Hey all,
I'm really hoping to take advantage of the Pro comp buy-3-get-1-free event before it ends (does anyone know how long it will last?), but in considering the options for changing wheels and tires, I've come up with a few questions.

1. Is there a performance difference between 16" and 17" rims? Is one better on or off road and vise versa?

2. Is there a performance difference between steel and alloy wheels on and off road. Is one better off road and one better on?

My Unlimited is stock right now and what I'm thinking about doing is getting the Extreme AT in the 305 and mounting them on my stock 17" alloys. My thinking is that this is a quicker and cheaper way to get myself into bigger tires. Then I'll do rims down the road. I'm just wondering if I'll be sorry, because I'll end up wanting to switch to 16s later for some reason. I know that 16" tires are a little cheaper, as are the rims and that's definitely a long-term consideration, but if I wait until I can make a full wheel/tire swap, it's going to be a while. I guess I just want to know if I'm making any kind of performance concession by going this route. Does that make sense?

 

The downside for me is the lack of 37" tire choices for 16" wheels.

If you never plan on larger than 35's, go with the 16" wheels

 

Good point, although I doubt I'll ever go all the way to 37s anyway. But I have 17" rims now, so I guess if I ever wanted 37s I'd be better off. I just want to be sure I won't end up regretting not getting 16" wheels for some reason. I haven't come up with anything on my own, but there is a lot more experience here on this board, so I just want to make sure I'm not overlooking something.

 

The bigger the rims the more expensive the tires. There really is no benefit to bigger rims on an off road vehicle unless you like the look ( or you vehicle requires it due to clearance issues ).


Pro Comps buy one get one free deal ends just about as quickly as it starts again. It is a very common special they run. Some people say that when the special is over the price decreases and when it starts up again the price raises to compensate, I don't know if that's true. I like the look of Procomp tires but I have read quite a few bad things about them. I will probably get their wheels but I am still debating about the tires. I've always had very good luck with BFGoodrich tires, but they don't have fancy looking tread patterns like some of the other brands.

 

Tires are generally cheaper on the 16s and the decreased rim size with the increased sidewall = less damage to the rim on the trail (generally speaking). Probably not too much of a difference in the 1 inch though. Steel is heavier and cheaper.

Don't fret and let a sale force you to buy something you don't need. Come up with a build list for your rig and buy stuff accordingly. If you have stock 17s on there, 16s with different backspacing and the desired tire could be cheaper than buying the 17 inch tire and spacers and keeping the rims.

You can do a lot of research on here that should help you out.

 

Depends on how big you plan on going. I have read a few articles that say you should keep the sidewall at around 8 to 10 inches. Don't know how true this is.

 

Well, since I have to do things one at a time, tires are one of the first things I want to do. I've read in several places on this forum that you can go up to 33's on the stock rims without spacers and only deal with a little rub, if any, on the trail in extreme situations. I've seen people running up to 35's on the stock 17" wheels (with spacers of course), so my thinking is that going ahead and getting the tires on a good sale is fine, plus I plan to do a 2.5" or 3" lift within a couple of months for more clearance. But with that being said, I have considered exactly what you suggested and getting 16" rims and tires all at once to avoid ever having to mess with spacers. From what I've read, though, I'm fairly confident that I won't have to with this size of tire.

 

BTW, 4wd.com lists the 305/65R 17 as 32.6"

That sounds about right, doesn't it?

 

So a 15 inch wheel should have at least a 31 inch tire? Sounds about right to me... we just need to get the automakers to follow that rule.

 

I think the 16's make the tires look that much bigger!