What is the ideal rim size
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
From: Austin, Texas
What is the ideal rim size
I currently have a 2.5 BB with the stock 18's but I want a more aggressive look, so I need some help.
I have search the forum and cannot seem to find the answer to:
What is the ideal rim size for a 33 and/or 35 tire (height and width)?
15x8
15x9
16x8
16x9
17x8
17x9
18..
etc..
If you think that you have the ideal.... Pictures speak a thousand words.
I have search the forum and cannot seem to find the answer to:
What is the ideal rim size for a 33 and/or 35 tire (height and width)?
15x8
15x9
16x8
16x9
17x8
17x9
18..
etc..
If you think that you have the ideal.... Pictures speak a thousand words.
JK Super Freak
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,623
Likes: 5
From: Lawrenceville, NJ
You mentioned a tire diameter, but not a tire width...and that's the only piece of info needed to pick a rim width.
?
How wide do you want to go?
People are running 255's (~ 10") on the pizza cutter end, up to 15" widths.
Generally, I'd avoid the 15" rims, as the brakes need to be clearanced, and I'm guess form your que that you would not be into removing metal from your brake calipers, etc.
The other que - as you said 33's or 35's...is this for street/mall crawling..or are you taking this puppy off road...or say, weekend warrior jaunts, etc?
?
How wide do you want to go?
People are running 255's (~ 10") on the pizza cutter end, up to 15" widths.
Generally, I'd avoid the 15" rims, as the brakes need to be clearanced, and I'm guess form your que that you would not be into removing metal from your brake calipers, etc.
The other que - as you said 33's or 35's...is this for street/mall crawling..or are you taking this puppy off road...or say, weekend warrior jaunts, etc?
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
From: Austin, Texas
Yes could say that is also up for debate. I have seen several jeeps whose tires were way too wide for their height (generally on older jeeps with little to no lift but the owner wanted "aggressive tires" so they when horizonal only).
Generally, I'd avoid the 15" rims, as the brakes need to be clearanced, and I'm guess form your que that you would not be into removing metal from your brake calipers, etc.
The other que - as you said 33's or 35's...is this for street/mall crawling..or are you taking this puppy off road...or say, weekend warrior jaunts, etc?
The other que - as you said 33's or 35's...is this for street/mall crawling..or are you taking this puppy off road...or say, weekend warrior jaunts, etc?
Weekend warrior jaunts more describes it. I hate going to the mall... While this is my dailly drive I do plan on taking it offroad when ever I can.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
From: Lafayette, CO
Something to chew on...
Here are my 17x8 Soft 8s with 4.5" bs...the tires are BFG M/T TA KM2s in size 285/70R17. I love 'em...kinda wish I had a little less wheel, but the KM2s don't fit 16" rims unless you go up to 35s...
Before lift:
Here's a pic after TF BB:
Before lift:
Here's a pic after TF BB:
Last edited by PhirstJeep; Mar 5, 2008 at 06:03 PM.
Super Moderator
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,748
Likes: 87
From: Arizona
Ideal? For what? Rock crawling? Mall cruising? Highway speed? Deep sand? Mudding? IMHO, it's all opinion. One person's "ideal" is another's "what were you thinking????"
Ideal for me is most wheel and tire I can get for the buck. Since my Rubi came with pretty good wheels and tires already on it and I don't have to spend a dime to do what I want to do with them, they are indeed IDEAL!
One person's "ideal" is another's "what were you thinking????"Ideal for me is most wheel and tire I can get for the buck. Since my Rubi came with pretty good wheels and tires already on it and I don't have to spend a dime to do what I want to do with them, they are indeed IDEAL!
JK Super Freak
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,623
Likes: 5
From: Lawrenceville, NJ
Well, the arch-typical Jeepers tend towards a 12.5" section width as a decent compromise in width....so thats a 305 to 315 mm section width depending upon the specific tire, to get the equivalent TREAD width as a 12.5" section width tire.
For a 33" diameter, that's a 305/70/16 as the cheapest size typically in a 33".
For a 35" diameter, 315/75/16 would be about right.
A 16 x 8" rim with ~ 4.5" of backspacing would be a decent choice for either of the above.
