Larger Tires / Better Wheels / Lift Kit .... HELP - PLEASEEEEE !?!?!?

[cbetts]

H3Ray-

Don't forget to swing over to the Fresh Meat section and introduce yourself. Others will welcome you to H4O. You can look at their signature blocks and get a feeling of what people are running. It is a great interactive process that will help educate yourself on options for your Hummer and meet new people, maybe even some in your local area!

 

[Portager]

For your application, sand and mud, I'd stay with 16" wheels and crank the T-bars enough to fit 35" tires. I'm quite partial to Hutchinson double beadlocks. They have the stock backspace so the tires will stuff into the wheel wells and the beadlocks will allow you to air down to zero, which will provide the best possible traction in sand and mud.

I believe form follows function, so to me nothing looks better in a Hummer than Hutchinson’s or the stock steel wheels. Everything else is just money spent just for looks, which is a waste of money. Fancy wheels will impress ignorant people, but capable wheels will impress knowledgeable peoples. So who are you trying to impress?

 

[jakesz28]

Fancy wheels will impress ignorant people, but capable wheels will impress knowledgeable peoples. So who are you trying to impress?

Man, I love all those fake Beadlock wheels on the market. Got to get me some.

 

[Gunner_45]

Like mine?

:giggle:

 

[H3Ray]

I'm sorry but I don't understand the questions. I'm not into the Bling. I simply want a nice looking rig that will get me out of trouble on the beach or hurricane. I also look to look cool. Again, I just want to enhance it. Winch, Bigger sand tires, maybe new Wheels, K & N air filter .... 95% street vehicle. Thanks

 

[06 H3]

Id say crank the torsion bars then...I dont think beach or hurricanes will require a lift, If my goal was beach and hurricane I would crank the T bar, add a winch bumper, winch, snorkel and a good set of tires on stock rims and maybe a one inch body lift.

 

[Portager]

Man, I love all those fake Beadlock wheels on the market. Got to get me some.

Why get fake Beadlocks when you can get real ones?

I'm sorry but I don't understand the questions. I'm not into the Bling. I simply want a nice looking rig that will get me out of trouble on the beach or hurricane. I also look to look cool. Again, I just want to enhance it. Winch, Bigger sand tires, maybe new Wheels, K & N air filter .... 95% street vehicle. Thanks

You mentioned that Rock Stars look cool, but they won't improve performance or get you out of trouble. Hutchinson's aren't designed for looks, they are all about function. Hutchinson's will cost more and won't impress a novice, but they certainly can get you out of trouble.

 

[H3Ray]

Hutchinson wheels? Link please? - Thankssssss

 

[H3Ray]

Id say crank the torsion bars then...I dont think beach or hurricanes will require a lift, If my goal was beach and hurricane I would crank the T bar, add a winch bumper, winch, snorkel and a good set of tires on stock rims and maybe a one inch body lift.

Please advise a good Winch. You advise cranking the Torsion Bars then you recommend a Lift? Please guys! Are Bilstein shocks better than stock? Would a lift affect gas mileage?

- Lift Kit ) what brand ? )
- Hutchinson Wheels ( how do they compare to Dick Cepack DC-2 wheels? )
- Nitto Trail Grapplers 33s' or 35' ???

THANKS GUYS
-

 

[H3Ray]

Check it out: http://www.dickcepek.com/wheels.php?item=DC2Black

 

[08SolarFlareH3]

Hutchinson wheels? Link please? - Thankssssss

http://www.rubberduck4x4.com/store/pc/Hummer-H1-H3-Rock-Monster-Wheels-New-297p7883.htm


Sent using Tapatalk

 

[H3Ray]

Awesome Set Up but H2: http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30156

 

[H3Ray]

Another sweet lifted H3T: http://www.fluxauto.com/?attachment_id=922

 

[telemike]

Here is a good tire that will do mud and sand and looks good:

LT315/75R16 Kelly TSR

 

[Schwarttzy]

So I'm absolutely against aftermarket rims, except for those that give you bead-locks. And those Hutchison's are cool but also still a bad choice if you ask me at the same time, and the reason I say that is because they are killing the gas mileage with their weight. If you want a bead-lock system I would highly recommend something along the lines of http://innerairlock.com/beadlocks/ lighter and easier to balance.

But if I see someone go with those Rockstar rims, or whatever, I know that they just aren't a real wheeler, because no one in the right mind should spend money on things their just going to destroy and won't help them at all off-road.

 

[06 H3]

Please advise a good Winch. You advise cranking the Torsion Bars then you recommend a Lift? Please guys! Are Bilstein shocks better than stock? Would a lift affect gas mileage?

