8.5" Vectors, What tires are you running?

[tim87tr]

I hope to finish up a POR 15 project on some 8.5" vector wheels and would like to know what tires everyone likes for these. I prefer BFGs and know they now have a 275/60-15 which is a 28" tire, and I would like to run those if possible for the street. I have some 28x9 MT Drags for the strip, anyone running these on the 8.5s? If the BFGs don't work, I can always go with the 275/50-15s, a 26" tire. I have a stock suspension with air bags also.

 

[87LtdT]

M/T 28 X 11.5 ET Streets....but be careful. Backing from my driveway with my BRAND NEW streets and I slit one when I hit the street. Wasn't going real fast nor do I have "Curb" to drop off...no air in my airbags

Be sure you have plenty of air in your airbags.

Bob

 

[tim87tr]

Originally posted by 87LtdT
M/T 28 X 11.5 ET Streets....but be careful. Backing from my driveway with my BRAND NEW streets and I slit one when I hit the street. Wasn't going real fast nor do I have "Curb" to drop off...no air in my airbags
Be sure you have plenty of air in your airbags.
Bob

Ouch! If I ran ET Streets, I'd run 28x9 if that size is available. I have the 28x9 MT Drags, and they rub a bit on the frame rail on the stock 7" rims, so hopefully the 8.5" wheels would keep them from rolling over so much.

Who's running the 275/60-15 (28") BFGs?

 

[YGETV8]

I've got 275/60s and they are the soft compound retreads, so they are BIG for a 275/60! They fit, but I need to do a little more fender lip cutting (already done quite a bit) as they rub occasionally. My WE4 has been lowered about an inch or inch-and-a-half in back, which didn't help. They don't actually have the "correct" backspacing for our cars, but they do fit with a little creativity! These will pull the tire away from the frame just fine... but put it too close to the fender!

 

[tim87tr]

Originally posted by YGETV8
I've got 275/60s and they are the soft compound retreads, so they are BIG for a 275/60! They fit, but I need to do a little more fender lip cutting (already done quite a bit) as they rub occasionally. My WE4 has been lowered about an inch or inch-and-a-half in back, which didn't help. They don't actually have the "correct" backspacing for our cars, but they do fit with a little creativity! These will pull the tire away from the frame just fine... but put it too close to the fender!

I just remeasured and the 8.5s have about 3.75 bs and the stock 7" have about 4.0" bs, so the 8.5s should be farther away from the frame rail, and closer to the fender lip as you said. Maybe I'll just get the 275/50-15 BFGs to be safe, unless someone can convince me otherwise

 

[YGETV8]

If I'm not mistaken, the "actual" backspace is 3.75" on the stockers and 3.5" on the 8.5" wides! I think they measure "officially" to the bead area for their readings, so when we measure with a ruler to the outer edge, they seem deeper. Kinda backward for what we need! I always thought that getting a pair of these widened in the back about 1" would be perfect! Jay

 

[tim87tr]

Originally posted by YGETV8
If I'm not mistaken, the "actual" backspace is 3.75" on the stockers and 3.5" on the 8.5" wides! I think they measure "officially" to the bead area for their readings, so when we measure with a ruler to the outer edge, they seem deeper. Kinda backward for what we need! I always thought that getting a pair of these widened in the back about 1" would be perfect! Jay

I checked on gnttype.org and you're right about the T alum wheels, 3.75" bs. I rechecked again and the 8.5 Vectors seem to be 3.5 to 3.75, again what you said. The gnttype site showed measuring to the back of the hub.

 

[TRDirks]

Tim,
I am currently running Nitto 275/50/15 on my Vectors. I had installed them with aluminum drums and they did rub slightly a couple times on really big bumps. I went back to steel drums and they stopped rubbing but they are pretty close. I have a set of L/60/15 American Racing tires that I plan to put on tem soon. They are 27.7" tall with a tread of 9.5" and a sidewall of 10.8".

Here is a pic with the Nitto's:

8.5" Vector's w/275/50 Nitto's

 

[Black Car]

I have the BFG Euro 305X50X15 on my 8.5 Vectors and have been running this size since 1991-92.

