Quick tire question

[99ranger3.0]

ok so ive done about 2 hours of searching and my original question was. can a stock 99 ranger 4x4 fit 33x12.50 tires? apparently yes they can. ive seen a few that have them stuffed in there with just a torsion crank and nothing else. one guy even had a 100% stock fx4 with them. obviously they rub a little but im ok with that. my new question is...all of those guys were running 15" wheels. do i need 15" wheels for them to fit? also ive seen a couple people list there backspacing. what would be the backspacing necessary and how do i go about measuring that? because i have a set of old steel wrangler wheels that look like they have a bigger offset then my stock 16" ranger wheels.. thanks for any help in advance

 

[brokemechanic3000]

you don't need 15" wheels what you need is a 33x12.5 whatever size rim. Backspacing needs to be at least what you have now or less, the wrangler wheels might not have the right bolt spacing. measure backspacing by placing a straight edge across the rim flange and measure to the back side of the mounting flange.
31x10.5x15 is the biggest you can go with no modifications.