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16.5" rim for the H3T

RamRod

RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
With all the great deals out there on Military Hummer take off (37x12.5x16.5) I want to replace my 37x12.5x20's with a proper offraod capable rim size and I was wondering what rim is available for the H3T to make this work!?

Bead locked or not!

Any help would be great!

But if I am correct I would have to find a rims as follows:

Diameter- 16.5"
Width- 8-10''
Bolt pattern- 6x5.5''
Backspacing- 5"Offset- Nil

Am I correct??

Thanks for the help!
 
MTUH3

MTUH3

Well-Known Member
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315
Location
Plymouth, MI
There are a few companies out there that will recenter any wheel you want. If you can find a deal on a Humvee wheel, you might have something going for ya
 
J

jakesz28

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,056
Location
Cabool MO
A 16.5 rim sucks balls if it is not a Beadlock wheel I would not run them. The general design of the bead in most 16.5 rims will not hold the bead. So if the tire is low on air the bead will come unseated.
 
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

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4,250
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Tardville
You're going the wrong way! 16.5" tires are like cassette tapes, and the available tire choices get less and less each year. The military tires you're talking about work great if you have low expectations. However, if you stay with standard wheel sizes (17", 18" and 20"), you will have many more tire choices...all of which are better performers than the mil spec Hummer Goodyears. Your 20's are a much better choice IMO.

Hummer H1 wheels can be re-centered with the 6x5.5" bolt pattern...and probably in any offset you want. Most I've seen are beadlocks. A lot of CJ guys run H1 wheels because the steep inboard offset re-positions the tires back under the truck, after swapping to wider GM axles. The real reason Jeep guys love em? ...they're cheap...round...and they hold air!
 
RamRod

RamRod

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3,914
Location
AB, Canada
4speedfunk said:
You're going the wrong way! 16.5" tires are like cassette tapes, and the available tire choices get less and less each year. The military tires you're talking about work great if you have low expectations. However, if you stay with standard wheel sizes (17", 18" and 20"), you will have many more tire choices...all of which are better performers than the mil spec Hummer Goodyears. Your 20's are a much better choice IMO.

Hummer H1 wheels can be re-centered with the 6x5.5" bolt pattern...and probably in any offset you want. Most I've seen are beadlocks. A lot of CJ guys run H1 wheels because the steep inboard offset re-positions the tires back under the truck, after swapping to wider GM axles. The real reason Jeep guys love em? ...they're cheap...round...and they hold air!
Click to expand...

Do you really think that these are so bad that the 20's are better?
I have had bad experience with finding good rubber for 18's, the choice seems to be getting less and less... my other thoughts were to go to a 16 or 17 which seem to be common enough to find good rubber for consistently.

I am worried about how much I can air down on 20's and not have to worry about popping a bead..

@08SolarFlareH3 thats a really good link! Thnx!
 
alrock

alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
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10,677
Location
Scottsdale
I do think your biggest issue will be finding tires. Many H1 owners are moving to 17s due to the lack of 16.5 tires.

Would 16.5s be better than 20s? Yes, but 16s or 17s would be better too with far less frustration. And if 16.5s are hard to find now, think about three years from now when you need new tires
 
Expendable

Expendable

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Messages
1,025
Location
Burbank, CA
the problem with surplus tires are that they are used. if they are unmounted it is hard to tell if they hold air, are out of round, etc. and they can be quite old.

I have 16.5" one piece steelies for my truck but I'm buying brand new 17" tires for my wheels. even if I had 12 bolt or 24 bolt steelies I would only keep them as spares, I wouldn't run them daily driver.
 
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

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4,250
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Tardville
Do you really think that these are so bad that the 20's are better?
Click to expand...

Without question.

