[Dragonii]

I'm planing on buying this Jeep soon, it appears to have a 2-3" body lift.
(Going to see it Thursday, it's 2.5 hrs away from me)

I want to put a set of Cragar Soft 8's on it but I'm not sure what size to look at ordering.

This is the Jeep I am looking at.

This is the stance/look that I want.

I plan to run 33" Mastercraft Courser MT's on it...

I know that I need 15" rims but what I don't know is offset, back spacing and rim width.
Any guidance from the pro's?

33.00 x 12.50R15
7" fender flares
2-3" body lift (maybe, that's what it looks like)

Which Soft 8's would I need?

And, where is the cheapest place to buy them (Soft 8's and tires)? lol

 

[jpnca]

I like 8" rims for 12.5 tires

 

[Gate53]

Here is a nice piece on rims and tires

NoExcuses, Inc. 800-923-JEEP.com

 

[JackdUp]

Thats a great concept for your future Jeep.

 

[Dragonii]

If I am reading those charts right... this is the rim I need

Cragar 3975112 - Cragar Soft 8 Black Wheels - Overview - SummitRacing.com

thoughts?

 

[Dragonii]

Thats a great concept for your future Jeep.

Thank you.

The full concept includes black body armor, flat black in the center of the hood, metal cages on all the lights, a couple of sets of lights...

Red isn't my number one choice in colors, but if the Jeep looks as good in person as it does in the picture I will make it work.:dance:

 

[gixxerphil]

You need a 15x8 with at least 4" BS

 

[Dragonii]

You need a 15x8 with at least 4" BS

Sweet, can't get any more of a straight answer than that.

 

[Gate53]

I have 5 inch backspacing, it really widened my track with Pro Comp 32x12.50.15's makes it harder to roll and I find it easier in places on the trails, In the close in trees not so much but, just takes a little getting used to, And I run those with no lift.

 

[ipleadda2nd]

I'm running 33x12.50R15 DuraTrac tires on 15x8 3.75" BS wheels.

The outer and inner 1.5" edges of the tread does not make contact with the road. This is with 26psi. I get tire flex while cornering. I'm scared to run any lower psi on road.

Off road I should be able to deflate heavily because of this setup. But, since this is my daily driver, I wish I had 11.5" wide tires or 9" wheels. Will the tires of your choice lay flatter, I don't know.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I have 5 inch backspacing, it really widened my track with Pro Comp 32x12.50.15's makes it harder to roll and I find it easier in places on the trails,

That's either a typo or someone told you the wrong backspace dimension. That much backspacing would cause a 12.5" wide tire to rub. The most backspacing you can run with that wide of a tire is 4.5" and even 4.5" will cause the front tires to rub on the control arms when the steering wheel is turned all the way left or right. Better is 4" of backspacing for that wide of a tire.

As said above, a 15x8 size works best for a 33x12.50 or 35x12.50 tire.

 

[Dragonii]

I think 15x8 is what I have on my Ranger. It's running 31x10.5x15's. They look good, but I think they may seem a tad small if the Jeep does have a 3" lift.

The 32.00 x 11.50R15 may be a good size as well, but either way it sounds like this is my rim.
Cragar 3975812 - Cragar Soft 8 Black Wheels - Overview - SummitRacing.com

ipleadda2nd mentioned a lack of full contact on the pavement, should I consider a 10" width to compensate or would that be too wide, not make a difference, etc?

Anyone know of a better place to buy them than Summit?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

should I consider a 10" width to compensate or would that be too wide, not make a difference, etc?

Too wide. 10" would be ok for a street rig but for a street/offroad rig where the tires get aired down for offroading, you want 15x8. Besides, you can create any contact patch you want by varying the air pressure.

 

[ipleadda2nd]

Besides, you can create any contact patch you want by varying the air pressure.

Right, but I'm not sure much under 26psi is safe on the road. Maybe that's irrelevant to the OP, I don't know.

The tire will wear down in the middle and you will have more of a contact patch. I just don't like the idea of full outer tread and 1/2 inner tread.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Right, but I'm not sure much under 26psi is safe on the road. Maybe that's irrelevant to the OP, I don't know.

The tire will wear down in the middle and you will have more of a contact patch. I just don't like the idea of full outer tread and 1/2 inner tread.

You don't need a low pressure with that size tire on that size wheel to achieve a good contact patch. 25-28 psi is plenty safe and works fine for that size tire and wheel combination. I wouldn't recommend that size wheel if it had a drawback like that. In fact, 15x8 is the most commonly recommended wheel size for an offroader wheeling with 33x12.50 or 35x12.50. I run 15x8 Walker Evans beadlock wheels with my 35x12.50 tires. In fact, I have run various 15x8 wheels with all kinds of 33x12.50 and 35x12.50. Again, 15x8 is the size most commonly recommended... at least by experienced wheelers.

In fact, a tire that is aired down for offroading has a significantly harder time staying safely seated on a wheel when its seating surfaces are 10" apart than if they are 8" apart. Not to mention the simple fact that it takes more air pressure to hold a tire safely seated against two edges 10" apart than when they are 8" apart.

 

[ipleadda2nd]

You don't need a low pressure with that size tire on that size wheel to achieve a good contact patch. 25-28 psi is plenty safe and works fine for that size tire and wheel combination. I wouldn't recommend that size wheel if it had a drawback like that.

Your advice is always welcomed by me. I'm positive you know what you are talking about. You are much more experienced than I. I am not arguing.

I guess you and I differ on what a good contact patch is. Or maybe DuraTracs don't lay as flat as others. Like I mentioned before, I'm loosing 3" of tread contact at 26psi. At least when the tires were new.

 

[Dragonii]

Well you guys have sure helped me narrow it down to exactly what I need.

Cragar Soft 8: 15 in. x 8 in., 5 x 4.5 in. Bolt Circle, 4 in. Backspace

Tires: Courser M/T 33.00 x 12.50R15

A set of 5 with center caps will run me $1,404.75 after shipping from Summit. Any ideas on other places to check?

Oh, and can the spare tire holder handle that?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I guess you and I differ on what a good contact patch is. Or maybe DuraTracs don't lay as flat as others. Like I mentioned before, I'm loosing 3" of tread contact at 26psi. At least when the tires were new.

Keep in mind the goal is not 100% tread contact with the road surface. A properly inflated tire will not usually have its entire tread on the ground.

Which is why the chalk test is so dangerous when performed by someone who is inexperienced in correct tire pressure. Done by an inexperienced person, a chalk test will invariably produce an underinflated tire as the individual tries to get all of the tread on the asphalt.

Oh, and can the spare tire holder handle that?

Probably not for very long. My spare tire carrier bracket lasted maybe 3-4 months carrying that size tire.

 

[Dragonii]

Probably not for very long. My spare tire carrier bracket lasted maybe 3-4 months carrying that size tire.

Well that's not cool. I have thought about not carrying a spare for every day driving. My truck is 11 years old and the spare on it has never even been lowered. lol
I carry a plug kit and an air pump at all times and could always call the girlfriend to come get me if I need to.

If I go offroading maybe I could just toss a spare in the back.

 

[ipleadda2nd]

Keep in mind the goal is not 100% tread contact with the road surface. A properly inflated tire will not usually have its entire tread on the ground.

Figures. I emailed Goodyear asking them if all the tread should touch the ground and of course they said yes.