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Jpdst29
06-08-2005, 09:58 PM
i am planning on lifting my jeep in the near future here and i need some help choosing a tire/wheel combination

first off is wheels: should i go with 15" or 16" wheels, and should i go with a width of 8, 10.5, or 12.5?

second is the tires: i am probably going to go with 33's, but shall i go with 10.5 or 12.5 and also what brand should i get, i am debating between goodyear MTR, procomp mud terrain or xterrain, BFG mud terrain, or any other brand that would be good offroad but not wear down real fast and be good on the street

if anybody can help me with any of this...it would be a great help

MF Steve!
06-08-2005, 11:17 PM
15x8 wheel. no need for a 10" and tires for a 15 will cost you much less. id also go w/ the bfg mt/km. i got over 40k out of my last set of those...

-steve

Jpdst29
06-09-2005, 06:33 AM
thanks steve...

one more question for you...i will get the 15x8 wheel...the tire size i should get would be 33x12.50....right?

will they seat properly on the wheel with a width of only 8"?

thanks again

mrpistol
06-09-2005, 09:35 AM
brand that would be good offroad but not wear down real fast and be good on the street

sounds like BFG mud terrains to me :thumbsup:

if you're definately replacing tires AND wheels, i'd go with 12.5's for sure and a 15 x 8 wheel that has between 3.75 and 4.25" of backspacing

MF Steve!
06-09-2005, 06:42 PM
brand that would be good offroad but not wear down real fast and be good on the street

sounds like BFG mud terrains to me :thumbsup:

if you're definately replacing tires AND wheels, i'd go with 12.5's for sure and a 15 x 8 wheel that has between 3.75 and 4.25" of backspacing

sir pistol would be correct...

Jpdst29
06-09-2005, 06:44 PM
thanks guys...i will remember this!!!

MF Steve!
06-09-2005, 09:49 PM
now that you know what you want...price stuff individually. locally. and at 4wheelparts.com thats where i got my 32x11.50 bfgs w/ the wheels for something like 700 i believe...

Jpdst29
06-10-2005, 06:32 AM
great...i will do that steve...

MickB
06-10-2005, 06:58 PM
You may want to check http://www.desertrat.com/ or
http://www.offroadtoystore.com/

I've ordered tires from both places and at the time of order, they had the best prices I could find....local or internet. I just bought 4-33x12.50/15 TrXus MTs from offroad toystore in Nov, for about 135ea after figuring shipping. They were delivered 5 days after I ordered them AND the offroadtoystore emailed me to follow-up on the order and verify I received shipment. The offroad toy store rocks! Take it for whatever it's worth!

Mick

Cebby
06-11-2005, 10:07 PM
If you are locked, you need a 33" spare too.

I got my wheels MT Classic II's from National Tire and Wheel in Wheeling and tires (BFG MT's) from Sam's club. They will mount and LIFETIME balance/rotate for like $9 per tire.

MickB
06-12-2005, 09:30 AM
If you are locked, you need a 33" spare too.

Good point..., I went to a local tire shop (in CA) for my spare and purchased a used Cooper Discoverer Radial STT (33x12.50)http://www.coopertire.com/us/en/images/tires/discovererSTT.jpg, had it mounted and balanced for $25. It has alot of tread remaining on it, just uneven tread wear (probably due to improper balance by original owner) Anyhow, I've had it for 4 yrs and only used it once....worked just fine.

Just an option.....good luck, there are alot of options!


http://www.cardomain.com/ride/177236

DMG
06-12-2005, 03:39 PM
I would avoid desert rat. A friend had a very bad experience with them recently.

As for the tires, I would do 33x10.50s BFGs on 15x8s. Second choice but with a much tougher sidewall is the mtr. If I could have had them in a 33x10.50 I would have.

MickB
06-13-2005, 09:38 PM
I'd find the best price and ask around to see if anyone has had experience dealing with them...then make a decision based on my needs. There are alot of sources to go to online for tires, and it's been my experience that they're cheaper than found locally. Good hunting!

