Tire width question

[1995zj]

So I just picked up my new 17x8.5" beadlocks. My question is regarding what tires to run...if I purchase new tires I was looking into the IROK Bias Ply 37x14x17 but my concern is the width. Is 14" too wide for an 8.5" beadlock? Personally I would think it should be fine and if anything, the extra width would just help out with not losing the inner bead....am I right? Or should I stick to 12.50's?

 

[offroadlogan]

you are correct

 

[kake]

Tire width

I asked a similar question last week about 12.50" wide tires on 8" rims. Everybody agreed that was fine. My concern as yours, was when is wide too wide? From what I read on other sites was that when you get too wide it may bow the tread outward causing it to wear quickly in the middle. Less contact with the road/rock means less traction. I think opinions differ from tire salesman to an avid rock crawler. My instinct says that would be a stretch. Guess I am a tire salesman.

I scored 5 BNIB allied monster beadlocks (forged ones) for $1250 shipped!

 

[1995zj]

Yeah, I've been fine running 12.50" on 8" rims before so I wasn't too concered there...just the 14" wide is what made me start to wonder. My ZJ hardly see's any pavement, so I'm not too concerned about the middle wearing out faster, and when running them at ~6psi, I'm sure the contact patch will be equal.

 

[BroncoMama]

May I ask why you're going with Irok's over a TSL?

 

[1995zj]

Because TSL's skip my 37" tire size

 

[notajeep]

You know you want some 38's..... :greg:

 

[BlackSheep]

I asked a similar question last week about 12.50" wide tires on 8" rims. Everybody agreed that was fine. My concern as yours, was when is wide too wide? From what I read on other sites was that when you get too wide it may bow the tread outward causing it to wear quickly in the middle. Less contact with the road/rock means less traction. I think opinions differ from tire salesman to an avid rock crawler. My instinct says that would be a stretch. Guess I am a tire salesman.

I scored 5 BNIB allied monster beadlocks (forged ones) for $1250 shipped!

If you use a wheel width that is too narrow for the tire, you will indeed reduce the efficiency of your footprint - at any pressure (rock or road). Will it work? yes. Will you really see a difference? It really depends on your skill level and knowledge of technical rock crawling as well as the number of miles you drive on road and off road.

I ran 33x12.50R15 BFG mud terrains for several years on 10" wide rims (because it is the recommended width). MANY people told me that 8" is better - less concern of losing a bead etc. I never lost a bead and I ran as low as 6psi, but mostly in the 8-12psi range. I'm not the most hardcore, but I ran just about everything that a full bodied TJ can run.

There is a reason the manufacturer recommends a specific tire width - because the tire was designed for that width. Do what you want, personally, I generally stay with the mfgr's recommendation.

 

[1995zj]

So I guess since I didn't get very many replies, the general consensus is that 14" wide tires on 8.5" wide wheels would be a bad idea?

 

[kake]

Too wide?

So I guess since I didn't get very many replies, the general consensus is that 14" wide tires on 8.5" wide wheels would be a bad idea?

For an offroad application, probably fine. You will have to mount them and be the judge. The beadlock side will be fine. An afterthough that I had was, the futher you go out with tire over the rim, it may create a bad seal on the non-beadlock side. Ideally the bead of the tire would be parrallel to the rim lip for the best seal. If you go too wide it might pull the bead outward and not allow for a proper seal. Food for thought. I figured somebody would reply by now and say they were running this same set up and it was fine....the silence makes me wonder?

 

[Caleb]

I'd run it and not even think twice about it. Infact, even if I was buying brand new rims for a 14" tire, I would still buy an 8" rim.

 

[Greg]

So I guess since I didn't get very many replies, the general consensus is that 14" wide tires on 8.5" wide wheels would be a bad idea?

I ran 14.5's on 8" wide wheels for awhile, the tires had a slight crown but I didn't notice any problems. I don't think I would have lost a bead very easy, that's for sure!

 

[1995zj]

Alright well I'm glad to see someone running a similar setup without issues.

What I'm thinking about doing is the IROK Bias Ply's in the 36x13.50x17 since the 36" tires actually measure 36.8", which is the same size as their 37" tires just .5" narrower which should help out a bit.

 

[Caleb]

Oh, and I ran the 39.5x13.5x17 Iroks on 8" beadlocks...I had zero issues with that setup.

 

[1993yj]

For an offroad application, probably fine. You will have to mount them and be the judge. The beadlock side will be fine. An afterthough that I had was, the futher you go out with tire over the rim, it may create a bad seal on the non-beadlock side. Ideally the bead of the tire would be parrallel to the rim lip for the best seal. If you go too wide it might pull the bead outward and not allow for a proper seal. Food for thought. I figured somebody would reply by now and say they were running this same set up and it was fine....the silence makes me wonder?

Maybe I don't understand tires, but I would think that the non-beadlock side would actually hold better because the sidewall would be pulling the bead against the rim so tight that it would be harder to blow a bead.

 

[kake]

Blow a bead?

Maybe I don't understand tires, but I would think that the non-beadlock side would actually hold better because the sidewall would be pulling the bead against the rim so tight that it would be harder to blow a bead.

Where in that statement did I say it would blow a bead? My statement was based off of research on other sites. Look, I can almost gaurantee that if you contact the tire manufacturer they will not recommend it. Why? They pay engineers oodles of money to test and research this. For his purposes it will probably be fine as long as he is not running cheap aluminum wheels or running them at high pressures which I am sure he is not. I am by no means trying to talk him out of it. I was just expressing all of the concerns I had when faced with a similar situation.

 

[BlackSheep]

They pay engineers oodles of money

it's all relative.....