Rancho lift questions. PLEASE help.

[XYnurse]

I have a 3" Rancho lift on my 2010 H3T. Does anyone know what size wheels will fit with that lift? I called Rancho and they recommend 20" x 9" with 5" of backspacing (I have no idea what backspacing means), but I don't want 20's. I'd rather have 17's or 18's. Can anyone help clarify this for me? Thanks.

 

[TAPDH3T]

Has to deal with the wheel rubbing on the ranching hardware and bolts.. Anything more than a 5 back spacing the wheel will grind on the top bolt and eventually sheer it off.. U can run a smaller wheel but will have to run a spacer which good ones will cost about $150.00 (all four) the spacers wheel give u a wider stance And more aggresive look..

 

[TAPDH3T]

I bought my wheels because I was told they would fit.. Well I got my lift on after the wheels warranties and come to find out they were 5.5 spacing and rubbed.. I have 1.5" spacers on mine if u want to look and compare...

 

[Bigunit]

XYnurse, got your pm. Will reply back to you to help answer some of your questions. To help answer this question, check out this link - lots of good info and PICS here: http://www.hummer4x4offroad.com/for...e-with-a-4-quot-lift-kit&highlight=moto+metal I don't have a Rancho lift but I picked up a set of 17x9 Moto Metal 951s (6 lug) and a set of 35" KM2s in anticipation of the day that I might add a Rancho lift to the T. That day hasn't yet happened but I currently use these tires/wheels as my offroad set of shoes on the T. I have seen these rims on Rancho lifted H3s and 1 H3T and they fit perfectly - no spacers needed - and because of the offset, have more than sufficient knuckle clearance for the Rancho lift.

 

[PreferredChassisFab]

I have a 3" Rancho lift on my 2010 H3T. Does anyone know what size wheels will fit with that lift? I called Rancho and they recommend 20" x 9" with 5" of backspacing (I have no idea what backspacing means), but I don't want 20's. I'd rather have 17's or 18's. Can anyone help clarify this for me? Thanks.

Back spacing refers to the dimension from the back wheel face (inside/back of rim) to the mounting face (wheel surface that mates to hub). Easily measured by placing wheel on flat surface/ground with outside up and measure from surface/ground to wheel mounting surface. Hope this helps!

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2

 

[arkalpha]

I am in a 2008 H3 Alpha. I just put the Rancho lift on a few months ago. I run 17x9 with a 35" tire. The backspacing on my wheels was 5.5". I ended up having to run a spacer to get the proper fit. I wanted the thinnist spacer I could get and still be able to use my wheels. I have a 1.25" spacer from Motorsport Technology. I have had no issues and the truck runs and drives perfect. You could look at my profile and see what you think. PM me if you have any questions.

Tapadroid

 

[4speedfunk]

Most guys run spacers with stock wheels as a cheap alternative to fix rubbing/clearance issues. IMO...spacers are a huge no-no, and I would only run them as a temporary fix until I got the right wheels. Many guys have no issues with them...but there is at least one guy (benlaud87) on H4O that can tell you all about what happens when a spacer fails at highway speed!

I guess my thoughts are: If you are buying new wheels anyway...then why wouldn't you get the right offset for the Rancho? Likewise, if somebody sold you wheels purposely to fit your Rancho, and they don't fit...then I would absolutely return them for the correct offset.

FWIW...I ran 17x9s with a -11mm offset on my Rancho. They fit good and did not rub.

 

[arkalpha]

Most guys run spacers with stock wheels as a cheap alternative to fix rubbing/clearance issues. IMO...spacers are a huge no-no, and I would only run them as a temporary fix until I got the right wheels. Many guys have no issues with them...but there is at least one guy (benlaud87) on H4O that can tell you all about what happens when a spacer fails at highway speed!

I guess my thoughts are: If you are buying new wheels anyway...then why wouldn't you get the right offset for the Rancho? Likewise, if somebody sold you wheels purposely to fit your Rancho, and they don't fit...then I would absolutely return them for the correct offset.

FWIW...I ran 17x9s with a -11mm offset on my Rancho. They fit good and did not rub.

I definitely agree. I had already purchased 5 new wheels about 6 months before I thought about the Ranco kit. I worked thd counter at a retail tire store for 11 years and we would NOT install spacers. If I were going to buy new wheels then I would not install spacers. I actually trusted several of the opinions of the guys on this forum who have run them. My 3 is my daily driver and I dont wheel it, other than a hunting trip.(never had the chance to go out west to Moab, I would love to do that sometime)

Tapadroid

 

[06 H3]

Spacers don't scare me...I've wheeled all throughout Moab 2 times, and all over Southern California trails that are tougher then most people take their H3s through and daily driven for over 35k miles in the past 2 years.

