Wheels, Tires and Axles - January 2019
I spent a lot of time figuring out the axle width, tire size, wheel backspacing, etc, so that it would look good and function well too.
The factory Jeepsters come with "narrow track" axles, and the tires are tucked into the body. Stock Early Broncos have the same look. I'm not a big fan of it.
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| Tire Tucked into Body |
The Jeepsters low rear wheel opening also just doesn't look cosmetically correct to me - it's too low in the back.
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| The red line shows the drop from the front wheel opening to the rear wheel opening. Some people just cut the rear sheetmetal and leave a sharp edge. Some people add CJ, YJ or TJ plastic flares to the front and rear. None of those solutions looked great to me. Decisions Made:
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| 2" of tire showing |
- For tires, I chose 255-75-17, which is about a 32" x 10" tire. I bought some JKU takeoff tires from a local guy - mostly new, but not perfect BFG Mud Terrain tires. They are pretty aggressive - an AT tire would probably be better.
- For wheels, I bought some with a lot of backspacing - 4.50" - American Racing AR172. 17" wheels and tires were chosen, so I could run bigger brakes.
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| Tires and wheels married together |
- For axles, I bought a pair of Early Bronco axles. First, they are pretty strong - front low pinion Dana 44, and rear Ford 9". Second, they gave me the perfect track width to put the tires 2" outside the body. Third, it was driver's drop which should make fitting everything a little easier.
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| My rear 9" sitting on a stand under the Jeepster. The drum brakes will be replace with discs. |
My front Early Bronco Dana 44 being moved around with the engine hoist.