18 vs 17 inch Wheels with 35" Tires?

[texasbryan]

Any reason not to go with 18" wheels for 35" tires? This doesn't seem that common from what I have seen. My thought is it gives the wheels/tires a similar look to 17" wheels with 33" tires, which is what I currently have on my Rubicon.

Looks like the wheels and tires are slightly more expensive so that is one negative. Anything else I am missing?

Thanks!

Sponsored

 

[$uicide$hift]

Well if you are going for looks probably not much of a difference. If you are going off road where you air down your tires the 17" rim gives you taller rubber for additional grip and forming around obstacles.

 

[drogers]

Any reason not to go with 18" wheels for 35" tires? This doesn't seem that common from what I have seen. My thought is it gives the wheels/tires a similar look to 17" wheels with 33" tires, which is what I currently have on my Rubicon.

Looks like the wheels and tires are slightly more expensive so that is one negative. Anything else I am missing?

Thanks!

In general (not always, but in general) a 17” combo will weigh less than an 18” combo. Also, 17” will give you more sidewalk rubber for better on-road behavior and the ability to air down more and get more grip off-road.

If you’re just going for looks though, more power to ya - do what makes you happy.

 

[JJW_ND]

From my looking at tire size availability (Nitto Trail Grapplers) and tire weight....you can get taller, narrower (11.5), lighter tires in 18s then 17s. Most 17s are 315's or 12.5+ width to get to 35s. This adds weight. In 18s you can get 285/75 or 11.5 in 35 that are as light or lighter then are available in 17 for the same height.

The above has no consideration of airing down or extreme off-road use.

jjw
ND

 

[texasbryan]

In general (not always, but in general) a 17” combo will weigh less than an 18” combo. Also, 17” will give you more sidewalk rubber for better on-road behavior and the ability to air down more and get more grip off-road.

If you’re just going for looks though, more power to ya - do what makes you happy.

Good points, but when comparing to the current Rubicon setup of 17” wheels and 33” tires, it seems to me that I would be gaining more sidewall by going up 2” on the tires and only 1” on the wheels. Less sidewall than 17’s would give me, but more than I have now. Am I looking at that correctly?

 

[texasbryan]

From my looking at tire size availability (Nitto Trail Grapplers) and tire weight....you can get taller, narrower (11.5), lighter tires in 18s then 17s. Most 17s are 315's or 12.5+ width to get to 35s. This adds weight. In 18s you can get 285/75 or 11.5 in 35 that are as light or lighter then are available in 17 for the same height.

The above has no consideration of airing down or extreme off-road use.

jjw
ND

Great points! The idea of saving weight is very appealing.

 

[rip0351]

I prefer 18" for 35s since my jeep is my daily driver, less sidewall flex. I don't do extreme off road but I've never had an issue airing down off road with 18s and 35s.
If it's just a weekend toy maybe the extra flex is worth it off road. It is annoying though that tires with less sidewall (less material?) costs more.

 

[kkuntz01]

The biggest things you’re going to come across in the 17” versus 18” are going to be the available rim and tire sizes as well as price.

For tires, the sweet spot seems to be either 17” or 20” (Jeep crowd, full size truck crowd). Tires for 18” rim size, while there are some, there is no where near the selection there is for either 17’s or 20’s. While this may not initially seem problematic, the tire size you want may not be available in the load range you need.

For rims, there are a dearth of manufactures making rims in all manner of sizes to tickle your fancy. The key is finding the rim you like in the size you want with the correct offset/backspacing for your needs. The big question to ask is whether the rim you want is available with the correct offset/backspacing. Too little and you’re scrubbing the frame, to much and you’re putting too much strain on the hub bearings or axle flanges leading to premature failure.

Of course any of this doesn’t even take into account what others mentioned if you plan to wheel the Jeep.

 

[texasbryan]

I prefer 18" for 35s since my jeep is my daily driver, less sidewall flex. I don't do extreme off road but I've never had an issue airing down off road with 18s and 35s.
If it's just a weekend toy maybe the extra flex is worth it off road. It is annoying though that tires with less sidewall (less material?) costs more.

I agree with your thoughts. Like you, I will not do any extreme off-roading.

 

[texasbryan]

The biggest things you’re going to come across in the 17” versus 18” are going to be the available rim and tire sizes as well as price.

For tires, the sweet spot seems to be either 17” or 20” (Jeep crowd, full size truck crowd). Tires for 18” rim size, while there are some, there is no where near the selection there is for either 17’s or 20’s. While this may not initially seem problematic, the tire size you want may not be available in the load range you need.

For rims, there are a dearth of manufactures making rims in all manner of sizes to tickle your fancy. The key is finding the rim you like in the size you want with the correct offset/backspacing for your needs. The big question to ask is whether the rim you want is available with the correct offset/backspacing. Too little and you’re scrubbing the frame, to much and you’re putting too much strain on the hub bearings or axle flanges leading to premature failure.

Of course any of this doesn’t even take into account what others mentioned if you plan to wheel the Jeep.

All good points for sure. It appears that the Nitto Ridge Grapplers come in plenty of 18 inch wheel sizes and I am looking at the KMC XD127 Bully wheels. Those are also available in 18 inch size. I think it has a -12 offset. If I go with LT285/70R18, I think I will be in good shape?

 

[kkuntz01]

All good points for sure. It appears that the Nitto Ridge Grapplers come in plenty of 18 inch wheel sizes and I am looking at the KMC XD127 Bully wheels. Those are also available in 18 inch size. I think it has a -12 offset. If I go with LT285/70R18, I think I will be in good shape?

