[McGuireV10]

Like others here, I'm going to need a taller sidewall, a slightly wider footprint, and more offroad-oriented treadblocks on my RT (which arrives later today). Most likely I'll ebay my stock 20s as I don't really have any use for them. My truck is going to spend much of the next three years at a race track construction site.

Nobody I've spoken with seems to be clear about what will fit on an RT. A local guy who sells wheel/tire combos said he read something that stated "some" 16 inchers would fit on the RT, so it sounds like I want to go at least 17.

The 18 to 40 offset range is kind of annoying. That's more of a car offset than truck -- a negative offset would help a lot in terms of fitting wider tires.

Just wondering who has actually done this so far, if anyone.

 

[HighVoltageNITRO]

You may want to read this post and see if it gives you any ideas.

http://www.nitroforumz.com/showthread.php?t=1043

HuffDaddy will have photos posted to this link early next week. If you want to go with 16" rims, and wide width A/T tires, you may be the first on this site to do this. There have been others that have put 16" A/T tires on their Nitro, but they have been about the same width and height as stock tires.

Good luck and keep us posted as this is a topic of interest to many of us!

 

[McGuireV10]

Yep, I saw the other thread, but a few things I've read made me suspect the RT might be different in terms of fitment -- I don't know for sure one way or the other.

To clarify, I do want the same overall diameter, which I believe is 29.5". The Nitro doesn't have sufficient wheel-well clearance for anything larger, nor does it seem to have much suspension travel. No real point in going to a larger diameter.

Finding +18 offset truck rims will be difficult. Most truck/SUV rims go zero-offset or negative.

Oh well, time will tell.

 

[Quiet Lunatic]

I think you'll run into problems going down in rim size if you stay with the stock OEM rims... especially the 16". When I replaced my stock 16" wheels with R/T 20's I was told you could not go the other way stock (bigger to smaller on an R/T). There may be a clearance or caliper issue. The other problem with the smaller stock rims is they're not very wide, 6"... 6.5' on the 16" & 7" on the 17" so that also limits tire width.
If I were you I'd go with fitted aftermarket wheels. The high offset (also known as front wheel drive rims) will limit you some but if you look around you'll find a lot of high offset 18-35mm rims...(if the rim you choose is 7.5" wide or less you can even go 40mm offset like your stock 7.5" wide R/T wheels are).
Check out the American Racing Wheels (the CRUSH). Also KMC Wheels(online) and Discount Tire. They'll have some good fits. I'd go someplace to order that installs & test fits so you'll not be stuck with anything if there's a problem. You have offset... hub bore size (Nitro is hub centric not lug centric) and of course lug pattern 5x114.3 or 5x4.5" (same). And you're right... you want to stay close to stock height for several reasons.

The really great news for you is there are people all over this site looking to buy your stock R/T wheels & tires. I bought mine in a private sale through someone who also sells through eBay for $1100 delivered. I've seen them advertized on eBay for considerably more but not yet selling. Give your ForumZ brothers & sisters a deal and sell your R/T set of chrome clad wheels & tires in the $1100 - $1200 delivered range.
All you'll have to do is post them in the parts for sale thread and they'll be gone fast!!! Trust me...

 

[HighVoltageNITRO]

To clarify, I do want the same overall diameter, which I believe is 29.5". The Nitro doesn't have sufficient wheel-well clearance for anything larger, nor does it seem to have much suspension travel. No real point in going to a larger diameter.

McGuireV10, have you picked up your R/T yet? Mine is on order and I don’t know when I will get it. I ask for this reason. The suspension on the R/T is firmer than the SXT/SLT. I am curious how much benefit a 16” or 17” wheel/tire combo will make toward ride quality around a construction site. I too will use mine around construction sites. I know from experience that these areas are extremely rough. I just wouldn’t want you to lay down $1,500-$2,000 on new wheels and tires and not see a noticeable improvement.

 

[Quiet Lunatic]

McGuireV10, have you picked up your R/T yet? Mine is on order and I don’t know when I will get it. I ask for this reason. The suspension on the R/T is firmer than the SXT/SLT. I am curious how much benefit a 16” or 17” wheel/tire combo will make toward ride quality around a construction site. I too will use mine around construction sites. I know from experience that these areas are extremely rough. I just wouldn’t want you to lay down $1,500-$2,000 on new wheels and tires and not see a noticeable improvement.

