Off Road Vehicles

[augk]

actually D_B I went by a local tire shop and the guy their told me that same thing that i could put a fatter tire on my current rims told my about some toyos at like 200.00 a pop:11:. he also noticed my fronts and rears dont match even though they are listed as being the same size and everything the fact that they are from diff manufactures and they have diff tread patterns that will conflict when in 4x4 no problem on the street just off road in 4x4 mode so i may just pick up two more like my fronts as to have all four corners the same, it fits my budget better.

this is where I'm going Web browser and Live Maps are incompatible

actually gonna try to go out fishing tonight after this post just stay off the loose sand and stick to the rock road.

 

[micklock]

I was at Silver Lake sand dunes one time and we parked on top of test hill in my sand rail and we look over and notice an old 2wd chevy truck with stock tires parked next to us. We wondered how they got that truck up there, a little while later they had to push the truck to get it going down the back of the hill and drove around to the front of the hill and got way back started slowly but by the time the hit the hill they were flying and pretty much coasted up the hill. Wouldn't of belived it if I hadn't seen it.

 

[mike_s]

if you want to run 2 sets of tires, you can pick up a used set of rims pretty cheap. check your local tire shops and Craigslist and your "thrifty nickle" type printed classified ad's.

I picked up a set of aluminum 10" wide (15" tall) rims at a tire shop for $50 bucks for a set. They didn't want to mess with them because they were covered in brake dust. (the guy who owned them before must have never washed them.) Took an hour or so of cleaning, but I got them clean.

I put a set of 33x12.50 tires on those rims and kep 31x10.50's on my factory rims. Floor jack and an impact gun and you can chang them in no time.

just remember that if you change your tire size you'll notice three things.
1.) your speedometer reading will be slightly off
2.) bigger tires are noisier
3.) bigger tires means lower gas mileage.

Since I never drove any distance (at the time), and gas was cheap then, gas mileage wasn't a problem but the huge increase in tire noise made a big difference.

Before upgrading, make sure you've got enough clearance in both vertical clearance and turning clearance. Then consider them both. what I mean by this is turn your front tires hard left or right till the new larger tire gets closer to the bottom of the fenderwell. Then bounce your vehicle (with your body) to see if when you bounce if your truck will hit the fender well. IF it hits with just you boucning it, then it'll definately hit on a hard bounce while your turning..... both onroad and offroad. Solution is a suspension and/or body lift. If you go really big on your tires, the extra weight of the tire, you'll want to make sure your suspension can handle it also.

just something to think about when upgrading tires.

 

[D_B]

regular all terrain tires are hardly more nosey than the stock M&S tread
I found these 265x75x16 for $172 without looking hard ... Off Road Truck Pro Comp Radial All Terrain Tire, 265x75R-16

dont bother changing the tires if they are the same size but different manufacturers .. it would only be a problem if you drove on dry pavement in 4 wheel

 

[mike_s]

I should have stated in the case I was referring to above the bigger tires had a much more agressive deeper thread on them that caused the noise with them being bigger.

 

[D_B]

I thought that's what you meant

... a note on an aggressive tread like BFG Mud Terrain's (I've had two sets) if you put a slightly oversize tire (265 or 285) on the stock rims, you don't get that annoying vibration at low speeds from the tread lugs on the outer edge of the tires (I don't and they are pretty darn quiet too, especially before they are significantly worn) .. but on wide aftermarket rims though, it seams that the outer tread blocks are forced onto the ground with more pressure, noise and vibration

 

[mike_s]

I thought that's what you meant

... a note on an aggressive tread like BFG Mud Terrain's (I've had two sets) if you put a slightly oversize tire (265 or 285) on the stock rims, you don't get that annoying vibration at low speeds from the tread lugs on the outer edge of the tires (I don't and they are pretty darn quiet too, especially before they are significantly worn) .. but on wide aftermarket rims though, it seams that the outer tread blocks are forced onto the ground with more pressure, noise and vibration

putting a bigger tire on a factory rim though sometimes will "squeeze" the center of the tire in.... which reduces the vibration and noise at low speeds like you say....

but if the squeeze is "too tight" then it might result in "center wear" on the treads instead of even wear across the entire tread pattern.... just something you have to be carefull about.

 

[D_B]

yep, if you go too far, you find that you cant run a decent amount of air pressure without the center of the tread wearing.

sometimes wide tires also get what I call highway wear ... highway speed causes the tire to grow on the rim, wearing the center part, even if the tire and pressure are OK for that rim .. you can see this by looking at the tire and the tread will be worn straight across except for a small dip in the center

Mine ... 7.5" wide factory rim .. 285mm = about 11.5" overall with a 8.5" to 9" tread .. about as far as I would go on that rim

 

[augk]

OK guys time to test your trouble shooting ability 4 days ago my truck started making a strange clattering noise / vibration starts right after I hit a small pothole sound like the front right corner. a little further up the road I hit another bump and it stops this repeats as I'm driving starts stops starts stops etc.. I go home jack up the front right corner try repeating the noise turning the wheel wiggling stuff no dice. I have replaced the following suspension items universal joint at the knuckle, sway bar and hardware, shocks,leaf spring pads, brake rotors and calipers,hubs,and just the other day my local ford dealer replaced my track arm and bushings.This cost me 401.50 with an oil change the problem is the truck is still having the same problem, it sounds quieter probably cause they only noticed the worn track arm and thought OK this must be it. Unfortunately it's not. It seems like something is engaging and disengaging as I hit bumps it is specific to the right as it only happens when that tire passes over or through a bump or pothole, if I slow down below 20 mph it stops until I hit another bump in the road. now I told this all to the dealer I brought the truck to for repairs, for the first time by the way before they worked on it but they got it 1/2 right or 1/2 wrong depending on your point of view. One other thing I noticed while test driving the repair was that when in 4X4 while moving I'm hearing a squeaking noise. like something needs oil but only in 4x4.

so has anyone experienced anything like this or heard of something like it thought I would try to get some feed back before I bring it back their or to another dealer or even a non dealer shop.