Honestly haven't even begun to research what will or won't work on the JL just yet, however I'd "think" you should be fine with tire size. It looks like it converts out to 33.7" which isn't much more than stock, then of course once it's installed on the vehicle it'll may end up coming in at low 33 or high 32 once you factor in for vehicle weight and correct tire pressure. If you're changing tire size or load range to anything different than OEM you'll need to do the chalk test on the tires to determine the optimal tire pressure for your vehicle. https://www.4wheelparts.com/tire-wheel-package-guide/tire-pressure-checker.aspx

Having said that, taking a closer look at the Nitto Ridge Grappler you're considering, I'll be honest with you I'l maybe suggest thinking about a different combination. My 2¢, take it for what it's worth, I think the Ridge Grappler you're looking at in the 18" rim size is too much tire for a Wrangler. The tire size LT285/70R18 is a Load Range E (load weight rating of 3860) and is mainly geared towards heavier trucks in the 3/4 and 1 ton realm. Contrast that to the tires that come standard on a Rubicon which are LT285/70/17 and are a Load Range C (load weight rating of 2755). I'll never proclaim to be a technical expert, but the way I understand things is the Load Range E are a heaver duty tire with a stiff side wall and designed to be run at higher tire pressures where as the Load Range C tires are designed for lighter vehicles and have a softer more flexible side wall and can be run at lower tire pressure. Now you can technically run a Load Range E tires on a lighter vehicle, you just need to put some work into figure out what the optimal tire pressure is for that tire on your vehicle is because it won't be what the tire manufacturer recommends and it won't be what your door tag shows. Depending on what the tire pressure number is that you come up with, your vehicle could end up riding worse because of stiff sidewalls of the E range tires. All things you should factor into consideration when trying to decide on a rim & tire combo.

Other than that, this web site is pretty useful for trying to checking wheel size and offsets from stock to whatever new configuration you're running.
https://tiresize.com/wheel-offset-calculator/

 

[kkuntz01]

I prefer 18" for 35s since my jeep is my daily driver, less sidewall flex. I don't do extreme off road but I've never had an issue airing down off road with 18s and 35s.
If it's just a weekend toy maybe the extra flex is worth it off road. It is annoying though that tires with less sidewall (less material?) costs more.

I agree with your thoughts. Like you, I will not do any extreme off-roading.

If we're being honest about things in the 17's vs 18's debate, you're really losing a 1/2" fo side wall if we're talking tires of equal diameter since the only part of the tire that is impacted is the lower half.

For perspective, these are a 305/70/18 on my wife's Ram 2500 Crew Cab, tires were aired down to 20psi.

 

[texasbryan]

Honestly haven't even begun to research what will or won't work on the JL just yet, however I'd "think" you should be fine with tire size. It looks like it converts out to 33.7" which isn't much more than stock, then of course once it's installed on the vehicle it'll may end up coming in at low 33 or high 32 once you factor in for vehicle weight and correct tire pressure. If you're changing tire size or load range to anything different than OEM you'll need to do the chalk test on the tires to determine the optimal tire pressure for your vehicle. https://www.4wheelparts.com/tire-wheel-package-guide/tire-pressure-checker.aspx

Having said that, taking a closer look at the Nitto Ridge Grappler you're considering, I'll be honest with you I'l maybe suggest thinking about a different combination. My 2¢, take it for what it's worth, I think the Ridge Grappler you're looking at in the 18" rim size is too much tire for a Wrangler. The tire size LT285/70R18 is a Load Range E (load weight rating of 3860) and is mainly geared towards heavier trucks in the 3/4 and 1 ton realm. Contrast that to the tires that come standard on a Rubicon which are LT285/70/17 and are a Load Range C (load weight rating of 2755). I'll never proclaim to be a technical expert, but the way I understand things is the Load Range E are a heaver duty tire with a stiff side wall and designed to be run at higher tire pressures where as the Load Range C tires are designed for lighter vehicles and have a softer more flexible side wall and can be run at lower tire pressure. Now you can technically run a Load Range E tires on a lighter vehicle, you just need to put some work into figure out what the optimal tire pressure is for that tire on your vehicle is because it won't be what the tire manufacturer recommends and it won't be what your door tag shows. Depending on what the tire pressure number is that you come up with, your vehicle could end up riding worse because of stiff sidewalls of the E range tires. All things you should factor into consideration when trying to decide on a rim & tire combo.

Other than that, this web site is pretty useful for trying to checking wheel size and offsets from stock to whatever new configuration you're running.
https://tiresize.com/wheel-offset-calculator/

Wow...that is great info. Yes, I noticed that it was an E rating but I wasn’t sure how much that stiffness would translate to a rougher ride quality. You make a good point that these are really tailored for heavier trucks. I definitely don’t want to stiffen up the ride. My main goal is to give it slightly better off-road capability and make it look cool

 

[Wrangler847]

is the lower the offset the wider? or other way around

 

[kkuntz01]

is the lower the offset the wider? or other way around

Offset has nothing to do with the width of a rim. Offset is how tucked in or sticking out the wheels will be. If memory serves me correctly as positive offset increases the wheels more tucked. When you decrease your offset towards zero or even getting into negative offset that pushes the wheels more outward.

The key is to find that right balance of offset for your vehicle. To much offset and you'll be scrubbing the frame and control arms when you're driving and turning. Too little offset and you put more stress and strain on hub bearings, ball joints and rear axle flanges.

Sponsored