I can chime in on this a little because I had the 16" wheels on my SXT and now have a new set of R/T 20's on it. Granted the R/T has a slightly stiffer suspension but from what I've heard not much. Anyway unless someone wants to go with some really off road ultra deep tread tire for some reason I don't think you'll get any benefit from going to a smaller rim.
The stock tire is a light truck tire... Goodyear Wrangler. The other nice thing about the stock 20" Goodyear is it's a 50 series tire. That's really a good thick tire for such a big rim. If it were a 35 maybe I'd see that as too thin but a 50 should go anywhere within reason. You know the Nitro has no skid plates or anything. It's really not set up as a real baja banger... but I don't see any problem handling a construction site with the stock R/T wheels.

 

[McGuireV10]

Yeah, I was talking about aftermarket rims. I have no interest in the SXT or SLT rims. And I'm not doing this for ride-quality. A 20" rim with a low profile tire is essentially useless off-road. You'll basically separate the tire from the rim or ding the rim with the tires that come with the RT. And Goodyear tires are pretty much crap. And for the record, the 4x4 Nitro RT does have some skid plates underneath. No it isn't a serious off-roader, but again, the point is getting around on a construction site. Loose sand, maybe a little mud, that kind of thing.

I have a whole bunch of off-roading experience in a number of vehicles and believe me, deeper/larger treadblocks and taller, stiffer sidewalls will make all the difference. A wide contact patch is a big deal too, particularly down here in Florida where the sand makes good flotation important. For what it's worth, this was my previous off-roader... A 2500HD V10 Ram, quite a bit more capable:

 

[HighVoltageNITRO]

So, did you pick up your R/T yet? Sorry we can't help you with your wheels and tires. I understand what you are looking for. I guess you will start with the tire you want and work backwards to find a rim that will allow you to use it. I have an electric blue R/T 4X4 on order, so I am really interested in what you can pull off. Post some pics when you are done.

 

[rbnsal]

Anyone with a 4x4R/T that rec'd the full size spare may be to answer your question. Can anyone answer this?

 

[HighVoltageNITRO]

One other thing that you might find helpful. I read on a old post by a dealer that said the largest tire that could be used on Nitro was a 275/60R17 due to what can be programmed for speedo by Dodge computer. That tire would have an outside diameter of 29.99 inches and a width of 10.83 inches. Others have put wider tires on their Nitro than this, but I can't recall any with a larger diameter that this.

Tirerack and DiscountTire will both allow you to search for what you want, but you may have more luck going directly to the tire mfg website and searching max. diameter tires they have available in the mud terrain that you want. This is how I originally found the Nitto 18s in the other thread. It was the max width for the diameter that I could find at that time (2004). Others may be available now. Good luck.

 

[AirJunky]

... but I don't see any problem handling a construction site with the stock R/T wheels.

You should come with me sometime. We've already had the Nitro stuck in 12" - 18" of snow pulling the ATV trailer. With some descent tread, I'm pretty sure it would have gotten out easily. As it was, we had to disconnect the trailer & the truck got out without too much trouble, then reconnect.

As far as the skidplates.... not one on my SLT. I'd like to get rid of the cheezy front air dam & install a Bull bar style front bumper & skidplate

 

[McGuireV10]

Anyone with a 4x4R/T that rec'd the full size spare may be to answer your question. Can anyone answer this?

I have the full-size spare. Why would that matter?

I did get the Nitro on Saturday, but I haven't had time to mess with it yet. Considering we're about a year from starting construction on the track, it isn't something I need to rush out and do today.

I'm not too worried about speedometer accuracy, but it won't be an issue. As I said earlier, I'm keeping the same overall diameter. I did park the Nitro in a very off-camber spot the other day and it has practically no suspension travel.

I have a few wheel guys I know looking around for options. If I make a decision, I'll post here. At this point I'm thinking it'll probably be a 17" rim. Not my favorite size, it somewhat limits tire options (16 and 18 are far more common), but that's a problem I really only have to solve once.

 

[Quiet Lunatic]

I have the full-size spare. Why would that matter?

I did get the Nitro on Saturday, but I haven't had time to mess with it yet. Considering we're about a year from starting construction on the track, it isn't something I need to rush out and do today.

I'm not too worried about speedometer accuracy, but it won't be an issue. As I said earlier, I'm keeping the same overall diameter. I did park the Nitro in a very off-camber spot the other day and it has practically no suspension travel.