- Lift Kit ) what brand ? )
- Hutchinson Wheels ( how do they compare to Dick Cepack DC-2 wheels? )
- Nitto Trail Grapplers 33s' or 35' ???

THANKS GUYS
-

Well you asked for a lift, so I originally said go rancho but then you tell me your wants/needs and I think a T bar crank would be better for your situations. Again a good winch or a cheap yet still decent winch is the next question. I say go warn 10k for the best but with a budget I would say smittybilt 10k.

 

[H3Ray]

Best Winch: http://www.offroadunlimited.com/orustore/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=211 (( Which One ??? ))

 

[06 H3]

you gotta do some research...whats best for me, isnt necessarily is best for you. you know your wants and your needs better then anyone else on this site. We are here for opinions but listing an entire website and saying which one isnt doing any good. Pick about 2-3 winches that are in your price range and your explain your needs and then we can better help you, looking at the site though I think the 15k and 16k are too much and isnt necessary for an H3. That leaves 4 winches left....whats your price range and needs.

 

[H3Ray]

What you guys?

Dick Cepeck DC - 2 Wheels or Black Rockstar Wheels?

Which is better made wheel?

THX

 

[H3Ray]

you gotta do some research...whats best for me, isnt necessarily is best for you. you know your wants and your needs better then anyone else on this site. We are here for opinions but listing an entire website and saying which one isnt doing any good. Pick about 2-3 winches that are in your price range and your explain your needs and then we can better help you, looking at the site though I think the 15k and 16k are too much and isnt necessary for an H3. That leaves 4 winches left....whats your price range and needs.

I understand 06 H3. I think a basic strong Winch will do. Thanksssss

 

[cgalpha08]

IMO here is what i would do. You say for hurricanes and beach driving, then do this, as Gunner and others have said

1. Buy a snorkel for the possible high water levels, should you decide to drive through them. There is one for sale in the swap meet section.

2. Torsion crank the t bars.
3.Throw some 35's on the stock rims.
4. Get a winch bumper of your choice and throw a warn 9.5xp winch with synthetic line on it.

this way you are prepared, for whatever the weather throws at you, and you will still fit in most parking garages.

The lift will cost you a lot of extra dough between it and new rims or spacers.

 

[Portager]

So I'm absolutely against aftermarket rims, except for those that give you bead-locks. And those Hutchison's are cool but also still a bad choice if you ask me at the same time, and the reason I say that is because they are killing the gas mileage with their weight. If you want a bead-lock system I would highly recommend something along the lines of http://innerairlock.com/beadlocks/ lighter and easier to balance.

But if I see someone go with those Rockstar rims, or whatever, I know that they just aren't a real wheeler, because no one in the right mind should spend money on things their just going to destroy and won't help them at all off-road.

I didn't realize you had firsthand knowledge on Hutchinson Beadlocks. Are your conclusions based on test data or analysis?

When I did my research, I learned that the weight of the wheels have very little affect on mileage at cruising speed. Changing the rolling radius of the tires (i.e. going from 33" to 35 has a much larger impact on mileage. The increase in the rotational moment of inertia has an affect acceleration and braking. However, the weight of the wheel has a minimal affect on mileage.

My Hutchinson Double Beadlock wheels weigh 40.5 lbs (see photo below) compared to (if my memory is correct) ~21 lbs for stock aluminum and ~34 lbs for stock steel wheels. So aluminum wheels are 33% lighter than stock steel wheels and Hutchinson's are 19% heavier than steel wheels. This isn’t a dramatic increase in weight.

Relative to acceleration and breaking the rotational moment of inertia is the sum of each element of mass times it's radius of rotation squared. Therefore the weight of the tire, which has double the radius of the rim has roughly 4 times the affect on rotational moment of inertia. My tires weigh 64 lbs compared to my wheel at 40.5 lbs. So 87% of the rotational moment of inertia is due to the tire and 13% is due to the wheel.

The inflatable internal beadlock's that you provided a link to are primarily used for racing. Rugged H2 used the Stuan Inflatable beadlocks which are very similar. I PM’ed Rugged H2 and asked him how he liked them. He said he doesn't use them on the highway anymore because he had an issue with the bleed strip that allows the air to enter and exit the tire volume shifted on a long trip and he couldn't get the air out of the tire. I think he said he ended up puncturing the tire to get it off and then repairing the hole later.

I think that if you're into off road racing the weight of the wheel might affect your performance, since you're accelerating and braking a lot more. However, for the type of driving I do the affect of the rim weight is negligible.

