Wheel-to-draglink clearance

[jarheadk5]

My 87 has 15x8 American Racing AR-23's; I'm not sure what the backspacing is. Tires are 33x12.5 BFG AT's. I'm getting contact in hard right turns, between the left front tire and the draglink rodend at the pitman arm. The inside edge of the front wheels are VERY close to the tie-rod ends, too. There's only 1/4" between the balance weights and the rodends on both sides. I'm planning on moving up to 15x10 wheels when I get new tires. Is this a case of improper backspacing, or could it be something more involved? What is the proper backspacing, anyway? Should I mess with the steering stops, and how is that done, anyway?
Thanks for the help.

Semper Maintenance!

 

[1HIHUM]

I had a similar but more exteme condition on my blazer when I first got it. The prior owner bought the wheels with the wrong back spacing(not sure what their supposed to be). He had already added a spacer, and ground down the rod ends,and calipers...yes they were far enough to hit the calipers. What was worse, is when I swapped my d44 to the front, it got worse! I had to put in longer, and thicker studs, and two thick spacers to get clearance. The wheels were welds, and I knew I wasn't keeping them for long. That and loww funds is why I made them work. Yours sounds like a little grinding off of the rod ends might be enough to get you by. Or if your studs are long enough, you can add a spacer... although I wouldn't do any heavy wheelin with them on. Good luck!

 

['73 K5]

I think the best backspacing is 3 5/8 inches...thats what I'm running now with zero problems. I had 4 inch backspaced rims once on a '79 Blazer and they rubbed the tie rod ends. 3 3/4 is the most you should ever go.

'73 K5
Chevy good...Ford bad

 

[jarheadk5]

Anyone else have input on this?

Semper Maintenance!

 

[Thumper]

I borrowed a set of those white spoke wheels 15x10s with 35x12.5 15 mud terrain tires on them from a buddy just to try the ride out. When I bolted the front wheels on, they would not rotate because the weights on the inside of the wheel were too close to the rod end. I already own a set of white spokes and they work just fine with no probs. Another empty rim I had laying around was very close to touching and it had no weights on it. I called the tire shop, and asked them, they told me that the wheels were not made exactly to the same specs and that some rims touch, and some dont it just depends on the wheel itself (even with standard spacing). These were all the same rims, white spoke 15x10. I am not sure what the spacing was, but they were all ordered for GM 6 bolt applications. The problem was only on the drivers side. They said that I need to bring the truck in so they can try a few different wheels to find ones that are made with enough spacing... I dont know if they are full of crap or not, but I just went back to my aluminum wheels and left my Swampers on white wheels for the back (for those really boggy trips!).
About the tires rubbing the arm, my 35x15.50 15 Swampers rubbed the arm all the time at full right lock and turning, but I was running them at 18 psi, when I aired them up a bit to 25, they didnt rub anymore. The tire was just flexing sideways and rubbing when I turned.

Dont know if this helped but thats what I was told.

Mike


<font color=blue>Thumper
85 Fullsize Jimmy

<font color=red>Lets Go Wheelin! </font color=red>