When upgrading to 37's, other than having less sidewall to play with when airing down, does anyone have any negatives about running 18 inch wheels vs 15 or 16 inch rims? No need to comment on 20's, which I do not prefer.

My concern is regarding safety at higher speeds and street/highway handling and the play you get from taller sidewalls. The bulk of my offroading is not rock crawling, but instead high centering issues.

And why the hell is an 18 inch sized tire typically so much more expensive than even a 17 or 16??

 

Do you have a D30 or D44 in the front? If you main concern is high centering issues then larger tires will make it worse. I was thinking between 35's and 37's on the facotry 18" wheels I decided to go with 35's. Easier on the drivetrain and axels. I have the Sahara so D30 in the front and D44 in the rear. The higher it is the easier it is to flip it

 

Here's a couple thoughts, 18's are usually a little heavier so that will have an effect on your MPG, your acceleration and your braking proportionally depending on the size you choose. That said, 37's with any wheel size are going to be a little heavy regardless so that might or might not matter to you.

As for the price, I think it's a supply and demand thing, the bigger wheels you choose the fewer tire manufactures make some of these larger sizes.

 

there was comparison testing in a magazine article once. they compared the same rolling diameter with different rims. i believe it was 15's vs 20's. they found that stopping distance was worse. mainly because the 20's create more flywheel effect, as the main mass of the wheel is moved out farther fron center. i dont recall any other details on the subject other than looks. they did this on a.. tacoma i think. they mentioned for the 4x4 world that for best looks, try to maintain atlease 1/2 the rims radius in the sidewall. that said, don't put anything smaller than 36's on an 18" rim.
Also, i was asked while tagging my jeep, if it had larger than 18" rims... when i asked what difference that made, she told me they charge more for larger rims..... she said they have worse braking and more subject to rearending people... what ever. i would think it is more related to people that cant drive.

 

Um, I think that should be half the rim's diameter. On an 18" wheel, half the radius is 4.5 inches, or what I like to call Ugh-Lee.

 

What difference does it make? He's not considering 35's.

How do you figure that?

Other than the sidewall height and the tire's ability to flex when aired down, I think the only reason to go with a different size wheel is for appearance. For what it's worth, I think 17's look the best. Good luck with your decision.

 

umm... yeah.. that's what i meant to say. my appolgies and thanks for catching that..

 

i've got 37" tires on 18" and have not had a problem with flex issues and i also think they look dope whack foshizzle word.

 

Can you post a picture of this so I can translate this for myself???!!!

And thanks to the input/discussion!

 

Lots of info and pics here

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-show-tell-33/who-part-37-tire-club-post-pics-5667/