what size wheels

[Eddie Greenlee]

hey Ive been looking around at wheels and Im not sure what size wheels are the right ones to run on my 97 jeep tj for street and trail, i know they are 15s x 8 and 5 on 4.5 . im running a 15x12.5x33 and might go to 35s some day. Should I think about 16s too? how wide should the wheels be . I know bask space is also very important too.
Now i have pro comp black monsters steel 51-5865F
Series 51, 15x8 with 5 on 4.5 Bolt Pattern - Flat Black but it dose
I took a look at some Walker Evans wheels , they seemed to catch my sons eye.
thanks

 

[JMT]

Forget 16's. Way less tire choices, more expensive tires.

What's your gear ratio? Optimum is 4.56 for 33's and 4.88+ for 35's.

A 15x8 wheel with 3 5/8-4" backspacing will be superior for 33x12.5 and 35x12.5. You are in a good spot with your Pro Comps if they have good backspacing. Sounds like they do since you didn't mention any rubbing.

@Jerry has explained in other threads why 15x8-8.5 is the best wheel for your '97 TJ.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Good advice on all counts from JMT above.

 

[Eddie Greenlee]

What's your gear ratio? Optimum is 4.56 for 33's and 4.88+ for 35's.[/QUOT
it is geared at 4.10 with 6cyl 4.0 and really seems to handle them well .

 

[Jerry Bransford]

That quote came in kind of jacked up, not sure if you're saying 4.10 "handles" 35" tires with a 5-speed and 4.0L engine or not, but it's not even close to the optimal ratio. 4.10 can work with big V8 engines with nearly any tire size but for the TJ, 5-speed, and 4.0L engine, 4.88 is what is needed. 4.56 is undergeared for 35's. It can be driven with 35's but you're faced with lots more downshifting with just 4.56. 4.88 is really the way to go, it's the optimal street and offroad ratio.

 

[Eddie Greenlee]

well im at 410 for now so ill stay with 33s. would it help to have aluminum wheels instead of steel? or are the steel wheels best for trail ?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Aluminum is much better all the way around. Steel wheels bend and dent much more easily. I tried steel wheels for about a year in my more naive days and they didn't hold up to my trails so I went back to aluminum. I was always having to pound dents out of the steel wheels so they would hold air.

 

[Eddie Greenlee]

Aluminum is much better all the way around.

now thats some good advice. ill be on the lookout for a good deal on some aluminum wheels. do you have a good resource

 

[Chris]

Don't go with steel. It always surprises me the amount of people who run steel wheels and assume they are "better" for whatever reason or another. A 15" aluminum wheel would be my choice.

 

[Eddie Greenlee]

i guess ill be on the look out for one that appeals to me. are there some that do better for trails, or best to just pick some ya like a lot. I may even get imitation bead locks.

 

[Chris]

The only ones that would do better for trails would be actual beadlocks. But those are expensive!

 

[Jerry Bransford]

My all-time favorite inexpensive aluminum wheel is the American Racing AR-23. I ran those on my previous red TJ before getting my beadlocks on my present black TJ.

 

[Eddie Greenlee]

Aluminum is much better all the way around.

Hey Jerry, i talked to a rep from Walker Evans because there was a wheel i really liked, but he was not much help. He went on to say that 17" was the wheel most used now days. and even their racing wheels are 17 now. I didnt like that answer.
I noticed a wheel you had on your jeep several years back was by Walker Evans, well thats the same design i like but in a slightly different color. and of course he didnt have any and said it would be about 2 months out before they had anymore in.
I dont guess you happen to have any of those wheels you would like to get rid of do ya?

 

[xxdabroxx]

I think the 17's are becoming more popular as more people are running big tires. I think you can just about fit a 37" tire on a stock Raptor. And tons of people think they need huge tires on their JK's too.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Hey Jerry, i talked to a rep from Walker Evans because there was a wheel i really liked, but he was not much help. He went on to say that 17" was the wheel most used now days. and even their racing wheels are 17 now. I didnt like that answer.
I noticed a wheel you had on your jeep several years back was by Walker Evans, well thats the same design i like but in a slightly different color. and of course he didnt have any and said it would be about 2 months out before they had anymore in.
I dont guess you happen to have any of those wheels you would like to get rid of do ya?

I still have my 15" Walker Evans wheels but theyre a little beat up. Even if I wanted to sell them, which I don't, I don't think you would want them. If Walker Evans will have more 15" wheels in 2 months I would wait for them. Personally, I'd only go with 17" wheels if I was running a 37" or larger tire.

 

[Eddie Greenlee]

the wheel im looking at says offset 19mm/ well 19mm = 0.748 . that does not seem right. yall say i need 3.75 offset. so how can something be 0.748 offset that only 3/4 of an inch.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

the wheel im looking at says offset 19mm/ well 19mm = 0.748 . that does not seem right. yall say i need 3.75 offset. so how can something be 0.748 offset that only 3/4 of an inch.

Offset is not the same as backspace, they are two different terms measuring two different dimensions. The terms are not interchangeable.

So we're not saying you want 3.75" of offset, we're saying you want 3.75" of backspacing.

Offset is a measurement commonly used with car wheels, backspace is a measurement commonly used with truck wheels.

Offset is the distance from the wheel's mounting flange to the center of the tire's mounting surface.

Backspace is the distance from the wheel's mounting flange to the innermost/backside of the wheel.

In this photo, the yellow ruler is measuring the wheel's backspacing.

 

[Eddie Greenlee]

Thanks for the visual aid. So the less back space you have the farther the wheel will actually out. and the more the back space the farther the wheel goes into the wheel well. SO there has to be a happy medium for stability of the wheel and so the tire does not rub against shocks and control arms ......

 

[JMT]

Thanks for the visual aid. So the less back space you have the farther the wheel will actually out. and the more the back space the farther the wheel goes into the wheel well. SO there has to be a happy medium for stability of the wheel and so the tire does not rub against shocks and control arms ......

Exactly. Optimum will be 3 5/8-4" backspacing

 

[Eddie Greenlee]

Backspace is the distance from the wheel's mounting flange to the innermost/backside of the wheel

so do I measure from the very top of the rim or down in that groove??