Question about upgrading rims and tires

[New2Jeep2022]

Hi. I have a stock Wrangler and I want to get new rims. The ones I want are 20’ and the stock is ‘17. I guess the question is .. will my Jeep be taller because of this? By three inches? Or more? Or does that matter? And also, would I have to lift the Jeep to accommodate for the 20’ rims and however bigger tires are needed to hold those?

I clearly don’t know anything about tires

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[TheBirdie72]

The rim size doesn’t affect the height of your Jeep if you keep tire size the same. For example, a 33 inch tire on a 17 inch rim would be the same height as a 33 inch tire on a 20 inch rim. The difference would be the difference in amount of sidewall. Now, if you went with a bigger tire than stock, you would see some height difference, like moving from a 33 inch tire to a 35 inch tire.

 

[jaymz]

Rim size has nothing to do with ride height. It’s all about tire size. For example: a 285/70-20 tire is essentially identical in diameter to a 315/75-17 even though one is a 20” and the other is a 17”. The sidewall height will be 1.5” different.

On the other hand, a 285/70-20 will raise your height 1.5” over a 285/70-17.

Here’s a calculator to help visualize different sizes.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=285-70r20-285-70r17

 

[New2Jeep2022]

Thank you!

so I was at the tire shop today and they said I have 245 width - 75 height tire - 17 rims. I hear people talk about 33 inch and 35 inch tires and I don’t know what that means in relation to the 245/285/315 etc.

I feel like my Jeep looks odd. The tires look so tiny on it … there’s a lot of room between the tires and the bumper. It looks tall and skinny compared to other jeeps I see. If I went with 20’ rims, what type of tires would best fill that gap, so to speak, without raising the height of the car too much? (Or does it just have to?). And then also, why would someone want to stay with smaller rims? (I’ve seen members say that). Is there a ride difference?

that’s a great visual calculator btw. So I could get a 245/70/20? What’s the next step up from there?

 

[PA JLUR]

Picture?

 

[TheBirdie72]

The 245-75-17 are the stock tire size that comes on a sport trim. They are about 31.5 inches tall-ish.

Regarding the ride, yes, more sidewall will usually absorb bumps better and give you a better ride. Sticking with a 17 inch rim, and maybe going up a tire size to 285-70-17 is a better way to go vs. getting into a 20” rim imho. But ultimately it is up to you and what style of Jeep you want it to be. There are trade offs to everything. Also, how you intend to use your Jeep should be a major factor in determining wheel/tire choice.

 

[New2Jeep2022]

Picture?

 

[New2Jeep2022]

The 245-75-17 are the stock tire size that comes on a sport trim. They are about 31.5 inches tall-ish.

Regarding the ride, yes, more sidewall will usually absorb bumps better and give you a better ride. Sticking with a 17 inch rim, and maybe going up a tire size to 285-70-17 is a better way to go vs. getting into a 20” rim imho. But ultimately it is up to you and what style of Jeep you want it to be. There are trade offs to everything. Also, how you intend to use your Jeep should be a major factor in determining wheel/tire choice.

basically the only rims I can find that I really like that match my hydro blue come in 20’

are tires able to be completely customized? Like you can choose different diameters etc? Looking at this calculator it seems like 275/60/20 might give me what I’m looking for. I want to fill in those gaps under the bumpers better for sure

 

[TheBirdie72]

Nice Jeep! ? Is your new, blue Jeep brand new or did you buy it used?

 

[TheBirdie72]

basically the only rims I can find that I really like that match my hydro blue come in 20’

are tires able to be completely customized? Like you can choose different diameters etc? Looking at this calculator it seems like 275/60/20 might give me what I’m looking for. I want to fill in those gaps under the bumpers better for sure

Yes, you can go that route. Things like size and weight are definitely considerations, and will affect how the Jeep handles / accelerates.

 

[New2Jeep2022]

Nice Jeep! ? Is your new, blue Jeep brand new or did you buy it used?

Thank you! It’s brand new I got it in April

 

[New2Jeep2022]

Yes, you can go that route. Things like size and weight are definitely considerations, and will affect how the Jeep handles / accelerates.

So basically do smaller rims accelerate and handle better? I do a lot of highway driving

 

[TheBirdie72]

That is all gonna depend on the wheel/tires you get. They really all perform differently.

I personally went with a 17x9 wheel with a good all-around performing all terrain 33 inch tire because while I do mostly pavement driving, I do like to occasionally hit the odd trail or fire road.

If you plan on only street and highway driving, I’d stick to a more street tire like a Michelin that will perform better at speed and last a while.

 

[Dan M.]

Another reason some go for a smaller wheel with a larger tire is durability. If you hit a large rock while offroading, you want the extra sidewall to absorb the impact instead of the rim. Even for street driving this can be an issue. I had a friend with a BMW that had super low profile tires. He had to have his rims repaired numerous times a year.

 

[dragoneggs]

Good replies so far... You do need to decide if your Jeep will go off road or stick to pavement. If off-roading is in your future, I would not go with 20in wheels.

1. Comfort/ride
2. Easier to damage 20in with smaller tire sidewalls hitting bumps, rocks, holes, etc.
3. No real capability to 'air down' the tires for more traction and ride

I understand 20in wheels look sexier for sure and if you know you will always be on pavement (aka Mall Crawler vs. Rock Crawler) then go for it.

You then have to decide on tires. Do you want an aggressive tread for looks that will most likely be noisy compared to highway tread for better ride and will last longer.

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