15x8 or 15x10 for street use only? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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15x8 or 15x10 for street use only?

I have a 96 explorer xlt with tt and shackles and 3" body lift. I'm ordering some new 33x12.50x15 general grabbers soon and need some new wheels. I'm stuck between 15x8 and 15x10. I've searched and it seems most people prefer 15x8 for offroading. But what about for street duty only? Would 15x10 be a better choice with the grabbers?
 



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The 15x10 will make thetire sit wider, so unless your using spacers on the front, youll most likely be rubbing suspension when turning. The 15x8 will make the tire sit taller, so itll clear the suspension better.
Either way, with that size tire your gonna probably have to trim some fender/bumper to avoid rubbing them
When i get my X done itll mostly see the street but occasional off road use, and i plan on runnin a 15x8 with the 33x12.5s i got
 






For 12.5" wide tires, to get the optimal pattern for street use, tire manufacturers usually recommend a 10" wide rim. But, like XLT99 noted, your primary concern will be clearing your suspension, fender, inner fender or bumper. If you are running spacers, or a high enough offset wheel that you aren't going to have a concern with rubbing when turning, then go with the 10" wheels if you are looking for something primarily for street use.
 






I run 33x12.5 on 8" wheels, and they arent wide enough for street use. I have to run rather low pressure to get a good contact pattern. I only chose 8" wheels because i spend a lot of time off-road and didnt want to need beadlocks to run low enough pressure to get good grip
 






I've been running 15x10 with a backspace of 3.75 in. My tires aee 33x12.50x15 I only rubbed when I did the body lift and didn't lift the bumper right away. I'll post a pic if someone will post one of a 15x8 so he can see the difference not necessarily how the tire fits but the offset that a 10 in wide wheel has.
 






I have the 4 in Superlift in this pic so it won't sit just as your would but it'll give you an idea how a 33 looks on a 15x10 with 3.75 backspacing with a -44 mm offset.

IMAG0214-1.jpg



I was wrong I did cut some plastic. This is what I cut.

cutoff-1.png

I've since removed the rocker trim and put running boards shown in first pic.
 






Im running 15x8 with true 1 5/8 spacers-sell as 1.5". Not sure if your looking for the stance but what i have will give you that. Running a 15x10 will be near the same depending on offset, but with that you will lose tire height as well, essentially depending on set psi. Also ive ran 12.5"w tires on 7"w rims many times, not smart but never with failure-MY EXPERIENCE. All three of my ex's have been dd's and wheeled HARD on weekends, never blew a bead even down to 8psi.... im i lil buzzed and ramblin, hope to help!
 






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