The 17" and larger sizes are more expensive for rims and rubber, as you must have noticed when you first shopped or 18" stuff.
The smaller the rim, the more sidewall for the same diameter tire, and the more aggressive it tends to look....so, if going aggressive, on a DD that does weekend warrior duty...that's probably a decent range to look at.
For off roading, you want the rim as narrow as reasonable, and ON road, as wide as reasonable.
The 8" rims have been used off road successfully up to about 14-15" tires...but for a DD, it will be a squirrelly on the road, etc....and you'd go wider on the rim, but use the SAME 4.5" BS as a starting point, but take off another 1/2" of BS for each inch wider the tire is than the initial 13" of width, etc.
If you live in a state where the tire's can't protrude past the fenders, you'd need wider flares or stick to the ~13" limit, etc. As all tires are only nominally sized, this means you may have to test mount some to see where they stick out to, etc...except if at 12.5" width or less, as those pretty much always clear stock fenders, etc.
Or just save the stock 18" stuff for inspections....and run what you want to the rest of the time...my 2008 jeep isn't due for NJ inspection until 2012 or something...I have time to play yet.
For a 33" diameter, that's a 305/70/16 as the cheapest size typically in a 33".
For a 35" diameter, 315/75/16 would be about right.
A 16 x 8" rim with ~ 4.5" of backspacing would be a decent choice for either of the above.
The 17" and larger sizes are more expensive for rims and rubber, as you must have noticed when you first shopped or 18" stuff.
The smaller the rim, the more sidewall for the same diameter tire, and the more aggressive it tends to look....so, if going aggressive, on a DD that does weekend warrior duty...that's probably a decent range to look at.
For off roading, you want the rim as narrow as reasonable, and ON road, as wide as reasonable.
The 8" rims have been used off road successfully up to about 14-15" tires...but for a DD, it will be a squirrelly on the road, etc....and you'd go wider on the rim, but use the SAME 4.5" BS as a starting point, but take off another 1/2" of BS for each inch wider the tire is than the initial 13" of width, etc.
If you live in a state where the tire's can't protrude past the fenders, you'd need wider flares or stick to the ~13" limit, etc. As all tires are only nominally sized, this means you may have to test mount some to see where they stick out to, etc...except if at 12.5" width or less, as those pretty much always clear stock fenders, etc.
Or just save the stock 18" stuff for inspections....and run what you want to the rest of the time...my 2008 jeep isn't due for NJ inspection until 2012 or something...I have time to play yet.
Last edited by TEEJ; Mar 5, 2008 at 06:18 PM.
JK Newbie
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, OH
I searched and searched and searched again for that right wheel/tire combo too, so I know how you feel
.
I had them toss on the 15" rim to make sure it had clearance (which it did for me), price out every combination possible under the sun, and then finally pulled up every pic on this forum.
It really came down to what TEEJ said - what do you want them for and what is legal!. Read the March 08 JP Magazine write-ups on tires. It gives a good overview of what tire works for each application, although almost every mag has these write-ups and they all differ a little. I picked 35's 13.50 width with an 18" rim and decided on Mickey's tires but like the articles point out there are a lot of nice tires out there.
My Mickey's are sweet but expensive! I also love the 13.50 width. Great look and the ride for me is very smooth with just the right noise at highway speeds. The 18" rims increased the price of the tires but even with the 18" rim/tire (smaller side wall) I still feel a little tossed around on windy days. I would like to hear from those who have 17's with 35's - better, worse, or the same?
At the last minute I went with the 13.50 width and I am so glad I did. They not only work great in the snow and mud but they look so good on the JK. I don't do a lot of rock crawling in Ohio, so they work well for me!
Check out my.project link for pics. I have a couple with the new set-up. I think the pics make the width look small but they aren't - crappy camera! I get tons of great comments and thumbs up. My inspiration was this body armor link. I think they were running 37x13.50 at the time: http://www.project-jk.com/wp-gallery...2_itemId=35885
Everybody is different but we all love our Jeeps!
.I had them toss on the 15" rim to make sure it had clearance (which it did for me), price out every combination possible under the sun, and then finally pulled up every pic on this forum.
