Opinions: 15x9" or 17x8.5" Beadlock wheels (for 35s)

[MikeE024]

If a 15" Beadlock will clear my 16" BBK (like my current 15" wheels do), is there any reason why I shouldn't go with the 15" wheel for 35 inch tires?

- I like the 15" look more with 35 (and I don't plan to go bigger)
- 15" diameter tires are cheaper
- 15" wheels are cheaper

Also, I've read that the E-load tires are generally stiffer (which makes sense), but I've seen some folks report that their ride quality improved with 17" E-load tires @ ~25 psi. Ride quality does matter to me so I'm hoping to get a little more insight into this.

I believe there will be more scrub radius (which I barely understand btw) with the 9" over the 8.5" but I don't know how much that will affect performance.

 

[Ocho]

If a 15" Beadlock will clear my 16" BBK (like my current 15" wheels do), is there any reason why I shouldn't go with the 15" wheel for 35 inch tires?

- I like the 15" look more with 35 (and I don't plan to go bigger)
- 15" diameter tires are cheaper
- 15" wheels are cheaper

Also, I've read that the E-load tires are generally stiffer (which makes sense), but I've seen some folks report that their ride quality improved with 17" E-load tires @ ~25 psi. Ride quality does matter to me so I'm hoping to get a little more insight into this.

I believe there will be more scrub radius with the 9" over the 8.5" but I don't know how much that will affect performance.

with your vroom vroom I'd go for 17's. cornering and such.

 

[Apparition]

I run 15” trail ready beadlocks on 16” BBK. Zero complaints.

Really comes down to what you want for tires to run because they aren’t available in all sizes.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I run and like 15" wheels but the assortment of bigger tire sizes is getting smaller for 15" wheels. Goodyear doesn't even make the 35x12.50r15 MT/R tire size like I run any more.

 

[MikeE024]

I run 15” trail ready beadlocks on 16” BBK. Zero complaints.

Really comes down to what you want for tires to run because they aren’t available in all sizes.

I run and like 15" wheels but the assortment of bigger tire sizes is getting smaller for 15" wheels. Goodyear doesn't even make the 35x12.50r15 MT/R tire size like I run any more.

Tire choices definitely matter. I've been happy with my STT Pros, but that's all I've tried so far (MTRs weren't available).

There seems to be as many if not more 35x12.5R15 mt tires out there than 35x12.5R17 mt tires, but I can't say how long that will be the case.

@Ocho The handling has been decent with the 15x10 wheels with 3.5 bs (most of the credit goes to the outboarded fox shocks and swayloc). To be more transparent about my last wheel choice, they were chosen out of ignorance and necessity (during covid shortages) when the large Yukon hubs and regear work was done.

 

[Ocho]

Tire choices definitely matter. I've been happy with my STT Pros, but that's all I've tried so far (MTRs weren't available).

There seems to be as many if not more 35x12.5R15 mt tires out there than 35x12.5R17 mt tires, but I can't say how long that will be the case.

@Ocho The handling has been decent with the 15x10 wheels with 3.5 bs (most of the credit goes to the outboarded fox shocks and swayloc). To be more transparent about my last wheel choice, they were chosen out of ignorance and necessity (during covid shortages) when the large Yukon hubs and regear work was done.

I went from 15/33 c mt/r to 16/33 e duratracs and definitely felt like there was better stability with the duratracs. never had a problem with them being e rated.

now I'm on 17/35 c and I feel like it's very close to the stability of the 16/33, just not quite there. I'm enjoying these nitro trail grapplers in the 11.5 width

 

[MikeE024]

I went from 15/33 c mt/r to 16/33 e duratracs and definitely felt like there was better stability with the duratracs. never had a problem with them being e rated.

now I'm on 17/35 c and I feel like it's very close to the stability of the 16/33, just not quite there. I'm enjoying these nitro trail grapplers in the 11.5 width

Nice! Thanks for the feedback.

I'm curious, why did you go 11.5w instead of 12.5w? Edit: Did you go with 11.5 to get the C-rating?

Regarding C-load rated vs E-load rated tires riding stiffer or softer than the other, I've recently been educated by someone smarter than me on how each tire acts differently. Meaning, I'd have to mount the tires to know how they work with my rig even if X or Y worked well for another. (not ideal )

 

[jjvw]

17x7.5" with 35s and internal beadlocks seems like a very nice setup, so far.

 

[Ocho]

Nice! Thanks for the feedback.

I'm curious, why did you go 11.5w instead of 12.5w?

