15x8 or 15x10?

im going with a 33x12.50x15 tire

ive been going thru the search and some say that an 8 inch wheel will be less likely to break a bead when aired down.

ive also read that a 10 inch wheel will cause a firmer feel when aired up.

if i do go with the 10 inch route, where do they add the 2 inch difference?Would i have to increase the 4 inch backspaceing i am already planning for?

any first hand exp.?

15x8 will be the way the go.

frsno jeeper said:

im going with a 33x12.50x15 tire

ive been going thru the search and some say that an 8 inch wheel will be less likely to break a bead when aired down.

ive also read that a 10 inch wheel will cause a firmer feel when aired up.

if i do go with the 10 inch route, where do they add the 2 inch difference?Would i have to increase the 4 inch backspaceing i am already planning for?

any first hand exp.?

Click to expand...

I have 15x10" rims on 33x12.50x15 tsl radials on my 94' Wrangler with 10" of lift. I know those tires are puny for that much lift, but that's how I bought it and now it's for sale. :dunno: And then I have 15x8" rims on my 91' xj with 35x12.50x15 mtr's on 7" of lift. I like the 8" rims better for the type of wheeling I do in the rocks her in northern California (rubicon, fordyce, etc). The 8" rims also allow the tire to be able to wrap around rocks better than a 10" rims and you don't need to deflate them as much. The 10" probably rides better as it gives a large foot print to the tire when aired up and gives a bit more stability. Most 4x4 guys go with a 8" rim and the proper backspacing, but it really depends on what you use them mostly for street or trail & whether you will ever go wider than a 12.50" tire. 10" rims can go with a 14.50" wide tire & the 8" are pretty much maxed out at a 12.50" tire. There really is no reason to gith a tire wider than a 12.50 & 35" tall for any kind of wheeling in my opinion, especially on an xj.
Troy

I prefer 8-inch wheels personally. I ran 38.5x14.50 SX on 8-inch rims with no problems at all. Although, previously, I ran a 33x12.50 tire on a 10-inch rim and never had problems there, either.
dion

I run the 10" and would buy the 8" if I had it to do over again..........

frsno jeeper said:

if i do go with the 10 inch route, where do they add the 2 inch difference?Would i have to increase the 4 inch backspaceing i am already planning for? any first hand exp.?

Click to expand...

To answer your question ...

Each wheel manufacturer generally specifies the offset or backspace ... therefore, they ultimately determine where the 2" is added. Some may follow the other in terms of offering standard offsets or backspacing ... the bottom line is where do you want the tire in the tub ? You can get custom offset wheels ...

To begin, mount a stock wheel and start measuring the tub, and the relative position to the spring. This will provide the baseline to specify either a standard or custom offset wheel. When determining the stock offset ... I prefer measuring backspace (BS). This is achieved by measuring the back of the wheel hub to the outside edge of the wheel. Of course this doesn't take articulation or turning radius into consideration ... that will also need to be a factor in determining BS.

One minor problem when comparing your wheel measurements to a manufacturers' measurements, is making sure you compare apples to apples. For example: An 8" wheel actually measures 9" from the outer outside dimensions. I have seen through the years that wheel width, offset and BS measurements can vary by manufacturer. Keep this in mind when specifying BS and comparing wheel dimensions.

This can get confusing when you want to achieve the perfect fit.

The nice thing about this forum ... there are guys here that can ease your pain ... mostly because it's already been done.

Good luck.


EDIT: I forgot ... Stockton Wheel has a guide that may be helpful ... http://www.stocktonwheel.com/orderform.htm

if u are not planning on buying beadlocks then i would run 8 inch. i run them with 35's at like 8psi sometimes. but soon i will buy beadlocks and run 10 inch wide rims!!

stoney

go with the 8" ive heard its less chance of breakin a bead......i have them and no prob

if you are not running beadlocks go 15x8. if you are running beadlocks run 15x8. 15x8 is the way to go no matter what

I agree...15x8's are where its at. I run 33-12.5 XT's and I can air down as low as 14psi with no problems...give em a shot...

mike

12monkeys said:

I agree...15x8's are where its at. I run 33-12.5 XT's and I can air down as low as 14psi with no problems...give em a shot...

mike

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I go to single digit with my 10" (8-9 in the front, 6-7 in the rear). I bet you can go lower than me.

wow...thats low...let me rephrase... I haven't needed to go lower than 14psi yet :yap: but maybe thats because I havent been on any trails harder than 3.5... :banghead: Although I must say, I would really like to challenge myself on a 4 maybe? just dont really have the cash to fix any broken parts at the moment!!! But anyone intersted in taking me out sometime and showing me a thing or too...I AM ALL FOR IT!!!

mike

i have only been airing down to 18 right now in my XTs. next time i got out im thinkin about 12 psi. sounds about right. would give me a chance to maybe hit the pergatory here at the badlands.

I ran 10" with 32 11.50 bfg at's with 12 pounds or less consistanly with no probems. Now I know thats pushing it, but I got lucky and got away with it. I now run 35 12.50 mtrs on the same wheels sometimes in single digits.

frsno jeeper said:

im going with a 33x12.50x15 tire

ive been going thru the search and some say that an 8 inch wheel will be less likely to break a bead when aired down.

ive also read that a 10 inch wheel will cause a firmer feel when aired up.

if i do go with the 10 inch route, where do they add the 2 inch difference?Would i have to increase the 4 inch backspaceing i am already planning for?

any first hand exp.?

Click to expand...

10" rims are for people who don't know any better. Case is point is how many in this thread have stated they run 10" rims but recommended 8" rims.

The extra width on a 10" rim is all on the outside. Backspacing is the distance from the edge of the inside of the rim to the wheel mounting surface. A 4" backspacing is still 4" whether the rim is 8" wide or 10" wide.....so the extra 2" is all on the outside.

No takers on showing an ammy a thing or two?

Im runnning 36X13.5-16 on an 8" wheel