R18 vs R17

[amiii]

I don’t have much knowledge about tires and was hoping someone can give me some insight. I want to upgrade my 33s to 35s on my 2 DR JL Rubicon.

I’m looking at these 3 tire/wheel combo

35x12.5R18 will go on a 18 x 8.5 (Offset 0mm)
285x75R18 will go on a 18 x 8.5 (Offset 0mm) (I know this more of a pizza cutter look)
315x70R17 will go on a 17 x 9 (Offset -12mm)

Couple of questions

1- What are the advantages/disadvantages of going from R17 to R18 (in terms of safety, city driving, …) if any?

2- Aesthetically does an 18 inch wheel look better on 35” tires than a 17 inch? The Wheel I’m looking to purchase looks really sharp in a bigger size but I really don’t want to go up to 20”.

3- Would the first two tire size work with that wheel combo?





Sorry if these are stupid questions just trying to learn what works, what is safe, etc.

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[blnewt]

Not stupid questions
I prefer 17s, better tire selections and having a bit more sidewall is a plus (and IMO look better).

I'd broaden your wheel search and look for a 17x8.5 in the +10 to +20 offset, this will keep the tires from poking too much since your Rubicon already has the wider axles. There are literally tons of 17x8.5 wheels so you should be able to find some you like. You can also go up a bit to a true 35" on a 17 by running a 35x12.5x17, these will be about a 1/2" taller than a 315/70/17.

 

[Jeepjunkie]

Not stupid questions
I prefer 17s, better tire selections and having a bit more sidewall is a plus (and IMO look better).

I'd broaden your wheel search and look for a 17x8.5 in the +10 to +20 offset, this will keep the tires from poking too much since your Rubicon already has the wider axles. There are literally tons of 17x8.5 wheels so you should be able to find some you like. You can also go up a bit to a true 35" on a 17 by running a 35x12.5x17, these will be about a 1/2" taller than a 315/70/17.

What he said.
I have the Quadratec ‘41s, +10 offset ( https://www.quadratec.com/p/quadratec/41-wheel-wrangler-jk-jl )
And they tuck the 285/70 tires in easily on my narrower axle sport. I’ll likely go to 315/70s next.

285s:

 

[desync0]

If you're not going to take it offroad go with whatever you think looks best, offroad a 17" rim will give you a little more sidewall to flex.

If you're planning on running them all year round I'd go with the 285's just because they'll do better in the snow than a 12.5.

 

[blnewt]

If you're not going to take it offroad go with whatever you think looks best, offroad a 17" rim will give you a little more sidewall to flex.

If you're planning on running them all year round I'd go with the 285's just because they'll do better in the snow than a 12.5.

The 285/75/17 is a great size, just wish they had more tires to choose from, although there are some good ones in that size for sure, just a bit pricey.

 

[amiii]

Thanks Guys, The thing is I have already found the wheel I like. Took about a month to find the one that I really like and that comes in few different sizes. Like the wheel also comes in 17x8.5 but what I really don't get is what does the second number really mean? How do I know which tire goes with which wheel? For example I was talking to someone and they said running a 315x70R17 on 17x9.5 is not the smartest thing to do. Like how do you know which wheel size would go with which tire size? Is a 18x8.5 okay with 35x12.5R18 and 285x75R18?

 

[desync0]

Again it depends if you're going to be going offroad and airing down, if the rim is too wide when you air down it'll be easier to lose a bead as there won't be enough pressure keep it against in lip of the rim.

 

[blnewt]

Thanks Guys, The thing is I have already found the wheel I like. Took about a month to find the one that I really like and that comes in few different sizes. Like the wheel also comes in 17x8.5 but what I really don't get is what does the second number really mean? How do I know which tire goes with which wheel? For example I was talking to someone and they said running a 315x70R17 on 17x9.5 is not the smartest thing to do. Like how do you know which wheel size would go with which tire size? Is a 18x8.5 okay with 35x12.5R18 and 285x75R18?

The 8.5 " wheel width is a good common ground for tires up to about 12.5" wide (which is a bit wider than a 315). @desync0 makes a good point regarding air-down on wider wheels.

Offset also is important, you don't want too much negative offset so you poke way out from the fenders (unless you intentionally want that look). And if you go too positive on the offset the wheels will be too close to the inner fender/suspension area and can rub.

What specific wheel are you wanting, that would help here

 

[amiii]

The 8.5 " wheel width is a good common ground for tires up to about 12.5" wide (which is a bit wider than a 315). @desync0 makes a good point regarding air-down on wider wheels.

Offset also is important, you don't want too much negative offset so you poke way out from the fenders (unless you intentionally want that look). And if you go too positive on the offset the wheels will be too close to the inner fender/suspension area and can rub.

What specific wheel are you wanting, that would help here

I don't mind a bit of poke past fenders but nothing extreme. I think it's illegal where I am for tires to poke out the fenders but have never seen anyone get a ticket for it and I had the same thing on my JK for 5 years and I was fine but again nothing too extreme.

https://www.kmcwheels.com/product/w...tribute_pa_finish=matte-bronze-with-black-lip

This is the wheel that I'm looking at and it comes in a lot of different sizes in both 17 and 18". I'm thinking 18" because from pictures I have seen the wheel looks much nicer when it's bigger. I loved the 20" but I think that's too much for a Jeep.

 

[blnewt]

I don't mind a bit of poke past fenders but nothing extreme. I think it's illegal where I am for tires to poke out the fenders but have never seen anyone get a ticket for it and I had the same thing on my JK for 5 years and I was fine but again nothing too extreme.

https://www.kmcwheels.com/product/w...tribute_pa_finish=matte-bronze-with-black-lip

This is the wheel that I'm looking at and it comes in a lot of different sizes in both 17 and 18". I'm thinking 18" because from pictures I have seen the wheel looks much nicer when it's bigger. I loved the 20" but I think that's too much for a Jeep.

Nice looking wheel set, if you're really wanting the 18s I think I'd run the +18 offset since you have the wider Rubicon axles and might have legal issues running too far outside the fenders. 8.5 width is fine for both those tire sizes but the 285/75/18 will be about 5/8" inside vs. the 35x12.5x18, so the 285 is better for those fender laws.

 

[mag]

My KM541 (black) wheel order is arriving this Tues (6/2). Replacing the stock JLUS.

I went with 17x8.5 (+0) and the Nitto 295/70 (specific stock #215160; 33.31x11.77).
Link (https://www.nittotire.com/light-truck-tires/terra-grappler-g2-all-terrain-light-truck-tire/)

WheelsASAP (@WheelsASAP.com) shout-out.... great to work with.

BTW... wheels first then lift

Welcome to DM if you have Qs

 

[amiii]

Nice looking wheel set, if you're really wanting the 18s I think I'd run the +18 offset since you have the wider Rubicon axles and might have legal issues running too far outside the fenders. 8.5 width is fine for both those tire sizes but the 285/75/18 will be about 5/8" inside vs. the 35x12.5x18, so the 285 is better for those fender laws.

Yea took me a while to find the wheel I really like, Hopefully the matte black will look good on my black rubicon. I was thinking the 18x8.5 in the 0mm offset since I'm worried it might be too close to suspension if I go with the +18mm. I might end up going with 17x9 if the the 18" tires and wheels becomes too expensive but for now I'm aiming for the BFGoodrich KO2 - 35x12.5R18 with the 18x8.5 0 offset.

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