I'm planning on buying wheels on saturday.

Is a 30/9.5 tire going to rub on a wheel with 4.5 inches of backspacing as opposed to the factory 6 inches? I'm worried about the front tire rubbing on the fender when turning.

 

Depends on the condition of the suspension but yes there is a good chance that it will rub. You really want to keep around 5" of backspace on a 30x9.5 tire. The less backspace the more likley you will be to rub. I know a guy with 3.75 back space and he rubs 235/75's like crazy.

 

I gotta agree with TommyD.
I once used S10 2wdr wheels and LT235/75R15 tires on a 4x4. They rubbed on the fender during turning going up and down entrance ramps, (like to store parking lots). IT would rub on the bolt heads that held the splash guard in place. Not severe rubbing by any means, but eventually the tires did rip the bolts out of the splash guard. A 2wdr wheel has less backspacing then a 4x4 wheel. Backspacing is a critical part of what rubs and dont rub.

Heres the only pic I have of the 2wdr wheels on the truck. Notice the front splash guard is gone. Result of the rubbing.
Sorry that's the best pic I have of the 2wdr wheels.


Here's a pic of my 30" BFG on the truck. See how close the back of the tire is to the fender. If you move the tire further out in the fender well, it rubs the back of the fender well. Take a look at the rear of your front fender wells. See how they have a curve to them. It narrower on the ouitside of the body, curves back to the firewall where the tire rides when straight.


I need to get some better pics. Give me a couple of days.

 

I also failed to mention that my tires were about to rip the mudflaps off. They are 30x9.5 on stock wheels and the mud flaps kind of stuf out a bit inside the fender and the tires would catch when turning in reverse. I just ripped all 4 of them off and no problem. I rarely have a problem with the mud terrains throwing rocks either. You may have the same problem I did or you might be find. Depends on the mud flaps and the condition of the suspension. But the tires will fit. I know diversified creations carries blacks steel crawler rims with 5.25 back spacing and I beleive that this is what Mike reccomends as a back space for s10s. Diversifiedcreations.com or if you are close enough to Michigan they are on the eastern side of the state.