Like the title suggest, I am thinking about going from the factory 17" aluminum wheel to a 16" simulated beadlock steel wheel because I like the look and its only made in 16". Is there any down side to doing this...? I have 33" BFG KM2's now on the factory wheels but I really like the 16X8 Type 152 simulock black steelies with 35" tires. My main concern is clearance issues behind the wheels (regarding proper backspacing, potential rubbing, etc). Any thoughts, suggestions, etc. Thanks.

 

As long as you don't go to the extremes like 15" wheels with caliper grinding and 37to 40" tires it will work fine. Really big tires on small rims have a lot of flex (like rolling on soggy donuts) unless you run high air pressure which is lousy on the road.. 16" tires are cheaper if the tire you want is offered in that size.

 

I went from the stock Sahara 18's and 32's to 16's with 35's. It rides worse on road but is 1000x better off road. the 16's clear the brake calipers without issue. As for rubbing against the frame, as long as you have proper backspacing and lift you will have no problems with the 35's.

 

KM2s are available in a 16" wheel size in both 35s and 37s.

 

I am still stock P255/75R17 but am thinking about BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 tires in LT305/70R16 Load Range D on a 16" x 8” rim w/ 4.5" back spacing. Also considering BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 tires in LT285/70R17 Load Range D on the stock 17" rims. Of course a set of 17" rims with 4.5" back spacing are not out of the question for the 285/70R17's.

Decisions, decisions ...

 

Toyos have tires for 16"s 235 to 385 in size...you just might have to order them because they don't keep them in stock. check their web site. i say go with 15's that's what i have and they work great no rubbing and save even more money (up to $100 a tire for toyos vs 17") than the 16's that being said i think 16's are great.

 

Imperial measurements are used for flotation tires that are designed to have large contact patches whereas LT metric tires generally have higher inflation rates and are designed to have smaller contact patches. Minimum tire pressures for LT Metric tires are often above what is suitable for plus size tires on a garden variety JK.

What planman mentioned about the MTRs w/Kevlar is a pretty good example. The metric tire has a high inflation rate and although Goodyear is pretty ambiguous with some of their tire data the minimum or road inflation rate is 35lbs. Meanwhile the 35x12.50R17LT can run as low as 20psi for on road use.

All I can say is do your homework before jumping into a set of tires.

 

This brings up an excellent point: load carrying capacity varies significantly from tire to tire. Many just buy a tire that meets their size requirement and then use the chalk test. The chalk test may optimize tread ground pattern, but it does nothing to account for load capacity. Metric tires suffer from this syndrome significantly.

 

Unfortunately you need to dig. Different tires and different manufacturers have different minimums. It makes me a bit crazy as we run all this stuff through the government, and the end product is TPMS sensors and you still can't get all the tire information you need to make an informed decision. This was a big part of the Ford/Firestone issue with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Tires that are not designed to have lower on road inflation rates will build heat and compromise their ability to sustain their load capacities.