Deuce and a half A3 tires

[bilyeuc98!]

Can anyone help me understand the rim size for a deuce and a half A3? The correct tires that I'm supposed to get?

Somebody on here told me to get 395/85r20xzl I believe. The 14.5 x 20 r tires are 43 in but the 395/85 r20 xzl's are 46 in so what I'm confused about is will the 46 inch tires work and will they work for the rim size on the stock deuce A3? I'm trying to do as much research as I can and watch as many videos as I can but most videos aren't showing me how to measure rims and tires so I'm just really confused.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

14.5r20 are the stock tire but have a reputation for unexpected sidewall failure. The closest surplus tire to replace it is the 365/85r20 through you can go a little bigger with the 395/85r20. Now, they will fit but are not a perfect. The conversion has been covered in detail here on SS many times with measurements.

 

[HDN]

14.5r20 are the stock tire but have a reputation for unexpected sidewall failure. The closest surplus tire to replace it is the 365/85r20 through you can go a little bigger with the 395/85r20. Now, they fill fit but are not a perfect. The conversion has been covered in detail here on SS many times with measurements.

I believe the Michelin 365/80R20 XZL tires have thicker sidewalls to prevent sidewall failure, especially if CTIS is used, at least according to a tire dealer I talked to. Then again they wanted to sell me tires

Also, the 365/80R20 is the modern replacement for the 14.5R20, so I've read here a lot. I went with used 395/85R20 tires since they're readily available for a decent price and in drivable condition. I got mine from CSM Army Tires in Alabama. The bigger tires will add about 8% to your speed over the stock tires too.

 

[HDN]

I forgot to add: If you want to read about my tire project, I have a big thread about it in the Deuce forum. It's not hard to do on your own as long as you can be smart about lifting a ~400 lb wheel and can deadlift about a... 70 lb rim? I'm not exactly sure how much it weighs but the thing's heavy for me to pick up!

 

[glcaines]

I would second using the 395/85R20 tires as a replacement for the 14.5R20 tires. I'm still running the original 14.5R20 tires on my M35A3, but I've already had one tire sidewall fail during the recovery several years ago. The tire actually caught on fire. I run my 14.5R20 tires with 60 PSI pressure and the tires behave much better, although the ride is harder. The A3 Michelin wheels are redlined at 60 PSI. My CTIS works great, but I keep it turned off because the maximum pressure it will support is 45 PSI. I would also second using CSM Army Tires. I purchased NOS Pirelli tires from them for my FLU419 a while back after having a bad blowout, to replace the 12.5R20 Michelin tires, and they were great to do business with.