nmpath Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 About 6 months ago I put some 15" steel wheels from Discount Tire on my 2002 R50. They barely cleared the caliper and I had no problems with them, until today. I just finished installing new wheel bearings and replaced the rotors and pads while I had it all apart. When I first installed the 15" wheels my brake pads were pretty worn, now that the new pads are on the caliper rubs the wheel. Lol I thought for sure I had installed the bearings wrong, because the noise was terrible! The new, thicker pads, set the caliper out further causing them to touch the wheels. I ended up grinding a little bit off the caliper and everything seems fine. So if you are test fitting a wheel, make sure your brake pads are relatively new! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Good to know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTied Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Thanks for posting that info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01silvapathy Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Well, I think that im just going to get 16's just to be safe and to allow for any future upgrades, and if heaven forbid the wheel ever bends in or breaks Thanks for the Info!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giantOnCeRoad2 Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Well, I think that im just going to get 16's just to be safe and to allow for any future upgrades, and if heaven forbid the wheel ever bends in or breaks Thanks for the Info!!!!! I just ran into this same problem on my 99.5 pathfinder. Was running Cragar Soft 8's from 4wheelparts. Ground the caliper and all is fine, but it drove me crazy trying to find out what was rubbing at first. (Thought I'd screwed up on installing the brakes). For those looking at 15" wheels, the lower corner of the caliper rubbed on one of the lips inside the wheel, right where it gets smaller toward the outside. You can see through the holes in the wheel and observe the rubbing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSmitty182 Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Will a 275 tire fit on a 2000+ ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I fail to see how 15" wheels can make your brake pads fail quicker aside from not letting enough air in to cool the brakes. As long as the wheels don't rub the brakes they should be perfectly fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmpath Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 (edited) I fail to see how 15" wheels can make your brake pads fail quicker aside from not letting enough air in to cool the brakes. As long as the wheels don't rub the brakes they should be perfectly fine. Im not saying they will fail any quicker. When the thicker new pad was installed it moved the caliper out closer to the wheel, causing it to rub. The 15's were originally installed with year old brake pads and they cleared the caliper fine. And 275s will not fit without a lift, 265/75/16s will rub horribly without a lift. Without a lift the biggest you can run on stock wheels is 265/70/16s or 245/75/16s, about the same height but the 245's are not as wide. Edited January 3, 2009 by nmpath 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Im not saying they will fail any quicker. When the thicker new pad was installed it moved the caliper out closer to the wheel, causing it to rub. The 15's were originally installed with year old brake pads and they cleared the caliper fine. And 275s will not fit without a lift, 265/75/16s will rub horribly without a lift. Without a lift the biggest you can run on stock wheels is 265/70/16s or 245/75/16s, about the same height but the 245's are not as wide. I couldn't agree more. I'm running exactly that on my '98 with 16x8 wheels, 5" backspacing BUT with a lift. There is a bit of rubbing at full lock while turning but otherwise it's a great setup. Without the 2" lift my rig wouldn't move; 31's are the maximum you can upsize on stock suspension. Just curious, but why not just stick with 16" wheels...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmpath Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 I really like the look of the stock 16s but they were not the right backspacing. I went with 15 inch steelies because 15" tires were much cheaper then 16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 I really like the look of the stock 16s but they were not the right backspacing. I went with 15 inch steelies because 15" tires were much cheaper then 16. Really? When I got quotes for my AR 767's, the difference was only about $20 a wheel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSmitty182 Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 And 275s will not fit without a lift, 265/75/16s will rub horribly without a lift. Without a lift the biggest you can run on stock wheels is 265/70/16s or 245/75/16s, about the same height but the 245's are not as wide. Thank you. im rolling on 255 70 16 right now, i was hoping to atleast go with a lil wider tire..but its all good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin152 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 How many miles are on your truck that you are replacing wheel bearings? I have an 03 with 71,000. I thought wheel bearings were good for atleast 100,000 if you repacked them? I am in the market for new wheels and tires. I think I am going to get the 16's so I don't have to mess around with grinding down calipers and stuff. There is about a 300-400 dollar difference though between 15 in wheels with tires and 16 in wheels with tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmpath Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 How many miles are on your truck that you are replacing wheel bearings? I have an 03 with 71,000. I thought wheel bearings were good for atleast 100,000 if you repacked them? I am in the market for new wheels and tires. I think I am going to get the 16's so I don't have to mess around with grinding down calipers and stuff. There is about a 300-400 dollar difference though between 15 in wheels with tires and 16 in wheels with tires. I have 90k on it now. I have never packed the bearings and I doubt the previous owner did. I just figured I would replace everything if I had it apart. It needed rotors and replacing wheel bearings or packing requires the same disassembly. By