Tire type, rim sizes and such...

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Justin Forrest

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Call or check out discount tire direct. They usually have the best prices on everything. Their customer service is top notch as well. As far as tires go, my 2 cents would be Bfg At's, Falken's new AT3W(what I currently have and love) or Coopers St Maxx. Bfg tires are usually lighter than most others but they often run to the small side of their measurement. Tons of people swear by Coopers, I had them for 3 weeks couldn't get my truck to drive straight, so they came off and on went the Falken's.
 

w_m_photo

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I've run Mastercraft, coopers, bfg, for many many miles on and off road... By and far the stock Jeep Rubicon Tire is crap. In order to keep them flat you need to rotate them way too often. The Mastercraft tires that I've had have all been good and given me good millage. The Cooper STT tires have been the best tires I've ever owned. I've drove them coast to coast this past summer, mostly highway unfortunately, and they held up wonderfully. Off road they are a great mud tire, did well on the Rubicon, Moab, Oregon mud, and well here in Ohio Mud/clay. They weren't very noisy, gas millage didn't suffer too much, and in the rain they are great... apparently deep sips are the key there.
My 2 cents.
 
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Scott

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My factory rims are 17s. They are such because a smaller rim will not fit around my calipers. 17s seem to work for me and I have no desire to go to less sidewall than I already have.
 
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TheMcCalls

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My factory rims are 17s. They are such because a smaller rim will not fit around my calipers. 17s seem to work for me and I have no desire to go to less sidewall than I already have.
Ahhh I see.

How's that active cargo system that I see in your profile pic treatin' ya? I'm also breaking my head trying to decide on one of those versus the ARE Overland Shell.
 

Scott

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Ahhh I see.

How's that active cargo system that I see in your profile pic treatin' ya? I'm also breaking my head trying to decide on one of those versus the ARE Overland Shell.
I absolutely LOVE the Leitner Designs cargo system. The versatility is unbelievable, and it works great to hold my massive rtt. I can't recommend it highly enough. Not cheap, but worth every penny, and made in the USA!
 

TheMcCalls

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I absolutely LOVE the Leitner Designs cargo system. The versatility is unbelievable, and it works great to hold my massive rtt. I can't recommend it highly enough. Not cheap, but worth every penny, and made in the USA!
I love those things. I think that my concern with getting that vs a shell is not having enough dry storage. We don't have a RTT, and aren't sure if we're going to make that jump in the future or not. That'll be another thread... lol...

You can't use a tonneau cover with that system, can you? I know you can add those awesome waterproof black bins on the side there... but I'm reluctant to leave the entire bed to the elements is all...
 

Scott

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I love those things. I think that my concern with getting that vs a shell is not having enough dry storage. We don't have a RTT, and aren't sure if we're going to make that jump in the future or not. That'll be another thread... lol...

You can't use a tonneau cover with that system, can you? I know you can add those awesome waterproof black bins on the side there... but I'm reluctant to leave the entire bed to the elements is all...
I'm not sure a tonneau cover would work based on the design of the rack mounting.. Waterproofing is a concern. I use some water resistant bins to store my camping gear when traveling and I've had good luck with them.. Just something to consider...
 

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TreXTerra

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Hey all,

When I bought my truck from a dealership recently, they had already done me the solid of putting a 6" lift, 20" rims, and 35" M/Ts on it.

Thing is, I don't care much about fancy rims or their size, and I think I'd rather have A/T's on it now that I've had some time to drive it. Considering selling my rims and tires to buy some plain looking 17" rims and some AT's.

So my main question is, for off-road driving (and I DON'T mean rock crawling, or sitting around doing high-rpm circles in a mud puddle), is there any advantages/disadvantages to certain rim sizes (I've been told things like a smaller rim makes for a bigger footprint when aired down, etc)?

I suppose ancillary questions could also be 1) M/T vs A/T, 2) should I go up from 35 to 37 in the process, and 3) if I don't care about looks, is a cheap rim ok?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd, GO!
It really comes down to use and environment. My rig is my daily, so I need a tire with acceptable street performance and tread wear. I live in the high desert, so I face mostly granite mountains, open deserts, and sandy or rocky soil. Mud doesn't stick around for long, but snow is an issue; so my choice of tire is the BF Goodrich All Terrain KO2. Other guys run the Goodyear DuraTrac.

If you were living in an area with lots of top soil that gets sloppy and muddy for days at a time, perhaps a Mud Terrain would be a better choice.

As for rim size, here is what I would do: Start by figuring out the smallest OEM rim size available for your vehicle and don't go any smaller than that. This will help avoid surprises like, "Oh, this doesn't fit over the caliper." Then take a look at the tires you want to buy and price them out for different rim sizes, sometimes a given rim size will result in a cheaper tire (my wife's car has factory 19" wheels and it feels like we need to take out another mortgage to afford snow tires). I think that for mixed use, a 16" or maybe a 17" rim will do nicely, depending on the overall tire size.

A tire with a taller sidewall will have a larger footprint when aired down and the rim will be farther from rocks than a lower profile tire. This will also protect the sidewall from a "snakebite" cut; this happens when the rim slams down on a rock and cuts the sidewall bulge. A high profile tire will have more bulge, but also more space between the rock and the rim. There are downsides to a high profile off road tire though, on-road handling is impacted because you have more squishy sidewall, they are also heavier than a low-profile tire so braking, acceleration, and fuel economy are negatively impacted.

Getting back to rims for a second, the material you choose can make a difference. Alloy rims are lighter than steel, but they can also be cracked. The alloy is harder than steel, so it takes more to damage it, but when it does break you will have to change the wheel for your spare. A cracked alloy will not hold air. A steel wheel is cheaper, but heavier and easier to deform. This means it takes less of an impact to bend the rim. A bent steel rim will still hold air, so you can limp home on one. I think of cheap steel rims as a mechanical fuse, they bend and absorb energy before transmitting it into the much more expensive steering and suspension components. You may go through a lot more steel rims (I've bent a few), but if you buy cheap ones they can be replaced for about $60 each.

I run 16" OEM alloy rims on my rig because that is what it came with and I have not had any problems with them.
 

w_m_photo

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my 2 cents on rims...
We all know weight is an issue... That being said. Yeah steel rims are nice because you can bend them back... You can air way down and not need to worry about damaging the wheel beyond all use.
Alloy rims are nice because they are light weight and harder than steel...
The only problem I see with the steel rim is the weight. I'd prefer to save as much weight as I can everywhere I can.
And, the only problem I see with alloy rims is the brittleness of them.
When off road and we go to air down... Don't air down quite as far as you would normally.
I never air farther down than 16 psi... You don't get the wide footprint you get with airing down to 8 psi, but it is wider than what you get
with 30-35 psi you would do for the road. Plus you get that little bit of rubber protection...
Not saying it's perfect, but I've been doing this for years and I've never broken an alloy rim off-road.
Again, my 2 cents.
 

Vyscera

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I've got alloys on my truck, and steelies on my jeep. The steelies are common, inexpensive and easy to clean up (or touch up with a rattle can) People are always replacing their steel wheels with something nicer, so you can always find a complete set or a single replacement if you need it. If you plan on sticking at stock size. Finding 18"+ steel isn't easy. Alloys are a little lighter and stronger but much more expensive.