Tire Selection Anxiety Issues

[burritocruiser]

Yeah, I'm being paranoid. BUT
31X10.5 looks too small on my Cruiser, and 33x10.5 looks HUGE on other Cruisers... I haven't seen any 32x11.5s here on ih8mud yet, but I know I'm not looking hard enough. I just can't imagine being able to flex the suspension fully without it hitting the inner-fenders or rubbing them... I also have the stock 15x7 FJ80 rims and plan to install the OME Stock Height Suspension Replacement kit and maaaayyyybeee 30mm spacers.

 

[mct75]

Why not get some 33's and drive on them until they are 32's?

 

[fj40z]

Go 33's. To me with no lift its perfect

 

[greentruck]

The 80 was sold on 33s in many other markets. Some say the drivetrain was even set up for 33s; some who switch report increased MPG, because the gearing puts the engine in the sweet spot of ~2100 rpm at highway speed. 33s won't rub, they just fit. And while the 8" rim on later 80 is the max rim width for them, the BFG 255/85 R16 is very happy to run on a 7" rim.

And the truck just looks right on 33s, shown here running with the OME stock height coils, although 33s are fine on your tired old OEM coils if you haven't refreshed them yet....

 

[burritocruiser]

33s won't rub, they just fit.

We're both talking about when you're flexing the suspension while off roading, right?

 

[george_tlc]

Yeah, I'm being paranoid. BUT
31X10.5 looks too small on my Cruiser, and 33x10.5 looks HUGE on other Cruisers... I haven't seen any 32x11.5s here on ih8mud yet, but I know I'm not looking hard enough. I just can't imagine being able to flex the suspension fully without it hitting the inner-fenders or rubbing them... I also have the stock 15x7 FJ80 rims and plan to install the OME Stock Height Suspension Replacement kit and maaaayyyybeee 30mm spacers.

Why consider 30mm spacers and stock height OME?? Just go to a 2"-ish lift, get some extra height with minimal bad manners in handling etc.

Wheel arches are quite huge on the 80, a 33" will fit & flex just fine even stock. Lots of folk have done it.

The BIGGER issue is that your 92 has the somewhat anemic 3FE and if you deal with hills/mountains, then a 33" will tax that 3FE even more... and you will learn to become one with your 2nd gear and high RPM to climb them

cheers,
george.

 

[greentruck]

We're both talking about when you're flexing the suspension while off roading, right?

That's right. You need to go up another step before you start "rubbing when stuffing" so some folks even run 35s and just try not to let it go on too long. On 33s, you avoid that.

BTW, see you're considering spacers with new coils, perhaps to level it? Our truck runs just the OME coils, no spacers. It sits just a little high in back, but it's pretty well-loaded because of the sleeper/drawer set-up in back that remains loaded. If your truck runs unloaded, spacers up front might be desirable, but to my eye and seat-of-pants, the way ours sits works for me.

I do want to add some air bags in back for when we tow, but we're good other than that. Point being, you want a stance where the truck usually sits some close to the factory specs for your uses most of the time or you introduce additional wear and tear due to the driveline angles being closer to or out of spec. Airbags allow ride height adjustment when needed, but consider where your normal use case leaves you setting for getting that dialed in.

 

[burritocruiser]

Why consider 30mm spacers and stock height OME?? Just go to a 2"-ish lift, get some extra height with minimal bad manners in handling etc.

I'm trying to keep my Cruiser as stock as possible while still making it visually appealing... that's why I was even hesitant about 30mm spacers in my original post...

Wheel arches are quite huge on the 80, a 33" will fit & flex just fine even stock. Lots of folk have done it.

Your blunt word choice makes me more confident, thank you...

 

[aaark35]

Well it took me 3 years to eat this tire and whole year of travlling driving almost an avrege 2000km a month .....what an amazing experiance from deserts to cold mountains ,like you name it ,,,,,,

 

[aaark35]

Cooper all the way... 285/ 75/16 IN MY LC80

 

[mrsleeve]

255/80-17 Cooper ST Maxx's like above, they are 33 1/2" when new, and I am on OME 861/862 with a spacer in the front to level it up. No rub just one of the best all round tires I have used

IMG_8915 by mrsleeve, on Flickr

 

[NLScooby]

There are often 255/75/17 BFG Mud terrains on Craigslist as takeoffs from Jeep Rubicons. You can get a nice set for about 50-60% of what they'll cost new. They should measure a hair greater than 32" - so this could be an economical way to get exactly what you want!

 

[Andrew Bluemel]

I just recently lifted my cruiser 3ish inches and I have 33s on it. Let me just say the 33s looked huge when at stock ride height but look down right small now. As soon as my current tires wear out and I can afford a re-gear I'm gonna jump to 35s. But 33s are really hard to argue with except for how they look with a lift.

Attached two pics to show what I mean. One where the it's not really flexing and one when it is flexing a little more.

 

[Heckraiser]

For an FJ80 (15" wheels) I would consider 33x10.5 the go-to tire choice. Like others have mentioned, they came with 33's as stock in other markets around the world. If you think that's too big for you, just get BFG's, they run small anyway so a 33 is actually closer to 32. Unless you're overly concerned about gearing or a stock look, in which case I would go 31x10.5

 

[mct75]

I'm still torn between 33 and 35. 33 will fit on the stock wheels, but 35 will look a lot better with my lift although I'd need new wheels.

 

[Andrew Bluemel]

I'm still torn between 33 and 35. 33 will fit on the stock wheels, but 35 will look a lot better with my lift although I'd need new wheels.

Why would you need new wheels for 35s?

 

[mct75]

I have 15x7 wheels. 35x12.5R15 would be a stretch (literally)

 

[Heckraiser]

It is doable, but not really recommended. I have run 33x12.5 tires on fj60 steelies (6" wide) and I didn't die in a ball of fire.

Since you're in alabama, there are some interco mud tires (SSR's or LTB's) that come in a 35x10.5x15 (or 16 for that matter). That would be cool on stock wheels

 

[Pin_Head]

33s work well if you do most of your driving on road and don't need the extra ground clearance. 35s work well too, but my experience is that they will rub on the inner front fender on compression if you don't lower the bump stop by an inch or two. Having a lift makes the compression issue less likely.
The other thing to be aware of is that some 35s are actually 34 inches, so you may have fewer clearance issues with 34s.

 

[YendraBuilt]

255/80-17 Cooper ST Maxx's like above, they are 33 1/2" when new, and I am on OME 861/862 with a spacer in the front to level it up. No rub just one of the best all round tires I have used

IMG_8915 by mrsleeve, on Flickr

That's a good looking rig! Might be a bit biased…