15x10 or 15x8 and other advice needed!

[NYX]

Ok heres the deal, Ive been trying to figure out which way to go with this and its really hard since around here in NYC not a single shop seems to want to give me a test fit for tires and rims. I have a 97 Explorer Sport 4x4 4L SOHC 2dr with 4.10 gears, stock 16" rims with 255 70s. So far the only lift I did was the rear warrior shackle, didnt do the front torsion twist yet since I assume an alignment is needed right away after that, so I dont know how much lift I will get out of that. Im also thinking about getting either the PA 2" or 3" body lift. As for what I want to accomplish, mainly to widen the stance, make it look agressive, and improve cornering, that lifted offroad look would be a plus too. I probably will have to recalibrate the speedo either way so thats not a problem, I do want to preserve fuel economy as much as possible though. I got a good deal on used Eagle Gamblers 15x10s (-44mm offest) so I bought them but now ive been reading about minimum tire width that would be safe and i think it starts at 11.5 or 12.5, meanwhile the rims themselves look like they dont have much room to turn in the front. Ive seen a guy put 15x10s on his stock height Sport, of course he had to go with a very very low profile tire. I want to go with a real truck tire, not a $55 passenger car one ( I have 255 60s on my Cherokee and they wear out real quick even though its a light truck). Not too crazy about rain and snow handling either, not to mention they make you feel every bump in the road. So now the question is should I lift it beyond the shackle/torsion twist and see how it would look with 32x11.5s or 33x12.5s or is there a way to keep it lower yet widen the stance considerably (I'd like the tires to stick out a half an inch to an inch or so past the wide Sport fender flares). Have some H&R spacers (1 and 3/4") but I decided not to put those on (with a narrower rim), I think the truck's too heavy to move the wheels out that far. I couldnt find any 9" rims anywhere, I'd settle for some nice 8" ones with a lot of offset. If I could have it exactly as I want it to look and perform (fuel economy, wider stance, etc), I'd want an 8" rim that sticks out as much as a 10" (I guess with a LOT of negative offset), then I wouldnt have to worry about clearance as much. Then I would just stay with the TT/shackle and put on the widest tires I can. But the thing is I cant find such rims anywhere. Now lets say I stay with the 15x10s, could I fit a respectable size tire on there with just the shackes and TT? (The stock 255 70 16s seem to fit with room to spare). Or would I need a 2" or 3" body lift? Ive seen guys on here with about 5" of lift, 33" tires and either 15x8s or 15x10s, to be honest Im looking for something in between, less lift and a wide stance.

All opinions are welcome as I have to make a decision soon, still have to get those Firestones exchanged for something else, too bad theyre so strict around here they probably will only give me the same 255 70s (at least they still honor the recall). Guys, dont hold back on this one, all input will be appreciated. Thanks!!!

 

[addkev]

I have 31" tires on a 15x8 rim with 3.5" of backspacing and they stick out about 1" on each side if you look at my pictures you can see a pretty good idea. Click on my truck in my signature.

 

[Dan Whitaker]

NYX, I would NOT go wider than an 8" wide wheel. If you go 10" wide you are going to rub the fender in front or back on a full lock turn. I DON'T recomend wheel spacers either to move the 8" wheel out. You will have the same problem as with the 10" wide wheel plus all the negative offset will kill your front wheel bearings. '95 and up Explorers front wheel berings are an assembly combining the hub ang bearing.To replace them they run around $135 a side.
Sorry to bust your bubble, just looking out for a fellow Explorer.
I forgot to mention that a 32x11.50x15 will fit fine on an 8" wide wheel. You could also run a 33x12.50x15 on an 8" wheel with no problems. That is what alot of rock crawlers do. This helps protect the rim as the side wall will bulge out past the lip oh the wheel.

 

[NYX]

Dan-

Thanks for the info, when you say Im going to rub the fender in front or back on a full lock turn, what setup are you referring to? 15x10s with what size tire/how much lift? I know a couple of people here on the board have that size rims, I think they all have either the TT/shackle+3" BL or the previous+spindles in the case of 2WD.

 

[Dan Whitaker]

I was refering to the 15x10" wheel with the 33x12.50x15 tire. I have a 97 Mountaineer with no lift(this will change next time I need new tires) with 30x9.50x15. With a 3" body lift, torsion twist and Warrior's on an 8" wheel you should be OK. If you have the money I would recomend the Superlift kit that they now make but it runs around $1500.

 

[NYX]

Nope, no money here, gotta sell a lot of junk and then I might think about the 3" BL, but for now I'll just look for cheap 15x8s with similar backspacing, btw if anyones reading this and you have a set and you'd wanna trade for my 15x10s let me know (I can provide a pic). Then I'll see whats the biggest tire I can fit under there with 15x8s, TT, and Warriors.