble it all and speed balance them.  That's what I opted to do.  I got the same Nexen LT225/75 R16 tires it came with originally.  I've been happy with these tires so far.  They package the wheels with cardboard disks and wrapped banding around each wheel so it can be shipped via UPS.  From order to delivery on my porch was only 3 days!

Here's a pic of my van with the original wheels:

And here it is with the new ones. A similar, but less busy look, I think.

These look very similar to the wheels you get on the Peugeot version of the Ducato, but the wheel face is more flat, without the pronounced curvature found on the French wheels.

I aired them up per the sticker in the door jamb - 65 psi front, and 80 psi rear.  She drove beautifully over to my house where I gave her a bath and applied some tire dressing.

Note there is still good clearance in the rear wheel well.  This wheel and tire combo is identical to the OEM spec of the original wheels & tires.  The new wheels are 1/2" wider, so the tire sidewall has a slightly less curve to it, but not enough to effect anything.

I did weigh both the new wheel/tire combo and the old.  The old were 69 lbs.  The new were 67 lbs.   That's a total savings of unsprung weight of 8 lbs for all four.  Not enough to see any real benefits, but at least it's not the opposite.  A lighter vehicle is always better, so I'll take the savings.