Gary

 

[tim87tr]

Originally posted by TRDirks
Tim,
I am currently running Nitto 275/50/15 on my Vectors. I had installed them with aluminum drums and they did rub slightly a couple times on really big bumps. I went back to steel drums and they stopped rubbing but they are pretty close. I have a set of L/60/15 American Racing tires that I plan to put on tem soon. They are 27.7" tall with a tread of 9.5" and a sidewall of 10.8".

Good point, I forgot about the drums. I have steel drums on the Red T that I will run them on, so that should increase the bs and help out. When the tires rubbed, were you running air bags? I do have air bags on the T.

 

[tim87tr]

Originally posted by Black Car
I have the BFG Euro 305X50X15 on my 8.5 Vectors and have been running this size since 1991-92.
Gary

No frame notch or fender lip roll? DO you have steel drums and air bags? Unless there is something about "Euro" BFG that is different, I shouldn't worry about 275/50-15 BFGs. The tire heighth would be about 27" from my calcs

 

[TRDirks]

I did not have a drivers side bag when they rubbed and no air in the pass bag. My car sits a little lower on the drivers side so I put a bag on d/side and run just a couple pounds in it to try and level the car some. Tires have not rubbed since I did this.

HTH

 

[tim87tr]

Originally posted by TRDirks
I did not have a drivers side bag when they rubbed and no air in the pass bag. My car sits a little lower on the drivers side so I put a bag on d/side and run just a couple pounds in it to try and level the car some. Tires have not rubbed since I did this.
HTH

Tim, thanks for the good info. This will help me narrow my choice for street tires.

 

[87LtdT]

Tim...nice looking car, nice looking rims (somewhat familiar), and a cool picture. Ever think about stealing the road sign for the garage

Those look like stock center caps on there....how did you do that

Bob

 

[tim87tr]

Originally posted by 87LtdT
Those look like stock center caps on there....how did you do that
Bob

On TDirks car, I did read on gnttype about using the stock Vector caps (I guess if you can find them), cutting off the top portions, and expoxy the T caps on there. I know a person that machined some alum inserts also to make the stock caps fit.

Anyone running the 28" 275/60-15 BFGs? Tim

 

[TRDirks]

clue

 

[Black Car]

Originally posted by tim87tr
No frame notch or fender lip roll? DO you have steel drums and air bags? Unless there is something about "Euro" BFG that is different, I shouldn't worry about 275/50-15 BFGs. The tire heighth would be about 27" from my calcs

No notched frame but tight rolled fender lips and dual air bags with steel drums. Tire height is approx 27.2.
pictures
Hope the link works.

Gary

 

[tim87tr]

Thanks for all who replied with their setups, great info for myself and the archives.

Still wanting to hear from someone that has used the 275/60-15 BFGs (28"), and the mods to accomodate the tires
Otherwise I will just go with the regular 50 series 275s, 26"......but my car likes the 28" tires at the track

 

[YGETV8]

FWIW, I have the aluminum drums, so that isn't helping my situation! I bought another set for use on my T-Type, and noticed there is a little "spacer" built in to the casting of the wheel behind the lug circle that appears to have absolutely no function other than to give the wheel more backspace. I may machine this off this winter... looks to be about 1/4", which will help!

Yeah... I use the stock center caps too cause I know this guy that sometimes machines throttle bodies so I had him make me a set of adapters a couple of years ago. Great guy to do business with!

Jay

 

[87LtdT]

Yeah I heard that throttle body guy was a pretty good guy...but that ARV adapter guy might be as good

1/4" would have may have made a difference to my tire slicing...fender well hit the tire sidewall about 1/2" below the tread/sidewall intersection. If tire was 1/4" inward might have meant the difference between contact and no contact....pls keep us posted on any aluminum drum machining results.

Before I had these 8.5" ARV's (forever indebted to Tim Dirks) I had 28X11.5's on stock T rims...I added 1/8" spacers to eliminate the inner sidewall from rubbing during fairly sharp turns...the point is there isn't a lot of room either direction.

Bob