WeGotMud

Projects & Parts => Garage/Tech => Topic started by: Jthomas on April 28, 2012, 01:06:05 PM

Title: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Jthomas on April 28, 2012, 01:06:05 PM
Tires are 40x17x15r

Right now my rim is 15x10

There is a ton of side lug that I don't even get to use, I want to put as much tire on the ground as possible. But i don't know what direction to go: wider rim, lower tire psi? Or smaller rim, and lower psi?

Thanks
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Captn. J on April 28, 2012, 01:08:56 PM
wider rim i m sure...
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: betterbeaters on April 28, 2012, 01:11:20 PM
wider rim and low air pressure
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: D60KING on April 28, 2012, 01:19:04 PM
Quote from: betterbeaters on April 28, 2012, 01:11:20 PM
wider rim and low air pressure

x2 15 x 14.
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Jthomas on April 28, 2012, 01:59:23 PM
I was told befor that if you run a smaller rim and low psi, that it would make the sidewal balloon and put more tread on the ground.

So I didn't really know what direction to go in
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: betterbeaters on April 28, 2012, 02:21:13 PM
 15x14  and about 10 psi should work good!
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Jthomas on April 28, 2012, 02:23:27 PM
Great. Thanks
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: ToughBowtieTruck on April 28, 2012, 03:28:27 PM
Tracks.
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Blazin40s on April 28, 2012, 05:27:28 PM
Simply go look up the recomended wheel size for yer size tire on the manufacturers website.  If there hawgs then they say 17wide, but there no where near that if u measure them.  
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Jthomas on April 28, 2012, 05:42:02 PM
Quote from: Blazin40s on April 28, 2012, 05:27:28 PM
Simply go look up the recomended wheel size for yer size tire on the manufacturers website.  If there hawgs then they say 17wide, but there no where near that if u measure them. 

Yea they are hawgs. I was just currious.
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Blazin40s on April 28, 2012, 06:18:15 PM
Or just measure the width with a tape measure and buy a rim that's about 3inches narrower then the tire.  The wider rim will spread the sidewalls apart which puts more rubber to the ground.
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Jthomas on April 28, 2012, 06:21:36 PM
Yea, the website says 10". But I'll keep my eyes peeled for 15x14
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Blazin40s on April 28, 2012, 08:41:49 PM
Id stick with what they recomend.  They do it for a reason.
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: 85cHeavyMetalBogger on April 29, 2012, 12:32:51 AM
low pressure and some beadlocks
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: betterbeaters on April 29, 2012, 01:13:14 AM
Quote from: Blazin40s on April 28, 2012, 08:41:49 PM
Id stick with what they recomend.  They do it for a reason.

they will be fine on 14s they say 10s so they look taller! lol
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Blazin40s on April 29, 2012, 12:11:30 PM
Shoot man, there prob only 14 wide,
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: BAD APPLE on April 29, 2012, 04:55:23 PM
12"-14" wide with about 10-12 lbs pressure is going be ideal for you
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: BAD APPLE on April 29, 2012, 05:09:46 PM
Quote from: Jthomas on April 28, 2012, 01:59:23 PM
I was told befor that if you run a smaller rim and low psi, that it would make the sidewal balloon and put more tread on the ground.

