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ZUKIWORLD Model Specific Suzuki Forum => Suzuki Grand Vitara, Vitara, Chevy Tracker (Gen. 2 Platform) 1999-2005 => Topic started by: Chevzuki on February 24, 2010, 05:31:27 PM
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Hi guys,
Long time forum member here but I hardly ever post. I made a few posts when I first joined and have been back to visit from time to time but I've been just a lurker these last few years. Well now I have some questions that give me a good reason to post here once again.
I have a bone stock 2004 Chevy Tracker ZR2 and want to put some bigger tires on. I'm mostly looking for a taller tire, though I wouldn't mind if it was a little wider too. Maybe a 70 series width tire instead of the factory 75 series. What would be the biggest size tire I could run that would work without any kind of modifications? My factory wheels are 15x6 (I think) and my tires are 215/75/15's so I'm thinking I could probably put 235/75/15's or maybe 235/70/15's on without any trouble, right?
I was also thinking about possibly changing my wheels and was wondering if it would be worth it to swap out the factory 15 inch wheels for 16 inch wheels? It seems like there are a lot more choices of different sizes in the few brands/models of tires I'm considering buying for 16 inch wheels than 15 inch. So if it's possible for me to run anything bigger than a 235/75/15 or 235/70/15 I would really think about changing the wheels. From doing some reading here I know that wheels from certain years of other Suzuki and Jeep models will fit but I can't remember which.
Can someone please give me a list of what year and model Suzuki/Jeep 16 inch wheels would work on my Tracker? I just want to go with moderately bigger tires without having to make any changes other than just putting new rubber on the factory wheels or putting on 16 inch wheels which is just a simple bolt on process.
Thanks in advance for any help/advice you can give me on this guys, I appreciate it.
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235/75/15 will rub when turning your wheel all the way a little with stock setting at least it did on my 2000 chevy tracker 4 door.......
bigger tire more strain on all other parts...I hope you have the v6 model to help you out
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Yes your rims should be 6 inch rims on a 2004 ZR2. Those are really nice rims by the way and they would hold 235/75, 235/70 series and 30/9.5015 tires just fine. I have 235/75 on one of my trucks and 235/70s on another BUT I have the stock 5.5 inch rims on both my trucks. One has coil lifts the other OME springs. The 235/70s run fine but I can tell you from experience I slid it on the interstate last year and went down into the median and both of the rims on the side of the direction of the slide got mud and grass pressure packed into the rim and tire seat area. One tire lost some air in the process. Took it to my tire dealer, had them pull the tires, clean the beads and rims and re-mount = no problems.
On 5.5 inch rims, 70 series is as wide as I am comfortable with. I am going to try some 30/9.50/15s though. With 6 inch rims you shouldn't have a problem fitting them on your truck. As snow said, the 235/75 series will rub your frame a little on full lock, but depending on how aggressive the tread is on your tires, it really is not significant. Even with the fender molding on your ZR2, I'm thinking you could get away with a 30/9.50/15 size tire with some coil spacers OR a set of OME springs. These typically run from about 29.7 inches to a full 30 inches in diameter. That's as large a diameter as you'll fit on your truck without some significant rubbing.
IF you are ready to bust for some big bucks on tires, you might consider going to your tire dealership, tell them what you need ask him to mount a 235/75 or 30/9.50 and have them mount it on the front and check out the clearnce. I too have had the thought of switching to 16" rims for more tire choices... but I have resisted the urge. The Sidekick Sport models had 16 inch wheels and the aluminum ones were very nice looking. GVs have 16 inch wheels as well.
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I mounted 235/75/15s on the factory 15" wheels on mine. Had only slight rub on full lock to the left. After lifting it 2", I mounted the exact same tires on cragar wheels (bigger backspace) w/1" spacers. I now get some nasty rub when backing up w/the front wheels turned to the left. I have the 4cyl, and fairly aggresive gearing from the factory. I really haven't much of a power loss with the bigger tires and heavier wheels.
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235/75/15 will rub when turning your wheel all the way a little with stock setting at least it did on my 2000 chevy tracker 4 door.......
bigger tire more strain on all other parts...I hope you have the v6 model to help you out
My ZR2 does have the 2.5L V6. Thanks for the feedback Sn0vv.
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Yes your rims should be 6 inch rims on a 2004 ZR2. Those are really nice rims by the way and they would hold 235/75, 235/70 series and 30/9.5015 tires just fine. I have 235/75 on one of my trucks and 235/70s on another BUT I have the stock 5.5 inch rims on both my trucks. One has coil lifts the other OME springs. The 235/70s run fine but I can tell you from experience I slid it on the interstate last year and went down into the median and both of the rims on the side of the direction of the slide got mud and grass pressure packed into the rim and tire seat area. One tire lost some air in the process. Took it to my tire dealer, had them pull the tires, clean the beads and rims and re-mount = no problems.
