Alloy or steel wheels

idpagal

New member
Hi guys,

My husband and I are toying the idea of changing to 37 inch tires for more challenging trails. We are currently running BFG KO2 285/75/R17 (34 inches) on stock wheels.

A couple of questions:
1) Alloy wheel or steel wheel, which one is more practical if we want to explore those Jeep Badge of Honor trails (we did 3 already)?
2) Your recommendation on each type of wheel?
3) What are the major considerations if we want to change stock R17 wheels to R16 wheels?
4) Is bead lock really needed? Recommendation on beak lock wheels?

Thanks a lot!
 

I'll throw in my two cents about the rims and tires from a 10,000' view. I've wheeled Moab for the last 30 years - and on a budget. So that's what shapes my opinion mostly and my decisions to buy what I do. Or did, really, because I'm on the beach now and have made a drastic switch.

But for your question. I'd tackle the rim size first. You asked about downsizing rims from stock 17 to a 16. That's easy! You may not have a choice. Whit larger brakes than we've ever had before Jeep has forced us into running larger rims. But that's a good thing. Look, I'm a huge fan of running 38s on a 15" rim because it's badass having that massive sidewall but bigger brakes are the better trade. The point here is MEASURE - you'll see what you can get away with. But if you're dropping down to a 16 then look into a 16.5 - that's a popular size because of the military humvee. So there are tons of 16.5s out there you could get nowadays.

As far as aluminum or steelies go, there are two schools people generally belong to - aluminum is lighter and therefore has less unsprung weight or steelies are cheaper and you don't have to cry when you bash 'em up. Personally, I know from experience that when you dent in a steelie on the trail you do have a chance of knocking that dent back out with a BFH and reseating the tire. So I ran them for decades. Cheap $80 steelies are hard to beat for a trail rig. As far as beadlocks go, they are worth every penny but not for what you guys are doing. Spend your money elsewhere like. onboard air or an ARB fridge. You'll be airing down to about 18lbs or so - frequently. But you shouldn't be going down lower than that on those trails.

I think tires could be argued until the end of time - and nobody is right or wrong. Most tires are good and bad in some way. I do know that I've seen Cooper STTs Grip on the hot rocks of Moab while my Goodyears were barking and sliding all over the place. And tires marked MT are not mud terrains - they're mall terrains, maybe. Fact is you can write anything on the side of a tire you want but it doesn't make it a reality. Bottom line is this - if you rock crawl look for soft compounds - if you want to play in mud get ag tires - if you want a good all-around tire that does everything your in for a rude awakening. Just get a great aggressive offroad tire like the Maxxis Razr MT and know going in that you have to be smart when it comes to driving offroad. The gas pedal works in more positions that just wide-ass-open. In fact, it works better when you use it gently.

Another thing to consider with 37s is uptravel. You don't want those beautiful new 37s eating your fenders. And they will unless you limit their travel with bump stops.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Hi guys,

My husband and I are toying the idea of changing to 37 inch tires for more challenging trails. We are currently running BFG KO2 285/75/R17 (34 inches) on stock wheels.

A couple of questions:
1) Alloy wheel or steel wheel, which one is more practical if we want to explore those Jeep Badge of Honor trails (we did 3 already)?
2) Your recommendation on each type of wheel?
3) What are the major considerations if we want to change stock R17 wheels to R16 wheels?
4) Is bead lock really needed? Recommendation on beak lock wheels?

Thanks a lot!

Without question, I would stick with aluminum wheels. If cost is an issue, you can easily run 285's on your factory wheels but I would recommend that you install wheel spacers. If you do get new wheels, stick with 17's if only because they are a common size and you'll have more tire options available to you and typically, at a better price. As mentioned, you may not even be able to go smaller especially with aluminum wheels as the brakes are bigger on the JL. Beadlocks are nice to have but far from necessary.
 

idpagal

New member
Without question, I would stick with aluminum wheels. If cost is an issue, you can easily run 285's on your factory wheels but I would recommend that you install wheel spacers. If you do get new wheels, stick with 17's if only because they are a common size and you'll have more tire options available to you and typically, at a better price. As mentioned, you may not even be able to go smaller especially with aluminum wheels as the brakes are bigger on the JL. Beadlocks are nice to have but far from necessary.

We did install 1.5 inch wheel spacers when switched to 285's on our factory wheels. So far so good. :yup:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on wheel size and beadlocks. We didn't consider the size of brakes on the JL until you mentioned.
 

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