I have a 2008 steel blue 2 door jk, and i am interested in buying wheels and tires. I am pretty set on the KMC XD Monster wheels (18 inch), and I would like either nitto mud grapplers, nitto terra grapplers, or BFG KM2's. I am a newbie and am quite confused by the size tire i should buy. I'd obviously like the largest size possibe (so a 33 inch i presume) however i dont know what width, etc i can fit on my JK without a lift. Please and Thanks for any help.

PS- i have read all of the writeups and am still confused

 

Well first off, buying 18s increases the cost of tires, so price out the whole setup before you get the rims. I have the stock 18 sahara wheels and just spent 1400 on 5 goodyear duratracs at 275/70/18. They measure right at 33" on the rim under load, which is about as big as you can go without starting to think about a lift. You might get some rubbing at full flex still though if you take it off road.

I'm not sure about the backspacing on those rims, but you probably won't have any rubbing issues on turns since it seems everything has less backspacing than stock. Mine rubbed at full lock so I threw some washers on the steering stops until I get spacers.

Just for reference.... This is my 07 steel blue with the 275/70/18 duratracs on stock 18s with no lift or anything

 

That's great help! Thanks! The reason I like the tires I listed is that they seem to be a "thicker"/"wider" looking tire and I like te look that the wheels sit out a bit under the fenders. When you reference your tires size what does each number represent ( Sorry for the newbie question).

Your JK looks great, btw. I was excited to see that it was a fellow steel blue owner who responded! Would you happen to have a picture from the front so I could see how far your tires sit out, etc? Thanks again!!!!

 

I'll try to snap a pic tomorrow, but they don't stick out. The backspacing on the rims determines that more than tire width. Just remember, the farther they stick out, the more mud and water they'll fling up on you. I plan on adding 1.5" spacers, but that's to get back my turning radius.

275 is the section width in mm, how wide the tire is (10.83")
70 indicates the height of the side wall as a % of the section width (.70*10.83=7.58")
18 is the wheel size it'll fit
Total tire height is 2x the sidewall height + the wheel diameter (2X7.58 + 18 = 33.16)

 

ok, thats great. i figured that if they didnt stick out enough for me i could add spacers if needed as well.

now i understand the measuring as well. thanks a billion man. look forward to seeing the other pics.