Wheel width and why it matters: 8" vs. 10"

Chris

Chris

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Question
What width wheel do I want when purchasing an aftermarket wheel for my Jeep Wrangler TJ, 8" or 10"?


Answer
If you intend to do any wheeling with it I would strongly recommend the 8" wheel. When aired down the 8" will hold the bead much better than the 10". Almost everyone I know with off-road tires is running 8" wheels, and rightfully so. The ones that have 10" have more trouble with losing beads and end up having to run higher pressure as a result.

In addition to that, the 8" wheel will protect your wheel surface better, since the sidewalls will stick out much further, protecting it better.
 
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I think it boils down to the terrain more than anything too. In the sandy trails we have around here 10" wheels with 12.50" width tires are pretty common as well. I ran 10" wheels with 35x12.50's aired down and never had a problem. Now that I am running a 11.50 wide tire I dropped to a 8" wheel. Now in the rocks I would run a 8" wheel for sure with a 12.50" tire.
 
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ThatsilverTJ said:
I run a 14.50 inch tire on a 10" wheel at 15 psi no beadlocks and I've never popped a bead, but possible for sure
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Running a 14.5” tire certainly makes a difference. I say that because the majority of people it seems are running no wider than a 12.5” tire.

I’m going to assume you’re running 37” or larger?
 
Chris said:
Damn, those are some wide tires!!!
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20170609_200415.jpg

I wanted to trail ride and get through the mudholes with minimal spinning.
Sounds lame but when trying to reach a destination breaking shit is not on the agenda,I crawl through some deep nasty stuff with very little problem now,if I wanna sling mud I'll get on a 4 wheeler or side by side.. saves me money
 
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An 8" rim is certainly better if you're riding on pizza cutters, but once you get up to the 33"+ range they're more than likely gonna be wide enough for 10" rims when aired down.
 
To echo what Equilibrium31 said, most tire manufacturers have a certain wheel width in mind when they mold the tires, especially off road tire manufacturers. The bead of the tire is shaped to fit into the bead lip on the wheel with as little gap as possible. So keep that in mind when buying a tire and wheel package. Interco likes to run on the narrow side for their tires. Most of their 12.5 wide tires call out for 8.5" rim. and their 14.5 tires call out for 10ish wide wheel.
 
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