15 inch wheels
01-19-2010, 04:08 PM
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From what I gather, and my own research, you can buy 5 tires and 5 wheels for less than 5 18" tires. And the 15s can be lighter as well.
15" wheels also allow for a taller sidewall which does several things:
-provide a better ride, with tires available in a lighter load range C or D
-also allows you to air down further, providing better traction for rock crawling.
15" wheels also allow for a taller sidewall which does several things:
-provide a better ride, with tires available in a lighter load range C or D
-also allows you to air down further, providing better traction for rock crawling.
Last edited by MoridinTX; 01-19-2010 at 04:36 PM.
01-19-2010, 05:07 PM
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01-20-2010, 05:49 AM
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...See below...https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modified-jk-tech-2/15-wheels-what-fits-what-rubs-find-out-here-94709/
I've spent hours looking through different threads/posts on the subject of 15" Wheels to figure out which ones fit and which ones you'll feel like chucking off a cliff after you bought them and they don't friggin' fit 
To try and make more sense of this I'm attempting to compile a list of any member that is currently running 15" Wheels. I've sent out a pile of PM's and I'm still researching the topic.
Here's the information that I'm collecting for this research:
1. Model Year - the year your Jeep was made... don't laugh if your crafty enough you can figure out my secret.
2. Rubicon? : Yes or No
3. Wheel Make - example: Cragar, Pro Comp...
4. Wheel Model - example: Soft 8's, Series 97...
5. Wheel Size - example: 15x8, 15x10
6. Wheel Back Spacing - example: 4.5, 3.75
7. Wheel Offset - Example: -19mm
8. Did you have any issues: Yes or No
9. If Yes to #7, what did you do.... ie: grinded calipers, bought different tire/wheel.....etc.
Please feel free to give me your info so I can add it to the list. Also be sure to let me know if you see any discrepancies
Here's my list thus far (sorted alphabetically by the "Wheel" then "Issue" column):
IMPORTANT: if you have viewed this thread before hold down your "shift" button on your keyboard and click on the "refresh" button on your internet browser. This updates your browers cache (shows you recent changes).
Conclusion
I'm still waiting on a lot of responses from the PM's that I sent out, but based on the information gathered so far it looks like we can draw the following preliminarily hypothesis:
1. Members have had far less success with Cragar Wheels (so far). Of the 10 Members that have had issues, 9 have been with Cragar.
2. Pro Comp Wheels have the highest success rating (so far). Out of the 10 Members who run them, only 1 has had any issues (still 5 more to comment).
3. If you own an X or Sahara model there's a higher chance you will encounter problems (so far). Of the 10 members that have had issues, 8 of them owned a Sahara or X model.
- In regards to #1 & #3 I have a couple education guesses:
A - At some point (or numerous times) Jeep changed a component in the manufacturing of their wheels, therefore giving different results.
B - Tolerances during the manufacturing of either the calipers and/or the wheels are very low. I recently sent off a lengthy email to Pro Comp Tires inquiring about the issues people have been having with 15" Wheels to which the response from their customer service department was "... It already sounds like you are finding out all the wonderful things about jeeps ¼” tolerance specs".
As discussed later in this thread (see posts #8 & 10 by Planman) it appears that the calipers used on some of the Dana 44 front axles are to blame. At this point it's only an educated guess, but the caliper issue could be due to the following:
It appears that we're on the right track to having a more definitive answer to this problem.
Definitions
Back Spacing - is the measurement from the outside wheel lip (rim) to the outside of the mounting surface. (see Diagram #1)
Offset - The distance from the centerline of the wheel to the mounting surface of the wheel. (see Diagram #1)
Positive Offset - When the back of the bolt pad is closer to the street side of the wheel; when the mounting surface is outboard of the rim centerline. (Diagram #2)
Negative Offset - When the back of the bolt pad is closer to the inside of the wheel; when mounting surface is inboard of the rim centerline. (Diagram #2)
What does this all mean?
I've been confused about Offset & BS for quite a long time. Basically... BS & Offset are NOT interchangeable terms that have different meanings (described above & illustrated below), BUT they are relevant to each other (see Diagram #3), as the BS on a specific sized rim determines the offset. I think Muddy_Rubicon said it best (in another thread), when he stated "You cannot have two rims of the same width with identical backspacing and different offsets".
Diagram #1
Diagram #2
Diagram #3
Useful Links (where I pulled my info from):
Wheels & Tires FAQ's
Wheel Technical Information
Other JK-Forum Threads on 15" Wheels:
- The Official "Show me your JK on 15 inch Wheels" Thread
- 15x8 vs. 15x10 Wheels on 35x12.5x15 Rubber
- The downside of 15" Wheels ........Post #20 is helpful.
