Tire/Rim Change....but one question...

Ok here's the thing...I currently have a 1995 XLT 4wd 4dr Explorer. I am getting a set of the beautiful 18"x9" Cobra R rims. Now here's the tricky part....I measured my tires the other day (the stock ones) and I discovered that the overall height (from the ground to the top of the tire) is 28.5". Now...I want my new wheel/tire combination to match the overall size of these tires so as to avoid things like the speedometer being off. So basically, I have 2 questions:

1) Can I match VERY CLOSELY the original overall height (from the ground to the top of the sidewall) of my stock tires with the addition of brand new 18"x9" Cobra R rims?

2) What size (x../XX R18) tires do I need in order to accomplish this seeing as the original height was approximately 28.5"(342.9 mm)?

Oh, one other thing...What kind of tires would you suggest for a asthetically pleasing, functional (dry, wet, snow in that order) and quality tire to match the beautiful Cobra Rs that I'm getting ?

Thanks a lot guys...

God I love this smiley

 

[GenerationX]

Thanks for the link, Sean.

 

[GenerationX]

Got another question for ya (sorry)- Are you sure your 4wd hubs are going to fit through the centerhole on those Cobra R's??

 

[SeanM]

Ummm.........I think so........anyone???

 

[GenerationX]

try it w/o spacers first. I think ive seen plenty of 96 4x4's with cobra's on...if not use spacers..not sure what thickness though, sorry.

Edit: oops i meant 95 4x4's

 

[SeanM]

So that the rear and the front would still look the same, spacers can be put on the front AND back, right???

 

[GenerationX]

so have you got the wheels now? I'm not sure if they use spacers in the back or even if it would make that much of a difference in looks.

Keep us posted!!

 

[SeanM]

Hmmm, I've run into a bit of a snag.....I originally said that I was going to be getting a set of 18"x9" Cobra R wheels. However, I did not realize that they were, in reality, a set of 18"x9.5" Cobra Rs. Will the tires (255/55 R18) still fit these wheels properly?? Someone let me know so I can get these things on order and on my truck before I head to the beach Thanks guys...

 

[james t]

yup, they will fit. a 255 is normally a tad on the narrow side for 9.5" wide wheels, but with the taller sidewall they should "stretch out" and be fine. not really ideal, but they'll work.

 

[SeanM]

Hmmm....I don't like the sound of "not really ideal".....What would be MORE ideal?? Also, I just went and saw the overall diameter of a 255/55 R18 Toyo Proxes S/T (what I'm getting) and it's 28.9". That's .4" bigger than my overall diameter is now. Do you think this is going to be a problem given the fact that I am lowering the truck 3"?

Help me out here guys...

 

[james t]

by "not ideal" i didnt mean unsafe, or poor performance, or much reduced tread life. i just meant that on a 9.5 inch wide wheel, something a little wider would be better. no big deal, they will work fine. less than half of an inch will not give you any trouble, either. even with the 3" drop, .4 inches of extra tire isnt going to be noticably different than what you have now, height-wise.

 

[SeanM]

I'm not really worried about looks in this case, but something along the lines of the tire rubbing against the top/sides of the wheel well....I did some prelim, shotty measurments and with the 28.5" overall diameter tire that's on there now, I have AT LEAST 4" of clearance between the tread and the wheel well. I'm sure it's a bit more than that because I took the 3" block that I have and held it midway between the tire and the wheel well and it seemed to be adequately spaced on both sides......Then again I've seen these exact tires on a truck with 18" rims and it was also lowered 3".....he seemed to have no problems.....

Any thoughts/comments???

 

[Troutman]

Sean,

I'm looking for 2 stock rims.....if you decide to sell yours...please email me.

Thanks!