Wheel and tires sizes for JK (Trying to take advantage of Black Friday)
11-20-2018, 08:31 PM
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Wheel and tires sizes for JK (Trying to take advantage of Black Friday)
Hey everyone. I’m new to the group and hoping this is where I post to get this information. Anyways, I’m going to get a new set of wheels and tires for my recently purchased bone stock 2013 2 Door sport wrangler. I’m looking to get either a 17” rim with 33” tires or a 16” rim with 33” tires. Leaning more towards the 16” option. I do like the look of the wheels poking out more than stock. I take it that’s just a wheel spacer? I’m a 90% on road driver with 10% of light off roading or trails. I see that steel wheels are obviously cheaper than alloy wheels, but I’m curious as to which is better for on road? Also a little confused about back spacing and what not. Hopefully someone can give me a “dummy newb” breakdown before Black Friday so I can swoop something up. The Jeep has no lift as of now, but a 2.5” lift will be on within a month. Thanks in advance.
11-20-2018, 10:34 PM
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Backspacing is how far the rim/tire move inward/outward from where they are stock. (with some variance for difference in rim width and tire width.) Stock rims should be around 6.25" backspace. As that number goes down, the rims move further out. The general recommendation for a 35x12.50 tire is to run around 4.50" backspace. (for possible future upgrades from the 33's you are looking at, that's a good number to shoot for on the new rims. But 5 or a bit higher should be ok)
If you decide to keep the stock rims and add spacers, just subtract the spacer width from the rim backspace. 1.5" spacers are probably the most common, so 6.25 - 1.5 = an effective 4.75" backspace. Easy enough, right? As a note, if you go for spacers, choose a quality company like Spidertrax or ask for other suggestions. Don't trust it to cheap knockoffs using weak bolts.
Rim width, 9" is a generally a good bet. Just make sure to check the specs for whatever tire you choose and note the rim width range they specify.
16 vs 17 is a judgement call, but 17's are generally the better choice, especially as the tire size increases. In addition to a better selection of tires, there can be issues with aftermarket brakes and steering components when using 16" or 15" rims. So yeah, 16's will work just fine, but 17's are the better choice for the long term.
Steel vs alloy is another judgement call. Some folks like the cost of steel, and the fact that they can hammer them back into shape after some offroad mishaps. But I prefer alloy, probably been 20 years since I last ran a steel wheel.
Don't know if they are having a black friday thing, but give Discount Tire (or Discount Tire Direct - their online-only entity) a call and see how they compare. They price match, generally give multi-tire and multi-rim discounts, a forum discount, and of course the free balance/rotation every 3k or whatever interval you choose, and free flat repairs. They've been my go-to shop for years.
If you decide to keep the stock rims and add spacers, just subtract the spacer width from the rim backspace. 1.5" spacers are probably the most common, so 6.25 - 1.5 = an effective 4.75" backspace. Easy enough, right? As a note, if you go for spacers, choose a quality company like Spidertrax or ask for other suggestions. Don't trust it to cheap knockoffs using weak bolts.
Rim width, 9" is a generally a good bet. Just make sure to check the specs for whatever tire you choose and note the rim width range they specify.
16 vs 17 is a judgement call, but 17's are generally the better choice, especially as the tire size increases. In addition to a better selection of tires, there can be issues with aftermarket brakes and steering components when using 16" or 15" rims. So yeah, 16's will work just fine, but 17's are the better choice for the long term.
Steel vs alloy is another judgement call. Some folks like the cost of steel, and the fact that they can hammer them back into shape after some offroad mishaps. But I prefer alloy, probably been 20 years since I last ran a steel wheel.
Don't know if they are having a black friday thing, but give Discount Tire (or Discount Tire Direct - their online-only entity) a call and see how they compare. They price match, generally give multi-tire and multi-rim discounts, a forum discount, and of course the free balance/rotation every 3k or whatever interval you choose, and free flat repairs. They've been my go-to shop for years.
Last edited by nthinuf; 11-21-2018 at 02:20 AM.
11-21-2018, 02:36 AM
#3
Super Moderator
Discount tire is usually my go to for deals as well but Northridge4x4 had a deal last year where you pick a wheel and tire combo- all sizes (up to 37's) were included in the sale. It was like buying 4 and getting the 5th free.