- Steel or Aluminum Wheels .......okay, so it's not 15" Wheel specific
If you find any other good forums PM me and I'll add them
I'll be updating this as I go. Keep an eye on the edit date/time.
To try and make more sense of this I'm attempting to compile a list of any member that is currently running 15" Wheels. I've sent out a pile of PM's and I'm still researching the topic.
Here's the information that I'm collecting for this research:
1. Model Year - the year your Jeep was made... don't laugh if your crafty enough you can figure out my secret.
2. Rubicon? : Yes or No
3. Wheel Make - example: Cragar, Pro Comp...
4. Wheel Model - example: Soft 8's, Series 97...
5. Wheel Size - example: 15x8, 15x10
6. Wheel Back Spacing - example: 4.5, 3.75
7. Wheel Offset - Example: -19mm
8. Did you have any issues: Yes or No
9. If Yes to #7, what did you do.... ie: grinded calipers, bought different tire/wheel.....etc.
Please feel free to give me your info so I can add it to the list. Also be sure to let me know if you see any discrepancies
Here's my list thus far (sorted alphabetically by the "Wheel" then "Issue" column):
IMPORTANT: if you have viewed this thread before hold down your "shift" button on your keyboard and click on the "refresh" button on your internet browser. This updates your browers cache (shows you recent changes).
Conclusion
I'm still waiting on a lot of responses from the PM's that I sent out, but based on the information gathered so far it looks like we can draw the following preliminarily hypothesis:
1. Members have had far less success with Cragar Wheels (so far). Of the 10 Members that have had issues, 9 have been with Cragar.
2. Pro Comp Wheels have the highest success rating (so far). Out of the 10 Members who run them, only 1 has had any issues (still 5 more to comment).
3. If you own an X or Sahara model there's a higher chance you will encounter problems (so far). Of the 10 members that have had issues, 8 of them owned a Sahara or X model.
- In regards to #1 & #3 I have a couple education guesses:
A - At some point (or numerous times) Jeep changed a component in the manufacturing of their wheels, therefore giving different results.
B - Tolerances during the manufacturing of either the calipers and/or the wheels are very low. I recently sent off a lengthy email to Pro Comp Tires inquiring about the issues people have been having with 15" Wheels to which the response from their customer service department was "... It already sounds like you are finding out all the wonderful things about jeeps ¼” tolerance specs".
As discussed later in this thread (see posts #8 & 10 by Planman) it appears that the calipers used on some of the Dana 44 front axles are to blame. At this point it's only an educated guess, but the caliper issue could be due to the following:
It appears that we're on the right track to having a more definitive answer to this problem.
Definitions
Back Spacing - is the measurement from the outside wheel lip (rim) to the outside of the mounting surface. (see Diagram #1)
Offset - The distance from the centerline of the wheel to the mounting surface of the wheel. (see Diagram #1)
Positive Offset - When the back of the bolt pad is closer to the street side of the wheel; when the mounting surface is outboard of the rim centerline. (Diagram #2)
Negative Offset - When the back of the bolt pad is closer to the inside of the wheel; when mounting surface is inboard of the rim centerline. (Diagram #2)
What does this all mean?
I've been confused about Offset & BS for quite a long time. Basically... BS & Offset are NOT interchangeable terms that have different meanings (described above & illustrated below), BUT they are relevant to each other (see Diagram #3), as the BS on a specific sized rim determines the offset. I think Muddy_Rubicon said it best (in another thread), when he stated "You cannot have two rims of the same width with identical backspacing and different offsets".
Diagram #1
Diagram #2
Diagram #3
Useful Links (where I pulled my info from):
Wheels & Tires FAQ's
Wheel Technical Information
Other JK-Forum Threads on 15" Wheels:
- The Official "Show me your JK on 15 inch Wheels" Thread
- 15x8 vs. 15x10 Wheels on 35x12.5x15 Rubber
- The downside of 15" Wheels ........Post #20 is helpful.
- Steel or Aluminum Wheels .......okay, so it's not 15" Wheel specific
If you find any other good forums PM me and I'll add them
I'll be updating this as I go. Keep an eye on the edit date/time.
Trending Topics
02-06-2010, 04:47 AM
#10
just ordered pro comp 1069 (15x8's) with the bfg at ko 33x10.5x15 tire mounted to them. i'll have them mounted in a week or so and will try to post some pics (sadly, i am computer-retarded)