HMMWV tires (yes, I did search)

I've been reading for a couple days (well, really, on and off for a couple weeks) now, and I'm just getting more confused.

I need tires. My front tires are junk and one has a slow leak that refuses to be found. The rears are OK I guess. I'd like a little bit of extra ground clearance, so I'm hesitant to buy just two new tires, which will then be replaced for something bigger. (unless somebody has some used stock CUCV tires that they want to sell cheap...)

Anyway, I'm only an hour north (maybe an hour and a half at CUCV speed) of TNJ Murray, so it'd be easy to pick up a set of HMMWV tires- no shipping.

So the question is, "what do I have to do to put them on my truck." I've heard that a lot of the steering issues stem from the wheels' backspacing, and can be mitigated with spacers (about 2")- true? Where can I get said spacers?

I know I have the rear clearance for the tires (2500-3500 pound helper springs (not sure exactly which model) jack it up pretty good), it's the front that's a concern. I'll cut the fenders if I have to, but I'd rather not, but at the same time I don't want to go too high. I was thinking about the 1" zero rate add a leaves.

How about the steering? What do I need to do to that? I'd like to eventually go to crossover steering, but right now I don't really have the money laying around. This whole adventure, remember, is an attempt to get good tires more cheaply than just putting slightly bigger/better tires on the stock rims. If I have to do something, where would I go for the parts?

I take the truck off road enough to want better tires, but I always go the "easy line," because the vehicles I go with are Wranglers and an S-10 Blazer. I can drag them out, no problem at all, but them dragging me out, well, I hope we never have to find out whether they could, because I suspect they'd have a LOT of trouble.

take a picture showing your front drivers tire and the wheelwell on flat land with the tire pointed straight. Once we see what the current gap is we can give you advise (the lift you need will vary depending on how worn out your springs are.)

Hm, all I have is this one at the moment: http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff46/rick_237/Truckster/DSCF0710.jpg?t=1224602985

When I get home I can take a photo directly from the side, though.

You will also need to find wheels, the HMMWV tires are 16.5 and the M1008 are 16. You should be able to find plenty of used 16 inch tires, try a local dealership, lots of people will put different tires on new trucks and the dealer will sell the take-offs at a reasonable price. Wayne

Hobie,

I have some stock rims and tires that I'm taking off my CUCV to put HMMWV tires on. I see HMMWV tires on a lot of the CCUV's here in Iraq, and I was able to see first hand what happens when a lift isn't applied. Even with the fenders cut, it only takes one good bump to curl the fender up. You can do what you want with yours, but with the research I've done I can tell you what I'm doing to mine. I'm putting a 3 inch suspension lift in and a 3 inch body lift as well. If you go over 4 inches on the suspension you'll need to adjust your driveshaft (longer). I'm also putting the HMMWV tires on mine, but I'm going with the 37.5 inch tires instead of the 36 inch tires. The 37.5 are available in radial, which is ideal for regular road use, and infrequent off-road use (the same description the CUCV TM uses to define the M1008 series trucks). I have also heard people say you'll need 2 inch wheel spacers to adjust the backspacing, but I'm going to wait until I get to that point to see what I need for sure. It may be something I can machine myself, or maybe I will have to purchase a set. Anyway, if you don't have any luck, and you're still looking for a set of tires and rims, I have a set that may fit your budget. Good luck with your Green Machine.

Keep 'em shooting


Nate
Army Infantry 9 1/2 yrs. '97-'06
Gunsmith/Government Weapons Contractor
1985 M1008A1 (slightly modified)

I run hmwv crossplies(36 inch) on 16.5" dodge rims with no problems, all thats been done is a little cropped off the bottom of the front fenders(wings here in the uk) the truck is fairly well abused both on and off road and frequently loaded up to the max and over !!! and ive never had a contact problem.

The problem with most of the 16" takeoffs is that they aren't mudworthy. Granted, I don't do anything too extreme, but at the same time, I'd like to have something better than I have. I'd also like to have the additional ground clearance of the taller tires, but that can wait if it has to.

TNJ Murray can provide me with both the wheels and the tires, that's a non-issue.

What's speeding this process up is that I have a short-term need to replace the crappy front tires that I have. I got them used, because I needed to replace the fronts to get through inspection, as they were severely worn down due to a poor alignment (massive toe-out) on the truck before I bought it. Now they need to be replaced again. I just don't have that much spare cash laying around at the moment. I would like to lift the truck in the longer-term, I just don't have the cash for it right now.

I replied to your PM about this. Check out my CarDomain site that is at the www button at the bottom of my posts.

If you could find some 9.00R16 Michelin XL's or other tread Michelins that'd be the hot ticket...but they're rare here in the states. Basically like a 36x9.5R16.

You'll only need spacers if you run the Humvee rims on the truck as well. They have 7" of backspacing and would simply not fit.

Basically what it boils down to is:

- The narrower the rims and tire, the less it'll rub.
- The closer to stock you can go with the backspacing, the better it will work/fit/not rub.
- Zero Rates are awesome and you can move the axle forward, trim a little, and fit a much bigger tire. I moved mine forward a few weeks ago and gained a few inches of clearance at the rear of the fender with 39s and 5" of lift.

Does anybody know what the stock backspacing is?

4.25" or so. GM kept all their 8 bolt 16" and 16.5" wheels in the 4-5" area.

He's about right...I want to say 4.5" though. My 16x8 Rock Crawlers are the closest aftermarket ones I could find.