Please comment as I am ready to purchase 5 new steel wheels. I have searched the posts and it has left me more confused. I have 8" alloy wheels now.
What are pros and cons of 8" vs 10" wide wheels for 33x12.5x15 tires
- Thread starter FJ40 Beast
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I think it would be more to what you can afford. I've always ran a 10 wheel. Litle more stability in my opinion. Playing in the sand a little more foot print. Being old time American, bigger is better.
What I have found running both 8 and 10 in rims with 12.5 wide tires is that 10s are good for the road, but once off road, the narrower rim is nicer in that it doesn't collect as much rock and tree roots in between the rim and the tire, and also allows you to air down a bit more without as much risk of blowing the tire off the rim.
hope that helps,
Cheers,
hope that helps,
Cheers,
My local tire guy told me I needed a 8.5" wheel to mount a 12.5 tire.
Hi All:
X 2 what Deny wrote.
For off-road use narrower wheels than recommended by the tire store is the way to roll for better bead retention at low air pressure.
Regards,
Alan
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X 2 what Deny wrote.
For off-road use narrower wheels than recommended by the tire store is the way to roll for better bead retention at low air pressure.
Regards,
Alan
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I've ran my last 4 sets of 12.50 tires on 8" rims , no regrets , no wear issues , never lost a bead even down to 8-10psi . For the road you must pay attention to the contact patch and inflation pressure to prevent uneven wear/cupping , not all that hard and there are a lot of good writeups out there .
Sarge
Sarge
I ran a set of 33x12.50 tires on 8" rims for years, and that's what I'd recomend. 
I sure like my 8.5" rims for offroading. As others have said they help keep the bead seated, and also protect the rim a little more than a 10" rim. I run 8psi in the dunes all day... sliding around, off-camber and side-hill, and haven't lost a bead yet. If its more for the street though I don't think it matters too much other than appearance. Maybe a little better wear and handling with the 10"s.
B.
Oh yea, my rims with tuck up under the uncut rear fenders too. Not sure if that would happen with 10"s
B.
Oh yea, my rims with tuck up under the uncut rear fenders too. Not sure if that would happen with 10"s
I run the 8" wide with no problems and all the suggestions above are spot on. The 10" will make the height of the tire a little shorter because of pulling the side wall out and give a flatter tread wear. The 8" will make the tire a little taller closer to what it is supose to be. Your choice. I like both sizes depending on where I will use them.
Just came across this thread. In painting it was mentioned to me that with the small rim you can run a lower PSI and gain some cushion with your ride. Any thoughts?
Sorry in passing….
I haven't read this 10 old thread. I would prefer 8" wheels mainly because the wheel won't stick out past the body much. I will never run 10" wide rims on my 40 again.
Yes, there is a benefit to squeezing wide tires on skinny wheels. Below a pic of 10" wheels with 32x11.50 bfg's. When the tire spins in mud it will coat the side of the 40.
Yes, there is a benefit to squeezing wide tires on skinny wheels. Below a pic of 10" wheels with 32x11.50 bfg's. When the tire spins in mud it will coat the side of the 40.
Thanks for the insight. To be honest I was most interested in the concept that running a more narrow wheel would allow for lower psi possibly improving ride quality.
I have new OME springs and bilsteins going in
I have new OME springs and bilsteins going in
I think it helps, but it's not a silver bullet. Anytime you lower pressures will soften the ride. Lowering pressures is trial an error when trying to find that minimum pressure that keeps the tire on the rim. I run 35-10.5 boggers on stk 5.5" rims and have to run 15psi or more because anything lower it can blow a bead. I think it's because they are bias ply with stiff sidewalls and not a softer compound like a radial. We squeezed a set of 35-15.50 boggers on 8" rims on a friend's vehicle and he would pull the valve cores to deflate the tires to about 0 and reinstall the cores, he never had a bead blow. Eventually we had to cut the tires off the rims. I ran 36-12.50 supers swampers tslsx and ran beadlocks on 8" rims to insure i could air down to 8 or 10 psi with no problems.
I always carry the right tools for reseating a bead on a rim on the trail. It happens.
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Great info thanks so much. Going to 33x12.50 maybe a 16”-17” wheel. Will likely regear for the hold her in NE PA