If you're talking 20" low-profile dubs?...of course not. But you said you had 37"-R20?...Those have plenty of sidewall! The only reason I'm running 17"s (and not 20"s) is the cost. Tire prices skyrocket above 17". Off-road tire technology has exploded in the last five years, and there some amazing dual-purpose off-road radials offered by all the major tire companies. I promise you...37"x12.50xR20 BFG-KM2s, will completely out-perform any 16.5" military tire you can find. They're much less weight. They're designed to stay balanced at 70mph. They're quiet. They work good in the rain. They wear better. They corner better. They brake better. They get better mileage. Its not even a comparison.

Military surplus tires are a notch above farm-tractor tires. They're designed for a 20,000lb armored Humvee, and not a 5500lb H3, and performance is NOT the #1 criteria. Unless you limit your speed to 50mph, never drive on wet pavement, and enjoy shimmies & shakes...stick with a modern tire designed specifically for our size of SUV. Take advantage of the technology! Hell even the military is looking for high-tech replacements...

airless tire.jpg

Moon Buggy airless tires! Yeah baby...that's what I'm talkin about!
 
RamRod

RamRod

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3,914
Location
AB, Canada
Haha! I have seen those airless tires before!
Its trippy watching a video of them driving at highway speed, if the camera gets a low enough shot you can see through to to the other side and it lookes like there is a huge gap between the rim and the tire. just hovering there!!


I think you guys ahve raised enough valid points to steer me away from the 16.5's.... if those take offs are not good in the rain they will not be good up here in the snow!!
Here is a pic from yesterday along my commute to work. We got a Big Spring snow storm (like we always do) and it caused the biggest pile up I have ever seen! 100 people sent to hospital with serious injuries, but luckily not a person was killed!
(this is not the full scene):
image.jpg

My decision is now to stick with 20's and pay big bucks for each new set of tires.... or pay about the same to drop down to 16-17's but then save money every time after that due to lower tire prices on those guys....


I don't know what I'd do without you guys talking so much sense into me!
 
alrock

alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,677
Location
Scottsdale
4speed, I can see a logic that a 37" tire on a 20" rim is mathematically similar to 33" on a 16" rim (what I run), it seems that the behavior in the wild may not match up. A case in point is this H2 in 2010 - 37" tires on 20" rims on Hell's Gate. This incident happened due to lack of bite on the tread and sidewall which was suspected to be lack of sidewall flex.

Here he is in a bad position after the tires slipped off the wall
Moab-Jeff%27s%20Pics%20079-L.jpg


Here's a pic from a bit further up after Neo got him out of the mess. Not a lot of deformation in that tire. I cannot tell you what PSI he was running.
Moab-Jeff%27s%20Pics%20081-L.jpg
 
RamRod

RamRod

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Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
alrock said:
4speed, I can see a logic that a 37" tire on a 20" rim is mathematically similar to 33" on a 16" rim (what I run), it seems that the behavior in the wild may not match up. A case in point is this H2 in 2010 - 37" tires on 20" rims on Hell's Gate. This incident happened due to lack of bite on the tread and sidewall which was suspected to be lack of sidewall flex.
Click to expand...

I was doing that math the other night as I was driving, and it made me feel a bit better about the 37x20's how ever I got to thinking is the side wall of the same construction on the 37x20 as as a mathematically similar 33x16?

anyone know if there is a difference in side wall construction?
 
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

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4,250
Location
Tardville
Google "aspect ratio calculator" to get real dimensions of tire sizes. As far as tire construction?...I'm sure a lower profile tire has a stiffer sidewall. As far as whether it matters?...well obviously opinions are everywhere. Hell's Gate is without question a tire-test and a half! But, I think if you ask that guy in the black H2T how pleasant his 600 mile interstate drive was just to get there...you'de get plenty of points for the 20"s. I also think that Hell's Gate climb works out to .00000000001% of his total mileage. Everybody has different requirements for what they want out of their rigs. But in the case of tires, you got to ask yourself a few questions...

Is this tiny percentage of extreme use worthy of a $2000-plus decision on tires?
Can I handle the "sissy" comments from the bystanders for ten-minutes of climibing Hell's Gate?
Will my wife look at me in disgust when she compares other guy's tires to mine?
Will I have to scream to carry-on a conversation at high-way speeds?

