lets talk tires... WIDE tires :-)

[75stepside]

I'm looking to get the rubber for the back of my stepside project and i'd like something nice and wide to wrap over my 15x10's for the rear. I've been looking at bridgestone & Hoosier's p325/50/15's b/c that'd be pretty wide, I assume. however, i've never seen the tires on a truck like ours, or the tires themselves... anyone have any experience w/ em? i'd rather NOT put hoosiers all the way 'round b/c of the money... any other brands/sizes that anyone can suggest ?

[SanitysBane]

i've got 295/50/R15 on my 15X10s, foot patch is about 1 foot wide, i like them, they are about 26 inches tall.

[cliffsta]

I've never understood tire dimensions. They are in CM right? Help me out:
275=heigth of tires from rim to outside ?
35=width of tread ?
R 15= size of rim (i know that one)
So that's like a 7 inch wide tire? (stock size tires )

[RockHQ]

no,
275= nominal width of contact pattern in millimetres
35=sidewall heigh, percentage of contact pattern width (0.35x275=96,25 millimetres in your example)
R=radial ply
15=wheel diameter

92Z= 92 load range (Actual max. load is found in spec sheets in kilograms), Z=maximum sustained vehicle speed (found from spec sheets)

[cliffsta]

so 275 = width of tire?

[88Jimmy4x4]

Originally Posted by cliffsta

I've never understood tire dimensions. They are in CM right? Help me out:
275=heigth of tires from rim to outside ?
35=width of tread ?
R 15= size of rim (i know that one)
So that's like a 7 inch wide tire? (stock size tires )

Example Size: P275/60R-15OWL

275 - Width in millimeters of tire’s tread.

60 - Aspect Ratio - Percentage of tread width that equals the sidewall height.

15 - Rim diameter in inches.

To calculate the dimensions use this formula (metric to decimal conversion)

275/25.4 = 10.8" tread width

10.8" x 60% = 6.48" sidewall height

6.48" x 2 + 15" = 27.96 total tire height

[76sierraclassic]

Check out this site for pretty much anything you need to know about tires....

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/size.jsp

Mike

[cliffsta]

So when i get a set of Eagle Series 054 15x8s i should get like 285 wide tires? Or would 275 still work? What sidewall percent thingie would i need to keep same tire height as to not affect speedo accuracy?

[RockHQ]

I would not mount tires any wider than 275mm on 8" (203.2mm) rims, generally speaking. However this is where sidewall height becomes an important factor, with a taller sidewall you can mount wider tires on narrower wheels, and vice versa. That's why you see people running eg. 33x12.50x15" tires on 15x8 wheels.

You'll need to be more specific. How wide a tire are you looking to run? What's under your truck now, and how off is your speedo now.

Since you're going with 15" rims, your tires will need to have a taller sidewall than with bigger rims (17",18" etc) in order to not have a golf cart look, and not throw the speedo way off. A few popular sizes are 255/60/15, 275/60/15, 295/50/15 etc. When selecting a tire cost is always a factor too. Tire sizes that have seemingly close dimentions, eg. 255/55/15 and 255/60/15 can have a huge difference in cost and availability. With that in mind, sometimes it's a good idea to not be anal enough to care about 1/2" differences in tire diameter or tread widths. It can save you a lot of money.

[cliffsta]

ahhh see that made more sense than anything i have read so far i have original size tires, and the factory wheels so speedo is pretty much dead on anyways. All i'm gonna want is basic tires for a 15x8 inch wheel. Nothing fancy, nothing crazy, just rubber for the wheels.
thanks