So I didn't really know what direction to go in
I think it's acually the other way around the wider the rim is with the wrong air pressure it will ballon out the side wall takin away the side tread bite, a narrow rim will pull in the side wall exposing more side tread and the low air pressure will allow more of the tread to touch the ground. I know you are running ground hawgs but just for example with 19.5/44-15 Boggers they have Done test and they acually work better on a 12 inch rim with around 15 lbs air pressure than what they do on a much wider rim with the same air because it allows them to use the side lug and the full footprint across the top
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Tex on April 29, 2012, 06:02:13 PM
Quote from: 85cHeavyMetalBogger on April 29, 2012, 12:32:51 AM
low pressure and some beadlocks
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: BAD APPLE on April 29, 2012, 10:04:52 PM
Save your self some money don't buy bead locks just put tubs in them u can run low air pressure and not worry about popping of the bead,that's only a problem if ur running 16.5's
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: MR NASTY on April 29, 2012, 10:20:32 PM
Quote from: erikmud on April 29, 2012, 10:04:52 PM
Save your self some money don't buy bead locks just put tubs in them u can run low air pressure and not worry about popping of the bead,that's only a problem if ur running 16.5's
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: 4x4xdodgeman on April 30, 2012, 05:09:20 PM
people need to stop thank about this. measure width of the tread then add 2" for rims size. because side walls are not made to come in contact with the ground. i have seen people take a tire that are recommend for 12" wide rims put them on 18" wide. then the next thing you know thay are looking for a tire or buying one because thay stuck something in or cut the side wall of the tire. when you go to wide for the tire you running.
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: michigan maniac on April 30, 2012, 07:05:14 PM
12 inch wide rim, and air down, keep in mind that airing down makes your tire contact patch not only wider but longer,
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: old school truck dude on May 01, 2012, 12:05:15 AM
This one is a no-brainer: Wider rims and lower pressure. Drive through some soft dirt  and see what kind of footprint you make for decidin how low of pressure you can get away with. Beadlocks are always great if ya got the $$  ;D
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: BAD APPLE on May 01, 2012, 05:03:24 PM
That guy is wrong^^^wider rims do not give u a wider footprint
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: BAD APPLE on May 01, 2012, 05:11:14 PM
12-14 in wide rim run tubes and about 12-15lbs air pressure over inflating causes the tire to become rounded at the tread pattern, if u run as low air pressure as possble it will squat the tires pushing the hole footrprint of the tread pattern to the ground, watch a drag racing video when the drag car takes off watch the rear tires wrinkle and squat, the low air pressure allows this to happen, run tubes in the tires to ensure that the bead of the tire does not break from the rim tubes are a lot cheaper than bead locks
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: old school truck dude on May 02, 2012, 12:18:11 AM
Quote from: erikmud on May 01, 2012, 05:03:24 PM
That guy is wrong^^^wider rims do not give u a wider footprint

Thats flaming. We are just giving our opinions in response to dude's question, it's up to him to choose the best answer to his question. I saw your post and disagreed with it, yet I did not say you're wrong, I just gave my answer just like you did. None of us are right or wrong, we are just tryin to help dude choose what' best for him. Let's keep it fun and friendly!!

Now then. About these tires. Erik, I'm MORE than TWICE AS OLD AS YOU. No offense intended, but I have more time in the toilet at the tire shop than you have on the face of this earth and have fixed and/or otherwise dealt with literally THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of tires. If you have a skinny rim, say its a 8.00x15, and you have a 14.00x15 tire, when you air it up to 35psi it will stand taller than it is supposed to and not all of the tread will contact the ground. Just the middle will touch. Using the exact same tire and air pressure, if it is placed on a 12.00x15 rim most all of the tread will contact the ground. Let a little air out and even more will contact the ground. Put that tire on the right size rim (same width as the tread) and you will have as much of the tread on the ground as you can get and your side lugs will be close to the ground as well. There comes a point in lowering the air pressure where you will begin to lose traction because the center of the tread no longer has enough air pressure behind it to keep the downforce, and you end up ridin on the sidewalls. Thats why I said play with the pressure in some soft dirt to see what kind of footprint it makes. ;D
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: BAD APPLE on May 02, 2012, 04:31:02 AM
Easy now big guy ur right but just because ur older than me doesn't mean u know more about tires than me my dad owns his own tire business so I know my share about tires a wide rim does not give u a wider footprint the footprint isn't going to get any wider than how much it measures when its not on a rim the trick is how to get as much of that tread to touch the ground which would be about a 12-14 inch rim and low air pressure a wide ass rim is only going to balloon out the side wall taking away from the extra traction that the outter most edge of the side tread when down in a rut, that is why the boggers have the extra but of tread on the very outside edge of the tire so u can say ur right and I'm wrong but I beg to differ
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: BAD APPLE on May 02, 2012, 04:39:20 AM
Ok I jyst calmed down and read though ur last bit of comment and I agree on the 12-14 oinch wide rim, when u said wide tim I thought u meant like 18 inch wide I appolozie I didn't read it carefully enough, when I said u were wrong I didn't mean to offend u but like I said I misunderstood
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: old school truck dude on May 02, 2012, 07:51:28 AM
 ==np ==wgm
Title: Re: How do I get a bigger footprint?
Post by: Jthomas on May 02, 2012, 01:54:27 PM
thanks for all the input guys!