On 5.5 inch rims, 70 series is as wide as I am comfortable with. I am going to try some 30/9.50/15s though. With 6 inch rims you shouldn't have a problem fitting them on your truck. As snow said, the 235/75 series will rub your frame a little on full lock, but depending on how aggressive the tread is on your tires, it really is not significant. Even with the fender molding on your ZR2, I'm thinking you could get away with a 30/9.50/15 size tire with some coil spacers OR a set of OME springs. These typically run from about 29.7 inches to a full 30 inches in diameter. That's as large a diameter as you'll fit on your truck without some significant rubbing.
IF you are ready to bust for some big bucks on tires, you might consider going to your tire dealership, tell them what you need ask him to mount a 235/75 or 30/9.50 and have them mount it on the front and check out the clearnce. I too have had the thought of switching to 16" rims for more tire choices... but I have resisted the urge. The Sidekick Sport models had 16 inch wheels and the aluminum ones were very nice looking. GVs have 16 inch wheels as well.
Thanks for the info on the tires and the Sidekick Sport wheels nprecon. I'll have to check out the Sidekick 16 inch wheels to see what they look like.
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I mounted 235/75/15s on the factory 15" wheels on mine. Had only slight rub on full lock to the left. After lifting it 2", I mounted the exact same tires on cragar wheels (bigger backspace) w/1" spacers. I now get some nasty rub when backing up w/the front wheels turned to the left. I have the 4cyl, and fairly aggresive gearing from the factory. I really haven't much of a power loss with the bigger tires and heavier wheels.
That sucks but at least the rub only happens when backing up and turning to the left. What is the backspace of your aftermarket Cragar wheels? Speaking of backspace, would you happen to know what the backspace is on my factory 15 x 6 wheels?
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Rim Lug pattern 5.5 or 5 X139.7 here is what I have found to fit so far.....
98 - on Tracker
05 - on Dodge Dakota
04 - on Dodge Durango
94 - 97 Dodge Ram
71 - 82 Jeep CJ
66 - on Ford Bronco
54 - 97 Ford Truck
03 - on Kia Sorento
94 - 02 Kia Sportage
Suzuki
89 - 97 Sidekick
96 - 98 X90
01 - on XL7
98 - on Vitara
99 - on Grand Vitara
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That's a good list of other vehicles that have the same size wheels. Thanks for the list tuxblacray, much appreciated.
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Okay now I've got a question about tires. I can't find the proper 15 inch size tire in the model tire I want anywhere close to where I live. I've called all over and everyone says they don't have them and all the warehouses they checked don't have them either. I checked the manufacturer's website and the smallest available 16 inch tire in this model is a 235/70/16.
Is anyone running a 235/70/16 tire on a 16x7 Grand Vitara or XL-7 wheel? The exact tire measurements are: height 29 inches, tread width 7.2 inches, section width 9.5 inches. Can anyone tell me if I'll have any problems running this tire on my stock height 2004 ZR2?
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Don't believe they will fit. Maybe 225 x 75 x 16. Unless you want to trim some fenders back.
Here is a Vit link (http://www.suzuki-forums.com/1g-1999-2005-vitara-grand-vitara/35250-00-tracker-new-lift-wheels-tires.html#post200057) (click on Vit link) with a fellow running 235 x75 x 16 with Jeff's lift under it. You can see how much clearance he has.
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Damn, I was hoping they would work. I definitely don't want to be forced to cut the fenders just to make the tires fit. I guess I'll have to try to find another tire that comes in a size that will work or else just go with the stock size tires again. Oh well, thanks for the info tuxblacray.
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One problem with the factory Ford wheels on a Tracker is the center hole being too small to fit over the hub. My buds tell me I cannot use a hole saw or other means of enlarging the hole because I will weaken the wheel excessively and the center hole no longer being tight on the hub. They say I will break the studs. Any comments?
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Also I saw the question about back spacing it is 4 and 1/16 in from the backside of the rim to the mounting face of the rim for the 15X6 aluminum rims.
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I will check it out... I have a set of 93 OEM Ford Outlaws I am getting ready to mount on mine. Give me a few days an I will let you know. I am using 15 x 7.5 inside diameter or 8" to the outer lip with the center hole being 3 1/4". I did not measure the backspace.
For my application the hub is not an issue since I don't have them. (2wd)
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Okay.... some good news.... some bad news.
