was wondering if the ride is smoother with smaller rims and larger tires. basically using the tires to absorb some of the bumps. i know with a car if you put bigger rims and low profile tires it look cool but rides much stiffer. any thoughts

 

More sidewall will definately absorb some bumps, but the trade off is less stability. If you have to turn suddenly the extra squishiness will make the handling suffer.

 

I think i'll go with 16" rims to get the best of both worlds

 

I agree. Why they ever put 17" wheels on a Jeep is beyond me.

 

I mean the ride is still gunna be way different with a mud terrain vs. an all terrain tire. I have 16" rims with 35" tires and the ride is great. The more important thing is to run at the right air pressure. From the tire shops, they'll inflate them to about 44 psi. Best thins to do is to air em on down to about 28-30 psi depending on what tires you are running and the ride will get better. When I first had em on at 44 psi it was like riding on rocks. Now, its much much much better @ 28 psi. Oh yeah, i have the BFG Km2s

 

Yep...seat of pants experience is that there are several variables involved in perceived tire ride quality or comfort - # of plys and type, sidewall construction, Street, AT or MT tread, noise, etc. After experimenting, I too found the ~28psi gave me a decent all around ride on the 17" 10-ply/load range E, Toyo OC MT's. Long interstate runs single or pulling trailer I have jacked them up higher.

 

The ride will be stiffer with shorter tire sidewalls but than road handling and steering response will be better. It is the tradeoff to get better offroadability.