OK, Im trying to nail down my new wheel & tire size decision here. (I don't want to get into a tire model decision here too.) Ive spent *way* too much of my time reading through the forum reading years of discussions on this topic (thanks everyone!) but if anyone wants to check my thinking below, itd help my peace of mind!
I've got the SMB 4x4 conversion (not Quigley etc.), and want to stay with 16" wheels for maximum tire flex.
Wheels
I have an obsession with minimizing bling -- I look for rims that look "practical", or even "military". I loved my ugly stock Ford steel rims, but they're only 7" wide. Furthermore, getting wheels with holes would be nice for the ability to use a Lift Mate for hi-lift jacking. I've found these two possibilities....
American Racing Teflon Mojave -- These are the only common wheels I can find that don't look too bad to me. They support 3100 lbs. And they retain the 0"-offset 4.5" backspacing of my steel wheels.
American Eagle Series 100 or
Mickey Thompson Classic III Black come close, but they change the backspacing & offset dimensions which I think I don't want to mess with. Unfortunately these ART Mojave aluminum wheels
weigh 25.3 lbs. Heavy! Only 2.2 lbs lighter than my stock steel wheels (yes, I just weighed them at 27.5 lbs). Grumble... I had hoped that I'd get significantly lighter wheels out of this switch. the AE 100 wheels are only 21.9 lbs, and the Mickey T Classic III are 23 lbs.
Stockton Wheel Power Wagon 24 Series custom steel wheels --
"funhog" runs these. I love how these look. I'll have to call Stockton to find out about load, weight, and if they even still make them.
Any other wheels ideas I should consider?
Tire Size
I'm considering upping my size a bit from LT285/75R16, for better sand floatation and a softer ride. I'm considering LT295/75R16 or LT305/70R16. I've read that none of the sizes below have a major rubbing issue in a SMB 4x4 conversion.
Should I even mess with this? How do I pick a size?
Code:
tire diameter size increase
LT285/75R16 32.8" 0%
LT295/75R16 33.4" 2%
LT305/70R16 32.8" 0%
LT315/70R16 33.4" 2%
LT315/75R16 34.6" 5%
Thanks for any input!
-- Geoff