It really came down to what TEEJ said - what do you want them for and what is legal!. Read the March 08 JP Magazine write-ups on tires. It gives a good overview of what tire works for each application, although almost every mag has these write-ups and they all differ a little. I picked 35's 13.50 width with an 18" rim and decided on Mickey's tires but like the articles point out there are a lot of nice tires out there.
My Mickey's are sweet but expensive! I also love the 13.50 width. Great look and the ride for me is very smooth with just the right noise at highway speeds. The 18" rims increased the price of the tires but even with the 18" rim/tire (smaller side wall) I still feel a little tossed around on windy days. I would like to hear from those who have 17's with 35's - better, worse, or the same?
At the last minute I went with the 13.50 width and I am so glad I did. They not only work great in the snow and mud but they look so good on the JK. I don't do a lot of rock crawling in Ohio, so they work well for me!
Check out my.project link for pics. I have a couple with the new set-up. I think the pics make the width look small but they aren't - crappy camera! I get tons of great comments and thumbs up. My inspiration was this body armor link. I think they were running 37x13.50 at the time: http://www.project-jk.com/wp-gallery...2_itemId=35885
Everybody is different but we all love our Jeeps!
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
From: Austin, Texas
Well, the arch-typical Jeepers tend towards a 12.5" section width as a decent compromise in width....so thats a 305 to 315 mm section width depending upon the specific tire, to get the equivalent TREAD width as a 12.5" section width tire.
For a 33" diameter, that's a 305/70/16 as the cheapest size typically in a 33".
For a 35" diameter, 315/75/16 would be about right.
A 16 x 8" rim with ~ 4.5" of backspacing would be a decent choice for either of the above.
The 17" and larger sizes are more expensive for rims and rubber, as you must have noticed when you first shopped or 18" stuff.
The smaller the rim, the more sidewall for the same diameter tire, and the more aggressive it tends to look....so, if going aggressive, on a DD that does weekend warrior duty...that's probably a decent range to look at.
For off roading, you want the rim as narrow as reasonable, and ON road, as wide as reasonable.
The 8" rims have been used off road successfully up to about 14-15" tires...but for a DD, it will be a squirrelly on the road, etc....and you'd go wider on the rim, but use the SAME 4.5" BS as a starting point, but take off another 1/2" of BS for each inch wider the tire is than the initial 13" of width, etc.
If you live in a state where the tire's can't protrude past the fenders, you'd need wider flares or stick to the ~13" limit, etc. As all tires are only nominally sized, this means you may have to test mount some to see where they stick out to, etc...except if at 12.5" width or less, as those pretty much always clear stock fenders, etc.
Or just save the stock 18" stuff for inspections....and run what you want to the rest of the time...my 2008 jeep isn't due for NJ inspection until 2012 or something...I have time to play yet.
For a 33" diameter, that's a 305/70/16 as the cheapest size typically in a 33".
For a 35" diameter, 315/75/16 would be about right.
A 16 x 8" rim with ~ 4.5" of backspacing would be a decent choice for either of the above.
The 17" and larger sizes are more expensive for rims and rubber, as you must have noticed when you first shopped or 18" stuff.
The smaller the rim, the more sidewall for the same diameter tire, and the more aggressive it tends to look....so, if going aggressive, on a DD that does weekend warrior duty...that's probably a decent range to look at.
For off roading, you want the rim as narrow as reasonable, and ON road, as wide as reasonable.
The 8" rims have been used off road successfully up to about 14-15" tires...but for a DD, it will be a squirrelly on the road, etc....and you'd go wider on the rim, but use the SAME 4.5" BS as a starting point, but take off another 1/2" of BS for each inch wider the tire is than the initial 13" of width, etc.
If you live in a state where the tire's can't protrude past the fenders, you'd need wider flares or stick to the ~13" limit, etc. As all tires are only nominally sized, this means you may have to test mount some to see where they stick out to, etc...except if at 12.5" width or less, as those pretty much always clear stock fenders, etc.
Or just save the stock 18" stuff for inspections....and run what you want to the rest of the time...my 2008 jeep isn't due for NJ inspection until 2012 or something...I have time to play yet.