Gettin aftermarket wheels...backspacing?

91 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 3 inch lift and 31 10' 50s

Ive decided to get some aftermarket wheels...the reason is because i have a 3 inch lift with 31 10' 50's and the are rubbing the lower control arms, and for a better look.
I thought abour goin with the Cragar soft 8's...input wanted on these and others that dont $ to much...

What i need to know is how much backspacing i need??

I believe they come 3.75" or 4" IIRC, not sure you can chose custom backspacing with the soft eights.

summit has them in 4" backspacing which is pretty ideal.

but would that be enough to get rid of the rubbing??

???more input???

4" is perfect. Thats what I have with my AR 767's wrapped with 32x11.50 bfg muds and they are a long way from the lca.

It really depends on how you use your rig. will you be offroading much to worry about having to trim your fenders? will it just mainly be on the road? do you like your rig to have a "wider stance" with the tires sticking out farther than the flares?


I am currently running a 15x8 wheel with 4.5 backspacing and personally believe it is ideal for the trail and road if your driving a daily driver. my 31x10.5's are in line with the flares, and don't rub for the most part (under certian circumstances ive rubbed a little on my front flares with extreme articulation). However they definetley do not rub the LCA's.

Also, try the search function. you will find gobs of info about backspacing.
http://www.naxja.org/forum/search.php?searchid=673778

HTH

I run an '89 2dr.xj w/31x10.50x15 Dunlop mud rovers on a RE3.5 lift with Cragar 15x7 Soft 8's with 3.75" BS. I get no rubbing, other than minor flare rub due to heavy bumper/winch combo. I will be trimming the fenders and rasing the flares over the winter but this combination seems to working great for me. Summit and Quadratec both sell them with those specs and they're pretty cheap too (<$40 each), FWIW.

my stock wheels are 15x7 can i switch over to 15x8 or will it cause problems...and will that birng my tires out of my flares some? cause thats what i want

...really appreciate the feedback

On our 94 xj we are running 15x8's (4 inch back space i think)black steel wheels, with 31x10.5 and no rubbing of the lower control arm. It looks real good with the 3inch lift. The best part is the wheels are cheep about $45-50 a wheel.

3.75" 15x7's will move the tire out nicely, clearing the LCA's, and giving you a wider stance.

31x10.5's should be close to flush with the edge of the flare (my DD's 32x11.5" ft tires stick out a little, and the rears are nearly flush on the same wheels).

If you're even planning on 33x12.5's+ someday, you could get 15x8's.

Ask 100 people about backspacing, and you'll get 100 different answers.

I like 4.75-4.5" for 8" wheels. Edge of most tires extend beyond flare slightly, wider tires may still rub LCA's (especially stock LCA's/4.75"bs)



4" & 3.75" BS on 8's are commonly used, but bigger tires will stick out noticably.

My trail MJ's wheels are 3.75"bs 8's (w/Q78's), and I had to cut alot more of the flare to get the tires to fit @ full stuff.
With more backspacing, the tire ends up inside the fender at full stuff, and I didn't have to cut as much.

3.75" 8" wide with 31x10.50. No rubbing on the control arms, it does put the tire out a bit past the flares but if you're going to cut and get wider ones eventually this is only a temporary a problem. I'm at 3" of lift about to go to 4.5". At 3" it looks real mean with a wide low stance.