Any Down Side to Moving to a Smaller Wheel and a Larger Tire?
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JK Newbie
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Any Down Side to Moving to a Smaller Wheel and a Larger Tire?
Like the title suggest, I am thinking about going from the factory 17" aluminum wheel to a 16" simulated beadlock steel wheel because I like the look and its only made in 16". Is there any down side to doing this...? I have 33" BFG KM2's now on the factory wheels but I really like the 16X8 Type 152 simulock black steelies with 35" tires. My main concern is clearance issues behind the wheels (regarding proper backspacing, potential rubbing, etc). Any thoughts, suggestions, etc. Thanks.
#2
JK Junkie
As long as you don't go to the extremes like 15" wheels with caliper grinding and 37to 40" tires it will work fine. Really big tires on small rims have a lot of flex (like rolling on soggy donuts) unless you run high air pressure which is lousy on the road.. 16" tires are cheaper if the tire you want is offered in that size.
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JK Super Freak
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I went from the stock Sahara 18's and 32's to 16's with 35's. It rides worse on road but is 1000x better off road. the 16's clear the brake calipers without issue. As for rubbing against the frame, as long as you have proper backspacing and lift you will have no problems with the 35's.
#4
JK Super Freak
15" Wheels are fine..... But Copperbob was interested in a 16" wheel and my point was that there are VERY FEW tires that are offered in 35"s (or more) that are made for 16" wheels.
Goodyear MTR's w Kevlar - Nope
BFG KM2's - Nope
Toyo Open Country MT - Nope
..... only named 3 popular tire choices.
The only manufacturer I'm aware of is Interco and only in larger tire sizes such as the 38.5" like 2k2wranglerz runs.
Planman and others on this site are much more knowledgeable than I am..... so if I'm wrong (which I very well could be) we'll find out soon enough
Goodyear MTR's w Kevlar - Nope
BFG KM2's - Nope
Toyo Open Country MT - Nope
..... only named 3 popular tire choices.
The only manufacturer I'm aware of is Interco and only in larger tire sizes such as the 38.5" like 2k2wranglerz runs.
Planman and others on this site are much more knowledgeable than I am..... so if I'm wrong (which I very well could be) we'll find out soon enough
#5
I am still stock P255/75R17 but am thinking about BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 tires in LT305/70R16 Load Range D on a 16" x 8” rim w/ 4.5" back spacing. Also considering BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 tires in LT285/70R17 Load Range D on the stock 17" rims. Of course a set of 17" rims with 4.5" back spacing are not out of the question for the 285/70R17's.
Decisions, decisions ...
Decisions, decisions ...
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JK Enthusiast
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15" Wheels are fine..... But Copperbob was interested in a 16" wheel and my point was that there are VERY FEW tires that are offered in 35"s (or more) that are made for 16" wheels.
Goodyear MTR's w Kevlar - Nope
BFG KM2's - Nope
Toyo Open Country MT - Nope
..... only named 3 popular tire choices.
The only manufacturer I'm aware of is Interco and only in larger tire sizes such as the 38.5" like 2k2wranglerz runs.
Planman and others on this site are much more knowledgeable than I am..... so if I'm wrong (which I very well could be) we'll find out soon enough
Goodyear MTR's w Kevlar - Nope
BFG KM2's - Nope
Toyo Open Country MT - Nope
..... only named 3 popular tire choices.
The only manufacturer I'm aware of is Interco and only in larger tire sizes such as the 38.5" like 2k2wranglerz runs.
Planman and others on this site are much more knowledgeable than I am..... so if I'm wrong (which I very well could be) we'll find out soon enough
#7
JK Junkie
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What planman mentioned about the MTRs w/Kevlar is a pretty good example. The metric tire has a high inflation rate and although Goodyear is pretty ambiguous with some of their tire data the minimum or road inflation rate is 35lbs. Meanwhile the 35x12.50R17LT can run as low as 20psi for on road use.
All I can say is do your homework before jumping into a set of tires.
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#8
JK Junkie
This brings up an excellent point: load carrying capacity varies significantly from tire to tire. Many just buy a tire that meets their size requirement and then use the chalk test. The chalk test may optimize tread ground pattern, but it does nothing to account for load capacity. Metric tires suffer from this syndrome significantly.
#9
JK Junkie
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Planman, Jpop & Spinlock....... Thanks for the explanations.
Jpop. You stated that "Minimum tire pressures for LT Metric tires are often above what is suitable for plus size tires on a garden variety JK".
Is this an industry standard, or does it vary from tire company to company?
Jpop. You stated that "Minimum tire pressures for LT Metric tires are often above what is suitable for plus size tires on a garden variety JK".
Is this an industry standard, or does it vary from tire company to company?
Last edited by JPop; 05-02-2010 at 04:38 PM.