TheSamba.com :: View topic - Wheel/Tire FAQs-Wheel/Tire questions/answers? Start here!

Fri Nov 20, 2009 2:33 pm

Hey ! Thanks to a little adult supervision, I now have an avatar and a pic of my Thing on here ! :D oh, and the Fed-Ex guy who delivered my awesome new tires today recommended a good powder coater for my wheels ! ....just need to decide on white,black or silver/gray ?

Fri Nov 20, 2009 3:00 pm

DannyK wrote: . . . the Fed-Ex guy who delivered my awesome new tires today recommended a good powder coater for my wheels ! ....just need to decide on white,black or silver/gray ?
If you plan to stick with the blue/white paint scheme, I'd stick with white. :)

Mon Dec 14, 2009 7:31 pm

Finally got 'em mounted on the car today. Took me awhile, but they look great ! No clearance or rubbing issues and just enough road growl to sound like an off-road vehicle without being too noisy. The E78-14s seem to give me better gearing than my old tires too. :)

Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:48 pm

Here's a better pic of them. I'll reinstall the caps after a 100 mile lug re-torque. Car sits a little higher,looks better and DRIVES better !

Tue Dec 15, 2009 4:04 am

DannyK wrote: Here's a better pic of them. I'll reinstall the caps after a 100 mile lug re-torque. Car sits a little higher,looks better and DRIVES better !

Super nice ! What brand are they again ? General grabber, that's it ?

Tue Dec 15, 2009 7:41 am

Pierre G wrote: DannyK wrote:

Super nice ! What brand are they again ? General grabber, that's it ? Thanks Pierre. They're Super Traxions by STA (Specialty Tires of America) E-78-14

Tue Dec 15, 2009 8:11 am

Here's the solution to finding a shop to spin balance your tires/wheels. I got it from mainelycustombydesign.com[img][/img]

Thu Dec 17, 2009 2:04 pm

I came across some more options for tires. I haven't actually contacted them to see if they have been discontinued or not but if someone is shopping for tires I'd like to know if these are still available:

These are listed as available in 27X8.50R14
http://www.maxxistires.com/AutomobileLight-Truck/Light-Truck-SUV/MT-762-Bighorn.aspx

These are listed as available in 27X8.50R14 and 195R14
http://www.maxxistires.com/AutomobileLight-Truck/Extreme-Off-Road/MT-754-Buckshot-Mudder.aspx

Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:54 pm

was "kicking tires" at my local service station today and noticed a pair of cooper discovery lt's (27-8.50-14) in the back...being discontinued, i snatched em up! with a little more prying, ive discovered (no pun intended) that theyre back in production...yea!!! now then...do i order the 195/75's for the front, or keep em square all the way around? gonna need that balancer adapter too...where's that from?

Wed Jan 06, 2010 8:41 pm

inkwelz wrote: . . . now then...do i order the 195/75's for the front, or keep em square all the way around? gonna need that balancer adapter too...where's that from?
I say keep 'em square. 195 is the biggest you can go for a spare, though. Per DannyK the wheel balance adapter can be had HERE.

Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:10 pm

Captain Spalding wrote: inkwelz wrote: . . . now then...do i order the 195/75's for the front, or keep em square all the way around? gonna need that balancer adapter too...where's that from?
I say keep 'em square. 195 is the biggest you can go for a spare, though. Per DannyK the wheel balance adapter can be had HERE.

consider that i do see a fair amount of dirt roads...and actively seek the soft muddy bits...and a little snow once or twice a year! considering a second set of rims and keeping my firestones for fair weather driving! and the spare hangs off the ass on my car...no limitations there. thanx for the balancer linky captain!

Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:20 pm

inkwelz wrote: gonna need that balancer adapter too...where's that from?

...hahahaha it was posted just two comments up from me! there was another one kicking around for awhile too...not all fancy schmancy and anodized! for a few bucks cheaper too! thanx again cap!

Thu Jan 07, 2010 12:29 pm

Even cheaper would be to just borrow mine, but I have no way of knowing what part of the world you're in. That's one reason I like to see towns and states under our avatars, so us V-dubbers can help each other ! :)

Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:35 pm

i cant even figure out the avatar thing! so that would be the state of confusion! i have enough wide five vehicles that buying a balancer adapter is prolly just a good idea...my local station has an old harmonic balancer colecting dust around bacck, been trying to con him outta it ffor years...time to buy the adapter! thanx all the same for the offer though!

Thu Jan 07, 2010 8:41 pm

inkwelz wrote: i cant even figure out the avatar thing! so that would be the state of confusion! i have enough wide five vehicles that buying a balancer adapter is prolly just a good idea...my local station has an old harmonic balancer colecting dust around bacck, been trying to con him outta it ffor years...time to buy the adapter! thanx all the same for the offer though! That's ok , I needed the Capt. to show me how. Click on "Control Panel" up in the page header and you can fill in some profile information. At the bottom of that is a place to up-load an avatar. It needs to be small and you can resize a pic first at Websizer.com or elsewhere. Good luck man !

Wed Feb 17, 2010 7:31 pm

RE ballancing, the old school way is to just use a spare drum bolted onto each wheel. Even if the drum is off ballance it's so close to the center it doesn't make much difference. If you really want to do it right take the drums off your car and have the whole assy ballanced.

Sun Feb 28, 2010 9:31 pm

Anyone have any hints as to how to fit 31x10.5's on the rear, running something like a 6" centerline with 2" backspace....

Thu Jul 22, 2010 5:59 pm

Ok, not the best tread, and I dont know how much shipping would be, but:

http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=RA08

Wed Sep 15, 2010 10:12 am

Just had an "Ah Ha" experience just minutes age. Big O tire has no clue what the hell they're doing. They mounted my Toyo tires on to the rims but when it came to balancing them they went stupid.

Them, "Your wheels must be bent".
Me, "Nope."
Them, "We don't know how to balance this type of wheel then".
Me, "Uh, you guys mounted tires and balanced on this type of wheel before."
Them, "They must have been different, then"

Then I realized they just guessed how to balance them last time. I was wondering how the hell could my 14" wheels and BFG's needed 3 to 4 inch wheel weights? I studied how they mounted the wheel on the machine. They lost a customer. :x

I went to the only other tire shop here and I remembered a local Porsche restorer took his 356's there too. They had an adapter that may do the job. I can only hope....

Wed Sep 15, 2010 10:13 am

DannyK wrote: Here's the solution to finding a shop to spin balance your tires/wheels. I got it from mainelycustombydesign.com[img][/img]
How much is this devise? Nevermind, duh....

EDIT: That other shop I mentioned had a lot of trouble trying to balance them too. I guess I know what I will be buying soon. :wink:

(Either wide five wheels with a round center hub or this adapter. :-k )