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4 Wheel Drive/SUVs/Wheel offset and backspacing

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Expert: - 4/12/2004


Question
I am looking at getting some new wheels for my 95 cherokee sport and right now it has the factory steel wheels. what i am truly wanting is for the outside edge of the tire and wheel to lineup with the edge of the fender flares for that solid square look. the factory wheels set in about and inch or two, my question i guess is what backspacing and offset on a 15" by 8" wheel would you recommend to attain the "look" i want and if so do you think i may need to go with a wider wheel?  

Answer
Casey,

A normal back spacing for non-factory rims is 4".  An 8" wide rim will be more than enough for most tires.  The amount of tire that extends beyond the fender, depends on the size of tire.  You can go to any reputable tire shop, and have them put different rims on your Jeep to see which ones you would like to purchase.

  Carl

4 Wheel Drive/SUVs

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Carl Brandt

Expertise

Will discuss suspensions, lifts, lockers along with tire suggestions. Trail ratings and possible requirements needed for specific type of trails. Safety equipment and what you should carry with you. Certified off-road instructor. I am not a mechanic, and 4-Wheeling is a hobby, so if I can't answer a technical question it is due to my mechanical knowledge being related to vehicles that I have owned, or have worked on. I do not have manuals on all vehicles.

Experience

40 plus years of 4 wheeling in a variety of vehicles. At the present time, my major off-road rig is a 94 Jeep Wrangler with a spring over and a 1 1/2" suspension lift. This gives me a total lift of 7" or so. I have lockers front and rear. I have removed the track bars, and sway bar for maximum articulation. I am running a stock 2.5 ltr 4 cylinder with a Jacobs ignition along with a cold air high flow filter. It has 4.56:1 gears with a Dodge NV4500 transmission along with a 3.8:1 Atlas II transfer case. This gives me a final ratio of 105:1 in low gear/low range. Other vehicles I own, are a 96 Ford F-250 with a 6" lift, posi rear end, 36" Hummer tires, 5 speed with a fuel injected 460 ci engine, an 87 Samurai with an 8" lift, Ford 9" rear end with a spool, Chevy Dana 44 front end with an electric locker, 5.88 gears, 16% reduction in high range and a 6.5:1 low range with 35" Baja Claws, and a stock 2003 Grand Cherokee Overland. Trails I have run are the Rubicon (10 times), Dusey Ershim, Fordyce Creek trail, McGrew trail, several trails in Moab, Utah along with local monthly runs.

Organizations
Lost Coast 4x4's Cal 4-Wheel Corva UFWDA Blue Ribbon Coalition

Education/Credentials
Certified off-road instructor - Certificates in engineering/electronics

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