So i can get a set of nearly new 35'' bfg mt's for dirt cheap, however their on a 15 inch rim diameter. Are the performance gains from having a 17'' rim for a 35 compared to 15'' that great? I'm thinking of things such as street handling and off-camber situations offroad. Oh and everyone with 17's/35'' combo, do you feel you have enough tire to air down low enough? Thanks for reading everyone, help me decide!

 

I'm intersted in the same thing...Right now I have the 17" wheels, but each tire is $50 more than the ones for 15" wheels.

 

I don't think there is a performance difference between a 15 and a 17 inch rim. The overall tire diamater is still going to be the same. There may be a little difference in weight but not enough to make a noticable perfomance difference. I run 15" wheels and tires and I haven't had any issues.

 

On road you will notice quite a bit of difference, mainly from the larger amount of sidewall. You will most likely have a softer ride with a 15" wheel, but going around corners or emergency situations you will feel the tires flex and roll much more. I dont think this is dangerous in any way, but if you do alot of freeway driving you would probably be better off with the 17" rim. I have run both sizes on multiple vehicles, if it is going to be a daily driver I will stick with the 17 if purley a fun vehicle the 15.

 

Thanks 09Rubicon, personal experience is exactly what I'm looking for. Seems like the 15 inch rim has been the standard for awhile and only recently have larger rims come into play. I drive mainly on city streets and offroad, very little highway, so sounds like this should work. The sidewall flex in turns was one of my main concerns but I suppose at slow speeds it shouldn't be too significant. Anyone else with experience please chime in!

 

My 35x12.50's feel a lot more stable at highway speeds and high speed turns than my stock Rubi tires did. Maybe it's bacuse I went with a 10" rim for a wider stance.

 

I run the 35-12.50r17 KM2's at 5-10 psi with beadlocks with no problems. I have aso run the 15" MT/R on beadlocks. Both are great. The only difference will be at higher speeds and corners. You can always bump the psi up in a 15" to make up for the added sidewall height.

 

People been running that combo for years, it certainly is acceptable.

 

My Tires have been down to 6-7 psi during snow runs and did just fine. Normal wheelin i go down to 12 psi.