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Post by Kevin W. on Mar 12, 2006 19:16:21 GMT -5
Any pic Jon? I like to check out those 3" BS wheels under an XJ with stock flares... You still have stock flares right? Kai OK... As requested, I took a few pics and stuck them at the web site below... Oh, and yes, I'm using the stock flares (the ones I have came of Kevin W's '00 XJ). The tires do stick out a bit more than I'd like, but it isn't too bad. I would have gone with 3.5" BS if it had been an option. the shallower backspacing means I also picked up 2" of track width, wich is never a bad thing... www.pbase.com/jwatson/jeepshots I still have to cut the rear fender guards to clear the tires... JW Looks nice!!! They don't look that large... then again, photographs are always deceiving! Have you flexed it at all? I had to do alot of trimming and bumpstopping to fit the 33's I was running at one point. KEV |
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Post by Scott on Mar 12, 2006 20:50:43 GMT -5
Jon, I DO like these steel wheels  The valve stem is on the inside of the wheel, NICE! Reminds me of the NASCAR wheels (in fact they are).  Q. How did they balance? Where did you get them? I may actually go with these (I know, changing my mind again ) I will be running two set's of wheels, Stock and off road. |
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Post by norstar on Mar 12, 2006 21:58:11 GMT -5
OK... As requested, I took a few pics and stuck them at the web site below... Oh, and yes, I'm using the stock flares (the ones I have came of Kevin W's '00 XJ)............. JW Very nice! Like the way the stock flares are trimmed!  Kai |
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Post by Jon W on Mar 13, 2006 11:39:55 GMT -5
Thanks... Kevin - Yes, I flexed it in the garage with a couple of floor jacks/jack stands. In the front I've got a total of 4" of bumpstops (2 hockey pucks + 2" bumpstop from RE)... I'm not sure of the exact amount in the rear, but I put in DPG Offroad's XJ bumpstop kit and 1.5" of plates, so it is probably ~4" total. I didn't trim a lot from the fenders... Maybe 3/8" to 1/2" along the bottom of the fenders for about 8"-10" (I minimized the trimming... Right now it just barely touches the plastic flares when I steer it. Fully compressed it will probably rub the flares a bit too. event fully compressed there is a lot of clearance between the top of the tire and the top of the fender, so I could trim off more and remove some bumpstops, but I'm going to leave it the way it is and try it first. The plan is to get the control arms adjusted to add 1/2" of length to the wheelbase, which should fix the rubbing. I'm taking it to Lou for LCA skids Thursday and I'll see about the adjustments then. Scott - One of the reasons I ordered these wheels is the protected valve stem location. Last year I tore a rubber valve stem on a rock and had to change a tire in a swamp... I got the tires and the mounting/balancing from Elias 4WD Center in Townsend, MA. They did a great job. The tires balanced pretty easily... the worst one took ~7oz (I can't remember exactly) to static balance. Most of them were dynamic balanced with 2-5 oz. I ordered the wheels directly from Bassett, but I could have ordered them from Elias too (didn't know it then, or I would have) and saved the shipping. One thing to note about these wheels - they have a 45 deg lug-nut chamfer so I had to order a set of lug nuts (Bassett sells them for $1.45/ea). They are 1" hardened steel monsters. I also ordered the steel valve stems ($4/ea). One of the wheels came with a dent in the edge, but it wasn't too bad (I think it was from UPS dropping the box). I was originally going to order their beadlocks, but their sales guy thought I'd do better with the regular street wheels. They are the 15x8 D-Hole Off Road wheel (not the D-hole DOT wheel) with 5 on 4.5" pattern, 3" backspacing. Kai - Thanks... I bought the flares "as-is" from Kevin W when he took apart is XJ... So he gets credit for trimming the plastic.  I'll see about getting some close-up shots of the fender wells so you can see where I cut the sheet metal. JW |
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Post by Ruocco on Mar 13, 2006 15:40:26 GMT -5
Ihave rock crawler steelies and do have them balanced. They stay relatively balanced untill the first run off road.
My solution was to purchase a set of four Centramic Wheel balancers. They work great. I rarely need to take my rig to have the tires balanced.
I would recommend them.
