By Bob on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 09:09 pm: Edit

Would a Rovertym 2" lift(with everything but the front radius arms) with stock alloys accommodate any type of super swamper? What size would the tire be? Would I need wheel spacers or new wheels? Would siping help its poor ice traction?

By nadim on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 09:20 pm: Edit

well, with a 2" lift, and the fact that you are willing to cut the rear fenders you should fit anything that has the maximum dimensions:

total hight: ~32.3"
total tread width: 9"
total tire width: 10.5"

the best one that i would advise you on is the 265/80 16 radial, but be sure to cut a little bit in the rear...

By bob on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 09:28 pm: Edit

wow...that is a big tire,will i need new wheels or anything like that or will wheel spacers do the trick.

By nadim on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 09:30 pm: Edit

no spacers, your turning radius will diminish a lot, but that is about it, and better have HD axles and ARBs!

for TSLs to fit on your stock Disco rims, try national wheel and tires in the resource section, and check out similar dimentions, there are 3 sizes i am sure of...

i'll check now for you, and tell you in a bit...

By nadim on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 09:39 pm: Edit

Bob, these are your choices for stock alloys, no spacers:

Bias Ply:
9/32-16LT
10/32-16LT
Radials:
265/80-16LT (maybe)
Radials SSRs:
LT265/70R16 (with a little bit of rubbing in the rear spring mounts maybe)
TSL/SX:
32x11.5x15 (very very recommended for HD use!)
(I am not certain of the dimensions of this tire, but if they are stated true, then this will be the best pf the bunch)

It ultimately depends on whether or not the swampers will be your daily tires or not, if they are, try to go for the radials or SSRs.
If they are not, then I would highly recommend the SX...

please double check all that I am saying here, as mistakes happen...

hope this helps

By Tom on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 10:57 pm: Edit

Bob,

You will find that spacers cost more than new wheels. You can get 15x7 rims for $55 or 16x7 for $68 from gulf coast rovers that have the backspacing you are looking for. You will spend $400-500 for spacers. Do the math. If you like the way your rover looks with the alloys and have extra cash, then spacers it is. If not, get new rims/tires and sell your current stuff to help finance it. Or, keep the originals for daily use and get a dedicated set of off-road rims/tires. Has worked great for me!! Plus, if you consider 15" rims, you have more tire choices and the tires cost less!!!

Link to the rims...
http://www.gulfcoastrovers.com/rovers/arwhl/index.htm

I went with the 32x9.5R15 Swamper TSL's, since they are for off-road only. They are bias-ply, which makes them stronger than radials off-road.

Also, I have siped my Swampers. They are awesome in the snow, and better on ice than the stock michelins. I liked it so much that I siped my street tires (265/75R16 AT's) as well!

I agree with everything Nadim said, by the way.

Good Luck!

Tom

By bob on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 11:15 pm: Edit

do i need heavy-duty axles? Are they really loud on the street?

By Tom on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 11:55 pm: Edit

Bob,

I am currently running stock axles with no problems, but also no lockers. With lockers, you may need to upgrade, depending on the type of locker and driving style. Scroll way down the list to see a huge debate (about 90 messages) on this subject.

And, yes, they are loud on the street and your truck vibrates a lot. It simmers down as the tires heat up, but not much. Some folks say the radials are quieter, but I have heard otherwise. The more mild the tire, the less the noise and vibration.

Another thing you will notice with bigger tires in general is a loss of power...you accelerate slower just because of the larger diameter. Also, your speedo reads different. However, mine was 10 mph FAST before, and now it is correct (verified against a GPS) with the bigger tires. Go figure. Another thing is gas mileage goes down plenty. Mine was around 17+ (yes, very good) with a K&N before lift and tires, and has dropped to 10-11 with my swampers, and 12-13 with my street tires.

Aggressive mud tires just accentuate all of this (except for the speedo). They have a much higher degree of rolling resitance so the engine has to work harder to push them.


Tom

p.s. By the way, somebody is bound to pop up and point out that larger mud tires cause a greater strain on everything and will eventually break axles or other components. This is probably true, but I have no idea how many miles have to roll by before that happens.