Is anyone running 16" or 17" Alloy wheels and skinny 33's?

OverlandZJ

Expedition Leader
I ran both on my old XJ, i prefered the 10.5's... i think you'll be happy with them. What backspacing are you planning to run?
 

Jim K in PA

Adventurer
255/85-16 is 33+ tall and just under 10.5" wide in most brands. I have run this size on my 16" Moab rims (2005 Rubicon Unlimited) for the last 80k+ miles. I ran a set of Maxxis Big Horns, and am on the tail end of the life of a set of Cooper S/Ts. My next tire will be the BFG KM2 which is an E load tire in this size. My only complaint about the Coopers is the sidewall strength. This size is available in a number of tread patterns and brands. It is perfect for my rig and the way I use it.
 

JIMBO

Expedition Leader
:sombrero: I've got Hankook Dynapro MTs, LT295/75x16 (11.5") on Procomp Extreme alloys/4.5" BS

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:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO
 

Zubicon

Adventurer
295/75/r16 BFG AT 33.2" high tread width 9.5 Love skinny tires but disagree on one issue, you'll wish you had wider tires if you run in alot of sand.
 

JCMatthews

Tour Guide
When I still had my XJ I ran 33X10.5 r 15 BFG ATs with 4.5" of back spacing. The XJ had 5" of lift and 4.56 gears, so I had enough room in the wheel wells and enough grunt to turn them. I loved them. I would also not under estimate the need for a good side wall. In the 15" rim they are C rated. I could run my tires down to 7-8 lbs and not worry. I slit a side wall, but did not hurt the under layer and ran it 40,000 miles without any problem. BFGs are worth the price, I won't run anything else.
 

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Logans91XJ

Dirt Road Anthem
Love the looks of those skinny BFG's! Well I had possible plans to try and stuff some of those on my Jeep but I decided to buy my baby's momma a new set of tires for xmas.

Maybe my next ride or this summer I will finally have some larger meat ;)
 

Goul6891

New member
I'm running these 34/10.5/r16 bias-ply LTBs on 16x8 Moab wheels

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Despite being a '34', actual measurement mounted new was 33.5. They do awesome off-road, and clean out very well. The narrowness gives a little more bite than the 12.50 tires. Never aired them down on the trail though(no OBA). They run well at highway speeds (70+ mph), and are actually quieter than the Nokian M/Ts they replaced. Out of my set of 5, 4 took minimal weights for proper balance, and the spare took quite a bit, but did balance out. Only downside is the soft compound makes them wear pretty quickly on the pavement. Two summers of DD use and mine will be pretty bald.
 

jeep-N-montero

Expedition Leader
When I still had my XJ I ran 33X10.5 r 15 BFG ATs with 4.5" of back spacing. The XJ had 5" of lift and 4.56 gears, so I had enough room in the wheel wells and enough grunt to turn them. I loved them. I would also not under estimate the need for a good side wall. In the 15" rim they are C rated. I could run my tires down to 7-8 lbs and not worry. I slit a side wall, but did not hurt the under layer and ran it 40,000 miles without any problem. BFGs are worth the price, I won't run anything else.

How did that Suburban do on Kane Creek?
 

crawler#976

Expedition Leader
I had 255/85-16 BFG KM2s on my JK for 10,000 miles but they slid like crazy on rain-wet pavement. BFG pro-rated a return and I mounted 285/75-16 Cooper Discoverer STTs and was much happier.

I have 295/70-17 on my truck right now; same Cooper STTs, same degree of satisfaction.

Bill, did you consider getting them siped? We'll be using a set of 255/80-17's on the new JKUR, and they will have the center lugs siped by Discount tire just to avoid the traction problems you describe.
 

Brazos609

Observer
I ended up getting a set of JK Rubicon take-off 255/75-17 BFG MT and put them on Mamba 17x8" rims to put on my LJ. I had the same tires on my 97 4Runner mounted on 17x7.5" FJ Cruiser rims.
 

1stDeuce

Explorer
I've been talking to one of my neighbors here in CO who is running 235/85 Cooper ST Maxx tires on his LJ Rubicon. (8" wheels) That's a pretty wide wheel for a 235, but the ST Maxx tread is pretty wide for a 235, so they end up looking really good! He says they only rub the sway bar just a little at full lock, and they ROCK in the snow.

I am presently running some old 215/85 GoodYear MT's on 6" steel wheels I had from a military YJ program, and LOVE the skinny in the snow around here!

For about the last five years, I've been running 285 Cooper STT's on 16x8 Weld wheels that I painted black. I think they have about 5-1/4" of backspacing, which is pretty close to a Moab wheel. They rub the control arms a little, and also the sway bar, but not enough to be of worry.

I'll be replacing them some time this spring or summer with 235/85 ST Maxx tires. I think they'll do great here in CO!
I'll add that the 285 is a great compromise between normal width and skinny, being about a 33x11.50. I wish Cooper would make something about 33x10.50... BFG AT's seem to contribute to death wobble on a LOT of Jeeps, and the new MT's have bad snow and rain performance, along with the fact that I really don't want an MT this go-round.
YMMV
C
 

MOAK

Adventurer
I've been running 255/85/16s BFG KMs and just recently installed the KM2s.. On stock Moab rims.. Love the size, keeps my MPGs within reason, and they do very well. I've heard about the KM2s tendency to hydroplane, i drive like I'm in a tank, so I'm not too worried about it, but if they do start sliding a lot, I'll just get them siped..
 

88Xj

Banned
I'm actually trying to trade my 15x8's for a 16x7/16x8. I'm running 31's now, but want to run 235/85/16's...I think they are like 31.8x9", If I can't find someone willing to trade wheels, then I'll just grab 33x10.5's.
 

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