now which tires? what sizes? a quick search says I'll need a 16" rim. and I was looking at a 38" or 39" tire because..

the recommended tire size for a 14 bolt was 42" so counting backwards, a 2" shave job means I can technically drop down 4" in tire height to a 38 and have the same diff clearance right?

is a 16" wheel the best choice for brake clearance and price of tire? recommended back space?

for the price I was looking at 39x13.5 16 IROKS for $393/ea or 38.5x14.5 16 creepy crawlers for $482/ea
I read that IROKS are terrible on the street. so I was leaning more toward the creepies

and krawler red labels would be the dream tire but for the price, I don't think that is a reasonable choice

 

a 14 bolt with 42's has 13.5" of ground clearance (xtreme4x4 14 bolt episode)
a 38.5" tire takes away almost 2" of ground clearance. a shave kit adds almost 2" of ground clearance
so I'll still have about 13.5" of ground clearance. which is supposedly less than my current 8.8 on 33's of 11.5" (said some guy on naxja)

 

none of those tires are great street tires. and shop around. I almost never pay what an online site advertises as their price for anything. Creepies are decent riding, but they wear quickly and you have to run them at a relatively low pressure to get an acceptable contact patch. Iroks I have heard suck in that size. Though i liked my 36's. They had pieces of rubber vulcanized to the inside to help balance them from the factory.

I had a 60 with 35s. It was fine. I Have a 14 bolt now, shaved a bit, on 38.5s, clearance is fine. Its mostly web wheelers who have smaller axles with large tires that bring up that argument. If I get hung up on a rock, most of the time i just back up a couple inches then slide it over, no big deal.

 

that's what I figured. I don't really see the problem with a huge axle except the weight. which is about $500lbs with disc brakes?? think I'll have issues running that heavy of an axle?

any comment on rim size? I'd like to keep it small right

 

16 should be right to fit over the brakes, thats what stock is on them right?

 

16.5

 

arent those tires becoming harder to find and more expensive? Why not bump up to a 17?

 

16s can be run on some 60's (chevy)

You can run 15's if you trim the calipers or swap to smaller brakes.

I'm planning on 17's once my creepy crawlers wear out because all the cool tires are becoming 17's, easier to balance, more bling.



I wouldnt touch a 16.5 if it isnt beadlocked on both sides. The bead design is meant for big trucks running lots of air pressure, not a light, aired down jeep. That and 16.5s are a dying size. Options are becoming limited.

 

would I be fine with the 16's though? I can trim a bit off the brakes if need. the I was seriously considering the 38.5x14.5 16 creepies and the 17's are 40" and over $100 more per tire

or should I just get 17x10 wheels and be able to use them with larger tires in the future?

 

I say go 17's but that's just me

 

if thats the tire you want, then it will work. But There are more options in the 17" variety and the options only continue to grow.

 

I see how it would be worth it to have a set of 17's that last through many sets of tires. but then I am immediately jumping out of the $400 tire range. what tires would you recommend?

 

What bout all the military surplus? I know I know, the Goodyears are junk,
but it is a cheap alternative is it not?

 

I plan on my next set of tires on being a maxxis creepy crawler, goodyear mt/r, pitbull rocker radial, or maybe some new, cool tire that comes out in a 40/42 in the next year or 2.

They are a dying size as in no new tires are coming out in that size. You are pretty much limited to swampers, or those garbage military tires.

Without beadlocks, you pretty much wont be able to air down and those goodyears especially are hard as a rock in the tire world.

and even with beadlocks, those goodyears are terrible.

and swampers that large hands down suck on a pavement driven rig when attatched to a 1/4 ton unibody. They never balance decent.

 

the rockers seem like an amazing tire. but they skip right over 38 and 39
for the price the 41.5x13.5 17's dont seem too bad
http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/pit...5-p-47878.html

I really like the krawlers but I heard the blue labels arent that great and it's hard to get your hands on a set of red labels
http://www.4wheelparts.com/Tires/BFG...Height_PQ=39.0

krawlers, rockers, and creepies seem to be the best tires out there. the kevlars are sweet but I'm not sure how I feel about a directional tire