will a 12.5 wide tire fit on a 16X8 rim? the websites say the minimum is 8.5 width but i could have sworn i've seen them mounted without a problem.

 

ya it will just that the tire will baloon more on the side wall but nothing serious

and also when you air down the tire will free itself alot more easier but thats at v low air pressure like 10-15 psi

 

so would i be better off with a 15X10 rim with a 5inch BS?

 

A huge number of people run 12.5" section widths with 7 - 7.5" rims, w/o a problem.

I'm running 305/70/16's on 7" rims for ~ 5 years now, w/o a problem.

The wider rims are a bit less wishy washy on the hwy at speed, but really, not that big a difference. A 10" wide rim would be a bit over kill for a 12.5" Section width, even the tire company is saying 8.5" is ok, and they're as conservative as hell.



If you are considering going bigger in the future, say to the 14.5's some of us are ALSO running, then the 10" rim starts to look more sane.

 

I ran a 35x12.50 Goodyear MTR on a 15x8 rim on my TJ. It causes the tire to balloon just slightly but I liked that because it covered up the rim that way. Look at a lot of the Show and Tell posts, a lot of people run a 8" wide rim with a 12.5 tire. A buddy of mine ran a 10" rim with the same tires and I always felt my tires looked beefier than his.

I always aired down to 13-15psi and never had a tire come off. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but it could also happen to a 10" rim too.

 

so with the 8" wide rim what backspace do i need? 4"? 5? honestly i like the wider look and wouldn't mind the tire to go out beyond the fender a bit. i'm still leaning towards the 15X10 but will the 4" backspace work or will i need spacers?

looking at cragar soft 8's in 15X10 (4"Backspace) with 33/12.5-15's. the difference in price is like 10$ so i figure i might as well go with the wider rim incase i go with a larger tire later. so i guess my question is will the 15X10 with the 4inch backspace (-38 offset) work or wil it rub?

 

bump for the morning.

 

8" rim is fine, like stated above, many run 7' rims. I run a 7.5 and am very happy with it.

 

the narrower the wheel the better for airing down. acts like a bead lock but I have heard to narrow a wheel will balloon the center causing premature tread wear. some people air down to flatten that out but now we still run into the tread life and gas mileage problem

 

Newbie question benefits to the 15" as to the 16"or the 17" other than price of rim and tire ie: rubbing or anything else