Primer on modern tire upgrades for the deuce?

[TexAndy]

Ok, I've read some bits and pieces here and there, but nothing that lays it all out for a real dummy like me.

My goal: Upgrade to longer-lasting, modern construction tires. A slight diameter size increase would be nice, too. I'd like to be able to do 55 without redlining the tach. I'd also like to avoid split rims, too.

What options are out there? Where can I get new or used wheels for them?

I've done some forum searches, but everything I've found seems to assume alot of knowledge that I don't have...

Any help at all would be most appreciated.

 

[broman78]

395/85/20 on hemtt wheels converted to 6 lug.

 

[TexAndy]

ok, another dumb question...

Does anyone do rear duals with those tires? It seems like all I see are singles.

What are the pros and cons of dual rears vs single rears in regards to these newer tires?

 

[1stDeuce]

There are lots of options, just not so many cheap options... Do some searching, you'll find some reference to single piece ford rims from the 70's (F600ish ?) that you can mount modern 22.5's on if I'm not mistaken.

Hemtt wheels are another option, though too pricey for me...

There are actually numerous 11.00R20's and some 12.00R20's out there if you're willing to pay for them new...

I gave up on my quest for low budget radials early this summer and picked up some new 11.00NDT's that will be fine for what I'm doing with the truck. Mounted them on some M135 wheels, which are better singled, but still split rims. There's really nothing wrong with split rims, and I can change a tube on the side of the road this way if I really have to... Oh, well, I suppose there is the cost of tubes... One piece wheels don't need em with decent radials...


Oh, Derby has some 22.5's with super single tires on them already in the classifieds... It's a start for four...

Good luck!!
Chris

 

[StoneMill]

395/85/20 on hemtt wheels converted to 6 lug.

In my searching this seems to be the best way to do it, albeit a little pricey.

There are also some posts about using older 22.5" ford rims. Much easier time finding tires. UPS delivery truck rims are supposed to work good too but apparently they send everything to the crusher before you can get ahold of them.

 

[broman78]

With super singles you can't do duals, the benefits of singles are you get better traction in mud and sand. If you do a search about 395's you will come back with a wealth of information.

 

[papercu]

If you are highway traveling, just check your local school bus shop, the older buses wheels and tires would work fine. Not sure what the newer buses are using. Wayne

 

[kochevnik]

After having read 5000 wheel threads ...

If you don't want split rims your options are:

1) 6 hole Ford rims from the 60s and 70s - narrow and you pretty much have to go duals on the rear and narrow tires on the front

2) modified HEMTT rims - quite a few suppliers here and on Ebay - cheapest is about $225 each and go up from there. Good for singles, can go 46 inches max (stock deuce tires are about 40 inches) - altho each step up means you lose top end power and the deuce doesn't have much top end to begin with. 46 looks nice, but 43 or 44 is a better compromise for power/speed IMO.

Army Military Tires has some good tire specs to compare.

3) custom wheels. More than a few manufacturers will custom make wheels to your specs. Quality is obviously very good, price is almost always higher than #2 above.

4) cheat. put big tires on narrow (stock) rims. See lots of guys doing this and seem to get away with it. Safety is pretty important to me, my kids are going to ride in this truck. Putting 15 inch wide tires on 7 inch wide rims ... not good I think

Good luck. I've been grinding over this for a long time and there are no easy answers. Keep in mind also, that if you want singles, there are only a few tire sizes that are readily available for around the $200 to $250 mark so that is tough to work with as well.

Figure singling a deuce is about $3000 if done the cheapest way and still be safe (6 tires $250 each 6 wheels $250 each) doesnt count having a spare and shipping is in there too.

Or you could add the tires M920 has on his truck Michelin XZLs 445/65R22.5s - $1000 each new.

We should all be so lucky


You find the magic beans (tire/wheel combo) be sure to let us know.

 

[Alredneck]

One note on mounting 395s on stock deuce wheels. You have to look at how much sidewall these tires have over a stock 9.00 . If you had stock height deuce tires that were 15in wide then it would present way more problems on the same rim versus a 395 which has over 13in of sidewall that flexs enough to mount the rims making this possible. The Michelans are stiffer than the Goodyears in my opnion. But I have thousands of miles on Apoc with the 395 XMLs on and other than the steering link cutting into the driver front tire from turning to sharp. They been great and wouldnt do it any other way for the money. If I had load of cash I would go to a 2 piece wheel only for the fact of easier mounting and tire change out. Plus they look cool!

As for options 22.5s are really sweet if you have the coin for them and are wanting a tire that will do better for longevity versus a military 20in. If you look around you can find good used 22.5 for good prices. I put 385s ( same height as a 11r20 but wider ) on my M54 I use to use to haul stuff. They are good tires and have about 4000 mile on them and you can hardly tell they been on the road versus NDTs that wore real bad real quick. Most 22.5s have better weight ratings versus the equivalant 20in tire. So its a matter of preferance and what works for you in your area and the availibility of what you want.

Either way going to a radial and anything 11r20 or bigger will net you a few more mphs and wear and ride better than stock stuff. Good luvk and take some pics when you get er the way you want!

Also there are M35A3 2-piece rims out there not as cheap as HEMMT rims but cheaper than others!

