Advice on Rim Dimensions

[AbuseTheElderly]

I am going to be purchasing some 33"s in early 2012 and I need help to find the right size rim to compliment them without having to trim very much metal, if any. I want somewhere around a 12.5" wide 33" MT tire (I will be doing my body lift in January in preparation) and I will be buying some Cragar Soft 8 15X9" (I'm open to other size rims if there is any advantage).

My questions are:

What will be the optimal backspacing on a 15X9" Cragar with 33's to not have to trim metal? I will trim some if needed to get the wider stance, I just don't want to do anything major. A lip or two is fine but not 1/3 of the wheel well.

Also, what other mods are suggested along with upgrading to 33"s? Ex. Beefing up the steering, getting the speedometer working correctly again, etc. along with any relevant discussion.

 

[drbandkgb]

Steering will need to be addressed.. But you can get away with it for a little bit.. Mine is just now feeling loose..200k running 33s since June.. Id start beefing things up like Bandit bushings in the factory idler arm.. May look at the calmini steering kit.. 699 I think..

But over all you need a 2" BL to run 33s.. I would not go over the 4.75 BS, Im a 4 BS and I have to cut metal.. Not that I care on my rig but you may. Now.. even with the 4.75bs there is a chance you would need to trim a little.. The stock 5.5 and 33s should be good.
People like TJTJ and RacerXXL are running factory BS.. Remember when you ask for rims to specify the BS you want..

Now each tire is a little different as well. So know what your adding.


Over all understand this can hurt your MPG.. Adding steel rims does add weight to the Xterra.. and most 33s will be slightly heavier as well..

 

[Hugetanker]

I know you should try and stay above 4.75" of BS. I have 3.75" with 32x11.5 and didn't have to trim that much and that was before the BL. I wouldn't have any trouble with 33's if I stayed at 11.5 wide not sure about 12.5 though. If you check out my build you can see where I cut. I too am interested in learning more about the other stuff though.

 

[AbuseTheElderly]

The Cragar's I want come in 4" and 4.75" BS, so looks like I will be going with 4.75" BS. I'll see if I can narrow down the tires I want. Also, any input on getting the speedo to work correctly after getting larger tires? Or is it even worth messing with?

 

[Hugetanker]

Remember that as the BS number goes down the wider the stance of the tires. This also creates problems for clearance while turning as it changes the arc of the tires. I managed to cut and be able to keep the stock look on the front. Like DRB said, pay attention to the BS of the rims you get. I didn't and that's why I ended up with 3.75 although I do love the way she looks now.

 

[TJTJ]

9" is too wide if you're off roading...you'll blow your bead off too easily.

A narrower rim will hold on better....I'd do 8" or below unless you are planning for future monster tires.

I have 33 x 13.5 on 7" rims, and they stay on the rim, wear evenly, and work like a charm...no downside.

As you can see, 13.5" wide tires fit a 7" rim nicely, and because I have 5.5" of BS, they can even turn/get full uptravel WITHOUT trimming metal.

It also gives a nice wide stance, WITHOUT forcing you to use a wimpy skinny tire to do it.

If you get 4.75" BS, you can fit those tires, but, you WILL want a BL if you don't have one, and I'd go 3" instead of the regular 2" BL to make your life with the tire easier...as you will be cutting metal.

If you kept the stock rims, and just mounted 33's on them, it would work BETTER than your current plan...but, if you have 16" rims, then the tires are a few bucks more each for many brands.

305/70/16's for example are a full 33" in diameter, but typically have a wider TREAD than the 33x12.5/15 versions.

 

[drbandkgb]

The Cragar's I want come in 4" and 4.75" BS, so looks like I will be going with 4.75" BS. I'll see if I can narrow down the tires I want. Also, any input on getting the speedo to work correctly after getting larger tires? Or is it even worth messing with?

There is no fix for the speedo..

 

[TJTJ]

There is no fix for the speedo..

Well, I just use the GPS as a speedo now.



If you felt like it, there's a DIN switch type thingie that you attach to the sensor for the output shaft that you can use to change the WAY it reads the RPM off the output, correcting for the tire change, or gearing, etc.

 

[AbuseTheElderly]

Thanks! I didn't know I could get the wider stance without changing rims, but a wider tire makes sense. I may end up putting the new tires on the stock rims and ride like that for a while, if I think I can lower the backspacing I'll buy rims. I will also look into the switch for the speedo.

As always TJ, your posts are outstanding!

 

[AbuseTheElderly]

I am going to keep the stock rims, unless they become unsightly once I get larger tires. If I do change rims, I am going to keep the stock BS. However, to get the wider stance I want I am going to run a 12.5" tire unless anyone can think of a reason against it.

I have narrowed down the possible tires (according to my tire budget) to these:

All tires are 33X12.5 R15. Prices are per tire.

Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac

Price: $175 (TireRack.com)

General Grabber Extreme Traction

Price: $167 (Treadepot.com)

Dunlop Radial Mud Rover

Price: $174 (TireRack.com)

Cooper Discoverer SST LT

Price: $178 (Treadepot.com)

Kumho Road Venture MT

Price: $182 (Tirerack.com)

The purpose of this is to get an idea of what others would do in my situation. Which tire would you choose? All opinions are welcome, so post up!

 

[AaronsX]

You know which one everyones going to say to get :happy:

 

[AbuseTheElderly]

:Sleepies:

I know which ones I WANT to get, but this is literally my first time actually SHOPPING for tires and MT's to boot.

Duratrac or General Grabber are my top 2. One for aesthetics and the other for the price.

 

[drbandkgb]

That price on those generals seems way too cheap.. Or you have a pic of the wrong tire.. I haven't priced those in some time but seems like last I priced them they were 200+


Sent from my iPhone that doesn't crash like the android did...

 

[NismoFire]

Cooper makes a REALLY durable tire. They make Mastercraft tires, which I swear by. I've been looking at the Cooper SST myself the last few days as a very big possibility in the Spring once I file my taxes.

 

[xterror04]

That cooper will have the best traction by far for offroad, I have witnessed those on many times... I always say duratracs because I beleive they are a great over all tire, quiet on the road, ride smooth and Im coming up on two years and 35,000+ miles and they still have alot of tread, With that said My xterra is no longer a dd so my next set of tires will either be the coopers or some toyo m/t's... much better offroad manners...

As far as the rim width the 9" is to wide... I have the 15x8" soft 8's with 4" bs I had to cut alot of metal, now the wheels sticking way out is an awesome look... but other then that I dont like them... they kill my mileage... the factory wheels are probably the best bet... very minimal trimming is needed, best for max mpgs, and easy to find a spare on the boards... you could always look around for some desert runner wheels like dave had on turk as well for a cool look

 

[AbuseTheElderly]

That price on those generals seems way too cheap.. Or you have a pic of the wrong tire.. I haven't priced those in some time but seems like last I priced them they were 200+

Link: http://www.treadepot.com/sizes/grxt.html

I thought the same thing. Size I was looking at was 33X12.5 R15. Very good deal.

Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[TKDx00]

I like those Coopers

I looked into these just now... is $802 good for a set of 5 - 33x12.5x15's or high? Just the tires no mounting.

 

[NismoFire]

I paid that much for 4 KM2s, so that's pretty cheap, buddy.

 

[AZhiAZiAM]

the coopers are pretty good. i use them as do a couple of my buddies. im on a year so far and almost can't tell they have been driven on. they are a little loud. but they do really well on road and off road.