tires and srock rims

[RDBuck]

Need new tires. Would like to try a wider tire than the 235's. [single wheel 3/4 ton]. Will a 265/75 fit o. k. on stock rims? What about a Dunlop 275/70 or a Goodrich 285/75? Looking for more flotation on soft beach sand driving as well as a more aggressive looking stance. Any first-hand experience?

 

[GOODE11]

RD Buck,



I too want to know if 285's will fit. I have the same truck as you a 3/4 ton 4X4. BFG states that the 285's should only be mounted on at least a 7. 5" rim. But we have run 285's on stock 2nd Gen. wheels before w/ good results.



Anybody know the width of the Dodge 1998 3/4 ton wheels?

 

[JFitzgerald]

Mine came (used) with 285/75's on aftermarket wheels which are 7 or 8 inches wide. They are close to the fenders with the wheels turned, but they have never rubbed. They measure just under 33" diameter. I have some new 33 x 12. 5 x 16. 5" BFG mud terrain KM radials on the way. I went with the 16. 5's because I have some other nice wheels that size.



If your front springs are tired and sagging from the weight of the Cummins, and you flex the suspension off road, you may get some body contact with 285's. The previous owner had the front springs re-arched a bit to make up for the sag, but I don't think it sits any higher than stock.

 

[GOODE11]

JFitz.



How's your gearing, and pick up speed w/ the 3. 54's and the 285's. What turbo housing are you running?



I'm looking around on prices for 285BFG MT's, right know best price so far is $187 OUCH!!!



Sounds like you know a little bit about jeeps? I'm looking at one right know w/ a 383 stroker and a 400 auto transmission. What do ya think?



I've got to decide quick on the tires, need'em bad and I'm leaving for South Dakota grouse hunting Friday AM.

 

[CRWilliams]

285's should be mounted on 8" wheels. Stock mine rubbed, I had to trim the rubber fender guards and then they barely fit. I put on 2 1/2 inch Skyjacker springs and they fit quite nicely now. I believe the '98 wheels are 7. 5 or 8 inches wide. If you have 6 inch wheels I would definately advise against the 285's unless you are going to be buying wheels soon. Another alternative would be a 255/85r16. It is almost exactly the same height as the 285 but a bit narrower. It would fit better on the 6" wheel, it is supposed to be on a 7" wheel. I have found some decent prices locally on Cooper tires in the 285 size, you might see if you can find a local retailer.

 

[JFitzgerald]

GOODE11, As far as pickup - when I got the truck, it came with the stock wheels with stock 235/85's on them. As an experiment, I put them on the truck to see how much difference there was. I could hardly get a tank burned before I wanted them off. They rode hard (load range E) and did not drive as well. Mostly, I didn't like the look compared to the bigger tires and chrome wheels. They made about 0. 75 MPG difference (stock size was better) but I couldn't tell any difference in pickup speed. The Dodge 4WD's sit up nicely and look best with a bigger tire IMHO.



Over Labor Day, I went to KY with a slide in camper, Jeep, dirt bike, four wheeler, generator, tools, car trailer and "stuff" for my family of four for 5 days. It did just fine. That was before I played with the pump. I wanted to take a trip "unmodified" to have a baseline to compare to. So, I don't think that small difference in tire size is much of a factor. Some of the hills slowed her down, but they also slowed down my friends with big blocks and powersmokes (we were all towing similar toys). While they were downshifting, I learned the Cummins preferred to be left in 5th and chug to the top. Since then, I have turned up the pump, and expect to walk right up those hills while getting 13 MPG versus their 6 & 8. Still running the stock 18 cm housing, but plan to get a 16 as the next mod.



We went to the 4 Wheel Jamboree in Indy last weekend and that's where I ordered my tires. 4 Wheel Parts gave me the best price, they were giving great deals at the show. I would price Tyres International and National Tire. They usually have the best mail order prices on tires. Let me know if you need their #'s. I would think you could get them for less than that.



Tell me more about that Jeep! The engine and transmission should be good stuff. IMHO, Jeeps aren't tough enough until they're converted over to Chevy drivetrains.

 

[GOODE11]

The jeep is a 1978 w/ a 383 stroker and a 400 auto trans. It has a new body and 33" Boggers w/ a 3. 5" lift and a 8000lb Ramsey winch. What's something like this worth? He said he has over 20K invested!