 

[Alredneck]

Man I need to start selling tires out west! 250 for a super single, I been getting 85ea for 14.00s and 395s. Im all sold out at the moment but have some used 22.5 but not sure of all sizes will post in the classified when I sort through them. Down in GA i was giving a C-note each for 395s I bought 7ea and new firestone 13/14r20 tubes were 40 ea and 30 apiece to break the old 9s down and mount the 395s. Rims were already on the truck and it took half a day for them to get all mounted and on the truck. In all I got 700+280+210+gas for all my travels say 300= 1490 1500 for super single on the truck not bad!

 

[TexAndy]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll do some more research and come back to this thread with more questions.

 

[kochevnik]

Right I knew I forgot something - the M35A3 rims - usually about $50 to $100 more each - work good for singles but usually you have to take the CTIS stuff off and put new valves in IIRC.

Also another thing to think about - some guys have put singles up front and duals in the rear. What you end up doing depends on :

1) How much money you have
2) How much safety matters
3) What YOU think looks cool

What I think looks cool is FM's custom wheels on his bobbed deuce :

Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

And they evidently cost about as much as M35A3 wheels.

 

[airmech3839]

Couple questions to go with this line of thinking......

1. Are there any civilian tires that will mount on the stock split rim that are resonable on price?

2. How bad would it be to mount the 11x20's on the front steering axle only and leave the rears at 9x20??

 

[jasonjc]

11X20 front and 900x20 rear is a BIG NO NO. Unless you remove the front drive shaft. On an all wheel drive you need all the tires the same size. If you want a wider tire on the front you could use a 12.50X20 they are the same hight as the 9.00X20.

 

[TexAndy]

Well, I would really like to stick with singles in front and duals in back.

Michelin XZL's seem to look really nice. Also suit my purpose (highway and off-road) And I like the specs shown for the 11R20s on that military tire comparison chart another poster linked to on the first page of this thread.

They'll work on the stock split rims, right? I'm now thinking I want to stick with original rims, otherwise it'll be awhile before I can afford to upgrade.

How about duals? Is there enough room or will 11R20s rub against eachother? I've read some conflicting stuff about this.

 

[11Echo]

Well, I would really like to stick with singles in front and duals in back.

Michelin XZL's seem to look really nice. Also suit my purpose (highway and off-road) And I like the specs shown for the 11R20s on that military tire comparison chart another poster linked to on the first page of this thread.

They'll work on the stock split rims, right? I'm now thinking I want to stick with original rims, otherwise it'll be awhile before I can afford to upgrade.

How about duals? Is there enough room or will 11R20s rub against eachother? I've read some conflicting stuff about this.

I'm running XZL's on my tipper. No problem with the 11R20's on the stock rims on the rears. Currently using spares from my M35 on the front.

 

[TexAndy]

I'm running XZL's on my tipper. No problem with the 11R20's on the stock rims on the rears. Currently using spares from my M35 on the front.

Looks great!

Did that start life as a dump truck from the factory or did you convert it from a regular M35A2?

Looks nice. Got any more pics?

 

[blacktop]

Well, I would really like to stick with singles in front and duals in back.

Michelin XZL's seem to look really nice. Also suit my purpose (highway and off-road) And I like the specs shown for the 11R20s on that military tire comparison chart another poster linked to on the first page of this thread.

They'll work on the stock split rims, right? I'm now thinking I want to stick with original rims, otherwise it'll be awhile before I can afford to upgrade.

How about duals? Is there enough room or will 11R20s rub against eachother? I've read some conflicting stuff about this.

I am running singled 11.00 20 XL's and love them and yes the can run as duals on stock rims. Mine were used and came off stock split ring rims. If mounted corectly they are no problem. Use radial tubes, clean out your tires ect. Im not a fan of a huge tire bulging off a narrow stock rim.

 

[jesusgatos]

I'm planning on running single Firestone T831 11.R20 radials on mah deuce, but haven't figured out what wheels I want to mount them on. I'd like to run modified HEMTT wheels, but they're too wide. The Canadian bead-locked wheels are a viable option, but I would prefer wheels with even less backspacing. What about the older one-piece wheels from the Ford trucks & schoolbuses though? Are those all 22's, or are there any 20" one-piece wheels with the right lug pattern, width, and backspacing out there?

 

[kochevnik]

Couple questions to go with this line of thinking......

1. Are there any civilian tires that will mount on the stock split rim that are resonable on price?

2. How bad would it be to mount the 11x20's on the front steering axle only and leave the rears at 9x20??

1. Yes and no.

Radial Truck Tires ST901 (9.00R20,10.00r20,11.00r20,12.00R20,12.00R24)

Tires exist, but they are kind of an oddball size - most big rig tires are 22.5 tires. And ANY tire you put on the stock rim is going to require tubes and flaps, which run $30 to $50 each (see Alrednecks earlier post).

2. This HAS been done here. If you have the sprag transfer case it would be a big no-no because you have no control over when the front wheel drive gets engaged. If you have the air shift, this might work better. If you EVER engaged FWD on asphalt you would have some big problems, but if you only do it on mud and slippery dirt, you could get away with it for a bit. Personally - why bother. Just match up the front and rear tire sizes, it's not that hard to do.