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35's on 17" rims, or ?

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Looking to replace 17 " rims with after market. What size tire would give me 35's? Does anyone think I should go with 18" rims? I'm new to this...
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Looking to replace 17 " rims with after market. What size tire would give me 35's? Does anyone think I should go with 18" rims? I'm new to this...
Tires for a 17" wheel are usually lower cost and of a broader range of options. Generally, a 315/70-17 tire retains the factory "C" weight rating. 35x12.5's tend to only come in D or E ratings, which will ride stiffer. Many here, including myself, have run 315's and 35's on the factory 17x7.5 wheels. That does typically void the tire warranty, but it has yet to be an issue thats made these pages.

Here's a reference pic of an unmounted 315/70-17 (metric equivalent to 35x12.5) bfgoodrich ko2 next to the still mounted and aired up factory 285/70-17 (33x11.5) ko2.
Jeep Wrangler JL 35's on 17" rims, or ? 20190816_173314
 

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Not sure where the OP is located, but maybe similar questions.
I've not had a lot of experience with different wheel/tire combinations but have noticed that sometimes smaller rims with large sidewalls and/or soft (lower ply) sidewalls can adversely affect highway handling. Is this just anecdotal based on my limited experience, or is there advantage in a stiffer (high ply rating) tire when upsizing the tire on a stock rim?

Generally I've preferred 'C' ply rating tires for my vehicles as their lower stiffness seems to perform better in daily-driving snow conditions than 'D' or 'E', but as I consider a larger tire size in the future the impact of 315 vs 35 ply ratings on highway handling could play on the decision. Thoughts?
 

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17X9 is a pretty standard aftermarket wheel that will work very well with 35 x 12.5 - 17 or 315/70-17s. Make sure you are considering backspacing and bolt pattern. Lots of threads on this Forum walking through the details of those.

Unless you have some burning need for 18s, I would recommend staying with 17s. As @Headbarcode said, 17s are cheaper and have better selection available. Also, the less tire you have between rocks and rim, the more likely you are to damage your rims on the trail.
 

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Tires for a 17" wheel are usually lower cost and of a broader range of options. Generally, a 315/70-17 tire retains the factory "C" weight rating. 35x12.5's tend to only come in D or E ratings, which will ride stiffer. Many here, including myself, have run 315's and 35's on the factory 17x7.5 wheels. That does typically void the tire warranty, but it has yet to be an issue thats made these pages.

Here's a reference pic of an unmounted 315/70-17 (metric equivalent to 35x12.5) bfgoodrich ko2 next to the still mounted and aired up factory 285/70-17 (33x11.5) ko2.
Jeep Wrangler JL 35's on 17" rims, or ? 20201114_131655 (1)
Thank you. Just curious what would void the tire warrantee?
 

InvertedLogic

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Thank you. Just curious what would void the tire warrantee?
Each tire has a spec'd wheel width that it is allowed to be mounted on and be covered by its warranty. The factory wheel is 7.5" wide. Many 35" tires are wide enough that the factory wheel is below the mfg recommended wheel width.
 

Themistocles

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Not sure where the OP is located, but maybe similar questions.
I've not had a lot of experience with different wheel/tire combinations but have noticed that sometimes smaller rims with large sidewalls and/or soft (lower ply) sidewalls can adversely affect highway handling. Is this just anecdotal based on my limited experience, or is there advantage in a stiffer (high ply rating) tire when upsizing the tire on a stock rim?

Generally I've preferred 'C' ply rating tires for my vehicles as their lower stiffness seems to perform better in daily-driving snow conditions than 'D' or 'E', but as I consider a larger tire size in the future the impact of 315 vs 35 ply ratings on highway handling could play on the decision. Thoughts?
No, it is not totally anecdotal. I had a 1995 Ram 2500 that developed a bad case of death wobble on 17 inch BF Goodrich 35s (notoriously soft sidewalls). Switching to stiffer Toyo's cured the problem completely. But in my opinion, the benefits of going to a 18 or 20 inch rim are not worth drawbacks. Death wobble has not appeared to be a big problem in JLs, and good suspension components should prevent it from occurring even on C-rated 315s.