 

[Portager]

Hutchinson wheels? Link please? - Thankssssss

I bought mine at Quadratec http://www.quadratec.com/products/92803_5942.htm because they had the best price and free shipping. They didn't even know they had wheels for a Hummer H3, but when I gave then the Hutchinson part number WA-0615, they said they could get them.

 

[alrock]

My Hutchinson Double Beadlock wheels weigh 40.5 lbs (see photo below) compared to (if my memory is correct) ~21 lbs for stock aluminum and ~34 lbs for stock steel wheels. So aluminum wheels are 33% lighter than stock steel wheels and Hutchinson's are 19% heavier than steel wheels. This isn’t a dramatic increase in weight.

Hmm, looks like you were a statistician for a marketing company. Another way to state the weight difference of the Hutchinson beadlocks is that they are 98% heavier than a stock aluminum wheel. (BTW, when I turned mine in for scrap it came out to an even 100 lbs for five wheels, but that scale could have been off a few %. Your weight numbers are probably right on target).

I agree that the extra weight doesn't make a big difference at cruising speed but that's not where the mpgs hurt the most - it is acceleration from a standing stop that kills mpg, not cruising at a steady rate.

I do agree that true beadlocks make for a significant increase in performance off road but I don't think that difference is free: we know the extra initial cost but we also must factor in the nearly 80lbs of rotational mass as well as the extra cost for mounting and balancing, and that not all tire shops will handle beadlocks.

For Ray's use, where 15lbs of air pressure will get him out of most situations and for which he doesn't need beadlocks, I think he'd do better getting good tires on stock rims, getting a winch, not getting a lift, and maybe getting a snorkel.

Like any of the recommendations here it's a personal choice. Heck, I don't even have 35s due to the impact they have on the I5 and the challenging in climbing up the AZ mountain passes. Not much more $ to purchase them but the true cost of ownership outweighs the benefits, at least for me.

 

[Portager]

Hmm, looks like you were a statistician for a marketing company. Another way to state the weight difference of the Hutchinson beadlocks is that they are 98% heavier than a stock aluminum wheel. (BTW, when I turned mine in for scrap it came out to an even 100 lbs for five wheels, but that scale could have been off a few %. Your weight numbers are probably right on target).

Sounds pretty close to 20 lbs per wheel to me.

I agree that the extra weight doesn't make a big difference at cruising speed but that's not where the mpgs hurt the most - it is acceleration from a standing stop that kills mpg, not cruising at a steady rate.

So, you’re in town mileage may be impacted more than highway mileage, but it still won't be very much. Tire weight has ~6x larger impact than rim weight, since the tire has a larger radius and is 50% heavier than even the Hutchinson rims.

I do agree that true beadlocks make for a significant increase in performance off road but I don't think that difference is free: we know the extra initial cost but we also must factor in the nearly 80lbs of rotational mass as well as the extra cost for mounting and balancing, and that not all tire shops will handle beadlocks..

The 80 lbs rotational mass increase sounds like a lot, but it is all relative. If you have 60 lb tires and 20 lb aluminum wheels, your increasing from 260 lbs to 340 lbs so it is only 30% and the increase in moment of inertia is only 5%. However, since Hummer designed the vehicle to operate with steel or aluminum wheels the increase relative to stock steel wheels is 9% and the increase in moment of inertia is 1.5%. I don't remember Hummer posting different mileage for steel versus aluminum wheels do you?

For Ray's use, where 15lbs of air pressure will get him out of most situations and for which he doesn't need beadlocks, I think he'd do better getting good tires on stock rims, getting a winch, not getting a lift, and maybe getting a snorkel.

I suggested Hutchinson Beadlocks because the original poster, Ray, asked about wheels and tires and mentioned Rock Stars. He also said he wanted to improve performance in sand and mud. In my opinion, if you going to speed money on wheels, the only wheels that will improve performance in sand and mud are beadlocks. I also think the Hutchinson's look better than Rock Stars (but I'll admit I'm biased!). He could always air down to 5 or even zero psi with beadlocks and get more traction. However, a winch is useless if you need to back up or if you can't find something to tie onto.

Like any of the recommendations here it's a personal choice. Heck, I don't even have 35s due to the impact they have on the I5 and the challenging in climbing up the AZ mountain passes. Not much more $ to purchase them but the true cost of ownership outweighs the benefits, at least for me.

My Hutchinson cost $399 each, plus I paid $85 each for installation and balancing. I usually re-torque them myself and it takes an hour, but once I had my mechanic do it (because I ran out of time) and he charged $62.50 for all four wheels. Rock Stars would cost ~$200 each so the difference is 285 x 5 = $1,425 which won't cover the cost of a new winch and compatible bumper.