33x9.5 r15 pulling the trigger tomorrow....

[matt s]

33x9.5 r15 pulling (pulled) the trigger tomorrow....Photos added

So I have currently run 32x11.5 r15's on my 71 blazer and frankly I hate them. Our roads are all horribly rutted (yes the highways) and they yank you around way too much. That and with winter coming, floatation tires are not what I need on a short wheel base rig.

So going narrow (besides I like the pizza cutter look, and have been reading up on the benefits of narrow offroad tires). Any reason not to get the bfg 33x9.5 AT?

The only other option I am really considering is the same tire in the 10.5.

Going on stock white spoke steelies, I believe they are 8" but have to check.

EDIT: See post 24 for before and after photos

 

[redthies]

You might find the 9.50s a bit wiggly on the road. If you were in a mini truck I would say go for it, but the Blazer is a bit heavier and I think you might like the 10.50s better. They will still look pizza like, and will be that little bit more stable. On your rig the difference in the snow while be zilch.

 

[washington taco]

I ran BFG ATs 33x9.5x15 on my 2000Taco for my first tire and loved them! I drove then about 60,000 miles before having to replace them.

 

[matt s]

You might find the 9.50s a bit wiggly on the road. If you were in a mini truck I would say go for it, but the Blazer is a bit heavier and I think you might like the 10.50s better. They will still look pizza like, and will be that little bit more stable. On your rig the difference in the snow while be zilch.

I hear lots of recommendations for the 10.5, but since I currently really dislike my 11.5's (different brand tire) I am hesitant that going only down to 10.5 is enough.

 

[Clark White]

I have BFG 33x9.50 AT's on my Tacoma, and they can NOT be balanced. Awesome tire off road, but going down the HW they will vibrate you to death (depending on your tolerance for wobble). The problem is they are too tall with not enough tread width to hold the straight, so at speed the tire will wobble side to side, no matter how much effort you put into balancing them.

Clark

 

[UrbanCummin]

So I have currently run 32x11.5 r15's on my 71 blazer and frankly I hate them. Our roads are all horribly rutted (yes the highways) and they yank you around way too much. That and with winter coming, floatation tires are not what I need on a short wheel base rig.

So going narrow (besides I like the pizza cutter look, and have been reading up on the benefits of narrow offroad tires). Any reason not to get the bfg 33x9.5 AT?

The only other option I am really considering is the same tire in the 10.5.

Going on stock white spoke steelies, I believe they are 8" but have to check.

In a heavy rig like your I would stay away from such a narrow tire. Honestly, in a fullsize truck I consider 12.5 as a narrow tire. Any sort of mud and a 9.5 will sink very fast. If you have to go narrower I would go with a 10.5 insted of a 9.5.

I would also get your steering inspected, even a rutted road (I have a lot of them around me) shouldn't be causeing those tires/truck to wander so much.

 

[redthies]

I ran both BFG MTs and ATs in 33 9.50 on my BJ60 Landcruiser wagon and don't recall any vibrations at all. I drove from Canada to Mexico and all over with no issues on the MTs. The cruiser is a heavy truck as well, but not what I would call fast. I think the change to a BFG AT will offer a big difference in road manners. I don't know what you have on the truck now but whatever they are, the BFGs are likely a better road/snow tire.

 

[matt s]

In a heavy rig like your I would stay away from such a narrow tire. Honestly, in a fullsize truck I consider 12.5 as a narrow tire. Any sort of mud and a 9.5 will sink very fast. If you have to go narrower I would go with a 10.5 insted of a 9.5.

I would also get your steering inspected, even a rutted road (I have a lot of them around me) shouldn't be causeing those tires/truck to wander so much.

Thanks for the input. The front end is completely tight. I just replaced the entire thing, including the steering box. I am leaning towards the 10.5 due to the input here.

 

[ntsqd]

I've run both 9.50's and 10.50's on my yota Mini. Both balanced well and with no trouble. I wore out the 9.50's on that truck. I don't log the mileage so my SOP is 35k-40k worth of desert race chase/play/trip/commute miles.

