Owners with OTK steering please help

Hi, I posted this before but I had the wrong title for it.

I have a '91 Cherokee Laredo with ABS, 33"x12.50" tires, and 4" lift. I will be buying new wheels very soon and need to know what backspacing I will need. I have used the search function in a couple of the forums, including this one, and could not find the exact answer that I am looking for. Also, I am familiar with the theory of backspacing and fully understand it.

The details are;

I will be going to a 6.5" lift with long arm conversion and eventually an over the knuckle steering setup soon. I am looking for the new wheels to clear this OTK setup. I want to stay with steel 15" wheels. I like the advantages of big sidewalls.

I have found that the stock aluminum wheels are about 5" backspacing. I pulled the front wheel off and took a straight edge and placed it on the part of the rotor that the wheel mounts to and measured 3 1/4" to the part of the knuckle that the tie rod end mounts through ("steering arm" for lack of a better term).

I know from research, that you want the wheel to clear this part of the knuckle because the Heim joints on the OTK steering setups are larger and sit higher and can easily hit the wheel if it doesn't have enough offset. I know that the above measurements tells me that a 3" - 3 1/4" backspacing would be perfect theoretically.

I looked at the Cragar V-5 wheel and they have 3 3/4" offset. That would put the edge of the rim about halfway into the steering arm area, about halfway across the nut for the tie rod.

I also looked at the Cragar Soft 8's and their offset is 4"..

I'm thinking about the Areo 50 series 15"x10" with 3" backspacing.

What are the wheel specs that you guys with OTK setups are running?
What do you think?

Thanks guys!
Robert

When I first ran OTK with a D30, IIRC I had about 3.5-4" of Back Spacing.

With any more backspacing than that, you tend to rub your tires on your control arms as well.

I run the Cragar Soft 8s with 4 " of backspacing. They work fine with my Iron Rock OTK kit. Plenty of clearance.

I ran the Rock Krawler OTK steering with 15x8 Black Crawler Wheels 4in BS. NO PROBLEMS

Cool, thanks guys!

I have the WJ knuckles with OTK steering and run 15x8 Cragar D-windows with 4" backspacing. They clear the tierod alright, but the clearance between the WJ caliper and rim is very tight - I'd suggest go for 3.75" backspacing, but 4" backspacing will work.

I run the Teraflex high steer/OTK setup. I have stock XJ turbine wheels plus a 1 1/2" spacer with 33x10.50 tires.

IIRC the backspacing works out to ~3.75" or 4".