Stock rim replacement tires.

After pouring over my search results I have somewhat vague answers to my questions.

I believe the rims to be stock 15"s on my 60 CJ5 . The tires that are on it now are Peerless 7.50 R15 can I replace them with 235/75 R15 tires? Or can I go with a wider tire like a 30/950-15.

I think I have found the answer to my second question but a definative answer would help. Can you fit stock 15" rims over a 11" drum conversion?

Thanks for your help in advance

 

I dont know about the 11 drum clearance part of your question but will share the following. I found some 15*6 stock jeep wheels with a 4 inch backspace and mounted some 225/75R 15 LT tires on them. mounted on my 55 at full lock the tires will just kiss the springs, Not enough to hurt anything but they will just touch.
The 235s have a slightly wider section width so some steering stop adjustment would likely be needed in my case
The 15*4.5 wheels that were on the 55 when I got it have a 3.5 inch backspace and just clear 7.00 15 bias ply in the same way.....They will just kiss the spring.

 

Thanks for the info! When measuring the offset is that the back of the rim face to the bead? I am excited to get some new shoes on the old girl.

 

Backspace is the distance from the mounting surface to the edge of the wheel, Use a straightedge across the furthest outside lip of the wheel on the side that faces inward, Then measure from the straightedge to where the wheel contacts the hub.

 

How do you like the look of your 225's? Do you have any pics?

 

The local farm store here has a some Peerless PS850's on sale for $54 a piece with free mounting....

I will pick up a full set of 225/75R15 and let you know what they look like. I am waiting for the rims to get back from getting powder coated. They are not an off road tire but will work for being a dd.

 

If your rims are original from 1960 they will not fit over the 11" drums. If they are from a newer Jeep say 72 to 87 they will fit. Also stock Jeep 16" rims from the 40's 50's and 60's will fit over the 11" drums.

 

I dont have any pics of my rig with the new Mastercraft Courser 225/75-15 AT2s. I personally think the 225s look "right" on a stock rig ( read not to small, about the same or slightly larger than the old G78-15 ), They provide good ground clearance for moderate to slightly rough trails.

In my previous post I mentioned that the 225s just kissed the springs at full lock, I had forgotten however that this occurred after I replaced the knuckle seals........The new seal and new bolt were thinner overall as a unit than the original seal and bolt that the 27.5 degree steering radius was originally set to. Before changing the seals I did have a set of Dean Wildcat LTs ( made by cooper same as mastercraft ) 235/75-15 tires that just cleared the springs at full lock and when fully articulated would gently rub the rear fender well, My current avatar photo shows the Dean 235s.

I had to put a washer under the seal cap bolt that contacts the steering stop on the knuckle to bring my steering radius back to 27.5 degrees, with the steering radius restored the 225s are a little over an inch from the spring at full lock mounted on 6 inch wide wheels with a 4 inch backspace.

I have had good luck with them so far, I have driven on lots of rocky trails and scuffed up the sidewalls pretty heavy ( watching for sharp ones of course ) with no ill side effects, I run 26psi in the front and 22 in the rear. They just maintain their profile and ride well for me at those pressures while providing good moderate trail performance without airing down any further. I would recommend staying away from the P rated tires and choose ones that are All Terrain or Light Truck rated. The P rated ( passenger ) tires in my experience tend to have a wider cross section in the same size that results in more sidewall being exposed. The AT or LT variety tend to have slightly straighter sidewalls by comparison and generally a little more tread wrapped up onto the lower portion of sidewall.

I also like the tread pattern on the AT2s because they are siped well and the tread void is small enough they dont pelt your fender wells with rocks constantly when driving on dirt & gravel roads, They are not exceptional in heavy mud but seem to do everything else reasonably well. Have not had them in the snow yet.

There are lots of good choices in the 225 size but allot more in the 235 size range. 235s can vary considerably in section width so steering stop adjustment to slightly less than 27.5 degrees could be needed depending on tire brand and construction. If you decide to look at 235s ( about the same as the old H78-15 or just a hair larger but not quite as large in diameter as a 7.00-15 ) be cautious of section widths much over 9 inches on 4 inch backset wheels as some rubbing of springs and rear fender wells can occur.

 

:iagree:

 

That is fantastic information! I really appreciate all of your input.

I will post some pic's after I get the wheels on.

 

After doing a little more research I found some pretty tight replacement tires.

I found some Mickey Thompson's on sale:



I am calling to get a price on some Hercules tires as well:



Does anyone have any input on either brand?

 

I cannot comment on the Hercules but I contacted Mickey Thompson just a few weeks ago and the tire you show in the pic looks like the one I asked about, They e-mailed me back and said that tire was for off road use only, the compund and construction may fail if used on the road.........Look that tire up on their web site and make sure.

Specialty Tires of America also has some 7.00-15 and G, H & L78-15 I beileve, There are some tire pics on the Universal Tire web site.

 

The Hercules looks like a copy of the Goodyer truck Mud&Snow that came OEM on J-trucks.

 

Well I priced out the Hercules and they are $110 that includes mounting, balancing, and valve stem. Have to add tax and $2 for disposal fee of old tires. That is not too bad of a price, they did not that they could be used for highway use.

Yeah I will stay away from the MT's because of the specification of it being an off road only tire.


I priced the Hercules for my 03 F150 and man they were pricey.....$195 each