LINEOFDEFENSE

Getting ready to put on new OME Lift, and need new rims/tires on 03 WJ JGC Overland. Already decided on the BFG AT KO's, just not sure what size I should buy. If spacers will make the tires sitout a few inches (w/out significantly increasing chance of something breaking/or deathwobble), I can get less wide tires. Make sense?

Any help would be appreciated, as I want to get these spacers and tires ordered asap. Also, I read and read on here, but still don't understand the whole backspacing thing. I assume that to increase backspacing would decrease the distance my tire will stickout from the wheel well/fender? If that is wrong, then this must really sound foolish.... Is backspacing increased to help decrease rubbing when turning full lock? Was thinking of going down to 16" rims so I can achieve the widest tire with less rubbing issues; and saw some posts (for Crager softs) referring to that..but was unsure.

Anyway, we don't really have an "offroad custom shop" where I live....unless someone else knows of a place near Lafayette, IN. So, any help given would be greatly appreciated. Please post pics and recommend spacers mfgs where possible.

dave1123

Do not trust me on this, because I'm not an authority, but it is my understanding that less backspacing increases the amount the tire sticks out of the fender. 4WD and front wheel drive vehicles use a lot of backspacing to put the load of the vehicle over the bearing, which is a good distance from the bolt flange. Back spacing is the distance from the back edge of the rim to the bolt surface. In other words, if you have an 8" rim and the backspacing is 4", that is a "neutral" rim basically designed for 2WD vehicles.

IMO, do not use wheel spacers. These tend to cause more problems than they are worth, like loose wheels and broken bolts. Buy wheels with the backspacing that you need.

Also, IMO, the farther you more the tires out, the chances are that tire imbalance or a tiny bit of loosness in the bearings will cause "Death Wobble"

jeepheep1

I have my first recommendation that I would not get those BFG AT. My personal experience is they suck. Look around at other AT tires first.
Wheel spacers put more load on the bearing but I do believe there is a comfort zone depending on how big of a spacer you plan on getting? And you said you could get less wide tires, please explain what you meant.
Why would you go down to a 16" rim? The rim dimensions do not change the tire dimensions. A 33x12.50R16 is not going to get taller or wider if you have an 18" rim.

dave1123

They will if you use metric sizes. Then the profile will change, like between a 60 or 70 or 75. Any tire company will tell you the rolling diameter of their tires. For instance, a 265/70R/16 is 29.5" tall.