NEWB!

[98sportls]

I can see there's a great deal of good information on this forum.

I'm new to the Mitsubishi world! I just purchased a 1998 Montero Sport LS with 62,000 original miles on her. The last owner did everything needed to the motor and then some. (timing belt, pump, tensioners, etc.)

Any links to other posts about tires/rims for this vehicle would be great. Any do's and don'ts, etc too!

I'm not sure if I really want to lift the truck yet. I need to be able to tow with it and I know if I lift it I'll beat the hell out of it.

At this point I plan on putting a hideahitch on it and some new tires. I'm debating between the general grabbers, BFG's and Yokohoma's. I'd also like to add some skid plates to help protect the front diff and other bits as well. Should I keep the stock rims or should I go to something bigger?

Please excuse my ignorance as this is my first time really getting into the suv/offroading scene.

I've owned a sidekick, mountaineer, and 91 blazer in the past. All stock.

[ES_97Sport]

Mar 2, 2014 19:58:52 GMT -5 98sportls said:

I can see there's a great deal of good information on this forum.

I'm new to the Mitsubishi world! I just purchased a 1998 Montero Sport LS with 62,000 original miles on her. The last owner did everything needed to the motor and then some. (timing belt, pump, tensioners, etc.)

Any links to other posts about tires/rims for this vehicle would be great. Any do's and don'ts, etc too!

I'm not sure if I really want to lift the truck yet. I need to be able to tow with it and I know if I lift it I'll beat the hell out of it.

At this point I plan on putting a hideahitch on it and some new tires. I'm debating between the general grabbers, BFG's and Yokohoma's. I'd also like to add some skid plates to help protect the front diff and other bits as well. Should I keep the stock rims or should I go to something bigger?

Please excuse my ignorance as this is my first time really getting into the suv/offroading scene.

I've owned a sidekick, mountaineer, and 91 blazer in the past. All stock.

Welcome! The '97-'99s are great vehicles.

Look under the separate forum sections. There's tons of stuff there. Search is your friend.

I'm a little biased. I run Yokohamas on all three of my Sports - I've been running the M/Ts since about 2000. I run the Yoko A/T+s on my '97 LS and my '03 Limited AWD. Great tires!

There aren't any aftermarket skid plates availble. However, I to have a template for the front. I still need to get it into CAD, but I plan to post that on www.4x4extremesports.com so it won't be hard to have one made or make it yourself.

Keep the stock rims if you have the 'wide' version. There are two - narrow and wide. The wide version has the big plastic fender flairs and comes with an 8" wide rim, instead of the 6" that the 'narrow' version comes with. The 'narrow' also comes with smaller tires. Anyway, those rims are almost indestructible. I beat the crud out of mine for almost four years running all the way from 31x10.5s up to 33x12.5s off road in the rocks. Never bent cracked or bent one in all that time.

Edward

[98sportls]

Mine has the narrow rims. What would be the size of the rim if I wanted to get something else? Are the narrow ones no good? Has anyone run the 265/70/15's?

Thanks for your response!

[ES_97Sport]

Mar 4, 2014 9:49:29 GMT -5 98sportls said:

Mine has the narrow rims. What would be the size of the rim if I wanted to get something else? Are the narrow ones no good? Has anyone run the 265/70/15's?

Thanks for your response!

Bummer. The problem isn't the rim itself, its the width. They're too narrow for much bigger tires - even the 265s. You might just look for a set of the wide rims at the salvage yard. They fit fine on either Sport. My friends '98 has the narrow rims and we've tried bigger tires. Just doesn't work quite.

It's snowing here so I'm not inclined to run out and snap a pic right now. I have the wide rims with 31x10.5x15s and there's quite a bulge even with those rims.

Edward

[98sportls]

Darn, all the tire sites suggested that the 265's would work on my vehicle... Would it be dangerous to put those tires on my truck? Because I already ordered them! And if that's the case where can I find rims for this thing? All the sites I've been checking don't carry rims for the MS.

Also I have been trying to find the source of a bass-like sound coming from the rear of the vehicle at 40-60mph. I can't find any posts on here with a definitive answer. Any ideas?

[ES_97Sport]

Mar 7, 2014 22:26:39 GMT -5 98sportls said:

Darn, all the tire sites suggested that the 265's would work on my vehicle... Would it be dangerous to put those tires on my truck? Because I already ordered them! And if that's the case where can I find rims for this thing? All the sites I've been checking don't carry rims for the MS.

Also I have been trying to find the source of a bass-like sound coming from the rear of the vehicle at 40-60mph. I can't find any posts on here with a definitive answer. Any ideas?

They mean fit in the wheel well, not on the rim. :rolleyes: The 97-99 Sport came with a 265x70x15 or 75,can't remember which, but that was on an 8" rim.

Get out the yellow pages and start calling salvage yards and used tire/rim shops. '97-'99 15x8. After '00 i believe the smallest diameter is 16".

If the rim is too narrow you'll have to under inflate the tires to get a reasonable wear pattern and yes, that's dangerous. I. E. Firestone and Ford. It'll also cut the tire life in half.


Sorry, no idea.

Edward

[mudrunner]

One of the biggest problems that the montero world faces is the center bore hub being 108mm. Almost everyone else runs 106mm. Just make sure you order rims that have 108mm center bore 6 lug.

[98sportls]

15x7 is the only wheel I can come up with on this forum and the internet. If I buy stock 15x7 rims can I run those tires without having to dick with the pressures to get decent tread life out of them?

[ES_97Sport]

Mar 11, 2014 11:25:26 GMT -5 98sportls said:

15x7 is the only wheel I can come up with on this forum and the internet. If I buy stock 15x7 rims can I run those tires without having to dick with the pressures to get decent tread life out of them?

Sorry, 15x7, not 15x8, and they came with 265x70x15 Yokohamas from the factory.

Edward

[98sportls]

Thanks for your help Edward. I picked up four stock 15x7's on ebay for cheap.