New wheels - same tires?

[Thom]

I'm going to show my total ignorance about wheels and tires here...

I have a 2002 Limited KJ Jeep Liberty. The stock wheels are all oxidizing, making the vehicle look terrible. I really like the look of these Black Rock Aluminum Wheels.

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I'm hoping someone can answer the following questions for me:
~ Are these good wheels?
~ Is Morris 4x4 Center a good company to deal with?
~ Can I using my existing tires on these wheels, and will the wheels work on my Liberty without modifications?

According to the Build Sheet, I have WLDS 16X7.0 Lux Aluminum Wheels. The tires that are currently on it are P225/75R16. According to info that I've found online, the stock wheels have the following specs:

Wheel Width: 7"
Bolt Pattern: 5x4.5"
Backspacing: 5.5"
Offset: 38mm

Black Rock Wheel Specs:
Wheel Width: 8"
Bolt Pattern: 5x4.5"
Backspacing: 4.5"

Thanks in advance,
Thom

 

[tommudd]

8 inch is too wide esp. with that tire size
7 inch wide works best all around on the KJ

 

[JBHARDWARE]

Black rock is the same as Cragar and unique wheel. The 7 in. would definatly be better. I Tried the 8 and it rubbed my sway bar, sold em and now have 7 in Black Rock 8's on order.

 

[Chris_22]

Black rock is the same as Cragar and unique wheel. The 7 in. would definatly be better. I Tried the 8 and it rubbed my sway bar, sold em and now have 7 in Black Rock 8's on order.

unique wheel is the brand i have on my jeep. i cant find them online anywhere. i wanted to see the size and backspace of them. sorry for the hijack

 

[Thom]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'll keep looking...

Thom

 

[Thom]

I understand that my 7" tires won't work on these 8" rims, but I'd like to make sure that I understand why these wheels won't work on my Jeep (if I went with new tires too).

The backspacing of the Black Rock rims is 1" smaller than what I have now (4.5" vs. 5.5"). Doesn't that mean that the new rim would position the tire 1" farther out from the hub? Might this mean that an 8" tire on this rim would work on my Jeep after all?

Thom

 

[J-Thompson]

nope
if you are still on stock suspension
then your choice for tires is limited
245/70 being the max

however if you are still on stock suspension then you have bigger problems
then the oxidation on your wheels ,like bad shocks
rather than spending money on wheels I would repair what is broken
and at $115 per wheel you are within $100 of all new shocks and springs

 

[Thom]

nope
if you are still on stock suspension
then your choice for tires is limited
245/70 being the max

however if you are still on stock suspension then you have bigger problems
then the oxidation on your wheels ,like bad shocks
rather than spending money on wheels I would repair what is broken
and at $115 per wheel you are within $100 of all new shocks and springs

I'm not sure how I left you with the impression that my financial situation would force me to choose between wheels and suspension...

'Looking at this from a different way - let's say that I really wanted these rims on my Liberty. What would I need to do to achieve proper clearance for them?

Thanks in advance,
Thom

 

[Neb1373]

I'm not sure how I left you with the impression that my financial situation would force me to choose between wheels and suspension...

'Looking at this from a different way - let's say that I really wanted these rims on my Liberty. What would I need to do to achieve proper clearance for them?

Thanks in advance,
Thom

From what I understand from reading up on this thread/forum you would need probably a 2" lift, some 245 tires, and probably grinding your pinch welds.

 

[tommudd]

To really use an 8 inch wheel you would need to go with a 3 inch lift at least, 265-70-16 tires, and run 3 inches of bumpstops in the rear and Teraflex bumpstops in the front.

I am running an 8 inch wheel with 5 inches of backspacing and hit the flares when fully flexed a lot, with 3 inches of bumpstops.
Thats why a 7 inch wide wheel with 4 inches of back spacing works best, you can run a 245-75-16 tire real easy and you do not get the rub on the flares.
You have to remember that running a wider wheel, with less backspacing esp. with stock suspension is just asking for a ton of headaches.

 

[Thom]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to help me out. I ended up going with the following wheels that I found at www.discounttire.com:

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Here's a pic of them on my Liberty:

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Thom

 

[ridenby]

I like those,looks very good. Much better choice than black rocks,IMO.