15" rims on 3/4 ton axles

[86chev]

So from what many people are telling me, i can't run 15" rims on my current axle set up (D44 and 14B FF) without doing some grinding. Im wondering if any of you have done this. I believe the calipers on 8lug 44s are dual piston, so how much room to spare is there? does to pay to do the grinding to be able to run 15s? i'm currently running 16.5s with 36" bias goodyear r/ts but i would like to find a nice set of radial tsl's. i've been searching craigs but have yet to find any decent 16.5 swampers.

 

[Jims86]

So from what many people are telling me, i can't run 15" rims on my current axle set up (D44 and 14B FF) without doing some grinding. Im wondering if any of you have done this. I believe the calipers on 8lug 44s are dual piston, so how much room to spare is there? does to pay to do the grinding to be able to run 15s? i'm currently running 16.5s with 36" bias goodyear r/ts but i would like to find a nice set of radial tsl's. i've been searching craigs but have yet to find any decent 16.5 swampers.

16.5 are usually a bitch to find, and expensive if you do, and its not worth the work to make the 15s fit, and, you dont want to comprimise the integrity of the Calipers. Maybe 16's?

 

[crazy4offroad]

I STILL dont get where people are saying 16.5s are hard to find??? They're all over National Tire & Wheel. Super Swamper still sells 16.5" tires so it dont look like they're going away any time soon. Unless you're looking for a specific style of rim, then I could see where 16.5 would be hard to find.

As for grinding your D44 calipers I do not recommend it. D60 you can get by with it because they are just so damned thick, but they are single piston. If you know for sure they are dual piston I wouldn't risk it. And if you have trouble finding 16.5s like Jim was saying 16" is the best alternative. I had to take about 1/4" of steel off my calipers in a band about 3" wide to make them work.

 

[hirschdalechevy]

I have 15" wheels on two of my 8 lug square's , (no problem). Both of them have 15x12 bart wheels with 3.5" back space with a 1/8" spacer ring. I had to do a little grinding on the caliper"s and some on the backing plate , but very minimal , work's great and much cheaper tire's. My 77 crew cab has the 15's with 44x18x15 swamper's as well as my 77 stepside with 40's

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[smurph20]

I havent seen any D44 or 10 bolts on 3/4 that are duel piston calipers they have all been single pistons

 

[GreaseDog]

Grinding calipers on 3/4 and 1 ton axles has ben done thousands of times. Don't go crazy and you will be fine. The drawback from 16.5s, aside from the price, its their lack of a safety bead. This makes it that much easier to lose a bead off road. couple that with the added sidewall flex of a 15" tire, and the 15s lower price, the 15s are at a clear advantage. As for 16s... High price and extremely limited size choices make them not such a good option.

 

[whiplash889]

So from what many people are telling me, i can't run 15" rims on my current axle set up (D44 and 14B FF) without doing some grinding. Im wondering if any of you have done this. I believe the calipers on 8lug 44s are dual piston, so how much room to spare is there? does to pay to do the grinding to be able to run 15s? i'm currently running 16.5s with 36" bias goodyear r/ts but i would like to find a nice set of radial tsl's. i've been searching craigs but have yet to find any decent 16.5 swampers.

yea it took me about half a hour to grid my calipars for the 15 inch rims to fit looks pretty cool to as i might add.

 

[crazy4offroad]

The drawback from 16.5s, aside from the price, its their lack of a safety bead. This makes it that much easier to lose a bead off road.

What about the option of running H1s with the double beadlock/runflats? I know you're limited to an 8" rim though, and they're ugly as sin if you're wanting a street look. Also what about the H2's? Do they have the safety bead? I believe they are 16.5s.

 

[GreaseDog]

What about the option of running H1s with the double beadlock/runflats? I know you're limited to an 8" rim though, and they're ugly as sin if you're wanting a street look. Also what about the H2's? Do they have the safety bead? I believe they are 16.5s.

H1s are not double bead locks. And H2s are 17 x 9s

 

[crazy4offroad]

Well, from what I understood about H1s the runflat works like a double beadlock. H2s I wasn't sure about.

 

[smurph20]

H1's with the ring inside do act like double bead locks. it sandwiches the bead between it and the rim on the inside and outside.