Mick

OverkillZJ
06-13-2005, 10:44 PM
Just to throw in my opinions too:

Agreed on 15x8, I'd take an MTR over the BFG, but both are excellent tires. I'm just a lil'biased ;)

Desert Rat... I have not personaly had any first hand experience with them, but my buddies first hand experiences were enough for me to stay away.

I don't know if wally world carries BFG, but they do carry the goodyears and can have your oversize tires in a couple of days, free shipping. I got my 35" MTR's for $160 a piece from them. I hate giving that place my money, but it was nice getting them locally.

Then again, why would you build a ZJ?;)

MickB
06-14-2005, 08:57 AM
35" MTR's for $160 a piece

That's an awesome price for 35" MTRs....probably hard to beat it!
I'll be checking there first, next time I get tires. I'm kind-of partial to MTRs to. I put a hard 30,000 miles on the set I had, covering 2 yrs of hard wheeling, to include the Rubicon & Hells Revenge+cross country road trip. No problems with them at all and the traction (especially on rocks & in deep snow) is phenomenal.

Mick

ArtCloud
06-15-2005, 07:22 PM
The MTRs on my Rubicon are wearing so horribly, I've got 15,500 miles on them and they've got about 25% tread left, also note that I have been rotating my spare in as well which makes the situation even worse.

I know Steve does alot of high way driving and his BFG MTs lasted forever, so that will definately be my next tire for winter/off-road, and since I had a set of BFG ATs on my ranger previously and they were a great all terrain tire I'm going to put a set of those on my new MT Classic Locks next summer so I'm not burning my 175$/Piece BFG MTs away on the hot summer roads.

Note: I can't talk from experience, but be carefull mounting a 33x12.50r15 on a 15x8" wheel...not only are most 12.50r15 tires not rated for a 15x8" wheel I would imaging on-road driving would be fine, but I've heard that you can walk a 12.50 off the bead of a 15x8" pretty easily off-road, especially while deflated durring laterally inclined situations. Personally I'd feel alot more confortable spending the extra 10-20$ a wheel on a 15x10".

Also Note: You should not exclude 16" wheels from your decision because even though they are a bit more pricey they do include more benefits especially off-road:
1. 33x12.50r16 tires ARE rated for 16x8" wheels.
2. 1 More inch of wheel mean 1 less inch of sidewall, which makes it easier on your brakes on and off road.
3. Personally I think 16" wheels look beefier than 15" and it improves the overall appearance of your vehichle.

Just a suggestion you should consider before going out and spending a mint on tires and wheels which may dissapoint you in the end.

MickB
06-15-2005, 07:58 PM
Note: I can't talk from experience, but be carefull mounting a 33x12.50r15 on a 15x8" wheel...not only are most 12.50r15 tires not rated for a 15x8" wheel I would imaging on-road driving would be fine, but I've heard that you can walk a 12.50 off the bead of a 15x8" pretty easily off-road, especially while deflated durring laterally inclined situations. Personally I'd feel alot more confortable spending the extra 10-20$ a wheel on a 15x10".

I believe the bead will come off a 12.50 on a 10" wheel more often than a 8" wheel, especially in the situation you described. All of the broken beads I've seen were on 10" wheels. I've run as low as 7psi in deep snow with no broken beads (33x12.50 MTRs on 15x8 Eagle 589s)....just my personal experience. I'd stick to a 8" wheel with 12.50s if you air down offroad. I've also seen alot of BFG MT sidewall punctures, beat the livin snot out of my MTRs (alot of sidewall gouges) and no punctures. I'm currently running TrXus MTs, but I'll be switching back to MTRs with my next tire purchase.

Mick

ArtCloud
06-15-2005, 10:53 PM
Thats surprising, yet believable. Like I said, I've never had it happen first hand but I've run into people who said they had gotten 15x10s because of that reason. However, I'd say it's even more up to the lip of the wheel also; You're probably better off with a 8" with a larger lip, than a 10" wheel with a small lip.

