37" Radial Humvee tires

I have the Goodyear 37" radial Humvee tires mounted on stock type(GM), 7.5x16.5 rims. These are now on my M1008.

I am wondering how much air pressure you guys are running for on-road use?

I did some Internet searching and found a variety of applications and pressures used.


I have them set at 39 psi, for now. they seem to make decent road contact and have a slight sidewall flex/bulge. Also they sound and ride alright.

I am sure a bit of trial and error are needed for my truck set-up, but I would like to hear what others are running these tires at(psi) and on what vehicle, for on road-use.

I really don't expect to do much off-roading with this truck. If I did though, I have read that the 16.5 tires do come off the bead at low pressures. Seems like 12-14 is the lowest they stay on(doesn't really matter to me).

Running the 36" bias plys on stock M880 rims myself, so no real air pressure help here. I run 25psi.
Depending on the 16.5 rim, I have been told countless times that 16.5 rims do not have the ridge that retains the bead. and that 16.5 tires will come off at pressure of 20 and below. This is true for the stock rims on the M880 series trucks.
But I have 2 sets of 16.5 rims that have the bead, that fit the Dana60 hub (4 7/8 center hole) and a couple GM 16.5 rims (4 3/4 center hole) with the bead. IIRC all have riveted in centers.

Typically tires last the longest when kept at the max pressure printed on the sidewall.
A narrower rim, vehicle weight, etc. come into play here.
So you are on the right track with the trial & error method.
I would think those using the Humvee 12 bolt wheels with these tires could use the PSI listed on the sidewall.

Saftey Note: 8 bolt humvee rims are not strong enough for the radial tires.

I'm pretty happy running 30psi in the ones I have installed on my M1008.

Dog...just curious how much lift or cutting did you have to do..I guess you are running spacers in the fron..

I am wanting to run the same on my M1008...any advice like always appreciated

The G Man said:

Dog...just curious how much lift or cutting did you have to do..I guess you are running spacers in the fron..

I am wanting to run the same on my M1008...any advice like always appreciated

Click to expand...

I'm running 16.5x10" rims with no spacers and only had to trim about a 1/4" from the inside crimps of the fenders. No rubbing at all now. Can't even tell I cut it unless you look for it. I have a 4" suspension lift.

The G Man said:

Dog...just curious how much lift or cutting did you have to do..I guess you are running spacers in the fron..

I am wanting to run the same on my M1008...any advice like always appreciated

Click to expand...

Here's a link on what I have done. http://www.steelsoldiers.com/cucv/51504-m1008a1-gets-lift.html

Mine are all at 14.7 or whatever the atmospheric pressure is. One day I'll buy the dang beadlock inserts and mount them.

Can they be mounted on the Humvee rims, without the beadlocks(like a standard rim)?

I would do it a 16.5 rim is a 16.5 rim

The G Man said:

I would do it a 16.5 rim is a 16.5 rim

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Humvee rims are two piece. nothing like a standard vehicle rim.

I just mounted a set an my 1995 f350 4x4 diesel,I like the way they ride.They are quieter than I expected.

Doghead, trucks looking good! A lot better than last time I saw it.

Kenny, the inserts are at Woodys and I been trying to get caught up to finish getting all our stuff from there. ( If i ever get caught up ) Last I looked though they were to be used with the rubber beadlocks. I also have some new beadlock that are one piece ( look to be harder to get in the tire ) compared to the regular beadlock and spacer. I was thinking you could use two spacers to make up the lack of lock and get away with it if your using the two piece rims. When I get them to the new place I will post some pics ( now that I found my data cable ) and let yall decide! I also have the 20inchers as well.

doghead said:

Can they be mounted on the Humvee rims, without the beadlocks(like a standard rim)?

Click to expand...

The tires can be mounted without the beadlocks on HWWMV two piece rims.

I recently sold the set of four (12 bolt wheels and 37" tires) that I had to a gent for use on a M1028. He had a set of well worn 37"s mounted on GM factory wheels on the truck. No lift, the only trimming was the edge of the front fender.

I asked about tire rub and was told that the only time that they rubbed on street driving was hard against the steering locks.

I peeled a bias 8.75X16.5 off a Chevy van when I had one go flat on I-95. By the time I felt the squirm, the tire passed me. Never did find the tire.

Nonotagain said:

The tires can be mounted without the beadlocks on HWWMV two piece rims.

.

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Guess I'll go fetch a 16" bike innertube and see If I get get one aired up for a looksee.

Recovry4x4 said:

Guess I'll go fetch a 16" bike innertube and see If I get get one aired up for a looksee.

Click to expand...

Kenny,

Years ago while going to school I worked for a local gas station/speed shop.

Frequently we would get N50 or L60 series profile tires to mount on 8-10" wide rims.

All we did back then was to attach a ratcheting strap around the tire to compress the middle of the tread, pull the value core and hook the air line up direct to the stem. As soon as the tire would start to seat, release the strap and fill to 40 psi or so then install valve core.

Nonotagain said:

Kenny,

Years ago while going to school I worked for a local gas station/speed shop.

Frequently we would get N50 or L60 series profile tires to mount on 8-10" wide rims.

All we did back then was to attach a ratcheting strap around the tire to compress the middle of the tread, pull the value core and hook the air line up direct to the stem. As soon as the tire would start to seat, release the strap and fill to 40 psi or so then install valve core.

Click to expand...

I bet you also know the gas and ether trick to get a rough one to grab a bead>>>LOL.... Lost a eyebrow with those tricks

Old mechanic's trick to figure out best tire pressure for your particular vehicle load:

Take a big piece of sidewalk chalk and make a nice wide stripe over a section of tread from sidewall to sidewall. Drive vehicle a few feet forward on smooth pavement, try to make two complete revolutions of the tire. See where the chalk rubbed off. If it all (or almost all) rubbed off, you are at optimum pressure.

If outer edges are rubbed off, add more air, if the center is rubbed off, take out some air.

Repeat until you find a good pressure. Add some extra air to the rear if you frequently change the rear load by hauling stuff to prevent overloading the tire.

Later,
Joe

I'm still experimenting with the pressure.

Today I'm down to 35 psi. At 35, I have some heat in the front tire tread, and none in the sidewalls. My rear tires have less heat than the fronts.

Gonna run it like this for a day or so and measure temps and pressures after use.


I am watching the tread contact also.

The G Man said:

I bet you also know the gas and ether trick to get a rough one to grab a bead>>>LOL.... Lost a eyebrow with those tricks

Click to expand...

I've seen it done numerous times, but have resisted doing it myself.

The boss had a 1 ton Dodge pick-up with 33" BFG 16.5" radials that didn't want to seat. While in the tire machine, he gave the tire a shot of ether, lit a lighter and proceeded to blow the tire off the rim striking him in the chest. After that episode, no more ether inflations.

Nonotagain said:

Kenny,

Years ago while going to school I worked for a local gas station/speed shop.

Frequently we would get N50 or L60 series profile tires to mount on 8-10" wide rims.

All we did back then was to attach a ratcheting strap around the tire to compress the middle of the tread, pull the value core and hook the air line up direct to the stem. As soon as the tire would start to seat, release the strap and fill to 40 psi or so then install valve core.

Click to expand...

I did give this method a try but the sidewalls and tread were sufficently stiff enough to thwart my efforts. I need to work smarter in my old age, I'm going to try this bike inner tube trick to see how it goes. Ether and a match??? Not that desperate yet.