Tire And Wheel Question - Help Out A Newb

[Vla416]

Hi Guys. First time poster, long time lurker. I've been searching the forum for an answer to my question, and I've seen all sorts of set-ups but nothing really adresses my concerns.

 

Namely, I have a 1999 Pathfinder Chilkoot (Canadian), with stock 15x7 steel rims/ 40mm (1.57") offset (Which I figure gives me ~5.5-5.75" backspace) and stock P265/70R15 tires. Suspension is stock.

 

I want to upgrade to 31x10.50x15 tires (Probably Pro Comp A/Ts), and while some makes seem to fit on the stock wheels without rubbing the strut (according to some members of this forum), I also wanted to get a set of steel rock crawlers. Rim wise, I am thinking of going with 15x7 or 15x8 steel rims with 4" of backspacing. This is my dilemma:

 

I've been told by my local 4x4 shop that reducing the backspace/ adding spacers and thus shifting the wheels/tires outward could adversely affect the handling on my pathfinder and even cause the McPherson struts to collapse if stressed too much. Since the car is a daily driver and I want to preserve/ improve the road handling characteristics of the vehicle this is a big concern. My question:

 

1) Will 4" BS be enough to clear the struts and eliminate the possibility of rubbing for something like Pro Comp All Terrain 31x10.5x15s? Should I stick closer to the stock specs just to be on the safe side?

2) Will reducing the backspace to 4" adversely affect my handling/ braking/ anything else?

3) I am sure I don't want to go above 31" tires, is there any advantage to going with a wider rim (15x8)?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

V.

[XPLORx4]

Welcome to the forum. Go with 15x8 with 4" BS. The wider wheel and neutral backspacing will increase the Pathfinder's track width, improving cornering and stability. The wider track also makes the truck look "tougher". More backspacing will pull the tire closer to the strut and introduce higher risk of rubbing; you don't want that. 4" BS works great to keep the tires (up to 32x11.50R15) away from the strut. However, there may be some *minor* rubbing on the front plastic inner fender liners during full-lock steering, but you can reshape them with a heat gun (or trim them with a utility knife) if the rubbing annoys you.

 

The struts won't "collapse" on you; that's nonsense.

 

I've been running 15x8-4"BS wheels for over 120,000 miles, with both 31x10.50R15 and 32x11.50R15 tires without any kind of catastrophic failures that could be attributed to the wider wheel size.

Edited December 2, 2009 by XPLORx4

[Vla416]

Welcome to the forum. Go with 15x8 with 4" BS. The wider wheel and neutral backspacing will increase the Pathfinder's track width, improving cornering and stability. The wider track also makes the truck look "tougher". More backspacing will pull the tire closer to the strut and introduce higher risk of rubbing; you don't want that. 4" BS works great to keep the tires (up to 32x11.50R15) away from the strut. However, there may be some *minor* rubbing on the front plastic inner fender liners during full-lock steering, but you can reshape them with a heat gun (or trim them with a utility knife) if the rubbing annoys you.

 

The struts won't "collapse" on you; that's nonsense.

 

I've been running 15x8-4"BS wheels for over 120,000 miles, with both 31x10.50R15 and 32x11.50R15 tires without any kind of catastrophic failures that could be attributed to the wider wheel size.

 

Thanks for your input, I'm going to give it a shot. Incidentally, it also occurred to me that the wider track might put more strain on the bushings, but I know mine are in good shape and I've been told that Nissan fixed the "death wobble" problem for the 99 model year. In any case, it's very good to know that someone is running that configuration.

 

V.

[tekazgtr1984]

I second that, Dean!

 

I've been running 265/75R16 Toyo A/Ts on 16x8 AR767 wheels for about a year now and haven't had any problems save for rubbing at full lock.