Aftermarket Wheels

[Sandaholic]

I need some education on aftermarket wheels. I currently have my eye on a set of American Eagle 102 wheels. I understand there are some better quality wheels such as Weld, etc. but they don't fit my budget. The eagle wheels are rated at 3200lbs, same as the welds. My question is in regards to size and all the dimensions.

The Eagle 102 I was looking at comes in 17x9 with a 8 on 6.5 lug pattern. The other dimensions are +2mm offset and 5 back spacing. What is the offset referring to? What is an ideal backspacing? Do I want more? Less? :confused:

My goal is to have Zero rubbing issues and my only suspension mods are new torsion bar keys. ProComp AT 32/12.5/17 were suggested before and seem to be a good tire, especially with the 50k mile warranty.

[WOJO 1]

Sandaholic, although I have 16" not 17" like what you are looking for, but the ULTRA wheels I have are rated at 3400# at 60 PSI. Tires are rated at 3305# at 65 PSI. LT285's. Load is higher with these than with the stock Bridgestones.

[Sandaholic]

I am not set on any one particular size wheel (16" or 17") or brand for that matter. I am open to any suggestion or comments. Having the strongest wheel tire combo is not a major concern of mine as the heaviest thing I tow is a 7k# enclosed trailer. As far as driving style, primarily street driving and offroad use is limited to towing the trailer on sandy beaches, etc.

[Reno DMAX]

Sandaholic,

S

[WOJO 1]

Reno DMAX been good here. How about you. Just putting on a few mods here and there. a get together sounds good to me. Might be a small one though, not many posters from the close by area. I am game for just about anything.

[Sandaholic]

Reno DMAX, if you could, can you elaborate on your opionion on why I should not go with the eagle wheels and insted save up for the Weld wheels.

The eagle 102 and the Weld "Super-Single StoneCrusher" look very similar. They are made from aluminum and have the same load ratting of 3200#.

[ndamico]

I might be interested in your Reno GTG..i'm just down in Sacramento and go to nevada for work and play on occasion..

[hoot]

I'm running 17 x 8.5 Hummer H2 Chromed wheels with 33 x 12.5 Pro Comp A/T's.

Only bars cranked. They are the ticket if you don't need the super strong wheels. The H2 is an 8600 GVW vehicle so I would think the rims are plenty strong.

See signature.

[Sandaholic]

Hoot, I do like the way the Chrome H2 rims looks although they are not cheap. And you have to modify your centercaps and they still don't fit exactly right. The cheapest I seen the Chrome H2 are around $800, non chrome $200.

On a 17x9 wheel running 33/12.5/17 tires, what is the most desireable back spacing? What is offset refering to?

[hoot]

My PYO caps fit perfectly with only a minor mod accomplished with a pair of wire cutters. I can mod all four caps in 60 seconds or less. Send them to me with return shipping paid and I'll do it for anyone here if they like for free ;)

Backspacing is 5.5"

[Reno DMAX]

Sandaholic,

A few reasons:

[ski]

hoot,

a little off topic but have you measured how much room you have in the fender well at full lock either direction ? reason I ask is I am looking at the H2 wheels (crome :D ) with the 315/70 H2 tires ( 34.3 x 12.4) I know I will need to tie everything back and most likely trim the inner fenderwell. I am also looking at cutting the entire bumper edge ( 03 GMC with plastic trim bumper !). Anyhow, if you have more than an inch all the way around I think it will work. I also have replacement keys with about 2.25" lift up front

thanks

Ski

[hoot]

At full lock the outer tire edge does once in a while just barely touch the bottom corner of the dam. Not enough to make a sound. You definately would have to cut that corner with bigger tires.

[imported_]

Alcoa 'Nuff said'

[mfontana]

Sandaholic: I have been interested in replacing the wheels on my truck, thus I have been reading and learning on this and other forums. I currently have 3000 miles on my truck with the stock aluminum wheels and 245/75/16's So much depends on what the vehicle is going to be used for. Since I do know what I am going to use my vehicle for, I'll step through what I learned and my decision process. I think my truck looks terrific, EXCEPT for the tires. It looks like a great big truck with Cheerios for tires and cavernous, empty wheel wells. 99% of my driving will be on the highway. I dislike tire noise. Agressive tread patterns make noise. How much noise is relative to what it is being compared to. Noise comes from trapped air in an agressive tread pattern.

The dealer, can only make changes up to a 33 inch diameter tire. I have a long warrenty and I want to involve the dealer where possible. (No, they didn't install my Juice).

The tire I selected after reading many tire tests was the 285/75/16 Yokohama, Geolander HTS, Raised white outline, HIGHWAY- Non agressive, quiet tires. They are 33 inches in diameter, (The stock 245's are 29 inches. There capacity is 3200# at 60psi) (118.00 delivered each).

285's require at least an 8 inch wide rim. I purchased Mickey thompson Classic II wheels in 18/8/8.(3200# capacity) Backspace is the distance from the hub mounting flange of the wheel to the outer edge of the wheel. Lay a wheel front side down on the ground. Lay a yardstick across the top of the wheel. Use another yardstick, vertically from the mounting flange to the horizontal yard stick. Stock backspace is 4 3/4 inch. The measured distance on my truck in the front from the outer edge of the tread on one side to the outer edge of the tire on the other side is 78 inches, aproximately. The rear is 75 1/2 Stand about 20 feet behind your truck and it's easy to see the difference in width. The H2 wheels have a 5 1/2 inch backspace that improves the front but defeats the purpose in the rear. (They are sunk in 3/4 of an inch more than the stock wheels.)

I purchased two wheels with a 4 inch backspace for the rear, that moved my wheels to the outside 3/4 of an inch or in total 1 1/2 inches each more than the H2's. They look great.
For the front I purchased two wheels with a 5 1/8 inch backspace. This now makes the front and the rear overall width measurement within 1/4 inch. I realined the front end and compinsated for the "Return to center". I realize I cannot rotate front to back but I can rotate side to side. The wheels were 122.00 each from Summett.

Everyone makes their own choice and pay's their own tab. For me these were the steps I took to make my decision. Hope this helps a little.

PS. There was no rubbing, no cutting, no new keys required and NO adjustment to the bars that would have made the ride harsh.

[ 05-29-2003: Message edited by: mfontana ]

[ 05-29-2003: Message edited by: mfontana ]</p>