Re: 33 comment and electrical question

[tsm1@domain.elided (Tom Mandera)]

>IMHO, I think y'all are debating different varieties of apples in your "33s
>fit with a 4" suspension lift or not debate", Tom has 12.5x33.15s and John
>has 9.50x33x15s, the key as I see it (with minimal scout 2 experience) is
>chance of tucking up into the wheel well and not rubbing on the body. 

Actually, I'm not even starting on the fender *lip* issue.  My claim is 33"
diameter (no matter what the section width) tires will not tuck into the
wheel well.  My backspacing is such that I'm not hitting the fender lip...
if that were the case, I would rejoice, and grab my 4" grinder and make
short work of the rub... cutting the fender lip is not an "issue" for me.

The problem, is that it's the rear edge of the wheel well... not the fender
lip.  It's the back edge of the *well* that rubs.

The bottom of the wheel well is welded to a piece of C-channel that runs
under the cargo bed of the Scout.  If you cut where the weld is, the quarter
panel sags.  If you cut more than that, you open up a hole directly into the
bed of your Scout, and you'll throw mud inside (trust me on this one guys!
*smile*).

On the other side (driver's) I did a better job, cutting up at an angle from
where the weld is, and removing the material on the "outer" side of the
wheel well, where it doesn't open into the bed, but instead blocks mud from
traveling rearward and up into the quarters.  This I could trim.  I was also
able to trim *some* of the C-channel, and I then bent back what was left
with a large hammer, making a smoother "ramp" for the tire to rub on, but
rub still.

Once I lift the body and clear the front/rear diameter problem (by lifting
the body up, and making less tire actually go *into* the wheel well), my
*next* issue will be backspacing, since the tire is tucked too closely in,
which will make my next rub the inside sidewall against the inside of the
wheel well.  A different offset would move the tire outwards some, which may
or may not make the fender lip a contact area.  Again, I'd just cut it if
that's the case.  but I've already cut one wheel well on the rear, and I'm
not happy with how that went, so my trimmings were much less agressive on
the driver's side.  I think the driver's side is a cleaner cut.


Tom
>commented that a 33 is a 33, not always true, I got rid of a set of tires
>lables 12.5x33x15 that were barely 31" loaded diameter (30 psi and on 

Actually, I thought I said that a 33 is not a 33 is not a 33. ;)

I think I said, "If you have a 33" tire that is the same diameter as my 33"
tire (which it probably isn't truely 33"), you'll have the same problems I have"

OTOH, if you had a 33" tire that only measured 29", this wouldn't be a big
deal.  ;) (though you may be looking for a new tire dealer)

And for those that still want to think about section width...

I put a 275/85R15 (is that it?) 33" x 10" Buckshot Mudder on a 15x6.5"
wheel.  This is my current spare tire.  I had it mounted, and then proceeded
to "test fit" the 33 on my Scout.  It rubbed in the SAME places as my
33x12.50 Cooper STTs.

I have a bunch of pictures of both the Buckshot and the Coopers on the
truck, and me lifting each tire with my floor jack to test where I needed to
cut... the photos are scanned, JPG'd, and ready for me to write up the
HTML... I'll do that *soon*... and perhaps it'll help everyone else
understand what I'm talking about and *see* the rubs.  

naturally, I don't have a photo up-close-n-personal of the tire rubbing...
my junk camera takes lousy close-ups, and there isn't much room to get a
camera inside that gap anyhow... ;)

-Tom
'77 Scout II, 4" Softride lift, +2" rear shackles, trimmed wheel wells and
front fenders, and 33x12.50s that rub on the rear still.