Help with 35"s - Stock Rims? If not what rims?

[AstraX]

I have been casually looking at wheels and tires.  Quadratec has a good selection of stuff to look at (nice website layout as well).  If nothing else it can give you a couple of ideas on what's out there then you can go local to see if someone can get them in.

[specialk]

look at the Goodyear MT/R Kevlars.  They have been getting good reviews and are quite a bit lighter then the Toyos.  I know I talking blasphemy for speaking of something other than Toyos   

Again, a bit pricey but I've been hearing a few good things about them.  I was just in pricing out 35's and buddy said we can get do a dealieo with a couple of rigs...

[silverfox]

look at the Goodyear MT/R Kevlars.  They have been getting good reviews and are quite a bit lighter then the Toyos.  I know I talking blasphemy for speaking of something other than Toyos   

Again, a bit pricey but I've been hearing a few good things about them.  I was just in pricing out 35's and buddy said we can get do a dealieo with a couple of rigs...

I am up for Dealio's for sure....................what rim size ?  17's?  What backspacing?

[AV.NINE]

I'm running crawlers (35x13.5r15) they are an awesome tire. Loud as all heck but I found it hard to break them loose on the roads we've been having. And they are one of the best tires I have ran offroad.

15s are classic imo, but the trend is to go to a 17. Its all your choice man. 15s are typically cheaper in tire selections as well.

3.75-4" bs is good. Usually what ever comes stock on the rock crawlers has good bs. Zone also carries the round holed rock crawlers. I would buy those and get a custom beadlock done up to dress them up! (Real or not)

[silverfox]

I'm running crawlers (35x13.5r15) they are an awesome tire. Loud as all heck but I found it hard to break them loose on the roads we've been having. And they are one of the best tires I have ran offroad.

15s are classic imo, but the trend is to go to a 17. Its all your choice man. 15s are typically cheaper in tire selections as well.

3.75-4" bs is good. Usually what ever comes stock on the rock crawlers has good bs. Zone also carries the round holed rock crawlers. I would buy those and get a custom beadlock done up to dress them up! (Real or not)

My only concern on 15's is potential for rubbing on the calipers that I hear about.  I am not stuck on 17's at all I am looking at the 16's as well.  I think most of the Rock Crawlers have 4.5" BS so that would likely work in all applications that I have been looking at. Dress em up..........bahhh..........I like the look of black steel rims call me old fashioned but I have hated Alloy rims forever......I like a rim I can straighten with a hammer as my wife sometimes has a tendency to use the curbs as road guides.

[AV.NINE]

My 15x10 crawlers didn't rub on my rubi. I believe once you go past a certain bs your in the clear. And it isn't very much.

[AstraX]

There doesn't seem to be a lot of tire selection for the 15's...am I looking in the wrong places or is it just more brand specific?

[w squared]

There doesn't seem to be a lot of tire selection for the 15's...am I looking in the wrong places or is it just more brand specific?

That's because 17 is the new 15 

[JackstandJohnny]

There doesn't seem to be a lot of tire selection for the 15's...am I looking in the wrong places or is it just more brand specific?

nope. and in many cases they're the same cost as 17". at least thats what i found when i was looking a little while back. i'm sure there is deals to be had.  

as for the tires. might as well just run spacers.  they will have the same effect on the driveline as as an offset black steel wheel.  personally, i think the narrower the rim, the better.  its easier to air down and there is a bit less chance of blowing beads as easily than with a wider tire, right Kev?

as far as running 35s on the stock JK. just cause you 'can' doesn't mean you should.....  not worth the rubbing, and killing your brand new tires. i'd wait till you do the 2" to run the 35s, or if you're doing some sort of fender kit or something to clear the tires; regardless until you can clear the tires,  i'd wait to go bigger.

as far as tire selection goes, everyone will have their preference.  tires in the mud terrain variety have come a long way in recent years, and there are many quality tires. whatever looks the best to you is probalby a good choice..... for your rig the duratracs may be a good choice as you'll mostly be daily driving it.

just my .02 cheers

[Bnine]

Ok this wheel tire crap is making me psycho. 

So........I think I am going to go with steel wheels..........for a few reasons.  I like them, they are more durable, and well hell they are cheaper.  So that part is said and done.

Now the questions. 

I want to put 35" tires on them............not sure which ones yet but I am looking at

• Nitto MudGrappler's - I don't care about noise but I do care about road safety so maybe the Trail Grapplers are a better choice
• Nokian Vatiiva's - I love Nokian tires and have run there winter rated all seasons on my vehicles for about 10 years now but haven't heard anything about the Vatiiva's
• Toyo Open Country MT's - I know many of you love them but they don't do much for me.....having said that it is about performance not preference........also my understanding is these are very pricey
• Procomp xtreme MT's - don't know much about these but they are highly rated out in cyber-land
• ??

So what else should I be looking at..........I have read the threads on tires and to be honest they are of little help as it all seems to be personal preference.  I am looking for the best value so a reasonably priced tire that will perform well in all conditions. 

Then the questions become..........how do I know what backspacing for which tire?  Also do I want bigger or smaller rims?  16's 17's???  What and why?  I know there are sizing issues with regard to the calipers rubbing etc but what else do I need to think about.

I don't wan the rig to look goofy but at the same time I want to get the best all around performance out of my selections.

I am having a hell of a time even finding a variety of steel rims......not that I need a ton of variety but it would be nice to have some choices.  The only online place I see is Zone and they have Rock Crawlers only............who else carries what and how much $$$.

A man can get dizzy trying to figure all this out 

The only recommendation that I will make is to stay away from steel rims. Steel rims are evil. They are never true, cause vibrations, accelerate part wear, and contribute to inducing death wobble.

Steel rims are dead, and should never be used on anything other then a dedicated trail rig.

The money saved purchasing steel rims is usually lost by the the time you do the fist set of unit bearings. Which with steel rims, 35's, and moderate 4 wheeling, is about every 4 months.

If you are going to spend money on replacing rims you should only ever do it once, and that should be to puchase a quality aluminum bead lock.

Otherwise, just run some wheel spacers until you are ready to take that step.

And yes, 17 is the new 15. More tire selection, fits brakes, better sidewall stability, competition tires available,  more aftermarket rim selection, etc etc.

[silverfox]

What?

Ok now I am confused, I wasn't going steel for money reasons i actually preferred them but now this throws a wrench in my thoughts.  I had always thought steel where better (although heavier) from a strength perspective.

The more I learn the less I know   

[Bnine]

Well, any excuse I guess to post one of my favorite offroad videos of all time.

Also, it will help with the steel versus aluminum strength question

Take a look at the following vid, featuring some of the best off road competitors in the world, racing in the single most grueling off road race todays industry has to offer.

Count how many steel rims you can find

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tW2tHpkmn0