Nitto 325/70 16's (1 Viewer)

[hickok]

Anyone running these tires on there 100 series or 470? Or do you know if I would need wheel spacers up front so the tire doesn't hit the upper a-arm.

Specs on this tire:

Diameter: 33.91"
Width: 12.80"

I need tires today and deciding on the 325's or the 315's...please help!!!

 

[hoser]

That tire is a bit wide for an 8" wheel but it'll probably be fine since it is only 1/2" out of their recommended wheel widths. It will most likely require a spacer. A 1/4" spacer might work. If not then a 1" adapter. I think you will be the first one on here to attempt that size.

 

[hickok]

Thanks Hoser. I'm still debating on which size to use. There is only $7.00 difference between the two.

I'm about to go out in the shop and adjust the AHC you mentioned on a earlier post. Thanks Again.

 

[hoser]

Don't forget to add on the cost of the wheel adapters ($125/2) and/or the cost to regear if you go 315's!! My truck is much slower now with the 35's. If you don't want spacers, then 295's or 305's might be your best bet.

 

[Pskhaat]

I run 315s on my 80 w/ 4.11s, it ain't a speed demon, but it never was. I can't imagine the 4.30 w/ 325s would be so bad. 325/70s are 2% smaller diameter than the 315s, and only ~0.2" wider on either side.

 

[hickok]

I just ordered a set of 315's and they will be here tomorrow.....going to need some spacers for sure.

Cool thing about Nitto's is they look wider than most. The shoulders are squared off so the 315's will have a larger footprint.

 

[Pskhaat]

I just ordered a set of 315's and they will be here tomorrow.....going to need some spacers for sure.

I obviously have missed some things. :whoops: Why do you need spacers?

 

[hickok]

You really don't need spacers for 315's.

Although I had a '99 LC with 315's and after lifting the truck, the a-arms drop down and in a bit. Thus pulling the wheel in under teh wheel well. If you use 1" spacers, the spacers will push the wheel back out to the stock position.

 

[Pskhaat]

Ah! So for suspension correction post-lift vs. tire fitment issues.

 

[hickok]

Wheel spacers like this to push the wheel/rim back into place. So it would be tire fitment issues.

 

[Pskhaat]

Yeah, I've got spacers on my 40 to run my Toyota 16" wheels to correct the BS. What I didn't even consder was the geometry changes IFS goes through during lifting and pulling the track width in.

 

[hoser]

I run 315s on my 80 w/ 4.11s, it ain't a speed demon, but it never was. I can't imagine the 4.30 w/ 325s would be so bad. 325/70s are 2% smaller diameter than the 315s, and only ~0.2" wider on either side.

The 315's are 35" and the 325's are 33"
Perhaps because I live in the hills, I notice it more?

 

[hickok]

The 315's are 35" and the 325's are 33"
Perhaps because I live in the hills, I notice it more?

That's most likely the case, or even higher altitude. I'm on the Gulf Coast about 50 ft above sea level and it's pretty much flat as a pancake, so re-gearing won't be in the cards.

 

[Greg B]

The 315's are 35" and the 325's are 33"
Perhaps because I live in the hills, I notice it more?

The 325's measure out to 34" not 33". I don't know how much of a difference you will really feel since there is only about an inch difference between the two tires.

 

[hoser]

Ah, you're right, Greg. I quickly glanced at the 325 specs and they give 33.86" for the diameter.

 

[Pskhaat]

Ah, you're right, Greg. I quickly glanced at the 325 specs and they give 33.86" for the diameter.

Let's see how close they are:

((325/25.4)*.7*2)+16 = 33.91 so yeah, looks pretty consistent. ;p

 

[DMX84]

I like the spacer idea, but is it hard on wheel bearings? The company I work for installs wheel spacers on the rear of Ford f-350 4WD to make it track the same as the front.
Do our LC’s track the same front to rear?
What is the advantage or disadvantage?
DMX

 

[hoser]

I like the spacer idea, but is it hard on wheel bearings? The company I work for installs wheel spacers on the rear of Ford f-350 4WD to make it track the same as the front.
Do our LC’s track the same front to rear?
What is the advantage or disadvantage?
DMX

I doubt spacers/adapters will cause any significant premature bearing wear. With a 1" spacer/adapter, you are going from a +60mm wheel offset to a +35mm offset--not even zero offset. It is when you switch to an extremely negative offset wheel should you worry. Adding spacers do effect the steering but that's another thread.

I have heard of lots of truck guys trying to keep their track width the same in the front and rear because it "makes their truck drive better." I don't know about that statement as there are many stock cars that have a different track widths front and rear for handling purposes alone.

The stock track width are as follows:
Front 63.80"
Rear 63.60"

After you lift your cruiser, measure the front track width and you'll see that it is narrower than when at stock height. You could simply add a spacer. The wheel studs are about 1.25" long. You should get at least 6 full turns when putting on the lug nuts and the wheel studs should always stick out past the wheel's mounting surface otherwise longer wheel studs will be required. I am guessing you can probably use up to 1/4" spacer. For more width, you can go to wheel adapters as picutred in post #10 of this thread.

Wheel adapters can be used with a minimum width of 1" on the cruiser w/o grinding down the wheel studs. Though this is only true with an OEM alloy wheel. Probably even 7/8" would work but I haven't tried it.

A consideration when using 1+ inch wheel adapters and 35's in the IFS is that though you will gain track width at ride height, when at FULL compression, the top of the tire will not "tuck" into the fender like it often does with rigid axle suspension. So your front tire could possibly hit the fender before it hits the bumpstops. A 1" body lift could could provide the necessary clearance or you could lower the bumpstops a bit. I don't think this is a problem with 33's though as there is 1" more clearance between the tire/fender lip. Additionally, using higher rate T-bars reduce the chances of hitting full compression some.

My advice is to compress the IFS the front suspension as much as possible and see what kind of clearance you have. Then decide if you still want to use spacers/adapters.