Spacers or wheels???
11-23-2008, 06:22 AM
#1
JK Junkie
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Spacers or wheels???
Spacers or wheels???
At 200.00 for a set of spacers I see why people are getting new wheels all the time.
I kind of like the look of the 17" JK wheels, but I do like how 15" show alot more rubber.
What do yall think, you can get a set of brand new black wheels for 50 bucks a piece too.
What do you think would be better for the trail and daily driving 35" tires on the stock 17's or 35's on new 15" black steelies?? Is the more side wall of rubber on the 15's an issue on the trail?
Red
At 200.00 for a set of spacers I see why people are getting new wheels all the time.
I kind of like the look of the 17" JK wheels, but I do like how 15" show alot more rubber.
What do yall think, you can get a set of brand new black wheels for 50 bucks a piece too.
What do you think would be better for the trail and daily driving 35" tires on the stock 17's or 35's on new 15" black steelies?? Is the more side wall of rubber on the 15's an issue on the trail?
Red
11-23-2008, 06:47 AM
#3
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I think the wider sidewall would be better on the trail but on the road the more sidewall would make the tires less reactive to the road and to your steering,but with that said i run 35's on 16" rims and have had no problems on or off road.
11-24-2008, 05:14 PM
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Do a happy medium...Get 35's with 16 in rims. The problem with 17 in rims and tires is you're goin to pay a good amount more then you would for the same tire and wheel package in a 15in. Even some 16in tires are expensive. I would go with 315/75/16 tire on a 16x8 rim this will give you wide enough rim to run the 12.5 tire but not to wide as to where you run the risk of poppin the bead when you air down.
11-24-2008, 07:10 PM
#6
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Red - I go back and forth on this one. Part of me says to get 35x12.5x15, as I can save enough per tire to pay for the wheels. However, another part of me leans toware the 17" wheels for on-road manors. The 15's will give you a bit more footprint aired down, but they also have more sidewall which is what usually gets tore up on rocks. Because the 17's have more wheel, they have less sidewall on the same size of tire and will corner better. (but then again, it is a Jeep with a 4" lift... I'm not going to be racing on the circle track! 
)
In the end, though, 35's on a 15" wheel have roughly 10" of rubber height and 17"'s are 9", so the difference is very small. To me, the difference between 15's and 16's is almost insignificant, so I'm leaning towards 15's... but I reserve the right to change my mind again in the next 6 months.
)In the end, though, 35's on a 15" wheel have roughly 10" of rubber height and 17"'s are 9", so the difference is very small. To me, the difference between 15's and 16's is almost insignificant, so I'm leaning towards 15's... but I reserve the right to change my mind again in the next 6 months.
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11-27-2008, 10:35 AM
#8
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Also, if you get the 15"s, make sure you get the proper backspacing so your wheels don't come in contact with other suspension parts. That will ruin your day.
11-27-2008, 12:09 PM
#9
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I'm with the OP- I couldn't see spending $200 for spacers when I could get steelies with proper back spacing (4.5" back spacing) for $70 each (mounted).
I went with 16" steelies - I like the look of 15", but didn't want to risk the caliper rubbing issue.
So I'm running 35's on 16" steelies. Mine is a DD, and a damn fine off-road machine.
BTW- if you go to Discount Tires, they sell the Crager steelies rebadged under Discount's "Unique" brand. Talk to a store manager and they will work you a package deal for tires, wheels, mounting, lugnuts, caps, etc... I save about $300 by letting the manager work up a package deal.
I went with 16" steelies - I like the look of 15", but didn't want to risk the caliper rubbing issue.
So I'm running 35's on 16" steelies. Mine is a DD, and a damn fine off-road machine.
BTW- if you go to Discount Tires, they sell the Crager steelies rebadged under Discount's "Unique" brand. Talk to a store manager and they will work you a package deal for tires, wheels, mounting, lugnuts, caps, etc... I save about $300 by letting the manager work up a package deal.