1st the bad news: Turns out be it 2wd or 4wd the same housing is used. Only difference is the installation of CV shafts feeding into the lockouts.
In saying that the hub diameter needs to be 4.5". This leaves you with 2 choices to fit the Ford wheels that I choose. (turn the hub or cut the rim.)
I reviewed the rim in comparison to the steel rim clearance spec from center hole oppening to lug hole opening and determined there to be more than adequate material to be able to safely cut the center hole diameter larger.
This allows me to be able to at a later date install 4wd if I find a reasonable priced donor vehicle.
I took the front 2 rims and the spare and cut the center hole diameter out on a Bridgeport Mill. By doing this it allows the rim to seat properly and retains the OEM specs between the hub center and the rim so that the rim can't shift once tightened down with the lug nuts. It gives a nice finished look and most important it is perfectly round. I used the stock lug nuts back and there was plenty of run down on them.
Only visable drawback is the caliper clearance is close to the rims backside. For me this isn't an issue since at this time the vehicle won't see much off road usage. At some point when I convert this over to a 4wd I will entertain boring out the lug holes out and using a steped lug nut with a lock washer so that I could manufactuer a .25 shim spacer to slightly offset the rim to allow more caliper clearance.
Now the good news... 235 x 75 15 fit under the stock truck with no modifications for road use. I drove about 10 miles on it today with no issuses. But, I am still going to put the 4 door springs and Jeff's 2 inch strut and spacer kit under it as soon as the new gas charged struts and Cavaliar gas charged shocks arrive. I want it to sit a little higher and be able to reinstall my mud guards. (see next sentence...)
I did have to remove my front mudguards because the tires did want to bite them when I turned he wheels to the extreme inside in either direction. It drove straight and true enough you could release the steering wheel and it would track right on down the roard as a lil' Tracker should do... ;-)
Only thing for now is figuring out a good air pressure for a more comfortable ride. I am running Big O AT's and the tread design is fairly aggressive plus the manufacturer recomended cold air pressure is 50 lbs. WOW. I have them backed down to 40 right now and that seems to be a little better.
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.......... the manufacturer recomended cold air pressure is 50 lbs. WOW. I have them backed down to 40 right now and that seems to be a little better.
That bit I don't understand. Is that recommendation for a specific vehicle (yours) or is it the maximum pressure for that tyre? I would have expected the right pressure to be little different to that recommended for the vehicle with the stock tyre, as tyre pressures are much more dependent on the vehicle than the tyre.
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That is the recomended cold air pressure as printed on the siidewall of the tire. In driving the vehicle it just felt much too hard. I then reduces the pressure to 40 lbs. and it feels a little better. I am going to call the NTB store today and ask the what they recomend.
Most likely for my style driving I will keep my eyes open for a set of HT (highway tread) style tires and swap or sell off the agressive XT (extreme tread) tires.
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Tire pressure, do not go by the sidewall markings. That is the maximum pressure recc for that particular tire. The recc pressure for tires on your vehicle is on a sticker in the door jamb. My ZR2 sz 26 lbs and I run 28.
On tire sizing, 1010 Tires, http://www.1010tires.com (http://www.1010tires.com), has a tire size calculator rhat gives and compares approx sizing.
Tire Rack, http://www.tirerack.com (http://www.tirerack.com), has lots of good info too.
I have the 15x6 rims and have compared tire sizes, also considering the GV 16X7 rims , so many choices
On our `97 4dr I have lowered it about 2" with 15X7 rims & 225/75 tires. no problems.
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Sorry its taken me a few days to get back to this. Kinda in the middle of getting my winch mounted and wired up right now.
But, Here is the deal.... normally I would agree with utilizing the info on the door jam providing that you are riding on a comparible tire suggested by the manufactuer.
However if you are driving on something modified that is completely different you have to utilize a mix of the tire manufactuter and the vehicle's suggested specs.
For example I owned a CJ7 with 14x38 Ground Hawgs and they were in no way comparable to the 215x75 Firestones that were originally on it.
When a vehicle as light as ours is lifted with much larger than OEM spec tire the vehicle OEM specs are modified as well. In saying that I called the local Big O tire dealer (now NTB Tire). They calculated the vehicle's weight and the tire size change. From the change made they suggested the air pressure be somewhere close to 35PSI.
Since my original post I have ran the tire shops suggested PSI and it feels about right. In making the suggested change the ride has improved and most of the "Howl" of the tires down the road has subsided.
Hope some of this makes some sense... in most cases its as simple as making a phone call like I did. Or, you can try trial and AIR (ha-ha pun intended).