Winston

*New question: Does anyone have / know of / heard the road noise with BFG Mud Terrains? Or Mud Terrains in general? I have only had the opportunity to ride in a few cars with them, and they were trucks where most of the road noise was cut out. Also, how much wil it dog down my acceleration / MPG / etc?

First off, I am building my jeep to be an off-road-ready daily driver. As far as off-road, i'd like to run intermediate trails and hop around in the thicker areas around our hunting lease. I drive half highway and half city. Currently I am running a 2.5" skyjacker, basically a 3" lift.

I have done very well with the "halp me plz" threads regarding all of my other planned upgrades, however wheels and tires are something I have been unable to grasp and feel like it is not something to just guess on.

Tires:
-I would like a 35x12.5x? What rim diameter is best? From what I have read it is 17", I do not know pros and cons to larger/smaller are.
-What do the three numbers mean that people use for size?
-What kind/brand would be best for mostly on-road driving but still perform off-road? If it has a good wear time that would be most excellent. I do not want to spend too much on tires, however will put down for a good product.

Wheels:
-I was planning on black steel rims. I have not really priced anything else.. If you have recommendations that would be spectacular.
-"Poor man's beadlock" was mentioned in the FAQ. This means running a 12.5" wheel on a smaller rim? Is this bad? Should it be smaller than 10, are there any complications?
-What about backspacing?

I have started to drive slower so I get better gas mileage, I'll have a tuner/CAI/exhaust as well. Eventual re-gear and I will cut/replace fenders to complement tires. I have also searched google and here but have not found sufficient answers to my questions.

aggie sig

I am by no means an expert but let me help you out with the simple stuff

small rim = more tire height = more comfortable ride on road, and more traction on big rocks offroad.

larger rim is the opposite

look here = h++p://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoSidewall.dos

I would say stick with the big name brands I've found that on 33's BFG mud terrains ride better than some of the budget brands all terrains. YMMV there are just as many opinions are there are posters on this forum. The important thing is to match your tires to your driving. when I bought my last set I was driving 4 miles/day and 2.5 of it was on gravel/dirt roads. I bought some BFG mud terrains, now I'm driving 80 miles/day all on the freeway, and those mud terrains are wearing fast, and are noisy. So I'll probably swap to something less aggressive when they bite the dust. If you live where there is snow/ ice that should be taken into consideration big time...

JGunn

Depending on what you want to do with your fenders (ie: fender chop) you can comfortably run 35" with no chop, and move into the larger diameters (37"+) if you chop.

I would recommend 35x12.5x16. Honestly, the difference between 16" and 17" rims is pretty minor, but you'll notice the price of the tire for the 17" rim is more expensive.

As for the three numbers, I am assuming you are referring to 315/75/R16? This means Width/Aspect Ratio of side wall/Rim Diameter.

In terms of tires that are a good mix of on- and off-road, you want something with an aggressive tread, but not too aggressive. The more aggressive the tread, the louder it will be on the road. Personally, I like the BFG All-Terrain series. They are mud and snow rated, have decent wear rates, and are decent off-road tires.

Steel rims are a decent way to go. A little heavier than alloys, but much more forgiving. I am a fan of the Cragar Soft 8's and similar "basic" rims. For the 315/75/R16 tire, you would want a 16" rim that is between 8.5" and 10" wide. In terms of backspacing, I would go with between 4" and 4.5".

If you do a Google search for "Car Bibles Tyre Bible" it will bring you to a site with a lot of info.

gijeep

i have 17x8 rims with 33x12.5 tires. its very close to the sahara 255/75/18 setup that i had stock.


35 inch tires are going to be alot cheaper on 16inch rims probably at least 50 a tire cheaper... i wanted 18inch rims because i like the look but it was aroudn 100 more a tire and i wasnt going to spring for it...

i also have the procompp 2.5inch complete(shocks and springs) lift with leveling.

mJeep

I was in the same place. Daily driver with some offroading. I went with 16" wheels to save money. Both the tires and wheels are cheaper if you are going with 16 versus 17. I saved on the wheels and I saved on the tires. I put 35" Dick Cepek Radial FC2 tires (well 315/70r16) on that last at least 40-50k miles since they are all-terrains but look rugged and work well offroad for when I need them.

The downside of going with 16" wheels would be if you ever desire for a larger tire than a 35", it's hard to come by. I had no plans for 37" tires (yet) so I was not worried about this. No matter what you choose, tires/wheels are the most fun to put on your Jeep as it makes a huge appearance difference. Hard to go wrong.

JEP THNG

I have a stock sahara, but just bought wheels and tires. I went with 17's for money reasons and just liked the ratio to tire better. this is a flat black liquid metal gatlin in 17 and 315/70/17 goodyear wrangler duratrac. This was my tire choice because it was getting great reviews and it seemed to me to be the most aggressive tread for and all terrain tire. I drive mainly on the street, but wanted the aggressive look and for wheelin. My .02....

jay-nyc

Wheels:
-I was planning on black steel rims. I have not really priced anything else.. If you have recommendations that would be spectacular.
-"Poor man's beadlock" was mentioned in the FAQ. This means running a 12.5" wheel on a smaller rim? Is this bad? Should it be smaller than 10, are there any complications?
-What about backspacing?

ok this will a apply to most car if you get small rims like size 10" you may have probem with your brakes (rotor and caliper) just go with a regular common size like 17s or 16s personally i say 17s sine the look great with 35s or 37s

Winston

Thank you guys for all of your help!

I have done some poking around to see what I can afford. I am thinking of Mickey Thompson MTZ's, Dick Cepek Mud Countrys, or BFG All or Mud Terrains. The AT's have a 50,000 mile warranty, which is pretty nice. I've viewed all of their treads and they do not differ by much. As far as rims I have decided to put another $30 per rim and get Aluminum 8 hole rims, nothing too fancy. Either way it'll be a 315/75/R16 with 4" backspacing.

If I order through discount tire they have a repair/refund/replacement option, I may invest in that as well. I was hoping to spend around 2K, it looks like it may be closer to 2.5K though.

sweet.

Winston

Another thought...

Does anyone have / know of / heard the road noise with BFG Mud Terrains? Or Mud Terrains in general? I have only had the opportunity to ride in a few cars with them, and they were trucks where most of the road noise was cut out. Also, how much wil it dog down my acceleration / MPG / etc?