Weld 17x8.5's
 

For those of you that are running any of the Weld 17x8.5's:

What size tires are you running? I'll probably go with Nitto 295/70's.

Is the 4.5" backspacking sufficient?
How close is the tire to the suspension when turned to full lock?
How far to they stick outside of the standard wheel well?
Will a set of Bushwackers or Xenon's keep them covered up?


Any feedback &/or advice would be appreciated.

If you are looking at Welds, and want the proper offset, give T-Rex Suspensions a call. They have a custom Weld wheel, 18" I believe, that is custom made specifically for our Dodges. They are the only game in town for an OEM "type" wheel that actually fits. $500 a wheel, a little pricey, but saving my pennies.

Looking for a set of stock high polished aluminum wheels off of an 05.

Mike

Goggleyed, Considering the factories have something like 6+ inches of backspacing those Welds are going to stick out pretty good no doubt.........

I know I've seen pictures of trucks on this with them & the tires didn't seem to be that obtrusive.

Hopefully somebody with a set will pipe up.

Localnet- couldn't you have the silver one's polished?

I have 17x9 with 4.5" BS...and they stick out. Looks fine on my truck because of the height of the lift and fender flares. I would think it would look like crap on a stock height truck...unless covered by flares. They may rub a little at full lock if you go as wide as a 315 or so.

Cquestad - thank for the straight up feedback. My truck will be staying stock height so it doesn't sound like the Welds will work.

If anyone else is interested I know where you can get a set of month old 17x8.5 Cheyenne's for $1,000. I'm fairly certain I will pass & wait for something with at least a 5.75" back space.

Can someone confirm the stock rim backspace? I thought is was either 6.25" or 6.5".

6.5" BS is OEM

Thanks.

For those of you that are looking I've only been able to find the following wheels with sufficient back spacing:

Budnik- http://www.budnik.com/roadwheelcat.asp?scid=54

Billet Specialties- http://www.billetspecialties.com/ite...scid=23&pid=75

T-Rex- I couldn't find a link on their web site.

All are $500+ per wheel. [yuk]

Are there any wheels out there designed for the H2 with adequate BS? Seems there would be.....

The factory backside is 6.25 inches, not 6.5 inches. I just put 20x8.5 American Racing Chrome Kahunas with 5.5 inch backside and BFG KO 285/55R/20s on mine. The wheels stick out 1.25 inches farther than the factory wheels. One half inch wider wheel plus three quarters of an inch less backside. The tires are twenty mm wider overall, appx. three eights of an inch on each side. This is a net result sticking out farther than factory of one and five eights of an inch. It is not bad at all. You can special order from Weld Evo 20x8.5 Cheyennes or Commandos with 6.52 inch backside. This would put them back very close to the factory setup. I didn't feel like waiting two to three months for them to be built, not to mention the price.

The deepest backside Weld has in the 17x8.5 inch wheels is 5.14 inches. The Gen IIIs have a bunch more tire to link clearance than the Gen IIs have. The twenty inch Weld Evo Cheyennes with the 6.52 inch backside are going on my wish list of things to buy when I hit the lottery. The 285/55R/20 KOs are 3/4 of an inch both taller and wider than the 265/70/R16s that came on the truck but they do look quite a bit larger on the twenty inch wheels. Check my members gallery. I posted a couple of pictures after the install.

Great info & sharp lookin ride Jonesey. I thought 20's would look to big but they fill the wheel well nicely.

Is the ride much harder with the lower profile tire?

The ride is not much if any harsher. The tires are 8 ply which seems to make up the difference versus the 10 plys that came on the truck. The weight rating on them is 2835 @ 65 pounds maximum inflation. This is plenty for my type of useage.

My next upgrade will be Bilstein 5100 sreies shocks. My boss installed them on his 04 Ram 2500 Quadcab 4x4 short bed and it made a huge difference in the ride quality.