Larger Rims vs Traction

I did some searches but didn'ty find what I was looking for. I am interested in anyones experience with using a larger rim say 16", 17" or 18" if they had any loss of performance in traction on the trails. What would the biggest size of rim be that I could use for a better ride on the roads without sacrificing trail ability? My plan is to use 33" tires.
Anyone with experience in this?

I did some searches but didn'ty find what I was looking for. I am interested in anyones experience with using a larger rim say 16", 17" or 18" if they had any loss of performance in traction on the trails. What would the biggest size of rim be that I could use for a better ride on the roads without sacrificing trail ability? My plan is to use 33" tires.
Anyone with experience in this?

Thanks, Hoss

I had 35s and 17” wheels. No loss in traction. I wouldn’t put 33s on anything more than 15” wheels. Not a lot of rubber between your obstacle and your rim/valve stems after you air down.



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Define "better ride", the more sidewall you have the cushion effect you have.

How much lift are you running? Generally, 33" tires require 4" of lift or a lot of fender trimming. The old school rule of thumb was rim size aprox 1/2 tire diameter: at least 32" for a 16", 34" for 17" etc.
It's a personal opinion, but 16" wheels are about as big as you can put on a XJ that look "right".

One problem going with a 16", or larger rims, is the load rating increase significantly as the rim size increases above 15"s.
You can end up with tires capable of supporting a vehicle several times heavier than your XJ.
The end result of larger rims and higher rated tires can be a harder, harsher ride, even when aired down.

Just spitballing, but I believe many of us that wheel keep 15s to leave as much meat available once aired down.
16 would be my only other preference to get into other tire sizes.
& More metal = more weight.

17" wheels have become the norm.

I run stock 16" wheels on 33's. Drives fine, wheels fine.

I run 17" wheels on 40's. Drives fine, wheels fine.

Point being, if you're buying wheels and tires, buy 17's because it doesn't make a noticable difference in driveability and that's what most good tires/sizes are made at.

^ agree. but would add if you're staying with 33 or 35s, plenty of 15 or 16" options. once you get above 35", you better have 17s to fit bigger brakes and more tire options in that range.

got my 37s in 17, just gotta find some beadlocks that don't cost more than the jeep.

We raced on 33's and 35's with 17" wheels and never had problems with flats or traction.

cal said:

We raced on 33's and 35's with 17" wheels and never had problems with flats or traction.

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curious what pressures you guys were running?

Usually around 18 up front and 16 in the rear when racing.

When heading out to the hammers for just fun, 14 and 10.

cal said:

Usually around 18 up front and 16 in the rear when racing.

When heading out to the hammers for just fun, 14 and 10.

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interesting, never thought about running different pressure for F/R. I have made a bead kiss the sidewall trying to get up and over something, but luckily didn't bite it. think I'll run a little more in front

HossHoffer said:

I did some searches but didn'ty find what I was looking for. I am interested in anyones experience with using a larger rim say 16", 17" or 18" if they had any loss of performance in traction on the trails. What would the biggest size of rim be that I could use for a better ride on the roads without sacrificing trail ability? My plan is to use 33" tires.
Anyone with experience in this?

Click to expand...

If you plan on 33's, do your self a favor and buy 16' or 17" wheels. The stock XJ braking system is marginal with 33" + tires and your brake upgrade options will be limited by a 15" wheel. A WJ knuckle conversion is a very popular and extremely rewarding swap to gain larger brakes and better steering geometry. This swap does not play well with 15" wheels, as most wheels will rub on the large dual piston calipers and the wheel lip can make contact with the TRE's.

Build thread with WJ knuckle/brake swap: https://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=913774&page=9

I've run 16" Rubi wheels for over 15yrs on 2 different XJs, which are 16" x 8" wide. I run 1.25" billet wheel spacers to the correct back spacing. You will likely be able to order aftermarket wheels with the backspacing of your liking, 4" to 3.75" BS are common and work well with the XJ wheelwell opening.

Instead of using a 33 x ? tire, I opted for P-Metric tire sizing and discovered that many more tire height/treadwidth options were available.

I've run 285/75/16s which measure out to 33 x 11.5 and am currently running 295/75/16 KO2's, which measure out at 33.3 x 11.6. They perform well on street and trail and I typically air down to 16psi in the dirt.


295/75/16 BFG KO2 on 5.5" lift WJ brakes and DOM high steer with Teraflex offset TRE's





285/75/16 Maxxis Bighorn on 5.5" lift Stock brakes and Currie steering

I've been running the stock 2013+ rubi rims and tires on my 99 and they're awesome, they are a 17 inch rim and a 255 tire which comes out to 32 inches or so and they do great.

17 inch rims are definitely a better option to me since they're easier to find tires for, but still go with a 16 or 17. I agree a lot with what XJeeper said.