Scout II- BIG Tires/Wheels, What Works???????????????

[TorqueMonster1]

Thanks for looking at my post. I've read soooooo many other threads that I'm crossed eyed and confused. I am leaning towards 35' tires at the least, And Possibly 36" , 37' OR even 38" tires. I'm building a Scout II that will NEVER see extreme off-road trails or use. I'm building a Scout to enjoy and not abuse. What amount of lift worked with your Scout and what tire sizes are you running? What amount of lift do you have? ALSO, AND This Is Possibly The MOST Important, What is your back spacing? Back in the day we all went with 15' wheels. I'm now thinking that I outta go with 17' wheels. What are your opinions?? Thank You!! Mark

 

[jordandoc]

...well, you asked for my opinion so please don't be offended. I'm over the "big tire" thing with my Scouts as they were all over the road, burned more fuel, did not perform as well unless you went to much lower gears, and handled like crap. I use 31X10.50X15 as the largest...no problems. If you are dead set on it, I would not recommend 17 inch wheels. Although most newer vehicles use them, the tires are lower profile and I believe run higher pressures. Given the stiff Scout suspension, in contrast to the softer ones in newer vehicles, you might knock out your teeth going over a mouse turd! You would lose the "cushion" that the 15 inch 'balloon" tires give.

 

[72soa]

If off-road performance is not part of the plan, but want the big tire look go with 33's or 35's. Get a good radial A/T tire and enjoy. Stick with the 15" wheels. I have never paid attention to back spacing and have always used the wheels I have had access to. I find the steel wagon wheels are just fine. As far as lift goes the SOA is the best IMO. A SOA conversion with stock springs will clear 33" tires. For 35" tires a body lift can be used along with the SOA. A SOA conversion with a cross-over steering system will cost about $1,000 to $1,500 depending on what gets replaced/upgraded. This price is based on the hard work being done yourself and does not include the price of tires.

 

[Mark Aycock]

I have a 4" Triangle suspension lift and BFG 33x10.50 tires on the stock Rallye wheels. It works well but I was lucky to find 1980 axles which have built in better caster. I was also very lucky to find NOS Triangle suspension lift( Thanks Tom).

 

[scoutboy74]

That much meat is a waste if it isn't going to be wheeled. There's a lot of heaven and earth movement required to make a Scout clear 38" tires. The bigger you go, the more they cost, the harder the engine has to work and the more fuel is burned. A 33" used to be considered a big tire. Very little is required to make them clear, especially if it's just a pavement pounder.

 

[Darrel]

For 38's SOA and 2" spring lift. Don't decide on your body lift until you get the lift and tires on there. 10" wide rims. Full width axles go with 5" back space. SII axles (not a good idea) 2-2.5" backspace and check your lug nuts and bearings often. Go at least 17s to reduce sidewall sway.

 

[Jrc55]

I'm on 37's with about 12" of lift give or take. Mine was lifted before building the body, so I generally ignore peoples' assumptions about my Scout or my personal style. People ask, why would you have 400hp and not race everyday? Why have muscles if you don't want to punch people in the face? If you want a lifted truck build one. I'm actually a big fan of low riders too. I run gravel, showcase my metal work, and like to explore and take artsy pictures putting around the back country. It's what I REALLY enjoy using my Scout for.

Personally, I don't like my own tires to stick out so I have 17x9 rims maybe? 37x12.50 tucked in nicely. Standard back spacing from Summit racing on those wheels. A little close to the tie rod ends but no problem so far. High steer, 1 ton steering, cut and turn, SOA, 4" lift springs, heavier shackles, 3/4" custom body lift, cv axles, locked front and rear. 304/727/dana20. Drives great.

 

[J.J.]

4 inch Skyjackers on stock 15 inch Rallye rims. GRC 1 in extended shackles. Tires are BF Goodrich 33x10.5x15 KM 3s. Stock axles with a cut and turn. Bilstien shocks. It’s smooth and handles well. I didn’t care for wide tires that stick out of the sides of the fenders. Also need to mention the front driveshaft is stock but the rear was lengthened as well as I moved the rear axle back an inch. Also longer brake lines.

JJ in TN




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[TorqueMonster1]

Thank You all for the feedback. I appreciate the honest input. 72soa, I have to give you credit (or blame) for this direction I'm considering going. I came by your place in May (as I recall) to get some parts. When I saw your Scout I was impressed. It had an "Awesome Presence” and it made an impression on me. It was just a bad a$$ looking Scout. Clearly yours is built for performance and ability. Jrc55, your Scout was the nail in the coffin for me. Maybe it's the 80's teenager that's still in me, I don't know, but I'm itching to run around in a Big, Lifted Scout II. And J.J., this is where I'm headed with that '77 rolling chassis I got from you, so Thank You Sir!

The more I think about it I'll probably go with 35's or 36's. I may also try to stay with the 15" wagon wheels that I've already got, to keep cost down. And I have to agree that I prefer a more narrow wheel (8'-9") for a 35" tire. Resulting in a taller tire with less tire sticking outside of the body. Thanks Again and keep the opinions coming. Mark

 

[winchested]

35s IHPA SOA stock springs 5" shackles, front Reverse shackle. New body bushes and 1.5" body lift.

