Holy tires batman!
I bolted up the tires after work today. The old ones where done! I got one out of four that will make a good spare. If anyone needs a big spare or needs 3 Michelin XMLs and some spare 16x8 aluminum wheels let me know.
I did a simple alignment check and was able to dial in the toe a little better. Overall its pretty decent. I have some new kingpin parts coming and will be doing a little work to make the front axle a little less like it has 300,000+ miles on it.
The old tires where 132lbs ( the one with the most tread )
The new tires and wheels where 127 lbs, so not much change there. The steel wheels where pretty dang heavy.
After putting the old tires back in the bed I am doubting my full size spare plan. These tires are BIG!
Here is what the truck looks like with the new tires and wheels. Please excuse the not perfectly straight body and torn up grille shell ( new grill shell coming! )
The new tires are LIGHT YEARS ahead of the old ones! They are quieter, track better, have better steering response, the steering is lighter overall, and they are freaking cool looking! They are about 2" taller than the michelins! They are basically a true 39" tire! I just ran out and measured. On the front of the truck at 45psi they are just a hair over 38" tall!
I'm running 45psi in them, so far so good. They still ride very decent at that pressure. They sure roll a lot easier than the XML's. I'm able to roll the truck back and forth in the driveway pretty easy buy just using the lugs on the tires.
I didn't balance them yet. I ran two on the balancing machine when I got them mounted. The machine called for 14oz each! I didn't want clip on weights on the rim edge and I didn't want THAT many stick on weights. I decided to try them unbalanced. So far, up to 70mph, I have no shake or shimmy. The truck will track straight with hands off the wheels. I may add some ceramic tire balancing beads if they develop a shake. So far so good....WAY better than the worn out XML's.
I will keep updating on the tires as I get more miles on them!