That's surprising since they are 3 lbs heavier than the coopers. I don't want to be the guinea pig though.That'd be a good reason not to use them on rocks.
Blaine has stated multiple times that he can't see any performance difference between a 35" MTR in a 15" or 17" wheel. Based on that, I have a set of 17s waiting for the next set of tires which will almost certainly be MTR's again. This also includes a set of 17" Coyote beadlocks.
I like your plan, minus the cost. Especially the wheels you're going with. I considered running my original 16" Moabs with MT/Rs but those are E rated.