I was looking on goodyear's website yesterday and for a 35" tire, they only show a 12.5". I always thought that was to wide for a 7.5" wide wheel. However, I would like this confirmed.
I'm not 100% sure about JIMBO's comments about the optimal rim width being the same as the contact patch -- it may be true, but I've never heard it, and I'm not even sure how you would derive "contact patch width" vs. overall section width as reported by the tire specs.
A couple real-world data points for you:
I ran 13.5" wide Toyo M/T's on 8" rims (vs. 8.5" mfg. recommendation) and got 55k+ miles out of them. No stability issues whatsoever. I would regularly air down to anywhere from 6-14 psi depending on terrain with no problems. I never rolled a bead due to this. If anything, I would think a narrower-than-spec'd rim would
increase pressure on the beads tending to keep them seated.
I now run 12.5" Goodyears on the same 8" rims w/ no issues so far (but less than 5k miles on this set).
My candid impression is that if you're within an inch or so of the rim width spec, there is no way you'll notice the difference for all practical purposes.
I'm not clear if you're thinking BFG's or Goodyears -- they're both excellent tires -- I say run the combo you want (12.5" on 7.5" rim) and you should be just fine.
I just realized this is the JK Overland thread, so we're well and truly off topic here. Hijack off....
