oversized wheels
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 248
Likes: 0
From: Montreal, Canada
oversized wheels
I went to a rim/tire mom-and-pop outfit this weekend.
I was inquiring about wheels, thinking I would get a quote on some 18" black rims and some fat AT tires to stick out from the fender about 1" max.
The proprietor was aggressively discouraging me, suggesting I would destroy the ball joints and rack with anything that stuck out from the wheelwell. He warned me that if I didn't go as close as possible to width and size of stock I was risking thousands of dollars of damage within a few years.
Is this all true? I was thinking I would squeeze a max diameter of 33" without a lift and have them stick out a little - he refused to serve me!
I was inquiring about wheels, thinking I would get a quote on some 18" black rims and some fat AT tires to stick out from the fender about 1" max.
The proprietor was aggressively discouraging me, suggesting I would destroy the ball joints and rack with anything that stuck out from the wheelwell. He warned me that if I didn't go as close as possible to width and size of stock I was risking thousands of dollars of damage within a few years.
Is this all true? I was thinking I would squeeze a max diameter of 33" without a lift and have them stick out a little - he refused to serve me!
JK-Forum Founder
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 36,534
Likes: 16
From: Laguna Niguel, CA
Yes, a wheel with less backspacing and larger tires will put added stress on your wheel bearings and maybe even some of your joints but in all honesty, not enough to do "thousands of dollars of damage within a few years". 
The guy was an alarmist who obviously doesn't work with hooked up Jeeps very often. Perhaps you should find another shop.
The guy was an alarmist who obviously doesn't work with hooked up Jeeps very often. Perhaps you should find another shop.