My point is...forum discussions like this always seem to jump to the furthest extreme of the spectrum. Its very easy to loose sight of your rig and how you intend to use it. You'll never see anybody posting a photo of their H3 with the cruise control set at 65mph, with a cheese platter sitting on the console and Mozart playing in the background. As much as hard core guys don't like to admit it...that's certainly a valid argument. I wheel my H3 as much as anybody, and I still demand excellent on-road performance, mileage, and noise levels. Tires are not cheap, and more than likely...you will not be happy with your choice, in all categories. Compromise is everything, and its never been so true as it is when choosing tires. Don't get caught up in the testosterone game...think about how you use your H3, and select the tires accordingly.
 
RamRod

RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
4speedfunk said:
Google "aspect ratio calculator" to get real dimensions of tire sizes. As far as tire construction?...I'm sure a lower profile tire has a stiffer sidewall. As far as whether it matters?...well obviously opinions are everywhere. Hell's Gate is without question a tire-test and a half! But, I think if you ask that guy in the black H2T how pleasant his 600 mile interstate drive was just to get there...you'de get plenty of points for the 20"s. I also think that Hell's Gate climb works out to .00000000001% of his total mileage. Everybody has different requirements for what they want out of their rigs. But in the case of tires, you got to ask yourself a few questions...

Is this tiny percentage of extreme use worthy of a $2000-plus decision on tires?
Can I handle the "sissy" comments from the bystanders for ten-minutes of climibing Hell's Gate?
Will my wife look at me in disgust when she compares other guy's tires to mine?
Will I have to scream to carry-on a conversation at high-way speeds?

My point is...forum discussions like this always seem to jump to the furthest extreme of the spectrum. Its very easy to loose sight of your rig and how you intend to use it. You'll never see anybody posting a photo of their H3 with the cruise control set at 65mph, with a cheese platter sitting on the console and Mozart playing in the background. As much as hard core guys don't like to admit it...that's certainly a valid argument. I wheel my H3 as much as anybody, and I still demand excellent on-road performance, mileage, and noise levels. Tires are not cheap, and more than likely...you will not be happy with your choice, in all categories. Compromise is everything, and its never been so true as it is when choosing tires. Don't get caught up in the testosterone game...think about how you use your H3, and select the tires accordingly.
Click to expand...

Excellent response!

The whole reason I am interested in switching rims and tires in the first place is simply I have about 40-60% left on my tires, they are going to be replaced soon and I want to have that figured out by then.

They no longer make the 37x12.5x20 BGF All Terrain.

I love the All Terrain as its a great tire off road and in the snow (living in Canada this is a big deal to me).

Since I can't get the tire of my choice in a rim size that I already have, and tires for 20's are on average $150-200 more then their smaller diameter brethren I wanted to start exploring some options.

However I have JUST discovered that I can get the BFG All Terrain in a 37x12.5x17 for around $370-400/ea. (20's were around the $600/ea. mark)

I think this tire is the best tire to compromise with, I have gone through 2 sets and never had a complaint when it comes to getting the job done. From Oct-April we have snow on the road and this is my daily truck, it needs to get me to work and back and the A/T I believe is the only "All Season" off raod tire that also has a winter rating.

Now the hunt is on for a 17 rim that will work on the H3T! I want to keep it simple and black lol... bead locks is not a much of a priority but I wouldn't mind for the right price!
 
alrock

alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,677
Location
Scottsdale
4speed, my example was extreme but I think still appropriate in that the truck suffered body damage in that incident.

Each person is of course going to have to make their own choices in the balance between expense, on road comfort, off road performance and overall safety and in my opinion the extremes should be kept in consideration at whatever value the buyer determines.

You've got great points - I'm just an alternate view so ramrod has more information to wade through.

BTW, my cheese platter and (n/a) wine do just fine on the highway. And pardon me, but do you have any Grey Poupon? :)
 
chad

chad

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Messages
545
Location
florida
have you checked ebay? thats always a good place to start shopping, then craigslist, if those two fail then i go to a company.
 
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