Finally get to ask some noob questions...

[vegestar]

So I know a lot about the inner workings of engines and diesel fuel systems. And I know my way around most of the other mechanical and electrical systems on a Scout or any other vehicle for that matter. But two things I know nothing about are tires/wheels and suspension. With that being said I have exhausted and confused myself trying to research these topics and could use some help from my IH bretheren.

So here's my situation: I just got my Traveler on the road from it's 18 year hibernation. Over the time I've owned it I have gone through the brakes (including a hydraboost conversion), front wheel bearings, changed the oil in the diffs, re-sealed the T-19 and 300 T/C, replaced the u-joints, and updated the electrical a bit. All these things are working beautifully and I only have two major things on my list to make my truck truly roadworthy: Tires and Shocks.

I have a set of nearly new wheels I bought from a guy who traded them up for chromies on his Scout but I can't remember what size they are supposed to be (17" seems to be stuck in my head). I would like to know 2 things: 1) How do I properly measure the wheels to determine what size they are and 2) What size tire would I need to find to fit the wheels and my stock suspended truck? I realize u guys can't help me with the second question until I answer the 1st one so we'll start there.

Now onto the shocks. I don't want to spend a ton of money on the suspension at this point as I plan to go SOA at some point and a front shackle reversal in the closer future. According to my LST my truck came equipped with heavy duty springs so I'm looking for some opinions on ride quality with these springs and some decent but relatively inexpensive shock options to improve the ride quality. The shocks on the truck now are completely hosed so I have nothing to compare to. FWIW... I removed the shocks and plan to test drive it to see the difference but the front springs seem way stiffer than the rears. Not sure if that's normal or not, like I said I am out of my comfort zone with this stuff. So any help would be appreciated.