MRAP wheels on a RAM 5500? Mismatched track front to back?

Amen on the "O" rings! Gotta carry spares!

Hutchinson wheels are not in and of themselves a Band-Aid, indeed, I tried to get them for my truck - they wouldn't sell to me. Running them without the proper lift/shocks/flares/etc. might be. The RAM is not set up for 335 tires from the factory. Hence my inclination for a systems approach. Again, no personal experience with Buckstops.

Cannot recommend Stazworks.


View attachment 681835

I'm planning on doing Air suspension on all 4 corners so anything Stazworks has to offer for shocks and/or lift won't apply to me.
 

OverlandFT

Well-known member
I'm looking at aluminum MRAPs in good shape for $1200 for a set of 5. No possible way I could justify the additional 5k to go that route lol

If the MRAP wheels are just unmodified surplus, they're designed for a larger tire than what you will run on the Ram. The lip on the ring doesn't fit the bead right on a 335/80R20 wheel and most will machine down the lip to fit correctly.

The wheel Stazworks sells is a MRAP aluminum wheel with the correct center to match the offset you want. They also machine the lip for 335s. I compared all of the options and considered getting surplus MRAP wheels until I spoke to someone here who had them on an f450 and advised against them due to the lip and spacer issues. I really like Hutchinson MRAP wheels because they're super strong, easily serviceable and well made. I also think it's important to have a shop properly configure and recondition the wheels before installing them on your truck. Once you mount and install the tires, you realize they're not something you want to cut corners on.
 
Last edited:
If the MRAP wheels are just unmodified surplus, they're designed for a larger tire than what you will run on the Ram. The lip on the ring doesn't fit the bead right on a 335/80R20 wheel and most will machine down the lip to fit correctly.

The wheel Stazworks sells is a MRAP aluminum wheel with the correct center to match the offset you want. They also machine the lip for 335s. I compared all of the options and considered getting surplus MRAP wheels until I spoke to someone here who had them on an f450 and advised against them due to the lip and spacer issues. I really like Hutchinson MRAP wheels because they're super strong, easily serviceable and well made. I also think it's important to have a shop properly configure and recondition the wheels before installing them on your truck. Once you mount and install the tires, you realize they're not something you want to cut corners on.

I'm not sure I fully understand the "lip issue". The "12.5" Continental MPT 81 should be proper width for a 20x10 Hutchinson MRAP. The bead profile should be the same considering theyre both military application. Why does the 335 measurement prevent an unmodified MRAP from being used?
 
I'm not sure I fully understand the "lip issue". The "12.5" Continental MPT 81 should be proper width for a 20x10 Hutchinson MRAP. The bead profile should be the same considering theyre both military application. Why does the 335 measurement prevent an unmodified MRAP from being used?
The Michelin military/offroad tire catalog doesn’t approve 20x10.00 wheels (like the common MRAP Hutchinsons) for 335/80R20s. They do approve certain 9 and 11” wheels and also “W10” and DW10”. Don’t know the specific reasons and differences. Might be the bead area.
 

DirtWhiskey

Western Dirt Rat
I'm not sure I fully understand the "lip issue". The "12.5" Continental MPT 81 should be proper width for a 20x10 Hutchinson MRAP. The bead profile should be the same considering theyre both military application. Why does the 335 measurement prevent an unmodified MRAP from being used?

I was just going to mention this bead face issue but it has been flagged a lot here and two other forums by multiple members so I assume it's a real thing. Stazworks has had issues (see Diplostrats post) with their fully custom setups but I've heard no complaints of their modified MRAP wheels. I struggle-fested with this for months and came to Buckstop or Staz. Spacers and multi-piece wheels sound great in theory but multiple pieces and parts introduce multiple potential modes of failure and complexity. I don't like spacers. Get a setup that just goes dish in, dish out front and back for simplicity, not necessarily for identical track width (although that is nice). Truth is your track will never be perfectly straight unless you are going perfectly straight.

I ended up buying a Buckstop set here on expedition portal with tires for a smoking deal. Just watch the market they are our there if you are willing to go used.
 
I was just going to mention this bead face issue but it has been flagged a lot here and two other forums by multiple members so I assume it's a real thing. Stazworks has had issues (see Diplostrats post) with their fully custom setups but I've heard no complaints of their modified MRAP wheels. I struggle-fested with this for months and came to Buckstop or Staz. Spacers and multi-piece wheels sound great in theory but multiple pieces and parts introduce multiple potential modes of failure and complexity. I don't like spacers. Get a setup that just goes dish in, dish out front and back for simplicity, not necessarily for identical track width (although that is nice). Truth is your track will never be perfectly straight unless you are going perfectly straight.

I ended up buying a Buckstop set here on expedition portal with tires for a smoking deal. Just watch the market they are our there if you are willing to go used.

The Stazworks modified MRAPS are just standard Hutchinsons with the machined bead "lip"? I'm certainly willing to go used, was extremely close to buying standard Hutchinson MRAPS last week but wanted to do my due diligence to make sure I was buying the right setup.
 
Also, is the MRAP bead lip/face issue a problem with the Goodyear 275 MSA? I'd be going with the 335 wide so that seems to be the issue with the standard MRAPs
 

OverlandFT

Well-known member
I'm not sure I fully understand the "lip issue". The "12.5" Continental MPT 81 should be proper width for a 20x10 Hutchinson MRAP. The bead profile should be the same considering theyre both military application. Why does the 335 measurement prevent an unmodified MRAP from being used?

I believe the original MRAP tire is 395/85R20 and it's the width that makes the difference. I had pictures of 335s on a MRAP wheel that were sent to me. I can't seem to find the pictures, but will post them if I do.

I found this thread with info on machining the lip. He explains the exact issue with the lip and 335s.

The Stazworks modified MRAPS are just standard Hutchinsons with the machined bead "lip"? I'm certainly willing to go used, was extremely close to buying standard Hutchinson MRAPS last week but wanted to do my due diligence to make sure I was buying the right setup.

Stazworks lets you pick the MRAP wheel variation you want, customize the centers, customize the offset, customize the lip, powder coat the wheels, and redo the valves. The centers are completely replaced with a single piece vs. the adapters I saw for MRAP wheels to 10 lug ford/ram added an additional piece bolted to the wheel.

Here's the wheels I ordered from Stazworks
20200904_150753.jpg
 
Last edited:
So does anyone know if standard aluminum MRAPs will work with 335 wide G275 MSA? Or those will have the same issues as the Continental MPTs?
 

Darwin

Explorer
I would recommend just nutting up and getting known wheels and tires that work. Wheels, especially on a vehicle as heavy as yours is not something I personally would want to experiment with. You will not find anyone that has use run of the mill MRAPs with the Goodyear tires.

As far as tires go. The MPT's seem to last around 20K miles so while they may be cheaper than others they don't last very long either. Maybe see if you can get ahold of some Michelin new ZL's. I know that DBLdesign guy doesn't like them, but then again he doesn't get paid to push them like he does Continental.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,529
Messages
2,875,562
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top