Seabee CMC

Have a question regarding the stock rims and tire size. I have a 07 2 Dr Sahara, Jeep Green with the stock 17x7.5 rims. I've noticed that some are running 35x12.5 or 37x12.5 tires. Is this an issue for the size rim that I have or can I get by with this? I have been planning on either flat black powder coating or spray on bed liner for the wheels.

Heyspike

Do a search on it, plenty of info. Also check the tire and wheel section on the main page.

However,your short answer is yes you can use them, but you must buy spacers for the wider tires, like Spidertracs, or similiar.

livin

I called BFG the other day. They claim that for a 12.5 inch wide tire the minimum wheel width is 8.5 to 11. Any less of width wheel than you jeapordize tire life, and your life.... (according to BFG)

I do see a lot of guys here with these 35 and 37x12.50 tires on stock rims. You will need wheel spacers at $200.00 I love the look, but apparently it is at a risk. From what I understand, if you run very low pressure you won't have any issues.. but I want to run reccomended tire pressure on the highway.

Best of Luck,
livin

armycop

I have run 2 sets of Hankook 35x12.50 tires, old ones on a 16x8" wide steel wheel, and new ones on a stock 17x7.5" wide wheel. I had about 20,000 miles on the first set that I sold and are still on a Forum member's ride right now with NO issues.

I have driven my new setup on the 7.5" stock rims about 2,700 miles across country with absolutely no problems, and the tire store I took mine to didn't even say anything. I have not seen any instances of failure or accidents reported on this forum in 2.5 years because a wider tire was mounted on a stock rim.

I run the tires at 27-28 PSI, because if you run a "Light Truck" tire (which most M/Ts are) they are made for a much heavier vehicle. When my first set of 35's were put on the 2-door I had, the store put them at 38-40 PSI. My head was hitting the rollbar on every little bump. Plus they would wear out faster in the middle if you run too high a pressure.

The only way to get an accurate tire pressure, the chalk test or the formula is the only way. The formula I used told me 26 PSI and so did the chalk test.

If you want to check out my setup in person come on over to Puyallup to the Truck and Jeep fest this Sunday. I really like the look on the stock rims.

livin

I wish I was able to go to that festival in Puyallup... but it is just too damn hard to ever get my a$$ off this Island. It's good to know people aren't having issues with the stock wheels and 12.5 inch wide tires.... It makes me feel better about staying with the stock wheels, but still not sold on it.

Subscribed!

Enteric

I have been running BFGs for ~30k miles, on the stock 7.5" rims with no signs of shorter tire life. I'm upgrading to 9" wide rims soon just cause I want new steel rims. But mine are 12.4" tires. (315/70/17)

sanyezhong

If you don't have enough lift height, the front tires will make some contact with the car's frame when you do a full circle turn. I am 37X12.5 tires with AEV 17X8.5 +10mm wheels, and my lift height is total of 4.5", however, I still found out my car is facing the issue I am talking about.

bareass

if it makes you feel better, a lot of 12.5 wide tires only measure 12" wide

spinlock

For legal reasons BFG or any other manufacturer cannot deviate from their official recommended rim width, however there is a safety margin built-in to that range.

mdnky

The legal reasons also carry over to the user. By technicality, if you run something out of the spec you can (and should) be held liable when the use causes injury or death to someone else. Will it happen? Maybe, maybe not. Then again people have survived jumps from airplanes without a chute (or having a chute not open.) Doesn't mean it's a good idea to try it out. A very big grey area and not worth "hoping for the best" IMO. Buy the correct size rim for the tire you're going to run.

The reason a company puts a rim width requirement on a tire is due to the design and capability of that tire. Load capacity, heat handling, tire performance — all are dependent on it being used as intended. As far as the "safety margin" idea, that's nonsense. A spec is a spec and should be followed accordingly. That is the safety margin (the between 8.5" and 11".) The measured width is the best option, the range is where it's safe to use. The rule of thumb is 80% of the section width, or 10" in this case (10/12.5=.8.)