So... a wheel with backspacing of 0" will stick out more than one with 4"? Or is it the other way around?

Zach

 

The first one is correct. But that would be a funny looking wheel!

 

Ah thanks my friend. I thought that's what it was but wasn't sure.

Zach

 

haha, that would be like the outside dually wheel mounted without the inside wheel.

 

. . . and here is a visual since my new wheels came in today, though oddly enough, they have the wrong back spacing. Back they go.



Back spacing is measured from the wheel mounting surface to the rim. The one above is ~3 3/4" as you can probably make out. So, the higher up that mounting point surface is, the further the wheel will stick out. So now you know that if it had 0" back spacing, the mounting point would be equal to the outer rim and is why keisur mentioned what he did!

 

Nice visual Darren, thanks... I've not understood backspacing until now

 

Yes, very nice explanatory picture. Really makes it clear.

 

Darren,
What is the wheel BS you were looking for? 3 3/4 will work on the solid axles, and should fit on the newer rigs too. (tires would stick out farther though)

 

Those are the Mickey Thompson Classic II wheels and the only viable options with those are 3 5/8" (which I think the ones I received are) and 4 7/16", which are the ones I need.

I believe the optimal back spacing for 3rd Gens is 4 1/4". I've heard that if you go too far out, or further than the ~4.25" mark, more rubbing will occur on in the wheel wells when the tires are stuffed. Obviously, too far the other direction would result in rubbing on the A-arm. Another guy on the board had the same ones shipped to him originally (from the same place: Desert Rat in Tucson) and when mounted, they were too wide for his taste. He had to exchange them as well. I agree that a wider stance is great, but only to a degree, and one needs to take into account how they would work off-road. 3 5/8" probably is pushing it. That's why they're going back.

 

Those are Classic II's? I thought they were polished aluminum...

 

They are polished aluminum.

 

Well yeah, but those wheels in your picture don't look to be polished aluminum.

 

I sanded them. Is that bad?

The inside is not polished. Look at the center hole and all of the other holes. That's what the outer face looks like.

 

Ahhh ok.. you sanded them - well how was I supposed to know that?

The only reason I'm interested is b/c I'm planning to buy some Classic II's and I'm looking for the polished look.

 

Note that I was only kidding on the sanding thing. Which is why I stated the insides aren't polished.

To get this back on topic, the thing I really haven't understood is with the ATS A-arms. If they move the wheel out an extra inch on either side, I would think that would be equal to a wheel with 1" less back spacing which would be ~3.5" but have never seen anyone comment on that. If that's the case, and people who have them have no problems when stuffing the front tires, then I would guess the main rubbing issue would be in the rear wheel wells. It's hard to imagine that 3/4" would make much of a difference, but I guess it does. I don't know. I'm treading new waters here.

Is anyone able to comment on that?

 

 

The way I see it, it's not the rubbing on the arms that is the worry in the front if you make the backspacing less. it's that the wheel turns on a bigger radius so the edges of the tire come closer to contacting the edges of the fenders or the rear of the wheel well while turning. I had to trim my valance a little and beat flat the lip in the rear bottom of the wheel well because I was contacting it and I only changed my backspacing from stock (4-5/8") to 4" with my pro comp xtreme's.

 

Good Question Darren. I was thinking about that too when we were talking about you buying the MTs. I'm sure you know Steve has the ATS A-arms with American Racing 16x8 wheels with 0 offset and 4.5" backspacing. The only cutting or grinding I seem to remember him doing was on the pinch weld and I think he did some cutting on the liner in the front wheel wells. There are several guys between here and ODW that have the same, or similar, setup but I don't remember hearing about anybody hitting the wheel well arch when the front tire is stuffed.

Maybe Steve can step in and tell us how much clearance he has between rubber and metal when the front tire is stuffed.

 

This may be a dumb question... BUT are there any other issues other than rubbing when running wider(or too wide) tires/wheels such as premature wear or damage of the wheel bearings?

 

I'm thinking "No." those problems are mostly caused by improper inflation or a vehicle badly in need of an alignment or even out of balance tires. the use of wheel spacers could possibly cause some bearing issues {so I've been told}.