Ruocco
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Post by Kevin W. on Mar 13, 2006 16:42:57 GMT -5
Not only are they my old flares, but the lift is too! KEV |
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Post by jrcabbral on Mar 13, 2006 18:37:16 GMT -5
I have heard no mention of the most important part of a rim. How well they hold the tire when aired down. My current setup will come off of the rim at 6psi but holds well at 8 to 10psi. how do the mentioned combos hold up?
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Post by Scott on Mar 13, 2006 19:33:45 GMT -5
Jon, Thanks for the info! I wish I lived closer to Elias, However I deliver to Ayer, MA which is about 22 min from Townsend so maybe I'll be calling them.
Another question, Why did you get the 'off road' wheels and not the DOT? The only difference I see is a couple pounds and the DOT's are a little thicker,Correct? price difference is nominal. I'd be going with the 15 x 7" (I think) (even cheaper) ;D
Scott
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Post by Jon W on Mar 13, 2006 23:03:19 GMT -5
John - Good question... I haven't had a chance to air the new tire set down and test it. When I test I'll see if it really works... Scott - Cost wasn't really the reason... The sales guy at Bassett told me that the DOT spec wheels are an older design. They claim the new design is superior to the old one. The spun-form process they use for the newer wheel produces a wheel just as strong (or stronger) with less runnout so it will balance more easily and provide better handling. JW |
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Post by ZAEDOCK on Mar 14, 2006 6:55:22 GMT -5
They claim the new design is superior to the old one. The spun-form process they use for the newer wheel produces a wheel just as strong (or stronger) with less runnout so it will balance more easily and provide better handling. JW Not that you'd notice running 34" Swampers.  I have run my 33/12.5 BFG Muds down to 4psi on 15x7's I have run my 35" Claws down to 5psi. Both times, they stayed on. That time with the BFG's, I was going to drive back to the meeting spot but Don wouldn't let me without throwing some air in 'em. |
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Post by jrcabbral on Mar 14, 2006 17:28:13 GMT -5
Wow 4psi who's rim
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Post by Scott on Mar 14, 2006 19:01:19 GMT -5
I have run my 33/12.5 BFG Muds down to 4psi on 15x7's I have run my 35" Claws down to 5psi. Both times, they stayed on. That time with the BFG's, I was going to drive back to the meeting spot but Don wouldn't let me without throwing some air in 'em. OK, What rim(s) were you running with those tires? |
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Post by ZAEDOCK on Mar 15, 2006 7:00:03 GMT -5
With the BFG's, I was running 15x7 American Racing 5-spoke white wheels.
With the Claws, I am running 15x8 AR767's painted red(well, faded to a dark pink-ish, pepto color)
I now run the BFG's on factory 15x7 steel 5 spokes, only because the AR wheels looked nasty. Also note, that I have never paid for any of the wheels that have ever been on my YJ.
sources:
Factory 15x6's=came with Jeep (w/34" swampers mounted)
15x7 AR white 5-spoke=gift from BIL*= scrap
15x7 Factory 5-spoke=gift from other BIL*(w/ 33" BFG Muds mounted)
15x8 AR767=gift from Jay Mousseau (w/35" Claws mounted)
15x7 early XJ "Turbine" wheels=gift from 1st BIL*(w/225/75r15 inspection tires mounted)
I have always liked running 15x7's with 12.5" tires. The bead stays on better. It's probably not the best choice for the road, but for the trail...
Anyway, that's it in a nutshell.
Joe
* BIL = Brother In Law
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Post by jrcabbral on Mar 15, 2006 16:25:04 GMT -5
Joe,
I agree with the narrow rim. Do either of those rims have a tight fit to the rim. If I want to pop the beed from the rim I can put a Hi Lift on the tire and lift the truck before the tire moves from the rim. When I go after market I want a similar fit.
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Post by ZAEDOCK on Mar 16, 2006 7:03:36 GMT -5
Yup, the tires fit nice and tight on the rim. A high lift can't even break the bead.
To break the bead, I simply gather the strength from my inner self, get into a forward stance, and execute a front snap kick which breaks the bead and usually sends the YJ onto it's side. The resulting force has also been known to break leaf springs and damage their bushings.
I then go grab a beer and cigar and contemplate the meaning of life with meditation.
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The valve stem is on the inside of the wheel, NICE!
