Tires and wheels

Warpig Racing · Post by **Warpig Racing** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 10:30 pm

I finally ordered my tires yesterday. I ended up getting the outlaw II rims that are 15 x 10 and a set of Hoosier tires to go on them. The tires were on sale at Summit. They are a set of the Hoosier Quick Time Pro D.O.T. Tires. They are size 28.00 x 14.50-15 which is 28" tall, 12" tread width, and 13.10 section width. My measurements are 16" from frame to the inside lip in the rear fender. That leaves me about 3" to play with. I figured since I am putting a narrowed, full spooled 9" w/ 4 link, I might as well ditch the leaf springs and set up coils inside the frame. This will also allow me to maximize the tire space in case I attempt a wider slick for fun at the track.

This set up will cause me more headache as I will have to ditch the stock gas tank. I think that I will just build my own from 316 that will fit where the spare tire mount is. it sounds easy but there is the whole sending unit issue to deal with. It just seems like nothing is as easy as it should be. I guess if it was easy, everyone would build a v8 ranger.

Hardhead · Post by **Hardhead** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 10:58 am

As for your gas tank why not try using a gas tank from a Ranger that had 2 tanks one on the side and one in the rear this would take care of your sending unit problems then you would only have to deal with the fill tube in the side of the box..

Warpig Racing · Post by **Warpig Racing** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 9:40 pm

Today was a very productive day. I removed the stock rear axle and all spring brackets off of the frame. I boxed the inside of the frame in the locations for the new home for the shock mounts. I am mouning the springs inside the frame to make way for 14" tires. I still have many more mods to go. Check out these pics of the rear setup. Note that the axle is not mounted yet so it will look like the tires are not square.

Warpig Racing · Post by **Warpig Racing** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 9:47 pm

Let me try those pics again.

MalcolmV8 · Post by **MalcolmV8** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:49 pm

That looks awesome

cgrey8 · Post by **cgrey8** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 8:06 pm

Reviving an old thread here.

But as I continue my commute into work and back, my tires are getting worn more and more. I really don't want to put stock size tires back on when these are toast. I'd really like to get some rims and a good set of tires that grip better than cheap Wal-Mart Liberators. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad for the money, but with aspirations of a 331 going in, I need something with a little more grip. And besides, my locker is getting really annoying in the rain and in parking lots. I need a stronger traction tire that'll grip better and keep the locker from always having to lock up because the inside tire wants to loose traction.

Looking at all the threads, people are putting some impressively wide tires on the rear. I'm not opposed to doing that, but I need a tire that'll be a good daily driver tire with some longevity and good in the rain. All the 315s I see are high performance tires that people rate highly for straight-line racing, but pathetic in the rain. So what about a 265? Aesthetically, I like the BFGoodrich tires the best. But what are yall's experiences with BFs? And what width tire is a good compromise between dry performance, rain performance, and longevity? I REALLY don't want a tire that only lasts 5000 miles. Keep in mind, even when I do get on the accelerator, I'm not one to light the tires up. 95% of the roughness my tires see is due to the locker scuffing them in the rain and in parking lots.

cgrey8 · Post by **cgrey8** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:58 am

Looking on TireRack, I found some Kumho Road Venture ST tires that are compaitible sizes and of the same tread-design.

Front 235/60R15 ~$56each (26.1" diameter)
Rear 295/50R15 ~$77each (26.6" diameter)
s/h for all 4 <$50.

For comparison, stock 225/70R14s are 26.4" diameter. I would rather have gone to a 245/60 on the front, but Kuhmo doesn't make them in that size in this style tire. Besides, the 235/60 is a slightly smaller diameter and should have no problems with scrubbing if my rim backspacing is right.

The reviews people have left about these tires are all very favorable. However they were all comparing to stock tires. In addition, their comments weren't specific to any particular size, just to the style in general. My concern is with the 295s. Will they be too wide for a daily driver?

As for rims, I'm assuming 8" rims on the front and 9 or 10" rims on the back?

