A buddy of mine has a set of 20x9 wheels mounted on 305/50/R 20 tires. They are practically brand new. Now, I know what most think on here regarding 20" wheels, but, he's willing to cut me a hell of a deal. And, w/ the just the right lift, I think it would look good and still function incredibly well.

Of course, I'd swap the tires out for a more aggressive tread, but there is 1 issue.

The bolt pattern on the wheels are 5 x 135 w/ an offset of 18. My question is, if I was to get an adapter, how far would these stick out?

I'm planning on a Fabtech short arm or a Skyjacker long arm kit to accommodate 37" tires.

I am planning on doing this to my '08 Sahara Unlimited. (My screen name reflects my '07 Sahara 2 dr.)

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

Without knowing the backspacing, you would need to know whether the 18mm is a positive offset of negative offset.

If negative offset (-18mm), the backspacing would be appx 4.25". With a 1.25" wheel spacer/adapter, it would yield 3" of backspacing which would cause the wheels to stick out significantly and may cause rubbing against the inner portion of the fender flares at full turn and full flex. Not to mention that it would look a bit odd.

If positive offset (18mm), the backspacing would be appx 5.75". With a 1.25" wheel spacer/adapter, it would yield 4.5" of backspacing which would look good and be sufficient to not cause any rubbing concerns.

A word of caution with wheel spacers/adapters: make sure they are the type that bolt on to the original hub and have their own bolts. Do a search for wheel spacers and you'll see what I mean. 1.25" is probably the thinnest I would recommend and you may need to grind part of the stud/bolt. 1.5" is what I would safely recommend, but it may cause the wheel to stick out further.

Don't try to stick a square peg in a round hole. I know you want these wheels to work out for you, but hold out and other deals will come along that may better fit your Jeep.

Good luck.

 

I just looked at the wheels again... and... after closer inspection, I'm not too sure I want to go w/ a chrome wheel anyways. I was looking at a brushed look or a black wheel. My '08 Unlimited is Silver and I'm not too sure about a chrome wheel on silver. A 20" wheel is pushing it a bit towards the bling factor, adding chrome may just send it over the edge.

Thanks

 

If my math is right this is it: With 9" rim add 1" for a overall width of the rim of 10", The center being 5", Then add the +18mm end up with an estimated 5.75" back spacing. Then take away 1.5" for the adapter to end up with 4.25" Of backspacing. Which is just about right for running a 37" tire. As far as your question about how far they would stick out, The pic below is of my Jeep that has 20x10 rims with 4.5" BS and some 38x15.50 tires. With an inch less rim and about 2-3 inches less of tire you can kind of picture how little they would stick out. Hope this helps some.

 

Ya think? Hey, it's your JK, but a 20" wheel on a Jeep without 38" or bigger tires is bling; don't kid yourself.

 

[QUOTE=nclehmann;598581

If positive offset (18wheel spacer/adapter, it would yield 4.5" of backspacing which would look good and be sufficient to not cause any rubbing concerns.

A word of caution with wheel spacers/adapters: make sure they are the type that bolt on to the original hub and have their own bolts. Do a search for wheel spacers and you'll see what I mean. 1.25" is probably the thinnest I would recommend and you may need to grind part of the stud/bolt. 1.5" is what I would safely recommend, but it may cause the wheel to stick out
Good luck.[/QUOTE]

this spacer is what I have on my jeep, I used my old rims of my ford truck, with the spacer it came out 4.5 of backspacing, which looks good and does not rub anywhere. there is no way he could use the other type of spacer as he is changing bolt patern.

 

Was also wondering about the same thing. Sorry for being confused from what I can tell 15" wheels on JK's are hit or miss.

My brother has 33X12.50X15 Goodyear MTR's & Soft 8's with a 4" backspacing off his TJ that he is willing to sell me very cheap. I have looked into the spidertrax adapter kit to change my lug pattern to 5 on 4.5" but these spacers are 1.375" thick. I figure the extra width would help but I don't want to have a rubbing issue has anyone done this with older TJ wheels? Any info would be great.