I have a few wheel guys I know looking around for options. If I make a decision, I'll post here. At this point I'm thinking it'll probably be a 17" rim. Not my favorite size, it somewhat limits tire options (16 and 18 are far more common), but that's a problem I really only have to solve once.

Well it seems from your posts... and that "off road" truck pic... you're looking to set up more of a swamp buggy than just use it to tool around a construction site. What you constructin' ATLANTIS... LoL! There's a couple guys in here that have talked about building the Nitro up as more of an off road vehicle. Done up right it would probably be pretty cool. I still think it's a long way from even a stock Jeep for off road though.

Off Road Magazine said,
"Chrysler still loves the hardcore Jeepers and off-roaders – they’re just not showing appreciation through the Nitro. The Nitro is a result of a car company just doing its job, which is to stay competitive by meeting the demands of consumers. In this day and age, it means a owning a tough-looking SUV, but not owning up to the lifestyle nor the capability associated with it."

Regardless I'm sure the guys looking to off road their Nitros will still want to see those wheels and tires when you get 'em bolted up. Maybe a mud monster Nitro will surprise some people!:thk:

 

[KansasNitro]

Taller tires and a 2-3 inch lift will fix our no-flex suspension. Rancho is still saying they're gonna release a lift kit for the Nitro by mid 2007.

My SLT is gonna set on a set of 16x8 American Racing wheels with 31x10.5 BFG AT Tires when all is said and done. I've also got a local 4x4 shop fabricating a skid plate for me as well.

 

[rbnsal]

I have the full-size spare. Why would that matter?

I did get the Nitro on Saturday, but I haven't had time to mess with it yet. Considering we're about a year from starting construction on the track, it isn't something I need to rush out and do today.

I'm not too worried about speedometer accuracy, but it won't be an issue. As I said earlier, I'm keeping the same overall diameter. I did park the Nitro in a very off-camber spot the other day and it has practically no suspension travel.

I have a few wheel guys I know looking around for options. If I make a decision, I'll post here. At this point I'm thinking it'll probably be a 17" rim. Not my favorite size, it somewhat limits tire options (16 and 18 are far more common), but that's a problem I really only have to solve once.

What size spare tire did you get? If its 16" or 17" then that will answer whether or not you can go smaller than the 20". I'm sure Chrysler wouldn't give you a spare that didn't fit.

 

[HighVoltageNITRO]

What size spare tire did you get? If its 16" or 17" then that will answer whether or not you can go smaller than the 20". I'm sure Chrysler wouldn't give you a spare that didn't fit.

It is probably a 20" spare. The stock 20s run a slightly (1/2") larger diameter tire than the 17" on the SLTs, so they probably couldn't use the conventional 17" spare. Besides, Chrysler likes to give upper end rides a full set of five identical wheels and tires so you can swap them around as you rotate tires. Anyone else out there with a R/T that has a spare can answer this.

 

[McGuireV10]

I have a full size spare. No, I'm not looking to "build" anything -- I just need a set of rims and tires that are more appropriate to off-road use. Pretty simple.

 

[rbnsal]

Yeah I just ran over to my dealer to look at the R/T and SLT side by side. The disc brakes look identicle on them. Also looking at the R/T, there is a whole lot of clearance between the rim ID and the brake caliper. I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to go down in rim size (17").

 

[Quiet Lunatic]

You should come with me sometime. We've already had the Nitro stuck in 12" - 18" of snow pulling the ATV trailer. With some descent tread, I'm pretty sure it would have gotten out easily. As it was, we had to disconnect the trailer & the truck got out without too much trouble, then reconnect.

As far as the skidplates.... not one on my SLT. I'd like to get rid of the cheezy front air dam & install a Bull bar style front bumper & skidplate

I just said working a construction site... not 12" - 18" of snow pulling a ATV trailer. I'm sure super off road tires will help in mud, snow and swamps. The flip side is they'll also be noisy, hurt ride quality, and take away from on road handling. It's all about what you want... or need.
I'm on the NITRO'S side... tear it up where ever you need to go!

 

[AirJunky]

Come on Top Gun. You make it sound like some all terrean tires are going to make the Nitro "noisy, hurt ride quality & take away from road handling".
A descent set of radials like the BFG AT TA (NOT super off road tires) should help traction on & off road without making it ride bad or get noisy. Since when are the factory tires on ANY vehicle the best ones possible?
I've done it on other trucks & fully expect the Nitro to do well with a better set of boots too.