The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 61 Tire Setup

Hi all! My driveline rebuildis finally done, and my roller tires are pretty close to stock (if not stock) and i need new tires and rims. I was lookin at getting some 15 x 7 rims because this is what i heard was the biggest (width wise) that i could go. I wanted to put kind of a meaty treaded tire on it, like 31s or 33s, but wasnt sure how big i could go and what not. I have torsion bars on the front and coilovers in the rear, so i dont know if i would want to lift it to go bigger. I have the longbed stepside bed also. Thanks!

235/75/15 or 30x9.50x15 are about the safe limit on a 7" wheel. Any wider and you will lose stability from lack of proper sidewall support. 32x11.50x15 tires, which would be best on a 9" wheel, are about the limit with stock hight suspension, clearance might be a bit tight in the rear. Best comprimize would be a 31x10.50x15, but you will need an 8" wide wheels. 8" wheels will be just fine, use one with a '73-'87 K10 or K5 Blazer fitment, 3-3.5" backspace.

I heard that the rear fenders couldnt handle a 10.5" wide tire though, and the largest you could go was 7" wide. Is this true or a wives tale?

I'm running 30x9.50x15s on an 8" Ralley wheel on my '55 2dn Series, which has the same fenders in the back as your '61. I have at least an inch clearance from the tread shoulder to the fender lip. I have bottomed out the suspension with no rubbing on the fender. I have seen '55-'66 Stepsides with wider tires, though not quite that tall.
Just out of curiosity, is there a reason you're wanting a tall tire?

I want to lift it and use it as almost an offroader, not quite though. I just want a decent sized meaty tire on there, any suggestions for a good tire tread or overall sugesstions?

From personal experience, you can't go wrong with the BF Goodrich All Terrain KO. While it's not a hard core off road tire, it does do very well off road, and so far, it's th best snow tire I've ever used. I have a set in 235/75/15 on my other truck (S10 Blazer 4x4), and didn't even use the 4 wheel drive last winter. They seem to have decent road manners, not too noisy. For what you're doing, I think a 30x9.50 or 31x10.50 will be just fine, maybe with a mild lift (1 inch or so) if the fender clearance concerns you. Up front shouldn't be an issue. You could get away with a 15x7 wheel, but a 15x8 would give better handling and sidewall support.
Disclaimer, yes, I do work in a tire shop that sells BF Goodrich tires. No, I'm not plugging the business, only relaying personal experience with the tire in question.

Is there a slightly cheaper way to go on the tires? That is exactly what style I am looking for, just a little pricey. I am looking to spend about 500 max for a set of four.

You'll be hard pressed to find anything in an LT tire in the size and type you're after for under $500. Lowest I saw on Tire Rack was a set of Kumho Road Venture AT KL78 at $536, not counting shipping. That's also not counting mount and balance, which would add somewhere around another $90, depending on labor rate. Even the 235/75/15s I have on my 4x4 were almost $600 after installation and tax. Unfortunatly, tire prices have really shot up the last few years, even cheap Chinese tires are pricey.