factory steel wheels???

[Digger]

Can anyone tell me how wide the factory steel wheels are? I am talking about the ones that come on the work trucks or SL package. Thanks



digger

 

[MCornwell]

Steel Wheels 17x7. 5



Tires that came on mine LT245/70R17E

 

[Digger]

Thanks MCornwell. I wonder how big of a tire you can run on that rim. I tried to have 35x12. 50's mounted but was told they were to wide.

 

[FDrake]

I was told I could run up to 17X9" wheels with the factory tires I have. I was also told they tires would run cooler and flex less on a wider rim. The ride would be softer when not towing and still take the weight I needed to haul. The problem I found was the wheels I looked at were all CAST aluminum and would NOT take the same air pressure as the tires to support the same weight; ie: wheels=60PSI for 3025# and the tires are 80PSI for 3025#. I lose 20# capacity in the tires which lowers the weight carrying capacity as well. I was told the only Alcoa FORGED wheels would take the same PSI as the tires. So the steel wheels say with me.

Frank

 

[Moterhead]

What about the steel wheel that's hanging under the rear of all the SLTs & Laramies? Is it the same wheel as is on the ground with SL? It's got the 265 size tire on it? If it's wider, perhaps you could just wander around parking lots at night with your spare reel rod & get yourself four of them. NOT!!! I'm in the process of powdercoating five of the stock SLT aluminum wheels. When that's all done, I won't need my steel spare. It will be available for shipping cost.

 

[Digger]

I have four factory steel wheels powercoated black with the factory 245's on them. I was curious how big of a tire I could put on that rim width wise?

 

[thejeepdude]

Originally posted by Digger

I have four factory steel wheels powercoated black with the factory 245's on them. I was curious how big of a tire I could put on that rim width wise?

The general rule of thumb is that a tire 4. 5" wider than the rim is "acceptable". Running a 12. 50 on an 8" rim is perfect for offroad where you're more concerned about popping a bead than you are about contact patches and wear patterns. You could easily get away with running a 12. 50 on a 7. 5" rim, however you will need to lower the pressure some in order to not wear out the center of the tire really fast. I have a friend that ran 14. 50 tires on an 8" rim and the tires lasted over 30K miles, however that was on a Jeep, not an 8K lb truck. While this isn't ideal for wear reasons, it won't HURT anything. If you care more about longevity and handling than you do about the looks of a bigger tire and it's performance offroad, then you'll want to stick with a tire that's 11. 5" or less section width. In addition, the 17" rims result in a tire with less sidewall, meaning there is less vertical distance to spread out the width difference, so the "bubble effect" in the tread will be increased. Your best bet may be an 80 or 85 series tire instead of a 70 series if you're looking to get more height without going too much wider, but the selection is really slim right now, as the market is just now expanding to include more 17" sizes.



Hope this helps

 

[LSteiner]

Digger,

The wheels that came on my 2500 SLT are

17x8 , tires are 265 michelins



larry