I don't dissagree that MTRs could probably hold up to a sidewall hit more than a BFG MT seeing that MTRs are mostly designed for rocky dry terrain, but from my experience with MTRs along with other individuals, I'm going to have to say that it seems like the BFG MTs will tollerate highway driving alot better than an MTR and it seems like their tread design is geared more towards muddy terrains like you'd find in our area. I'll definately be able to tell which tires is superior once I get my BFGs next month...

I'm wondering if Goodyear makes the OE MTRs on the Rubicons with a cheaper compound than a retail tire, because I know like I said before I'm probalby going to end up with 20,000 miles on mine when I'll replace them and I know I've heard other Rubicon owners complain about the tread wear on theirs, but people who have bought theirs retail seem to get 30+ on them...

MickB
06-16-2005, 02:33 PM
I think you hit the nail on the head....BFG MTs seem to do better in mud and wear better than MTRs. I think MTRs have a softer rubber compound which makes them better in rocky terrain, with sharper edges on the tread blocks (not so good in mud because they don't clean out as easily)...however, they wear fast due to the soft compund. Bottom line in this area....the best tire depends on your intended use/terrain. My junk doesn't have enough horsepower to clean anything out of the tire tread, so that isn't a factor for me! :roll: hahaha!

Personally, I prefer this anyhow...not mud.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/177000-177999/177236_204_full.jpg

RedneckYJ95
06-17-2005, 10:01 AM
Note: I can't talk from experience, but be carefull mounting a 33x12.50r15 on a 15x8" wheel...not only are most 12.50r15 tires not rated for a 15x8" wheel I would imaging on-road driving would be fine, but I've heard that you can walk a 12.50 off the bead of a 15x8" pretty easily off-road, especially while deflated durring laterally inclined situations. Personally I'd feel alot more confortable spending the extra 10-20$ a wheel on a 15x10".

Some tire shops WILL NOT mount a 12.50 on an 8 incher. Flynn Tire in Heidelberg refused to mount my tires for that reason. They 'advised' me it was an unsafe combination - I 'advised' them they were a bunch of a55holes. Can't really blame them for not wanting the liability in this litigous(sp?)age. I won't run 10 inchers because they will cut the turning radius on my YJ, and they will stick out a bit more from the body - I pass too many smokies everyday for that. For these same reasons, I suggest you stick to a 33-by-whatever on an 8 inch wheel. Also, you are probably gonna have to trim some metal to fit a 33 in the ZJ comfortably. $.02 8)

PK
06-17-2005, 10:37 AM
I am getting great mileage out of my MT/Rs. They're at about 35k miles, and they're hanging in there quite well, rotated with the spare every 3k miles.

MF Steve!
06-17-2005, 08:48 PM
Some tire shops WILL NOT mount a 12.50 on an 8 incher. Flynn Tire in Heidelberg refused to mount my tires for that reason. They 'advised' me it was an unsafe combination - I 'advised' them they were a bunch of a55holes. Can't really blame them for not wanting the liability in this litigous(sp?)age. I won't run 10 inchers because they will cut the turning radius on my YJ, and they will stick out a bit more from the body - I pass too many smokies everyday for that. For these same reasons, I suggest you stick to a 33-by-whatever on an 8 inch wheel. Also, you are probably gonna have to trim some metal to fit a 33 in the ZJ comfortably. $.02 8)

interesting...ive had them mount my 32x11.50's on 8" rims and also my new 33x12.50 mt/r's on 8"rims. the didnt give me any shit...

OverkillZJ
06-20-2005, 11:16 PM
I'm now up to about 15,000 on the MTR's and am at 75% tread. They're beat to hell too, as I've proven many times.

Oh, 35's also, which wear worse than smaller tires.

Regardless, BFG MT's and Goodyear MTR's are both excellent tires, period. MT kicks butt in the mud, MTR is better on the rocks. In my experience the MTR wears better than the MT's and has stronger sidewalls, but that depends on a whole lot of factors.

I think it really depends on what you will be doing with your Jeep.

Jpdst29
07-09-2005, 09:32 PM
wow...you guys have really given me some stuff to think about...alot of opinions floating around...lol

lets add one more question to the pot...

what backspacing should i get for my wheels??? and what factors should i include when choosing backspacing...

thanks guys...