Will 33x12.50 tires on 15x7 wheels fit

[Bronchlo72]

Picked up a free set of wheels only to realize they were going to be too big but spent the money putting a set of 33x12.5s on them. Im wondering if I bought a set of 15x8 wheels and threw the 33x12.50 tires on them, would they fit without rub? I have a 72 with a 2.5 inch suspension lift and toms off-road pre-flared panels. Ideally I would not like to cut the fenders.

 

[DirtDonk]

Why do you think the 7" wheels are too big, when you're looking at buying even bigger ones? Or did you mean to say your tires are too big?
I don't see any reason a 7" wide wheel would have any more issue fitting than an 8" would. And it depends (a LOT) on the wheel's offset as well.
Most 7's are pretty well tucked in the fenders, where some 8's might have more trouble fitting with the rear fenders. And even the fronts, if they remain completely un-trimmed.

Have you mounted the tires? Have you tried them on the Bronco yet?
First thing is to try them. I have 7" wheels on my '71 and have always liked them. Sure, with a 12.50 tire vs the 11.50 that I ran for years, an 8" wheel is a more appropriate width. But a 7 is still a legitimate option until you prove it isn't going to work.

Some will say that the sidewall of the tire is more buldged or ballooned out, but it's just a look. The sidewall is more rounded to tuck into the narrower wheel, but it does not in fact stick farther out for that fact. In fact it's pretty much impossible for a tire to be "wider" on a narrower rim.
And besides, the tread width doesn't change at all (or barely perceptibly anyway) and that's what usually hits the truck first. The corner of the tread and sidewall. Not usually the middle of the sidewall where the apparent bulge is.
Or were you talking about something different?

Paul

 

[Bronchlo72]

Why do you think the 7" wheels are too big, when you're looking at buying even bigger ones? Or did you mean to say your tires are too big?
I don't see any reason a 7" wide wheel would have any more issue fitting than an 8" would. And it depends (a LOT) on the wheel's offset as well.
Most 7's are pretty well tucked in the fenders, where some 8's might have more trouble fitting with the rear fenders. And even the fronts, if they remain completely un-trimmed.

Have you mounted the tires? Have you tried them on the Bronco yet?
First thing is to try them. I have 7" wheels on my '71 and have always liked them. Sure, with a 12.50 tire vs the 11.50 that I ran for years, an 8" wheel is a more appropriate width. But a 7 is still a legitimate option until you prove it isn't going to work.

Some will say that the sidewall of the tire is more buldged or ballooned out, but it's just a look. The sidewall is more rounded to tuck into the narrower wheel, but it does not in fact stick farther out for that fact. In fact it's pretty much impossible for a tire to be "wider" on a narrower rim.
And besides, the tread width doesn't change at all (or barely perceptibly anyway) and that's what usually hits the truck first. The corner of the tread and sidewall. Not usually the middle of the sidewall where the apparent bulge is.
Or were you talking about something different?

Paul

Thanks for reading Paul,

The free set of rims I have now are 15x12.5 wide. I went with 33x12.5.15 tires hoping they would fit with those rims but am having obvious clearance issues. 15x7 rims are currently back ordered in what im looking for so im ordering 15x8's in hopes they will fit. Im going to mount the 33x12.50s on there that I currently have but understand I may have to bight the bullet and buy another set of tires or add a 1 inch body lift to clear.

 

[DirtDonk]

Do you know what offset or backspacing the incoming 8" wheels have? That info might help alleviate some of the concern anyway. Still no guarantee until you get them mounted up on the truck, but it'll help.
The 12's are not only too wide for the truck, but they're also too wide for the tire. Only street tires, or specialty high-performance tires are mounted to rims that have the same general width as the tire. Normally a truck tire is mounted to a wheel that is from 2 inches, all the way to 4 inches narrower than the tire's section width rating.
So while the 7 is below that, and might give you trouble if you want a major tire chain to work on it (because it's not within the tire manufacturer's specified range) it might just be the ticket for now.
The 8's are closer, and to my mind will actually look better too with the 33's, but still crossing fingers that they all work!

In the front, the tires tend to rub either the leading edge lower corner, or the trailing edge inner fender skirt pinch-weld area. The pinch weld can be trimmed way down (if it has not been already) without any penalty. Some setups rub on the lower fender braces, but you'll have to wait and see. Does yours even have the fender braces intact?
In the back, the most common rub areas are the leading edge (where it comes down almost vertically) and the upper opening edge when you're really flexing your suspension.
This is not for the new pre-flared fenders specifically, but it might still apply. They've been around for awhile now, but there is not as much history or feedback regarding tire fitment with them then there is with stock and fully cut and flared fenders.
So you could add to the data we need!

Paul