Regarding C-load rated vs E-load rated tires riding stiffer or softer than the other, I've recently been educated by someone smarter than me on how each tire acts differently. Meaning, I'd have to mount the tires to know how they work with my rig even if X or Y worked well for another. (not ideal )

I went from 12.5 to 11 with the change to duratracs when I moved to NYC. figured the narrower tires would be better for parking/snow runs. scrub radius was so much more enjoyable on the narrower tires that I ended up with the 11.5 when I went up to 35.

nitto 35x11.5 is c rating and the 35x12.5 is e but I wanted to keep the scrub radius for this go around. I received similar advice from someone and I'll be testing it out with the 12.5w e rated next but I have a while to go on these shoes.

 

[MikeE024]

I run 15” trail ready beadlocks on 16” BBK. Zero complaints.

Really comes down to what you want for tires to run because they aren’t available in all sizes.

Those are the exact wheels that I've been most interested in. Did you go with 3.5" or 4.0" of BS?

 

[MikeE024]

I went from 12.5 to 11 with the change to duratracs when I moved to NYC. figured the narrower tires would be better for parking/snow runs. scrub radius was so much more enjoyable on the narrower tires that I ended up with the 11.5 when I went up to 35.

I don't know how much it helped with parking lol but I understand why you did it. I lived on Mercer (Greenwich Village/SOHO) last year, and parking looked pretty miserable. Godspeed.

What BS are you running with the 17s?

 

[Apparition]

Those are the exact wheels that I've been most interested in. Did you go with 3.5" or 4.0" of BS?

3.5, I figured those were the wheels based on the sizes.

Here’s a video of the setup

 

[Ocho]

I don't know how much it helped with parking lol but I understand why you did it. I lived on Mercer (Greenwich Village/SOHO) last year, and parking looked pretty miserable. Godspeed.

What BS are you running with the 17s?

not much help with parking indeed! when I lived in Chelsea I just ended up keeping it at a storage place in queens. barely used it, lived the city life. then I moved to queens and got it back and cruised it a lot. way easier to park it at home!

jk wheels, 17x7.5 with 4" effective backspace

 

[MikeE024]

3.5, I figured those were the wheels based on the sizes.

Here’s a video of the setup

Thanks for the great shots. I'm leaning more towards 3.5bs (like I have now) since I know it plays nice with the SL.

Really nice job climbing...I puckered up a bit watching your escalator run. After doing Hell's Gate, I skipped that with a smile on my face.

 

[MikeE024]

Chelsea I just ended up keeping it at a storage place in queens. barely used it, lived the city life. then I moved to queens and got it back and cruised it a lot. way easier to park it at home!

jk wheels, 17x7.5 with 4" effective backspace

Nice, my last meal before I flew out was at John Brown BBQ in Queens.

I had previously walked the flushing meadows area before walking past the US Open on the way to a Mets game. I liked how relaxed things were in Queens.

Are you running a SL or Antirock? If so how does it play with the 4" of bs?

 

[JMT]

If a 15" Beadlock will clear my 16" BBK (like my current 15" wheels do), is there any reason why I shouldn't go with the 15" wheel for 35 inch tires?

- I like the 15" look more with 35 (and I don't plan to go bigger)
- 15" diameter tires are cheaper
- 15" wheels are cheaper

Also, I've read that the E-load tires are generally stiffer (which makes sense), but I've seen some folks report that their ride quality improved with 17" E-load tires @ ~25 psi. Ride quality does matter to me so I'm hoping to get a little more insight into this.

I believe there will be more scrub radius (which I barely understand btw) with the 9" over the 8.5" but I don't know how much that will affect performance.

I think 17’s are the future.

 

[Brianj5600]

17x7.5" with 35s and internal beadlocks seems like a very nice setup, so far.
View attachment 483487

I have been thinking about internal bead locks. Does airing down take much more time than a normal valve stem?

 

[Ocho]

Nice, my last meal before I flew out was at John Brown BBQ in Queens.

I had previously walked the flushing meadows area before walking past the US Open on the way to a Mets game. I liked how relaxed things were in Queens.

Are you running a SL or Antirock? If so how does it play with the 4" of bs?

solid! I lived a 10 minute walk from John Brown's, place is fun on Sundays! queens was super chill, had a blast living out there.

running a SL, minimal rubbing on passenger side as to be expected but haven't really wheeled it hard with this combo yet.

 

[jjvw]

I have been thinking about internal bead locks. Does airing down take much more time than a normal valve stem?

I've been using Coyote deflaters before and after the internal beadlocks, so I don't have a time to report. But airing down should take less time with the beadlocks because there is less air volume to drain air out of. Whatever that time is, it is fast enough.

 

[Apparition]

Thanks for the great shots. I'm leaning more towards 3.5bs (like I have now) since I know it plays nice with the SL.

Really nice job climbing...I puckered up a bit watching your escalator run. After doing Hell's Gate, I skipped that with a smile on my face.

The previous year’s attempt on the escalator didn’t work out, laid it on both sides as we couldn’t get the line right. Credit goes to @gasiorv for spotting me up in that vid.