Tire help

[Chuck]

Hi All,
I'm new to the group,and need some advice.I just got 5 of Jimbob1111's 16 x16.5 tubless rims. Now I need to speck out some radial tires,must be 34in tall,and a quiet all terrain type tread.The truck doesn't do anything more than dirt roads and will never see snow.One option is a 255 85 r16 Cooper Discover ST,any other ideas?
Thanks in advance
Chuck in NH

[M37UK]

Hi Chuck and welcome to the forum!

I'm afraid I cant personally help you with your questions but sooner or later I'm sure one of the other guys will jump in.
Everything you need to know and more is to be found here by lots of experienced folks.


Cheers

[Paul in Kempner, TX]

I appreciate the fact that you are new here. Welcome.

Chuck, I suggest that you try to connect with the many WWII Dodge/Power Wagon/M37 owners in and around you. They are your local support group.

There are many articles and discussions concerning tires on the various web sites that cover M37s and the Power Wagon family of trucks. Which sites have you visited? Use the SEARCH function and enter "tires". Cabell Garbee's site would be among the first to come up.

You are considering the 255 85 r16 Cooper Discover ST as an option. Absolutely not. You don't run 16 inch tires on a 16 1/2 inch rim. Learning that a tire must be the correct size for its rim is one of the basics you need to learn long before you consider picking a particular tire. The supporrt group can help you with "Introduction to Tires" all the way to "The right tire for space travel in your M37."

Good Luck!

[Chuck]

Sorry, my fingers and my brain were out of sinc,I meant 16x6.5in wide.The rim is a tubless replacement for the 2piece stock M37 rim.
Chuck

[SOTVEN]

HELLO CHUCK, AND WELCOME ONBOARD. I CONVERTED THE SIZE OF THE TIRES YOU MENTION (255, 85/16) FROM METRIC TO INCH AND THIS IS WHAT IT COMES TO 33,1 X 10,04 /16 . THEY ARE ONE INCH SHORTER THAN THE 34 YOU WANT,I AM PREETY POSITIVE THAT THE 10 INCH WIDTH WILL FIT THE 6.5 RIM. AS OF HOW QUIET THEY ARE, I HAVE NO IDEA. SINCE YOU ARE CONVERTING TO TUBELESS RIMS, I WOULD ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE MORE CHOISES THAN THE REST OF US WITH THE SPLIT DESIGN. IF YOU SEARCH ON LINE STORES LIKE TIRERACK AND NTB, THEY HAVE A SEARCH ENGINE WHERE YOU TYPE IN THE DESIRED TIRE DIMENTIONS AND THEY PRESENT WHAT THEY HAVE AT THAT. TIRE RACK PRICES ARE VERY COMPETITIVE ALSO AS I HAVE SEEN WHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR TIRES FOR MY RAM. TO THE "QUIET" ASPECT, I WOULD SAY THAT AT TIMES THE M37 WILL PRODUCE MORE NOISE THAN ANY TIRE WITH A NOT SO AGGRESSIVE TRED PATTERN. YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THE TRUCK HAS NO NOISE INSULATION OF ANY KIND. SO ANYTHING FROM SPINNING GEARS TO THE WIND HOWLING AROUND THE SQUARE CAB DESIGN, I BELIEVE ONLY SWAMPERS COULD BE HEARD IN A DRIVE.

[Master Yota]

A 305/85x16 tire works out to aroud 34-35" tall and would be a perfect size. My personal preference to tires would be a BFG A/T. They are easy to source, reasonably priced, have excellent tread life (even under a heavy truck) and have great road manners. My friend has run them for years under his diesel, and regularly gets 50K miles out of them. They would be my first choice for a truck that dosen't need a M/t type tire.

A Dick Cepek Fun Country tire (by Mickey Thompson) would also be an excellent tire for your application. Probably cost a little more than the BFG, with the same manners and longevity, just a little more aggresive. Cepek also makes a tire called the "Crusher", and has a similar pattern to the NDT, but in a modern design. It might work well for you as well.

[Chuck]

Master Yota,
I have checked the internet for both Dick Cepeck and B F Goodrich in 305 85 R16 and cannot find anything taller than a 75 series,am I missing something?
Thanks
Chuck

[Tanner]

http://www.d-90.com/tire/denman.html - options for 305/85-16 tires...

The problem you'd run into would be that a 305 won't fit a 6.5" rim safely. To run a 305 tire, you'll need a minimum 8" wide rim.
Even a 285/75-16 @ 33" tall is recommending a minimum rim width of 7.5"...

'Tanner'

[SOTVEN]

ALTHOUGH I AGREE WITH TANNER IN THE FACT THAT A WIDE TIRE NEEDS A WIDE RIM. 11X16 IS NOT MUCH THINER THAN A "305" AND YET EVERYONE MOUNTS IT ON A 6.5 STOCK RIM. ALSO CHARLES CONSTANTLY MOUNTS YOKOHAMA 315 WHICH ARE OBVIOUSLY 1CM WIDER THAN 305 ON HIS STOCK RIM PROJECTS WITH GOOD RESULTS. SO I WOULD SAY THAT GIVEN THAT THE SPLIT RIM IS IN GOOD SHAPE AND NOT RUSTED AWAY AT THE LOCKING POINT, I THINK A 305 WILL BE OK. ANOTHER ISSUE I WANTED TO MENTION IS, A FEW YEARS AGO I HAD READ AN ARTICLE IN PETERSEN'S 4WHEEL AND OFFROAD WHERE THEY COMPARED A WHOLE BUNCH OF TIRES. IT TURNED OUT, PREETY MUCH MOST OF THE TIRES (ALL WELL KNOWN BRANDS) WERE NOT TRUE TO THEIR NOMINAL DIMENTIONS, RANGING UP TO AN +/-INCH DIFERANCES FROM WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE (PER KIND, NOT PER EACH)!! ALSO I BELIEVE THAT MOUNTING A WIDE TIRE ON A NARROW RIM WILL MAKE THE TIRE REGISTER TALLER THAN IT SHOULD. SO PERHAPS THE 255 THAT YOU MENTIONED EARLIER MIGHT MAKE IT TO BE 34 INCH OVERALL IF MOUNTED ON THE 6.5. AGAIN, GOODLUCK

[Chuck]

Morning ,
I found another possibility today.Anyone ever run Laramie Trailcutter R/T 255 85 r16s?
Maybe Charles can comment on the Geolanders that he uses.Some reviews say they wear funny and fast.They are the correct height though.
I appreciate all your comments
Chuck

[Master Yota]

Chuck - try these guys:

http://www.ntwonline.com/Tires_C1.cfm?U ... 8c3db2f1c7

I wouldn't have any issue with running an 85 series tire (or a 12.50 wide) on the stock 6.5" wheel. A 35" tall tire has more than enough sidewall to safely "pull in" to fit on the wheel without cause for concern (were talking about pulling the tire inward 3/4" more on either side when mounted) its not anything that needs to be worried about... Where tire width becomes a problem is with short and wide tires on narrow rims. They are a pain to mount, as the tire dosen't have enough sidewall flex to get on the rim. Radial tires are also easier to mount due to their construction, they have a much more flexible sidewall than a bias ply.