so i am in the market for wheels...looking to go with black 15 inch d-ring steel wheels with some 33s. i love the low, wide look of jeeps, which brings the next question. what are the pros/cons of going with 15x8 wheels and 33x10 tires, versus 15x10 and 33x12.5? I like the look of the wider tires but is it worth it just for the look in terms of extra problems? what are these problems? and i realize spacers will probably be necessary regardless because of 15 in rims. I'm counting on doing this with no lift for now. i have a stock 2dr x.
thanks.

 

with 15's you will have to grind down your brakes a bit from what ive read here on the site, there are very few running 15"s, id go ahead and get 16"s if I were you. I have 17" rims with 33x11.5 tires and they are perfect. you might rub on the little plastic skid plate but that thing is garbage and should be torn off anyway.

 

with 15's you need to make sure that you get 3.75" backspacing or else they won't work without you having to grind down the brake caliber. With that type of backspacing I would suggest the 12.50 wide tire in order to fill in the gap you will have between the wheel, fender, and brakes. My suggestion is do a 16" wheel with 4.5" of backspacing and do a 12.5 tire. Or do a wheel with 5" backspacing if you want the 10.5 or 11.5 width tire.

 

Not entirely true, some do fit without having to grind. 4wp has 15"ers listed to fit the JK. There are also quite a few of us running the 15s.

Personally, with a 33x10 tire, I would go with a 15x7 wheel. Big benefits of the 15"ers are that tires are cheaper, can get them in load range C for a smoother ride, and more sidewall flex.

Good luck with your choice. BTW, see my sig for the wheels I used, no grinding, no spacers.

 

Consider me subscribed to this thread.

I'm looking to swap out my "hot wheels" 29ers for 33s. Forget the problems with 15" rims. I'm more than willing to do a little brake caliper grinding if I need to. I'm most concerned about whether I can go with a 33x12.5 wide tire without a lift or if I should stick to a 33x10.5 wide. Surely somebody out there has tried to do a 12.5" wide tire without a lift and has a some suggestions for us.

 

yeah id like to know that too.
to everyone else, thank you for your help. i thought most people ran 15x8's though not 15x7s? regardless of 10 in or 12.5 width tire. did i miss that?

 

Keep in mind that a 33/10.5/15 tire is hard to find. I know BFG makes them, but you may have to wait a week or so for them to get it for you. I went through that a few years ago on another vehicle. There may be another size that is similar to a 33/10.5/15 such as a 285/85/15 or something.

Also, you can run a 33/12.5/15 on an 8" wide rim. But 10" would be better. I would think there would be less chance of rubbing on an 8" wheel.

I am running 295/75/16 that are about 33" diameter and 10 to 11 inches wide. I am running 16x8 Cragar soft 8s and I had to grind a tiny bit. The calipers only rub the fronts and it rubs on the "flash" left from them punching the holes in the rim.

 

I have 15x8 Soft 8's (3.75 backspacing)with 33x12.50x15's BFG M/T KM's. I ran them without a lift for about a week with little to no rub. Then installed the lift. Grinding the front calipers took about 10 mins. Easy stuff....

BTW, if you think the factory rake looks terrible now, wait until you put bigger tires on it....

 

I have 15x8 3.75 backspacing american racing outlaw 2 wheels and 33x12.50x15 bfg all terrains on mine, no grinding of calipers or any rubbing, I do have a 2 1/2 rc spring lift also

 

I'd go with the 15x10 rim and 33x1250 tires. I think the wider stance looks better and with the 1250 you get a wider foot print and better floatation on the trails. I run a 15x10 and a 35x1250 and have had no issues..