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[Ride5C2]

My experience / 2 cents is that if it's a driver, go with 33's and SUA if you want the lifted / bigger tire look. I know this is the opposite of pretty much everyone's advice. . . . my experience could certainly be the quality of my original SOA from the po.

I started with a SOA, high steer, + 2 inch body lift & Bilsteins and that cleared 35's. But although it tracked really well with minimal bump steer, it was a very 'porpoisy' ride, my wife just didn't want to ride in it anymore and it got old for me as well, frankly. I also had a constant tranny rattle that got louder as speed increased, this existed even after a T19 rebuild.

I put 33's on, and just last week, I swapped in an '80 front axle and went back to SUA with the 4' Skyjacker kit + CPT 5' shackles with Nitro shocks. Also pushed the rear axle back an inch. I love it. It rides nicer, the porpoising is gone, and for some really weird reason, the rattle in the tranny is gone. I still have a bit of work to do on the steering / alignment, but going to let it settle in a bit before taking it in.

 

[Patrick Morris]

You guys with over-33s have a little stowable crane onboard, to lower and raise the spare tire? And speaking of which, do you carry a spare? I imagine it would use up most of the bed.

 

[Darrel]

I back up to a rock or into a ditch and then heave my tire up to the spare tire carrier on the bumper. R290 over on pirate made a cool set up using a spare tire hoist to winch it up.

My experience with SOA on stock springs is that they ride much softer than SUA with 4 inch lift springs. I'm not sure what could cause porpoising other than bad shocks. That's definitely not typical of SOA. Perhaps a mismatch in spring rate or excessive rake. I doubt that leaf spring or shackle angle would do it. RS would make it worse. One thing about SOA is that it's a lot of work to lower. With SUA and a body lift you can always remove the body lift when you get tired of climbing up. We all get old...

Not to take away from other builds, but personally I would never run a lot of lift and tall tires (35+) with a narrow stance. Too unstable in an emergency maneuver and it ruins your turning radius due to the tires hitting the leaf springs. I'm running full width axles and with H2 rims (5.5" back spacing) my 35x12.50s only stick out maybe an inch past bushwackers.

 

[winchested]

Big carrier.

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[winchested]

I back up to a rock or into a ditch and then heave my tire up to the spare tire carrier on the bumper. R290 over on pirate made a cool set up using a spare tire hoist to winch it up.

My experience with SOA on stock springs is that they ride much softer than SUA with 4 inch lift springs. I'm not sure what could cause porpoising other than bad shocks. That's definitely not typical of SOA. Perhaps a mismatch in spring rate or excessive rake. I doubt that leaf spring or shackle angle would do it. RS would make it worse. One thing about SOA is that it's a lot of work to lower. With SUA and a body lift you can always remove the body lift when you get tired of climbing up. We all get old...

Not to take away from other builds, but personally I would never run a lot of lift and tall tires (35+) with a narrow stance. Too unstable in an emergency maneuver and it ruins your turning radius due to the tires hitting the leaf springs. I'm running full width axles and with H2 rims (5.5" back spacing) my 35x12.50s only stick out maybe an inch past bushwackers.

SOA stock springs, 35's high steer. My tires don't hit my leafs as I adjusted the stops and am running 1.5" wheel adapters and PSC 6.5" ram. Reverse shackle. I get no porpoising, and find the scout rides better than my buck board 2011 F150 on E rated tires. Drives straight as an arrow. Doesn't feel tippy at all.


I did all the work myself with quality parts and cut no corners with subpar junk. The IHPA kit is solid and worth the money. Not piecing together random junk trying to be a cheap ass.
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[Darrel]

SOA stock springs, 35's high steer. My tires don't hit my leafs as I adjusted the stops and am running 1.5" wheel adapters and PSC 6.5" ram. Reverse shackle. I get no porpoising, and find the scout rides better than my buck board 2011 F150 on E rated tires. Drives straight as an arrow. Doesn't feel tippy at all.

Yep and your Scout doesn't look too wide imo. Just right actually. I doubt you lost much turning radius with the wheel spacers. With my set up I can actually turn tighter than stock.

 

[Divide Dan]

4 inch Skyjackers on stock 15 inch Rallye rims. GRC 1 in extended shackles. Tires are BF Goodrich 33x10.5x15 KM 3s. Stock axles with a cut and turn. Bilstien shocks. It’s smooth and handles well. I didn’t care for wide tires that stick out of the sides of the fenders. Also need to mention the front driveshaft is stock but the rear was lengthened as well as I moved the rear axle back an inch. Also longer brake lines.

JJ in TN




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Did you have to lengthen the drive shaft for just the lift and 1” rearward axle shift? Or was that just extra insurance? Any body lift?

 

[J.J.]

Did you have to lengthen the drive shaft for just the lift and 1” rearward axle shift? Or was that just extra insurance? Any body lift?

No body lift at all, rear was lengthed as once I moved the axle back, it was ****just*** too short. I think that once you lift them it puts the rear axle a bit closer towards the front, which may or may not make a difference but I was not comfortable how it looked or what might happen. 1" is about all that you can move back unless you modify the stock spring perches.

Talk about the rear axle starts about post #138

http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/index.php?threads/jjs-1976-scout-ii-build.143782/page-7

JJ in TN