Most of the information I find is concerning tire height. My concern is width. I would really like to go with 15.5" wide tires. What kind of back spacing would I need to run this wide of a tire? I've also thought of 35s but I think for now the 33s are going to work for me.

 

15.5, whew those are some fat shoes... The newbie questions lists 3.75 - 4.75 for 12.5's. I'm thinking you'd probably want to aim for at least the 3.75 range between backspace and/or spacers. I'm sure someone a little more mathematically inclined will chime in on this.

Why SOOO wide? Riding dunes?

 

Hey - Piscataway!



Hmmm...your biggest problem will be the tires sticking out past the fenders...as in New JOISEY....that ain't legal.

Of course, you can get away with it, and inspection is not due for a while on a new jeep, etc...but, be aware of an otherwise routine stop where you can get impounded for it, etc.

You'd need about 3.75" or less of BS to clear inboard components with 15.5" section width tires.

That means you'd need extended fender flares to cover the tires/not get into trouble/spray the guy behind you when its raining, articulate w/o hitting the fender on uptravel, etc. (O to trailer it and just take the fenders OFF, etc...)



PS - What kind of wheeling do you do...(we're practically neighbors)?

 

Honestly I just like the look of wide tires. I had 35x15.5 on my 4runner. My offroading mainly consists of dirt roads, I try to avoid the mud because I am too lazy to clean up afterwards, however it seems I end up playing in it anyway. I would love to ride the dunes if we had any we could ride in Jersey.

Teej... did you ever get that bumper mounted and the lights wired up?


Maybe I'll just go with 13.5 wide.

 

very cool that someone is doing something besides the normal 35x12.5....hope it works out for you

 

I too am very interested in running some really wide tires. My primary concern is for over-sand travel at the beaches in MA, VA and NC. I figure it'll do better in the goo as well with the bigger footprint.
I'm having a hard time finding 5-on-5 wheels that are wide enough to handle a 15.5 tire.
I'm sure I'll be needing some spacers and bushwhackers to bump it out. I too love the look of the really wide tires.
I spoke to the Quadratec rep today about it, he indicated:
33's might still need a mild 2.5" lift, 35's will need a 4" lift.

Put em' on and then measure up for the lift.
I have uploaded a quick & dirty PhotoChop that should give you an idea of what it would look like when completed. Hopefully the picture takes to the website.

 

Won't a 10-inch wide rim work with a 15.5" section width? My logic is... people run 12.5" section widths on stock rims, which are 7.5 inches wide. That's a difference of 5 inches. The difference between 15.5 and 10 is only a half inch more. Ahh, what do I know...

 

Here are some pictures of 13.5", 14.5", and 15.5" section widths just to give you guys an idea how insanely wide a 15.5" section width is.

35X13.50 on 18x9 wheels


38x14.5 on 16x10 wheels


38x15.5 on 20x10 wheels

 

Yep that'll do nicely.
It's hard to beleive the bottom picture is on 38's ( I guess the other half is down in the grass). I think it's also interesting to look at how much of a difference the stubby bumper, Xenon, and Bushwackers make in perception of width.
The Bushwackers still overpower the 13.5's.
The Xenons don't cover the 14.5's.
And the stubby amplifies the stock flenders shortcomings and exaggerate the 15.5's.

 

I think the 15.5's look ridiculous. I think a full-width bumper, stock fenders, and 35x13.5's would look the best.