the way, I installed Power Stop rotors and they are awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OfftourRoadie96 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 (edited) I'm purchasing my AC lift springs sometime this week for my 1996 SE 4x4.....This will add to my growing list of parts I've slowly been accumulating over the past few months since I've joined NPORA. So far, I've bought Struts and Shocks (KYB-GR2's and Rancho RSX999010's). Much more to buy, But LAST on my list was going to be Wheels and Tires. I'm gonna go with some sort of "Black Steelies", have not decided yet. But my question is....Once I have the lift on, can I use my stock rims and tires for normal highway use or is it definitely out of the question?....Definitely no off road til wheels and tires are proper! I believe my stock rims are 15 x 7.....tires are 265 - 70 - 15. Or should I just wait until I buy new wheels/tires to install lift? Also, the never ending question....What wheel size/ tire combo does the forum suggest / prefer? Mud or AT Tires? Should I stick with a 15" or move up to a 16"? Edited April 3, 2009 by OfftourRoadie96 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 You can use your stock rims and tires with no problem with the lift. Pezzy runs hers in the winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OfftourRoadie96 Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 You can use your stock rims and tires with no problem with the lift. Pezzy runs hers in the winter. The reason I ask is that I was under the impression I needed a Min/Max of 3.75 to 4in. back spacing with the AC lift.....I have a 1996! I don't know the backspacing of my stock 15 x 7's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esy Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 sorry for the thread bump, but i just want to clear this up really quick since i see many other 2G R50s with 15" steelies and 32s or what have you. is it necessary on all 15" steelies to grind down a part of the caliper? or just certain ones/styles/backspacing? if i do decide to go with 15" steelies from my 16" tri-stakes, i was thinking about what many others have in the ProComp Xtreme Rock Crawlers in a 15"x8" with a 3.75" backspace. for those guys that are running these wheels right now (i think rick13, OTR96, and a few others are running these wheels and some larger tires), did you have to grind down the caliper? or are the wheel styles and backspacing clearing the caliper well enough to where nothing needs to be done? thanks for any insight, gents! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I am running 15x8 ProComp's on mine with the exact same specs you are considering. I had my brakes, rotors, and calipers replaced since the wheel swap and did not have any issues at all. I too was concerned and warned the mechanic that was doing the break job of the possibility of clearance issues. He carefully mounted the wheels and claimed that he didn't detect any rubbing. I'll admit, the calipers are really f'in close to the wheel though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esy Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I am running 15x8 ProComp's on mine with the exact same specs you are considering. I had my brakes, rotors, and calipers replaced since the wheel swap and did not have any issues at all. I too was concerned and warned the mechanic that was doing the break job of the possibility of clearance issues. He carefully mounted the wheels and claimed that he didn't detect any rubbing. I'll admit, the calipers are really f'in close to the wheel though! Ok. Good to hear. You're running the xtreme rock crawlers as well? I'm wondering if a different style wheel will clear it even more. Either way, that's good to hear. Thanks for the reply devonian! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esy Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I am running 15x8 ProComp's on mine with the exact same specs you are considering. I had my brakes, rotors, and calipers replaced since the wheel swap and did not have any issues at all. I too was concerned and warned the mechanic that was doing the break job of the possibility of clearance issues. He carefully mounted the wheels and claimed that he didn't detect any rubbing. I'll admit, the calipers are really f'in close to the wheel though! Ok. Good to hear. You're running the xtreme rock crawlers as well? I'm wondering if a different style wheel will clear it even more. Either way, that's good to hear. Thanks for the reply devonian! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbolt Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 As of right now on mine 01 I've put on atleast 50000 miles with the 15" wheels and never have had a problem and yes it is a close gap between the caliper and rim, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esy Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 which wheels and tire combo do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albino Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Ok. Good to hear. You're running the xtreme rock crawlers as well? I'm wondering if a different style wheel will clear it even more. Either way, that's good to hear. Thanks for the reply devonian! Do you guys know what series pro comps you are running? I am thinking about getting some 15x8 3.75 bs series 52 rock crawlers and I want to make sure they will clear the caliper. Also, I would like to run some 33x10.5 a/t tires with these rims. Has anyone had experience running this size tire and wheel combo with the AC lift? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooslowforgr Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Im not saying they will fail any quicker. When the thicker new pad was installed it moved the caliper out closer to the wheel, causing it to rub. The 15's were originally installed with year old brake pads and they cleared the caliper fine. And 275s will not fit without a lift, 265/75/16s will rub horribly without a lift. Without a lift the biggest you can run on stock wheels is 265/70/16s or 245/75/16s, about the same height but the 245's are not as wide. If I get 16" aftermarket wheels with 4" backspacing, how big can I go on tires? I have the factory LE 17" wheels now but I am lifting it next week with the OME lift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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