Spacers require some extra attention. I love my stock rims because they are cheap and I have so much rock rash, I can't justify buying rims to destroy them. I could buy cheap steel rims but they will add weight.

If you use a spacer use Motorsport tech as they are high quality spacers. Loctite them and torque em down. That's what I did.

I've seen jeepers run a 3.5in backspaced rim on top of a 1.5in spacer and wide 40in tires to get a wide lcog stance with no issues.

Ill run my spacers till I go with beadlocks or kill myself with one falling off, but I doubt that will happen.

I've also heard comments that spacers put more strain on the hub. That is true but they put no more strain then a backspaced rim. Anytime you move the tire out with any method it will put more strain. Even now I still have my hubs in good shape but bough a set off of 4speed funk for cheap in case I need one ASAP. They sit my storage for now...

 

[XYnurse]

I want the XD Addict rims. They make them in 17x9 and 18x9 with -12, +18 offset. Would that work for me without spacers? I don't want the rims/tires to stick way out. I like the stock look.

 

[4speedfunk]

I want the XD Addict rims.

Nice choice.

They make them in 17x9 and 18x9 with -12, +18 offset. Would that work for me without spacers?

Probably.

I don't want the rims/tires to stick way out. I like the stock look.

Then don't install the Rancho.

Here's pics of mine...


AE 17"x9" with -11mm offset. Tires are BFG-KM2s, size 35x12.50xR17. Pics show the Rancho knuckle and my finger...the shot down the side is the same combo. Tires stick out approx 2" over stock.

 

[XYnurse]

Thanks. I'm hoping they will fit. Yours seems to be a REALLY tight fit. Is that normal? Doesn't that worry you? The Rancho kit was already installed when I bought it so I guess I can live with the tires sticking out a bit.

 

[Hans3T]

I've got spacers on stock wheels with my lift. No problems thus far. (Knock on wood!)

Sent with Tapacrack

 

[4speedfunk]

Yours seems to be a REALLY tight fit. Is that normal? Doesn't that worry you?

Yes...totally normal.
Nope...no worries at all.

It worked great. I really think the Rancho is a great kit...no complaints other than the price.

 

[XYnurse]

Sorry to bring this back up guys, but do you recommend putting in hub rings to decrease wheel wobble? The hub size for an H3T is 100.6 and the hub size for the rim I want is 106.25. Any experience with using hub rings?

 

[06 H3]

I think bigunit has experience with them and has said nothing but good things about them.

 

[digglesworth]

I can vouch for that. I've got aftermarket wheels and have had a wobble I've been trying to find. Had my tires balanced and all the suspension checked out. The dealer said it was my E range tires. Bigunit was able to really help me out. He gave me good info and actually had an extra set of 108s from when he was going through the same thing and he offered them up to me. I'm still watching the mail for them so I can't comment on how they work yet. But they certainly can't make things worse...

 

[amrg]

Im currently using hub rings for my truck. My wheels have a 106.25 center bore. To be honest, itss very minimal the diff, since me wheels didnt wobble in the first place.
Try force balancing ur tires, if they show lateral runout then that cld b the problem (ive had load range E tires on stock wheels, never balanced and rode like crap)

 

[XYnurse]

I just wanna get the best ride feel and the most out of my T without effing it all up because of something I could avoided in the first place. You know? My T will be my daily driver so I want it to ride smoothly.
Which rims look better on a 35" tire, 17's or 18's?

 

[amrg]

18s in my opinion. Unless you get something wide then 17s look good.

 

[06 H3]

Smaller the rim the better...17

 

[benlaud87]

I would have gone with 17s if I bought them new but I got my set of tires and weeks on craigslist for a great price so I settled with the 18s

 

[Portager]

The Rancho Installation doc :link: says "N. The recommended tire size for this suspension system is 35” x 12.5”. The maximum wheel backspacing is 5 inches on 20” wheels and 4.5 inches on 16”, 17” and 18” wheels. For 37” tires, trimming the fender is required." There is also a figure that illustrates how backspace is defined.

If you plan to wheel it off road, I'd recommend the smaller rim diameter to get more sidewall and less potential to damage the rims. Therefore, my first choice would be 16", followed by 17" and 18". Keep in mind the tires will stick out about 1.34" more that with stock backspace (I have stock 5.84" backspace with 315/75R16 tires and they stick out a little, so photos in my build thread). Going to 20" allows 0.5" more backspace so it would reduce how far the wheels stick out of the fenders from 1.34" to 0.84".

 

[05Mudiak]

we got 20" addicts with 4.5 " backspace. The biggest issue we ran into while deciding on rims was finding some we liked with our huge hub bore 101mm i think it was with our bolt pattern and the needed offset.

 

[H3Ray]

My Condo MAX height entrance is 7 feet.

Would you fellas with lift kits mind advising me if your Rigs are under 7 foot?

05Mudiak: Beautiful looking Rig .....