If they won't balance then there is something wrong. Either with the tires (tread separation etc.) or with the wheels.

On a heavier truck I don't know what the driving difference might be, but I do know that the 9.50's are harder to find than the 10.50's. Either works well on a 7" rim. 8"s are a bit wide for my tastes, but they will certainly work.

 

[chasespeed]

I tell you what, knock it if you want..... BUT...

On my Rodeo, I ran a set of 33x10/50 Swamper TSL Radials...

Other than the noise, and the weight, I absolutely loved them, even the little 200hp v6 could keep them spinning very well in the mud, and their road manners were great compared to the 33x12s.

I think the 33x10 is a great compromise in a tire.

My current rig is too big/heavy for that tire.....

To be honest, I think I am the only one who had any kind of decent luck with Interco tires.....

Chase

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

I've had both the 9.5 and the 10.5s, I prefer the 10.5s mostly because of sidewall stability to the point that I'd never get 9.5s again given the choice no matter what application. The 9.5s are really tall and narrow so they wiggle around a lot and are really pretty narrow.

I hope it helps,
Andre

 

[Grim Reaper]

Being yanked around I would say is more the truck then the tire. How much lift? do you have a steering correction block? The drag link should be nearly level. If it is at an angle it will bump steer. If you have a flexy truck cross over steering will make huge improvements especially off road when the suspension is at full flex.

Also check the frame around the steering box for cracks.

One of the biggest improvements I ever did yo my 75 Jimmy was the ORD steering brace. It took a lot of the frame flex out and tightened up the steering feel. http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/steeringkit.htm

 

[matt s]

Hi Grim Reaper, it's a 4 inch suspension lift, and yeah it will never be totally tame with that lift. I did install a raised pitman arm and the drag link is now level. Also just finished going through the entire front end and repairing/replacing all issues (all ball joints, drive axles u joints, drag link, pitman arm, steering box, tie rod ends etc. Even had to replace the rivets on the front drivers shackle mount for the spring. This was all done professionally at a shop I trust, I also was present and watched over all repairs. I am confident that the truck is solid now, there is no play in the wheel, and has been inspected thoroughly.

I think the remaining issues stem from the wide tires combined with the offsets of the current wheels. My tires extend beyond my fenders, that combined with the already wide truck puts my tires outside the worn in grooves on our highways. When one wheel sits in the rut the other is riding just out of the other rut, causing it to want to climb out in that direction or dive down into the rut. It really likes to switch from riding in one rut to the other, hence the not so fun driving. It's not a problem right now, but on icy roads it could be enough to break you loose at highway speeds. On newer roads (without ruts) it's actually very well behaved.

It's really not all that bad, now that the rest of the front end is solid, but it's there and since I plan on keeping this for the long haul, I want to make the driving experience as pleasant as possible.

On local boards there are many guys talking about the rutted highways and the effect on the various rigs, it's pretty common. Some of our highways have ruts that I would estimate as being anywhere from 2" to as deep as 4" from the road surface. On those you can watch even shiny new cars get pulled around as they change lanes etc. The joke around here is that you can park your car in the ruts in anchorage and not touch the steering wheel until Fairbanks. That of course is for cars that fit into the ruts. Luckily they just repaved the highway between here and Anchorage, but it will only be a year or two before they are back.

Future plans do include taking it back to stock hight, or perhaps a smaller lift. I have also looked into the steering brace you mentioned. I may do that in the future.

 

[ntsqd]

IMO those trucks should have come with that steering box brace from the factory. The 'brace' used on the later frames is a joke in comparison.

And a plug for the originator of those braces, autofab.com

Something to note on those braces though, if you have the OE engine oil cooler the hoses go right under it and will bear against it enough to wear against the sharp edge. I slit a piece of 1/2" pipe wide enough to fit over the brace in the affected area and tack welded it in place.

 

[toyota_jon]

I would go with the 10.5's the slightly wider tire will give you a better road manners while still maintaining the pizza cutter performance/ look. I had BFG AT 12.5's on my 4runner when i was up there, they do very well on all the snow and ice, i think if i would have had the 10.5's it would have been even better.