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New wheels, not sure which size is best

2K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  Barn7752 
#1 ·
I live in 2 places most of the time, one requires M/T and now I have to get some A/Ts. I don't want to go with the trouble of taking off the wheels so I'm going to buy a wheel/tire package that best suits highway driving and some rain/snow. I'm going to go with the KO2s, but have no idea what I need in terms of wheels.

My question is, which wheels should I get in terms of size, for best highway mpg, comfort, etc. I do not know much about this at all. Should I go with the stock wheels, 17 inches? Or would it be beneficial to go UP or DOWN in size?

Also, looking to get 4.5" of backspacing, how does that translate in mm?
 
#3 ·
I just ordered new wheels with KO2s yesterday after researching options off and on for 4 years since I got my Jeep. Stock tires finally due for replacing so now's the time. I went with the KO2s as I put them on my 2500HD GM Diesel truck last summer and they're a great tire. Little louder than my old highway tires on that truck but not as bad as the stock KMs on the Rubicon. Excellent traction in the winter and good sidewall without the ridiculous weight penalty of running a MT tire. Got 285/75r16E KO2s on the truck but that carries a heavy camper and weighs about 12K lbs on a certified CAT scale when loaded. Jeep will never be above half that weight so I didn't want an "E" rated tire even though many do run those on here. Stock is C rated but options are limited there so many run D rated tires. I almost got the 34x10.5r17 KO2 but they're over $300/tire and I looked around. Local the best price I got was $360 mounted/balanced per tire so $1800 for 5 and I'd still be on stock wheels with the 6.2 backspace. Started looking into wheel/tire options with that and got north of $2500 so back to drawing board.

My wife has 33x12.5r15c Duratrac tires on 3.5" backspace wheels and the tires stick out like 3" from the fender flare, she has all sorts of headaches every year just getting an inspection sticker here in MA and the sides of her Jeep are always covered in crap. I want my tires under the fender flare, at least the tread, sidewall can stick out a little. Hence looking at the 10.5 KO2.

Other Load Range D/C options I came up with to keep the tread under the flare but were:

285/70r17D Duratracs on 17x8 wheels with 4.5" backspace
285/70r17D BFG KM2 on 17x8 wheels with 4.5" backspace
285/70r17D GY MT/R on 17x8 wheels with 4.5" backspace
285/75r16D General Grabber on 16x8 wheels with 4.5" backspace
285/75r16C Yokohama Geolander M/T on 16x8 wheels with 4.5" backspace

Note that AEV and Quadratec make a 17x8.5 wheel with 5.2" backspace that should work as well for the 17" options above though questions on rubbing depending on what lift you use. Also not as many choices for 17x8" wheels as the more common sizes are 17x8.5 or 17x9 in aftermkt. 16x8" wheels are very common and very affordable. Of the options I've listed so far only the Duratrac, Grabber and KO2 are rated for severe snow and that's important for me so ruled out the MT tires completely.

I also don't want to go above a 34" tire, 34x10.5r17 KO2 measures 33.5" and that's the tallest I'd go, most 285s actually measure 32.5-32.8" with exception of a few MTs that are 33" like the GY MT/R. I almost pulled the trigger on the Duratrac 285/70r17D tires(54 lbs) (since the General Grabber 285/75r16D are heavier at 59 lbs) on ATX AX199 Mojave II 17x8" wheels(27 lbs). This would have run me $2400 after rebates delivered to my door mounted with TPMS sensors and a combo of around 81-82lbs per corner. What held me back is I love my KO2s on the truck and my wife hates her Duratracs, even though they're severe snow rated the 12.5" width makes them sleds in the winter, there have also been reports of weak sidewalls if taken offroad. So I found myself scrolling back through the KO2 sizes one more time and came across a 33x10.5r15c size that caught my attention. It's lighter at 51lbs, load range C like my stock tires and best of all Tirerack has them for only $173!!! At first I did not think 15" was a good choice as the lower backspace required to clear brakes makes them stick out even further but a 10.5" tire is skinnier than a 285 by almost an inch so looked at wheel options. Found Tirerack has a 15x7 American Racing AR172 Baja wheel with a 3.78" backspace, contacted them to make sure it would fit a 2013 Rubicon and I was assured it would. Wheel is only $83 on sale right now and get this, only weighs 17.1 lbs. Using this tool for tire fitment http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp found out that this setup will stick out exactly the same as the 285/70r17 on 17x8 with 4.5" backspace so tread will be under fender flare still. Total weight of tire and wheel under 70lbs where stock tire and wheel for Rubicon is 73lbs so less wt stress for tailgate and mpg. Complete pkg delivered under $1700 with TPMS sensors installed. Should have this setup in a week or so and will take some pics.

Sorry for the long winded response but since you're considering the KO2 thought I'd share my research for you.

Good luck
 
#5 ·
It seems everything sticks out past the flares unless you stay with the OEM wheels.
I was planning on the BFG KO2 33/10.5R15 on Level 8 Trackers (-19) but it maps out to about 70mm of tire more outboard than stock. That's at least 1.5" past my flares.
Then I tried OEM sized (255/75R17) Duratracs on all the available wheels I could think of in the soft 8 style and I still mapped out as at least 50+mm of tire past the flares.

My OEM wheels have a huge 6.5 backspace and a 44 offset and are only 7.5" wide. Any wheel with a lower backspace and/or reduced offset is gonna stick out…. even with the stock tires. That includes AEV Savegre with their 5.2 (?) backspace. Plus so many are wider than 7.5".

I may just paint my stock wheels black first.
 
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