Question on 7 inch rims

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Yogi
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Question on 7 inch rims

Post by Yogi »

Hi, folks. Been seeing pics of waggys on 33s and 35s mounted on what appear to be 80s vintage GW 7 inch rims. My question is, how does that work out? These are 12.5 wide tires in 7 inch rims. Anybody do this? I ask because I love these rims, but know my prefered tire size shouldn't work well with them, unless these are an 8 inch version?
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Stuka
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Re: Question on 7 inch rims

Post by Stuka »

33x10.50's actually work pretty well.

When you go to 12.50s, then you run into the issue of having to run the tire at a pretty low pressure to get at least most of the tread width to be on the ground. otherwise the center tread wears the most, and it can feel a bit squirly as you as basically on a 4-5" wide tire based on the contact patch.

The tires are also more likely to rub the front leaf springs on narrow trac FSJs because the tires are sucked in more.

7" wide wheels and 12.50's are not an option for J-Trucks, the tires hit the rear springs. Even 8" wide wheels only give about 1/2" of spring clearance.
2017 JKU Rubicon
Pevious Jeeps: 1981 J10, 1975 Cherokee, 2008 JK, 2005 KJ, 1989 XJ

Topic author
Yogi
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Re: Question on 7 inch rims

Post by Yogi »

Yeah, that's what I figured. Runing 12.5s on a 7 inch rim sounds like a case of suffering for fashion. If somebody would make an 8 inch look alike of those old aluminum rims, I'd buy a set!

itselliott
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Re: Question on 7 inch rims

Post by itselliott »

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AudgefCmPTt7iCSn1hzTEyqaf9mb

Hummer rims 285/70/17 ( 32.7" ) just had to bore out the center of the wheels a little.
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Stuka
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Re: Question on 7 inch rims

Post by Stuka »

itselliott wrote: Sun Jul 04, 2021 7:21 am https://1drv.ms/u/s!AudgefCmPTt7iCSn1hzTEyqaf9mb

Hummer rims 285/70/17 ( 32.7" ) just had to bore out the center of the wheels a little.
Those are 8 lug wheels, which won't work on a Wagoneer with 6 lug axles.
Yogi wrote: Thu May 06, 2021 6:09 am Yeah, that's what I figured. Runing 12.5s on a 7 inch rim sounds like a case of suffering for fashion. If somebody would make an 8 inch look alike of those old aluminum rims, I'd buy a set!
You can get these, although they have the fake beed lock on them: https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/american- ... 6968060500
2017 JKU Rubicon
Pevious Jeeps: 1981 J10, 1975 Cherokee, 2008 JK, 2005 KJ, 1989 XJ

Topic author
Yogi
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Re: Question on 7 inch rims

Post by Yogi »

Those six lugs don't look too bad.

ArchitectJS
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Re: Question on 7 inch rims

Post by ArchitectJS »

Piggy backing here;

I mounted 31" on stock steel rim. The guy who mounted them said he had trouble balancing them. He blamed the rims. two questions;

Is that a thing? rims get "worn". They dont have any visible damage
Besides 6 x 5.5, how do i find a rim that includes the right hole for the hub? Does "universal fitment" really work?
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tgreese
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Re: Question on 7 inch rims

Post by tgreese »

If you buy aftermarket wheels, the specs will tell you what the center hole diameter is. Measure your existing wheel and compare to the spec. I know my CJ wheels hae about a 4.25" center hole, and this is typical for the 5 on 5.5" hubs. The Wagoneer hubs may be different.

The main problem with narrow rims is the sidewall bulge. To get the right contact patch, you'll need to run a lower pressure. And the sidewalls will bulge and likely contact the frame when turning. A wider wheel should have the same backspacing as the factory wheels, ca 3.5" or 3.75". All the extra width will be outward, away from the hub, and the tire will bulge less and likely rub less.
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Stuka
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Re: Question on 7 inch rims

Post by Stuka »

ArchitectJS wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:49 am Is that a thing? rims get "worn". They dont have any visible damage
Besides 6 x 5.5, how do i find a rim that includes the right hole for the hub? Does "universal fitment" really work?
Provided they don't have corrosion and they are clean, their balance should not change over time. Modern wheels do have better balance than 40 year old cast wheels. If the guy was having trouble with every single wheel, he could have checked the balance of just a wheel to verify. Its just as easily an issue with the tires. Or with the guy balancing them.
2017 JKU Rubicon
Pevious Jeeps: 1981 J10, 1975 Cherokee, 2008 JK, 2005 KJ, 1989 XJ
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