 

[Troutdog]

I just replaced the original wheels and tires on my truck. They were just 235/75/16. I put new 8inch chrome steel wheel with 285/75/16 on. I put Cooper Discover ST tires on. Theres no problem with rubbing in the back, but I had to trim the front wheelwell guard just a little. I think the rubbing really came from the more aggresive tread design. I only had them on for a day now, but I haven't heard them rub since I did the trimming. I like the way my truck looks with the wider tires. I just had to trim the little corners off on the inside of the guard.

 

[GOODE11]

Troutdog,



Have you used Coopers before? I wonder if they hold up like the BFG's.

I need to find out someone who carries them around KC.

 

[RDBuck]

Best rims for the money?

Thanks for all the info. Hearing first-hand experience is really valuable. I can see that I need to investigate wider rims. A 255/70 might be about the max for the stock rims. I guess I should post a new request for info on the best buy for rims.

 

[Troutdog]

This is my first time I am trying the cooper tires. I think they are a fairly new design because my dealer had to look them up in the book. I saw them on the cooper web site first. I 'll have to see what they can do.

As for wheels, I would have liked to get some aluminum wheels,but the pocket change was a little slim. I saw what I was looking for in an ad for 4 wheel parts wholesalers. Their called rock crawler extreme steel wheels. I went with the chrome star wheel. The 16x8 wheel with the 285 coopers is a nice fit.

 

[JFitzgerald]

Originally posted by GOODE11

The jeep is a 1978 w/ a 383 stroker and a 400 auto trans. It has a new body and 33" Boggers w/ a 3. 5" lift and a 8000lb Ramsey winch. What's something like this worth? He said he has over 20K invested!

It should be show quality after having $20K spent on it! It just depends what it is worth to you. I see older Jeeps advertised for sale pretty often for $8, 10, 12K and more. People put a lot into them, restoring and/or improving them, etc. That can be good for a buyer, since you usually can buy something like that for less than you can build it yourself. I would ask myself what I was going to use the Jeep for. If it is for off road, is it so nice that you'd be concerned about scratches, dents, etc? Is it built tough enough to stand up to the punishment? Stock Jeep axles will break when used with a built V8, 33's and off road punishment. Maybe it has already had beefier axles installed. That is why mine has evolved into basically a 1 ton Chevy with a Jeep body and frame. As things broke, it would get beefed up, now it doesn't break (very often, anyway )anymore. Mine gets beat hard since me and my friends go looking for the toughest trails around to play on. If you want it for a cool street cruiser, it doesn't need to be beefed up.



P. S. If you want it for off road, keep this in mind - I won't bash anyone here, but IMHO Warn makes a much better winch than anyone else for serious recovery.

 

[NuttyMopar]

Stock rims with wide tires

My 92 has 8" American Rims with Discovery A/T 285x75x16 tires. I also have the stock rims 6. 5" with junk tires mounted for now. I would not want to go anything larger then 255 maybe 265 on a stock 6. 5 rim. You would get a lot of bounce because the rim is too small for that size tire. The thing you need to watch out for if you go to a larger tire is the Load rating. If you don't carry much or tow heavy loads, a typical D rating (6 - 8 ply) should work. The stock tires carry a E load rating which is 10 ply tire. The ride will be much smoother with the less ply. Currently I am buying the new Discovery M/T tire with studs for the winter for the stock rims, 235x85x16. They only measure . 75 inches less in height then my 285x75x16 summer tires. I have been very happy with the Cooper Discovery A/T for the past 3 years when I use them during the summer months (May - Nov). They have lasted about 50,000 miles without a problem as long as I rotate them once during the season.

 

[CumminsAholic]

2nd gen ram chrome rims are 6. 5" wide. The new aluminum ones are 8". A TON of guys have 285's and 295's on the factory chrome rims and they don't have any problems. I have a set of 295 85 BFG AT T/A's in the garage waiting for snow to fly so they can go on. I'm putting them on my factory rims without any worries. OH... Yeah I know wide tires are bad in snow, but they're better than bald tires.

Corey

 

[drives mopars]

watch your temps in 5 th

you turned up pump now if no gauges going up hills in 5 th loaded is a nono !!!!!

exaust temp will shoot up to 1250 deg fast

drop to 4th best is to get gauges and mount

b4 turbo the input sensor off center not in middle of manafold youl hit ctr divider