New Wheels. New Tires. Process.
 

I'm getting a 2012 Sahara.
I want to change the wheels and tires.
I've picked the Ultra Drifter 16" wheels.
Tire size 285/75/R16.
Goodyear Duratracs or Silent Armor.
I have no plans of serious rock crawling.
Lots of DD, light trails and hopefully the beach at some point.

Is this as simple as remove old, put on new. Or is there more to it? If so please tell me what the process is. I want to know exactly what has to be done before I start.

Also, I will be doing the Teraflex Leveling kit, should this be done before the new wheels/tires or can it wait till after?

Thanks! :thumb:

Whooo, Ang, you've really got the accessory bug bad!

Tire size is equivalent to 33 x 11.5 (actually 32.83 height and 11.22 width. I'm still a newb so the pros will have to confirm, but I think that'll just barely fit on the Wrangler. My guess is that it'd be nice - but not necessary - to put on the Teraflex first.

You probably need to have the wheels off to do the leveling kit, so it'd make sense to do both at once.

Process for the wheels/tires is as simple as it sounds - off with the old, on with the new, then try to recoup some value from those you've just removed.

Here's a pic of a 2-door with them. He says 4" back space - not sure how that compares with the Drifter - and no lift.
285-75R16 photos

Seriously bad and need advice here!

i have the Duratracs in this size on my TJ & LOVE them! Check my profile for pics.

What is the backspacing of the Drifter wheels?

I'm guessing that someone who can handle a wrench well can handle math well too. Here's the math on tire sizes. For a 285/75/R16:

The tire width is the first part. It's not tread width, it's the widest part of the tire when it's mounted on a wheel. Is it measured in millimeters.
Divide by 25.4to get it to inches. 285/25.4= 11.22 inches wide

The second number is sidewall height as a percentage of the width. It's often called aspect ratio.
In this case, the sidewall is 75% of the width. 11.22 * .75 = 8.41"

The third number is the diameter of the wheel (rim) in inches.
In this case, 16"

So to calculate the diameter of a tire:
(sidewall X 2) + wheel = 8.41 * 2 + 16 = 32.8

If you picked a tire with the same width and same profile for an 18" wheel, (285/75/R18) your tire would be two inches taller.

The Sahara comes with 255/70-18 tires. That's about 10" wide and 32" tall.
If you want to keep the 18" wheel, you would need either:
a tire narrower than 285 if you want the 75 profile, or
an aspect ratio lower than 75 if you want the 285mm width

Tire selection is a little about picking the right height and width, and a little about picking a size that has lots of good selectin options. The guys in this part of the forum should be able to give you some solid suggestions about tire size.

Should be as simple as take the old off and new on. Depending on the back spacing of the wheel, a 33" tire SHOULD fit a stock JK.

Here are a couple more things to consider:

PRICE: the smaller the rim size, typically, the cheaper the tire/wheel. I paid $205 for each of my Duratracs. If had bought 33x12.5x15 tires, just a little bit bigger on a smaller wheel, the price of each tire would have only been $175. Would have saved $150.

WEIGHT: the bigger the tire, the bigger the wheel, the more it is going to weigh. If you are using this as a DD and get a flat tire, are you going to be able to change this on your own? My tires weigh about 60 pounds each (I have them on steel Cragar 342s). I can change the tires with no problem. My wife would not be able to get our full size spare off the bumper & get it on the Jeep without assistance.

Here's a good link to a discussion on tire size, with recommendation if you want to keep the Sahara wheels.
https://www.wranglerforum.com/f27/sto...ra-101381.html

Note above is accurate about the relationship between wheel size and price. Note however that 15" wheels won't fit on your JK as they won't clear the brakes.

Decided I like the look of a bigger tire on stock 18" Sahara wheels. Going with the Goodyear Duratrac after lots of reading. It's actually cheaper to just get the tires over getting wheels and tires. Plus, it saves me the hassle of having to sell them. Thanks for the info, I'll post pics when she gets her new tires.

I love my Duratracs. They've been great in all conditions and they are SO QUIET!!!

They're so highly rated that they're rated for emergency vehicle use in all climates. I'm sure you're gonna love them as your DD tires.

Will MB72s fit on a JKU ? I thought those would fit??? Aren't they 15 inch or am I mistaken?

Any idea ? I hate bumping just to bump, but I am also confused, I was ready to order.

Some 15" wheels WILL fit on the JK. And I do believe the MB72s are one of them. There is a member on here with a silver JK that has them but I can't remember his name. They for because they don't have a seam from where they were put together so they don't hit the caliper...I think.

Contact ESP123 on here. He has 15x8 MB72 wheels on 33x12.50x15 duratracs I believe.