Joleat

If you read my introduction post, much of this post will look the same.

My new-to-me 2013 2D Moab has a brand new set of 18” Sahara wheels with 265/70R18 General Grabber AT2s. The tires are tucked under the fender flares a little too much for my taste and I’m not a huge fan of silver wheels in general, so something will have to be done. In the past, my first instinct would have been to ditch the 18” wheels altogether, but I have brand new tires. If I stick with an 18” wheel, I can reuse the tires and that will be a significant cost savings to help with other mods. In the future, I know I’m going to be buying more expensive tires in comparison to switching to 15,16, or 17-inch now, but I can’t help but think it would take a couple sets into the future to make up for the amount of money I’m going to lose by selling the brand new tires I currently have.

Aside from the tires, the second part in this dilemma is the wheels. I’m positive I do not want to keep the Sahara wheels and I’m somewhat old school when it comes to wheels (always liked Soft 8s, Bajas, etc.). I really like the looks of the 18x9” Level 8 Trackers in matte black, but I’m not sure how well the 5”BS will work when I eventually replace the 265s with 295s. This is a daily driver,so I have no plans of going bigger than 295/65R18 (approx. 33.1 x 11.61). I suppose I could go the spacer route if I have issues, but I’m not a huge fan of spacers (has nothing to do with the myth they are unsafe).

Oh yeah, the spare tire is new, but it's a 255 Dueler, so it will have to be dealt with as well.

Here's what I'm coming up with:

Scenario 1:
Buy new 18x9 wheels: $550 (5x$130 minus $100 Rebate)
Buy 1x 265 Grabber to replace mismatched spare: $175
Mount & balance: $75 (5x$15)
Sell 18" Sahara wheels: $250? (5x$50)
Sell 1x 255 Dueler: $100
Total: $450

Scenario 2:
Buy 5x new 15"-17" wheels: $550
Buy 5x new tires: $875
Mount & balance: included with tire purchase at local shop
Sell 18" Sahara wheels: $250? (5x$50)
Sell 4x 265 Grabbers: $400 (4x$100 ---- even though they are "new", they're still used to a prospective buyer)
Sell 1x 255 Dueler: $100 (still has tread nipples)
Total: $675

Option 1 is more affordable, but I'm not sure how accurate the sale pricing is for my current wheels and tires. I've always found it a hassle to sell used wheels, tires, etc., so I'm not sure if those numbers are realistic.

Thoughts?

SpicedCrusher

#2

If your wheels are in good shape and not beat up should easily get more then $50 a piece. I'd try and sell them complete but that dueler is going to complicate things...

Joleat

My wheels have under 500 miles on them, but I was relying on eBay prices and a few "sold" threads on various Jeep forums. I think the most I saw one bring was $75. I figured $250 would be a good estimate of profit after I cover shipping. Although, I do hope I'm wrong and they sell for much more!

nthinuf

A 5" backspace will be fine for a future upgrade to a 295/65/18. (some people report running 35's with that backspace without issue. Others report rubbing. hit or miss) But it sounds like you should put more thought into it, make up your mind on what size you want to run before dropping the cash on new rims.

If you are happy staying with 18's, go for it. But if you 'know' you will end up dropping down to a 17 or 16, why would you even consider buying new 18's? Makes no sense. Drive what you have until they wear out, then sell the rims. Or cut your losses, sell the set you have for whatever you can get, and drop to smaller rims now. (17 or 16 will also move you out to a 4.5" backspace, the general recommendation for 35x12.50's, and good for a future 'just in case'.)

For selling, I have never bothered with ebay or shipping. As I move up in size, I just throw the take-off rims and/or tires on craigslist, and they sit in my storage unit until I find the right buyer. May take a week, may take 6 months, but they have all sold for a fair price.

Joleat

I appreciate the response, but I think you may have misunderstood my initial post.

I'm only buying one set of wheels. I am not going to buy another set down the road. They're either going to be 18s so I can use my current tires (once they wear out, I will buy larger tires) or they're going to be 16s or 17s, which will require me to buy tires now (but they will be bigger than the tires I have -- which pleases me...). The only reason I'm considering smaller wheels is because larger tires tend to be a little more affordable and there are more available models. Ultimately, I have no intentions of going bigger than a 33" tire regardless of wheel size. My current 265s are a tall 32, but they're also pizza cutters... if I go with 18s now, I'll be stuck with these tires for a while. I just wish I could see my current tires on the 18x9 Level 8 Trackers so I would know how far they will stick out. I hate this tucked tire look I have now.

I hope I did a better job of explaining myself that time.