I have the diesel variant of the JLUR, so with another 400 - 500lbs of weight. I chose E-rated Toyo ATIIs...I run the same tire on my '03 Ram Cummins...and have for over a decade. I know the tire and am comfortable with it. It is just a bit slidey in slush when fully aired up, but does wonderful in all other environments, wears amazingly well, and doesn't make noise.

Overall, I would think that if you are planning to load up your JL as on overland vehicle, and get to that 6000lbs range or so, then maybe a D or E rated tire might be the way to go. If you are going to stay with light mods and keep weight low, then a C rated tire I am sure would do great.
 

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Thank you. Just curious what would void the tire warrantee?
Like inverted said above, you have to pay attention to the minimum wheel widths for a given size tire.

The factory wheel is just under the width suggested for the typical 315/70-17 or 35'12.5 tire. It could possibly lead to uneven wear and reduced tire life. I, and others, simply ran them at a couple to a few lower lbs of pressure, to assure that the entire width of the tread was contacting the ground.
 

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Not sure where the OP is located, but maybe similar questions.
I've not had a lot of experience with different wheel/tire combinations but have noticed that sometimes smaller rims with large sidewalls and/or soft (lower ply) sidewalls can adversely affect highway handling. Is this just anecdotal based on my limited experience, or is there advantage in a stiffer (high ply rating) tire when upsizing the tire on a stock rim?

Generally I've preferred 'C' ply rating tires for my vehicles as their lower stiffness seems to perform better in daily-driving snow conditions than 'D' or 'E', but as I consider a larger tire size in the future the impact of 315 vs 35 ply ratings on highway handling could play on the decision. Thoughts?
I'm rolling with c-rated 38x13.5's on 17x9 wheels with 4.53" of backspace and a -12mm offset. I've yet to have any issues up to speeds a jeep shouldn't be doing. Whatever flex is happening from my 10" sidewalls, hasn't been felt enough to be any concern.
 

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Some also carry the D rating which isn’t as soft as the C but not as firm as the E.
Thats a great point you have there. Thank you, Captain Alphabet! ;)
Jeep Wrangler JL 35's on 17" rims, or ? huyxyhehe


Seriously though, you're right about it only giving a bigger selection of C's, looking at the 315's rather than the 35's. But its still a mixed bag.
 

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Thats a great point you have there.
LOL A-B-C delicious.

Well at the time I was tire shopping for a 315 in C load range, all that was available in that size were in the D or E load range. Some feel the E load range, with the stiffer rubber and additional belt, is TOO much and too harsh for our light trucks.
 

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LOL A-B-C delicious.

Well at the time I was tire shopping for a 315 in C load range, all that was available in that size were in the D or E load range. Some feel the E load range, with the stiffer rubber and additional belt, is TOO much and too harsh for our light trucks.
I'm thinking that in time, more c-rated tires in the larger sizes will be made available. There's definitely a market for it, with the ever growing number of wranglers on the road.

Sticking with a C was one of the main reasons why I bypassed the pool of 37's, and ended up with the 38x13.5 pat's. They've been a great performer and it's looking like I will be finally finding out how they, and the jeep as a whole, will handle some deeper snow. I've yet to fully put them through the paces offroad, because its illegal in New York. I'm heading to Pennsylvania soon, now that my work season is shutting down.

Another member here has put the Mickey Thompson Baja Pro XS's on my radar. It comes in the 38x13.5 size, but only in a D-rating. I may end up overlooking that, for the sake of my own comparison in my intended stomping ground.
 

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Sticking with a C was one of the main reasons why I bypassed the pool of 37's, and ended up with the 38x13.5 pat's.
Interesting thought process! You’re probably right about more c load ranges being available in the future.

My thought process is the 315/70r17 is a big, heavy tire. In the D load range, it feels like it without being too much or too harsh. Of course I run mine 32 psi cold.
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