How low would you recommend for mud and snow?

 

16.5's suck if aired down at all.
My last trip



And trip before that



Both on 16.5's. I never had a problem in past being lucky I guess but then 2 trips in a row.
I've got new plans

 

With no safety bead lip on wheel they suck. Weld on a beadlock ring and you risk still losing the inner bead.
I have an ambitious plan to to make my aluminum 16.5 wheels beadlocks with an outter weld on ring and inner safety bead welded on with a 1/8 aluminum rod.
Guys are doing it here

16.5" rims cheap beadlock idea - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum

3/16 rod can be hard to mount/dismount so I'm going with a 1/8 rod then another trick is wrap welded on bead with high quality duck tape/gorilla tape to fine tune a little higher (like 2 wraps) .

 

I've been recently looking into beadlocks, and 16.5 options.
Trailworthy fab is the leader in doing recentered H1's
$249 12 Bolt Hummer Wheel Special

They offer 8 bolt and 12 bolt outters

 

73 ford guy you would think with all the "hard core" wheeling and super fabbing you do, you would have built a set of double side beadlocks a long time ago.

Cheap H1 rims and a recenter job DIY and use the rubber runflat and get to wheeling with NO psi.

I mentioned trailworthy fab a lot earlier, and Staun beadlocks....thanks for 1/2 the back up.

I will be interested to see what you do with this homemade beadlock idea.

 

I never had bead issues before.
I won't wheel again until I get beadlocks. Period
H1's are a sweet setup if they are recentered but heavy as ****. I even found a set of used ones local at $75 a piece but would need recentering. I passed.
I want the ultimate 16.5 wheel. Inner welded on safety bead and outer clamp ring in light aluminum. No one offers that in aluminum 16.5 you'd have to go 15,16, or 17" of many different brands.
I've got a line on a new set of 44" boggers in a 16.5. I was seriously looking into 17" trailready aluminum beadlocks but they don't make a 44 bogger in 17" size.

 

If I do it I'm going to convert these ones. 16.5x10.



After I weld on the outer ring and mount to outside face it'll be like an 11" wide wheel.
I'll just weld it with my spool gun.
Hardest thing is finding a vendor that sells a kit in aluminum. DIY4x4 says they do but I can't seem to get a reply back. Been couple weeks.

 

I figured you would just make a set of aluminium rings in 16.5. Here is my solution. lol

 

I could.There is a fairly close shop with a plasma table and does steel weld on kits. I'd have to get a sheet of aluminum and prob supply it. Again hard to get replies on this stuff. No answer from them either after leaving voicemails.

Are those mattracks? Those yours? Pretty bling setup. Those are freakin pricey!

 

No Mattrack's but a similar company and they are smaller and cheaper. Nah not mine but I lot the ol Bronco set up, its crazy looking.

 

Good luck on the converting of the aluminum rims that will be a cool project to see finished. I was also wondering if any of you guys had run a 37x12 .50x 16.5 on a factory high boy suspension system the truck currently has 35x14x16.5 bias tires and there is still some decent room but I'm not sure the extra 2" will fit. Thanks for your help

 

There are tons of threads about this subject, if I remember right yes they will fit but it a tight one on the front end fender clearance when turning??

 

I've got a buddy that runs a 78 250 with a 4" lift no trimming on 38.5" boggers.

I run 38.5" boggers with 2.5" lift on my 150 with trimmed fenders

 

Nothing beats some trimmed fenders

 

Years ago, when 16.5's were popular and a factory option for F250's, i believe the Ford rims were 6.75x16.5......At that same time, for the guys who wanted to run bigger 16.5's, the old steel "wagon wheel" white spokes and chrome spokes, as well as the alloy wheels of the same time period were mostly offered in 8.25x16.5 and 9.75x16.5 sizes.....Some time in the 90's im guessing, aftermarket wheels were available as wide as 10", 12", even 14" wide in 16.5" sizes.........FWIW, ive got a set of BFG A/T 35x12.50x16.5's mounted on Weld Typhoons, 2 are on 8.25's and 2 on 9.75's..........the 8.25 and 9.75's were both designed for the 60's-80's trucks in terms of backspacing......I believe that many manufacturers started producing wheels more designed for the 88-later GM/Chevies, 94- later Dodges, and F Super Duties........If you want 16.5's id look for the 8.25-9.75's for your Highboy