HMMWV Wheel/Tire Decision

[85 USMC M998]

Guys,
I am going to need new tires on the rear in the near future (depends on how many miles I put on). I currently have the Bias Ply Goodyear Military OZ (8 bolt rim).
The first question is should I look at upgrading to the newer Goodyear M/T Radials?
Are the following really worth the expense of new wheels (rims)?
How is the on & off-road performance of the Bias Plys compared to the M/Ts?
90% of the time the HMMWVis on the road but want to have a good performance tire when I do use it off-road.
Is the ride quality/ handling (I know kinda silly it is a HMMWV, but have to ask)?
Thanks for the input.

 

[KansasBobcat]

My 998 had bias ply and did not track well. New mounted radials with run flats are 175.00 plus shipping. PM me for souce. Bob

 

[86humv]

MT's are pretty cheap now days, and are alot better .
Even better than that...MT'Rs are best choice. ** easier to balance }.

 

[emmado22]

Bias tires SUCK!

Get rid of the 8 bolt rims too.. You cant use them on radials.

 

[Retiredwarhorses]

90% of the time on the road and your runnin Bias ply, how are your,kidneys....lol

Ditto on what others said, you can find a full setup for well under 1k...

 

[85 USMC M998]

90% of the time on the road and your runnin Bias ply, how are your,kidneys....lol

Ditto on what others said, you can find a full setup for well under 1k...

Don't know any different; if the radials ride much better the wife will be pleased

Next question 12 or 24 bolt rims? Does one really need 24 bolt rims?

Thanks for the input.

 

[tie6044]

Get rid of the 8 bolt rims too.. You cant use them on radials.

I'm confused...why can't you?

 

[emmado22]

It is a safety thing. While they will physically work, the Army says it is dangerous. 12 bolt rims are cheap. Do it the right way.

 

[85 USMC M998]

emmando22,

If I understand correctly the 24 bolt rims just allow a higher air pressure. Correct?

 

[emmado22]

I believe so. Unless your going to overload your truck, the radials and 12 bolt rims are fine.

 

[tie6044]

It is a safety thing. While they will physically work, the Army says it is dangerous. 12 bolt rims are cheap. Do it the right way.

Oh gotchya, I didn't realize you were talking about the studs that hold the rim together not the wheel stud pattern that hold it onto the hub.

 

[vitamink]

*85, if you feel like making a trip to indy, i have some BFGs and 12 bolt rims i can sell you.

 

[CBR Metalworks]

I can get as many 12-bolt wheels with radial MT's as you want, $100 each. Tread depth would be 75%+. Obviously you would have to cover shipping. I can arrange freight shipping if you have a business address or can pick them up at a terminal nearby.

 

[ClarkeF]

The rim design on the 8-bolt wheels does not have the safety lip needed to use radial tires correctly. While they will fit, it is an accident waiting to happen. If you have 8-bolt wheen your ONLY safe choise is bias-ply ties. The wheels are rated at about 2300 each - so about 9K max truck weight.

For radial tires the choices are 12 bolt, 24 bolt even pattern and 24 bolt staggered pattern. There is also an "early" and late 12-bolt, the early uses a spacer and has a lower weight rating than the late. The late has a hole that matches the sections and is visible through the wheel halves.. The load rating on the late 12-bolt is 3850 lbs per wheel at 50PSI. The "normal" tire for that wheel is the Goodyear MT - loadrange "D". The Loadrange "D" BF Goodrich Baja T/A and the Goodyear MT/R are valid tires for the late 12-bolt wheel. Don't mix the Baja and the MT/2 or MT tires - has to be the same all the way around.

When the military started adding armor and more armor to the trucks, 12 late 12-bolt wheel started to have failures - mostly studs breaking from the load. The staggered stud 23-bolt wheels are rated at 4540 lbs at 50 PSI cold. I don't seem to have my load rating for the evenly spaced bolts handy - but it's very similar to the staggered bolts. You CAN mix MT/R and Baja A/T tires in loadrange "E".

Make sense?