Off Roading 35" or 36" skinny tires? for 16.5's

[San Felipe Bob]

Any ideas?

I'm looking for a skinny tire.

About 9" wide.

Radial

I have the 35 -12. 50's-16. 5's



They are a tad too wide, 10. 5 " at the tread.

I'd kinda like to find a tire with a narrower tread.

The 35-12. 50's tend to float and lose traction.



Any idea's?



SFB

 

[Forrest Nearing]

TSL makes a 34x9. 50-16. 5 super swamper...



they also make a 38. 5x11-16. 5 bogger.



Forrest

 

[RGT]

quite a while ago I ran Mud Countrys in a 36x10 they had awesome bite, I don't even know if they make that tire anymore, they were not radials, I climbed up and over a pile of loam at a construction site once with them on a '69 3/4 ton GMC

 

[CFast]

I've heard that 16. 5 wheels aren't good for 4x4's. Guys at work say they'll pop the tire off the bead at low air pressures. ANy truth to this? I've got 33x12. 5x16. 5 i want to take in the sand but i'm affraid to drop the air in them.

 

[Dieselnutz]

Yes 16½ wheels will pop abead off at low pressure. They do not have a safety bead like 15 or 16's. Beadlocks rule offroad!!

 

[jayhawktrailers.com]

Your info is right 16. 5's don't have safety beads on the wheel. They will almost always give you troubles when you air down. How ever there is a solution. The hummer wheels are a 16. 5 with beadlocks. most beadlocks are not street legal but these are. The only problem is the wheel offset. this can be overcome if you cut the center out and weld in new centers with backspacing that you choose. I've done a set for my buddy's Scout that will be getting a 4bt. we set them up with 3 3/4 inch backspacing. They work out well for his 39. 5 x 16. 5 swampers. The other cool thing is the runflats. puncture one and you can limp in. They have a large magnesium ring that bolts together inside the tier then you put the wheel trough and bolt the two halves together. You will never need to take these into the tire shop to mount tires because of the bolt together design. You will need the runflat the wheels pinch the tire's bead onto the runflat which makes them a double beadlock. some designs only clamp one bead to the wheel ( generaly the outside ) Give Daniel at USA 6x6 a call they try to stock wheels and centers, or Scott at Rockstomper, he makes the centers also. They both have good info and contact info on their websites.

 

[CFast]

So I should just ditch my 16. 5's for 16's, since I don't really need beadlocks.

 

[shorty2500]

i've never had a problem with aired down 16. 5s...



i guess i'm lucky.

 

[JSHAW]

Very lucky. I think the lack of saftey beads is why there is such a limited choice of 16. 5 tire selections. I would just sell them and go with 16s or 17s. I know from going through the same thing myself. Hope this helps.



Jim Shaw

 

[Coalsmoke]

I thought we had 16's? (or is these aftermarket wheels?)

 

[HillCountrykid]

Yes, our trucks (at least '94+ for sure) came with 16's stock. Until just a few years ago aftermarket 16's were hard to find, so most people bought 16. 5's.



It's hard to imagine how fast the 16's became more popular and the dominant wheels size. I have a old 4 Wheel Parts Wholesalers catalog from maybe 5 or 6 years ago, and there are hardly any 16" tire sizes listed by any of the manufacturers.



Brian

 

[Coalsmoke]

thanks for the explanation. I often wondered why someone would want to get 16. 5s

 

[HEMI®Dart]

I read awhile back the tire manufactures were going to faze-out the 16. 5" tires. It seems like it has not really happened.

 

[JSHAW]

I had 16. 5s for awhile but when I needed new rubber I realized that my selection was getting very small. I ditched the 16. 5s for 17s and don't have anymore problems.

 

[DHorstman]

I run 35x12. 5R-16. 5 General Grabber M/Ts on my '91 sub. We take it to the silver lake sand dunes a couple times a year. I'll run the tires at 12psi and never had a problem and they do good in the sand. I know lots of guys that run 5-8psi on their 15" wheels, but with all the weight of the sub I wouldn't want to go that low.



My truck came with 16. 5x9. 75 weld forged wheels. So when I bought new tires I went with 16. 5s. If I was buying new wheels it would be 16 or 17s.



Now if you want a hard tire to find, my unimog has 12. 5-18s (about 37") on it. Theres a few out there with up too $495ea price tage.