This is the MAJOR problem that is going on in the Industry right now. People that are familiar with the TJ cant seem to think outside of the "TJ" box. Yes, Mr. Blaine, the backspacing is WAY different, and with a resume like the one you posted, I cant understand why you didnt know that.
For some reason, the time I spent up at the Springs during the JK short lead media launch was poorly spent as it didn't really register that there was more than 5 1/2 inches of backspacing on all those 17" rims we were cleaning and polishing.
I'll make it a point to run around the corner to my neighbor's house and check his.
As for avoiding a 16 or 17" tire, well that, once again is old school thinking. Mr. Blaine, its unfourtunate that you dont like 16 or 17" wheels, but they are what is moving forward in the industry, as with the New JK. Everything progresses, and just because YOU choose not to, others are embracing change, not fighting it.
I own a TJ with 17" rims, I own 2 more with 16" rims, my tow rig has 17's and the last 3 tow rigs I've owned all had 17's. So, I'm hardly old school and never said I didn't like them. I am a bit budget minded in my recommendations to others on something like tires though and paying a 100 bucks more per tire when it comes time to replace them conventionally is not something most are familiar with.
Trust me, it would be a bunch easier on me designing brake kits if everyone had 16" or bigger rims.
I opted to sell my wife's MT/R's to a buddy to help him get his rig on the trail after we converted it to 16" rims to clear the WJ brakes we installed on the HP 9" front axle. He had 3 and about that time, they went on nationwide backorder. My wife's rig sees more street time, so I put A/T's on it and the 16" MT/R's on his.
I think that if you were going to make the suggestion to use WJ front bearings, then you should have completed your thought and also mentioned re-drilling the rear.
Joe
Absolute Offroad
Fair enough, my apologies for failing to mention what I thought was obvious.
My final thoughts on 16 and 17" rims is that I wish they could get the performance of the tires for them up higher offroad or at least offer something in less than the mostly offered Load Range E which is ridiculous for most Jeeps. It's to the point where 35's are about the norm and 17-35's just don't work as well as a 15-35 does in most tire brands and styles. We even see a significant reduction in performance between a 16" MT/R and a 15 in 35" sizes.