My rig has 18 inch rims on it.. is there a significant difference with the weight if I put on 35's vs if I get 15 inch rims
18in vs 15 inch rims with 35's (1 Viewer)
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Unless your rig is a 91-93 with drum rears, 15 inch rims won't clear the calipers (without some significant grinding anyway).
Unless your rig is a 91-93 with drum rears, 15 inch rims won't clear the calipers (without some significant grinding anyway).
Not a huge difference in weight, but the smaller wheel will put some of that rotating mass (the outer diameter of the rim) closer to the hub, which physics says should make it easier to turn (i.e. accelerate and brake), assuming the same wheel type & construction (steel/steel or alloy/alloy, similar design). A 15" wheel is undoubtedly lighter than a 18" wheel, but a 15" tire is heavier than an 18" tire, so that offsets somewhat. My guess is there would be more weight in 3" of wheel than 3" of tire sidewall, but I don't really know. Perceivable by the human butt? Who knows.
As mentioned, 15" wheels can be tricky to fit on an FZJ.
As mentioned, 15" wheels can be tricky to fit on an FZJ.
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Ok so it's 18 vs 16 in.. I guess it's not a big difference.. they look like factory 18 in rims I'll take a pic later
The other thing you might want to consider is that different brands/makes of tires will weight different amounts. Can be as much as 10-15 pounds for some of the larger sizes. If you're worried about weight, check your tire's specs.
IMO 17" is the best for all around tire selection and sizes.
IMO 17" is the best for all around tire selection and sizes.
All things being equal except rim diameter, does anyone know of any testing of offroad performance for the same tire in 15", 16" and 18" or larger rim diameters? It just always seemed to me that you're losing something with the big rims.
There's less sidewall, so less exposure to cuts in it, but also more likely to roll off the rim at low pressures and less cushioning effect, feeding more into the suspension to dampen. The tire will also gain less in width from the lower pressure, reducing floatation.
On road seems to be the place where gains might be experienced with larger diameter rims for all the obvious reasons, but you buy an off road tire to go off road with it, even if it's only in your mind while cruising the mall.
There's less sidewall, so less exposure to cuts in it, but also more likely to roll off the rim at low pressures and less cushioning effect, feeding more into the suspension to dampen. The tire will also gain less in width from the lower pressure, reducing floatation.
On road seems to be the place where gains might be experienced with larger diameter rims for all the obvious reasons, but you buy an off road tire to go off road with it, even if it's only in your mind while cruising the mall.
Rotational weight isn't going to be an issue. You will not notice a five or ten pound difference per tire on a ~100 lb. tire/ wheel combo on a rig as low of performance as ours. You will notice a difference between stock and the two proposed tires, however, but that has more to do with overall diameter and its effect on gearing.
Contact patches don't get significantly wider when aired down, but they do get longer, and that's where the area increase occurs. More sidewall means more internal volume, which means you can air down more without risking pinching the tire between something and the wheel, so the 15 is at an advantage there.
You can fit 15's on an FZJ just fine without grinding calipers. You just need to space them out far enough. A friend has them on his, and if I recall, they're 15X10 wheels with what appears to be zero offset/ back spacing, and they fit with 1.5" spacers. I know plenty of people that grind calipers. I also know plenty of people who think seat belts kill more than the save. Personally, I feel that grinding calipers is as stupid as grinding wheels to make s*** fit. Run spacers, and if you don't like spacers, run a bigger wheel to fit your brakes.
15" wheels are cheap as balls and common as dirt. 35" tires to fit that wheel, however, are becoming harder to find. They're still out there and will never go away, but as the shift towards 17's continues, the selection will dwindle.
Contact patches don't get significantly wider when aired down, but they do get longer, and that's where the area increase occurs. More sidewall means more internal volume, which means you can air down more without risking pinching the tire between something and the wheel, so the 15 is at an advantage there.
You can fit 15's on an FZJ just fine without grinding calipers. You just need to space them out far enough. A friend has them on his, and if I recall, they're 15X10 wheels with what appears to be zero offset/ back spacing, and they fit with 1.5" spacers. I know plenty of people that grind calipers. I also know plenty of people who think seat belts kill more than the save. Personally, I feel that grinding calipers is as stupid as grinding wheels to make s*** fit. Run spacers, and if you don't like spacers, run a bigger wheel to fit your brakes.
15" wheels are cheap as balls and common as dirt. 35" tires to fit that wheel, however, are becoming harder to find. They're still out there and will never go away, but as the shift towards 17's continues, the selection will dwindle.
From a tire availability standpoint, I'd go with 17". Way more options.
From an offroad standpoint, I've always heard run the smallest rim you can fit. More sidewall to flex.
From a straight line acceleration and economic standpoint, run the smallest rim you can. Same rim, same tire, the smaller rim combo will always be lighter and have a much smaller inertia.
For hard cornering, I've always heard run the smallest rim you can fit, unless you are having tire roll under hard cornering.
From a comfort factor, run the smallest rim you can fit. More sidewall acts like a dampener.
So basically the only reason to run big rims is too look PIMP az shnit!
From an offroad standpoint, I've always heard run the smallest rim you can fit. More sidewall to flex.
From a straight line acceleration and economic standpoint, run the smallest rim you can. Same rim, same tire, the smaller rim combo will always be lighter and have a much smaller inertia.
For hard cornering, I've always heard run the smallest rim you can fit, unless you are having tire roll under hard cornering.
From a comfort factor, run the smallest rim you can fit. More sidewall acts like a dampener.
So basically the only reason to run big rims is too look PIMP az shnit!
I tend to agree, although a fellow or gal has to run what they think looks good to them...
Yeah, your and Mandrake's point about availability was the only real advantage I could see offroad. But if they make what you want in a smaller rim size, then you're good -- unless a temporary panic sits in as it did when BFG announced they were ceasing production of the KM2 in 255/85 R16, then turned around and brought them back. Live and learn, but I don't see any bigger rims in my life unless forced to by total lack of "normal" (whatever that means) rim width choices.
I understand why people want the looks of the bigger rims, but that's just not important to me. Everything out on the trail, as little as I lament I get there, is what is important.
