Silverback

OK, I went to a 4wheelparts store and they said a 16x8 wheel (KMC HOSS) WILL NOT FIT on my JK, even though their website and this forum has people running that size. On top of that, he wanted to sell me on 17's for about 100 more each, plus the 17" tires it would have made my original budget double to over $2400 for the package.

The wheels in question have 4.5 backspacing and 0mm offset.

Am I crazy? Or are they right?

by the way..thanks everyone here, it seems like this is the only place for true honest advice for our JK's! I'm hoping to join the SoCal group runs as soon as I think my JK is worthy!

bad63lac

Definately will fit. 16x8, 0mm offset, 4.5" backspace is correct. Bolt pattern 5x127mm(5x5").

What exactly was there reasoning that it would "not" fit?

Silverback

They said "Wheels will hit the brake calipers, it won't fit but we have these 17" and 18""

Sounded like a classic upsell to me...I told them " my JK came with 16's" They said "doesn't matter"...

shady shady

Discount Tire

It should be understood that two wheel styles that have the same width, offset and bolt-pattern won't always fit the same vehicle. Often times it comes down to caliper clearance. If the wheel has a very deep lip and spokes that don't have much concavity in them (the Hoss looks like this!) then they could have clearance issues with the back of the spokes. You can also have a situation with reverse mount wheels (the Hoss looks to be a reverse mount!) where the barrel of the wheel won't fit over the caliper. This would make sense in this case since the 4wheelparts guy said that the 17" WOULD fit. I'm not saying that either of these conditions exist with the Hoss, I'm just saying that it's possible.

Silverback,
We don't stock KMC, so I can't tell you off the top of my head if the Hoss will fit or not. I do have a friend over at KMC and I'll be happy to contact him in the morning and ask about this wheel in a 16x8 for JK. I'll let you know for sure tomorrow.


Mark

Silverback

Thanks Travis!

I hope to find out soon...I can't wait to get new wheels and tires!

Let me know what you find out.

Discount Tire

I just got an email back from KMC. Here's an excerpt:

"The Hoss works fine. The problem is that we don't have any, and I'm not sure if any are on order since 90% of all JK's are coming with 17" or bigger. We do have a few 17x9 black Hoss in stock. They have a -12 offset for lifted JK's or an aggressive look on a stock one."

There you have it. They'll fit, but there aren't any available. :whoaisme:

It may seem odd to everyone that wheel companies don't seem to be reacting to building smaller wheels for JK's, but it is very rare for customers (other than harder-core Jeep guys) to run smaller wheels rather than larger ones. Since the JK application is unique, wheel companies have to ask themselves, "How many 16x8 wheels can we sell to JK owners?" and then decide how much of their production/inventory/capital they want to tie up in building and stocking them.

As far as cost, there won't be that much difference between a 16" and a 17" setup. It may only come down to a couple of hundred bucks total. PM me if you'd like me to work up a quote for you!

Mark