"Big Darla" Build Thread

[Josh40601]

I could've swore treadwrights made multiple sizes.

 

[XionicWaste]

I could've swore treadwrights made multiple sizes.

They are but the largest they sell is the 37-12.5-16.5s and Id like some 37s.

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[Kage]

Cliff Notes:
- Tires are friggin expensive, go with the smallest tire you need, as once you start going big, things tend to spiral out of control fast!
- DO NOT buy 16.5” stuff. Your only “real” off road tire choices are Super Swampers, Pitbull Rockers, .mil take offs, and Retreads.
- You will likely be unhappy with the retreads in the 16.5” size (details below)

...They are treadwrights (re treaded Military Hummer Pull Offs. 37-12.50-16.5's but unfortunately they are load range E tires (Max Load: 3,850 lbs... My truck doesn't even weigh 3800 lbs...) I know Kage did a small write up on the Humvee pull offs and he said he was disappointed on how much they sat down when deflated, which I feel this is a good thing because that means they have sidewall flex, right?...

They are actually D rated tires, not E. While I don’t think they’ll squat as much under your ‘light’ truck they will still give. The bigger issue is sidewall strength, while I have not yet managed to kill one of my sidewalls, they are not really holding up well at all (that’s with 5 trips on them). And you’ll have the exact same sidewall issue as Tread Wright is buying their carcasses from TWF for the retreads (Unless something has changed in the past two months, check PBB4x4 for more info on that).

Yes you can air them down to get them to flex pretty good, the .mil take offs don’t grip worth a crap, even when siped.

...Another downfall is they are 150lbs per which is HEAVY but I would be more stable....

Somewhat, it also means they’ll be a bigger pain to balance, get moving down the road, and more wear on your lighter axles (Brakes, balljoints, shafts, etc). Unsprung weight is a double edged sword.

...Another is that I would have 16.5 wheels so if I dont like the tires what are my alternatives? (Not many companies sell in a 16.5)…

Right, you’re backing yourself into a corner for little gain.

...The plus with these are I could abuse them because a new set would be 600, they measure 36.7 (so almost a true 37 vs my current 35's measure to 33)…

Don’t forget shipping in there. But the retread and .mil take offs have a big advantage here in the cheap department. You get what you pay for though.

...Another plus is I could get re-centered H1 wheels and have a double bead-lock feature so if the sidewalls don't flex I could run 3psi off road and FORCE them to flex...

You think the tires are heavy, wait to you start dicking with the recentered H1’s and inserts. I was excited by being able to air down to single digits, but its not worth it. I find myself running 12 psi most of the time because the damn tires squat so much that I can’t afford the ground clearance loss. It might be better with your setup, but I’ve got a feeling it won’t be as good as you’d hope.

What pressures are you running now? Are you blowing beads routinely?

If you’re in the 10 psi range, and you’re not popping beads, then springing for bead locks isn’t needed.

.....Choices, choices ugh... All input is helpful on this subject for sure, especially if you've seen these tires perform or have personally ran them ...(Kage youre in the spotlight)...

I feel your pain on this, and its part of the reason I wouldn't mind going smaller (set of good 33" tires is $800-900, were a set of Good 37's is closer to $1600). That's why I say run the smallest tire you need, bigger isn't allways better.

Every time I price wheels/tires for this truck, I wind up crying a little bit at the cost..

Looking back, I really wish I would have just ponied up the money for another set of nittos instead of going down the 16.5” road ( I was warned, but I ignored it). The only reason I can see for dealing with the retreads (or .mil take offs) is the cost side of it. And that only really makes sense if you run through at least two sets of tires on your 16.5” rims.

The bead lock stuff might be nice if your were planning on running swampers or Pitbull rockers, but otherwise that’s not much of a selling point. Also keep in mind that if you do the double bead locked H1’s, you have to change your insert depending on the tire size (more money). For example, if you buy the inserts for the .mil take offs and then go to PBR’s or Swampers, you’ll have to have the insert shaved down due to sidewall thickness. And no, that’s not something you can just grind some off, you’ll have to have it turned or the damn things will never balance.

I don’t know how to say it any more plainly other than go with something else. R15/R17 is where it is as, skip the R16/R16.5 stuff.

If I think of anything else, I’ll post up more, or just ask away if I’ve missed something.

I could've swore treadwrights made multiple sizes.

They do, but only one size for the 16.5's

 

[Josh40601]

They are but the largest they sell is the 37-12.5-16.5s and Id like some 37s.

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Oh ok.

 

[kditchley]

Awesome Build I just read your whole build thread today!!!!

 

[94 lngbd]

for your side marker lights get a pair or two of the small diam LED that require a 3/4 diam hole to be drilled.

 

[XionicWaste]

Awesome Build I just read your whole build thread today!!!!

Hey Thanks, and thanks all you guys for voting for me!

Kage that is some great info on those military pull offs. Ive learned to not take the gamble and go for the deal. I will avoid these tires.

So I haven't updated my thread all month but almost the first half was finals and closing my residence hall (I was a Senior RA) and the other half I was in Wisconsin visiting. So here's what you missed.

Stuck the stinger on:

I put in supports here:

Heres my angle:

I got a winch for my Birthday too! Superwinch 8500lb (300 bucks shipped)

Now for my winch mounting idea I wanted to keep the winch as sucked in as possible. For me to do that I decided to remove the hood latch and run hood pins:

Sense my AC is broken (frozen compressor) and If I ever do fix the compressor I was going to use it for onboard air so I took out the AC radiator:

I chopped up the sheet metal infront of the radiator and threw in the winch:

Super tucked in:

I layed down some 5/16ths tabs, welded them and also attached some 3/16ths tabs for the fair lead.

I painted the bumper with some rustoleum undercarriage lining. (black and textured)

Done!

 

[dieseldane]

Nice!

 

[Kage]

I like where you mounted that winch but.....

Is that steel rope with a non roller fairlead I see there? If that's the case, you might want to look into finding a roller fairlead.

But, my eyes might be playing tricks on me again...

 

[Josh40601]

I don't have a roller fair lead on D, but just a normal one for steel line. Still works

 

[railman]

a Hawse will work as long as it is steel and not aluminum....

also, you may want to consider gussetting the fairlead tabs a little more....but, that is just my opinion

l8r, John

 

[PlumCrazy]

I would gusset all the winch tabs. The winch will tear those tabs right off if you are actually stuck on something.

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[n_bannerman]

That looks nice, exactly what I want but no stinger.

 

[Kage]

a Hawse will work as long as it is steel and not aluminum....

Good to know!

 

[XionicWaste]

Thanks for the input guys, gusseting the tabs was something I was going to do and should do but then I was thinking about the stresses on the winch and this winch pulls from the bottom so the load has less leverage than it would from the top. Im using 5/16ths tabs, v'd and multi passed on the bottom... but you're right they should be gusseted and will be.

The steel fairlead was provided by superwinch and if I upgrade anything on the winch it will be a synthetic line and ill either get a new fairlead or smooth this one out.

Next up will be finish the tail light project.

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