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:31 am

Chris,
You were real close at tire rack, just go the the spec pull down and they have the rim sizes (not the range of rim sizes) listed for what ever tire you pick.

295/50 SR15
9.5" measured rim size
12.1" section width
26.6" O.D.

235/60 TR15
7" measured rim
9.4" section width
26.1" O.D.
Dave

cgrey8 · Post by **cgrey8** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 2:44 pm

That's odd. My stock rims are 7.5". So they recommend a smaller-than-stock width rim for a wider-than-stock tire. I guess the lower profile makes the difference? So, should I not go with an 8" rim then? What's the side-effect of going with a slightly wider rim? I know the side-effects of a thinner rim...the center of the tire balds before the rest does. The American Racing Ventura rims do come in 15x7 so if that's best, that's what I'll get. The rims aren't purchased so it makes no difference to me. I just want to get what's going to work the best AND will look good.

As for the 295s, the only size around 9.5" the Ventura Rims come in is 15x8 and 15x10. For the difference of .5" over what they recommend, I think the 10s will do fine as long as it doesn't have the tires sticking out the wheel wells or scrubbing the leafs.

Any other thoughts about how 295s will work in rain or as a daily driver tire?

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:06 pm

Chris,
Here is a little something I found about the differences between going with a larger vs smaller rim size.

Choosing a wheel near the middle of the range will give a balance between ride quality and handling. A wider wheel will improve handling at the expense of ride quality, while a narrower wheel will improve ride quality at the expense of handling. Consider these compromises when selecting wheels.

Hope this helps! Dave

cgrey8 · Post by **cgrey8** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:43 pm

The confusing part about that is the wide tire will be in the rear. The back of the truck has new leafs & new shocks. It is stiff as can be going over any bump...even with the original springs & shocks, it was not exactly smooth over speed bumps. But now, it's even worse. I can't imagine that having a wider tire would make this much worse. And even if it does, I'll take it if the grippier tire will make driving in the rain less annoying.

However with the front having a near-stock width tire, I'd hope it wouldn't be as badly affected. With a Supercab, I sit closer to the front tires than the rear so they are more important to comfort...I'd think. I can bet having a lower profile tire probably makes the ride a bit rougher. However years ago, I used to run 235/60R14s on the truck (a smaller diameter tire). It affected the speedo and gave me more torque in every gear, but I never noticed that the move back to stock size tires gave me a softer ride. I did notice that I lost torque though...as soon as I pulled out of the parking lot.

87ranger · Post by **87ranger** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:35 pm

my 315's do great in the rain and they actually do something in the snow also

cgrey8 · Post by **cgrey8** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:29 pm

I looked back at the Kumho tires I sized out earlier and Tirerack.com doesn't sell the smaller 235/60R15s any longer. So I can't get the tires I'd planned to get. The plan was to get 8.5" rims for the front and 10" rims for the rear. They still sell the 295s, but without the matching 235s for the front, I'm not sure it makes sense to stick with that plan.

Which brings up the next thought. I saw these rims the other day and I really like'em:

Moto Metal 951 Black

The problem is the smallest diameter they make these is 16" and in the 5x4.5, the rims are only available in 9" wide. So I'll have to find a different size set of tires for the truck. The best thing I can find is a set of General Grabber 255/55R16s. They aren't nearly as wide as I wanted for the rear, but the good news is the front and rear would be the same size so they can be rotated.

My only concern is clearance and scrubbing in the front end during turns. Are there any known specs that could give me an idea as to whether these rims would give me any problems?

2lo-rngr · Post by **2lo-rngr** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 8:30 pm

it will all depend on the backspacing... I have 03 cobra's on my ranger now... with 255/40 fronts and 275/40 rears, and I don't rub... Well, I used to, till i rolled my fender lips, but my truck is lowered about 5." Anyway, the only thing i get is rim contact with the shock bolt under full lock like malcolm got with his mustang wheels... As long as you get the right backspacing/offset, you should be fine.......

cgrey8 · Post by **cgrey8** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 4:34 am

What backspacing and rim diameter are the Cobra rims?