I'm thinking of going to a 16" rim with 5" of backspacing. It seems like there are more tire choices in that size. I saw a 35" Duratrac for that rim but not for the 15". Any suggestions or comments?

 

You will need way less back spacing to clear 35s. More like 3.75. At 5" 32s are the limit... Unless you find 35x11..

 

Yeah 16's are becoming more popular for whatever reason and they're much more flexible when it comes to tire variation. Ditto on the backspacing too. 375 or 4 will be fine.

 

17s.

 

I've already decided that when I want larger tires, I will also be going to 16" wheels. I'd like to stick with my "narrow" 10.5 or 11, but will want a 33" tire. Very limited choices in a 15" but for 16" you have a lot available in 285/75/16 which works out to about 33x11.

 

larger wheels result in diminished acceleration and braking.. most of the time they are heavier too.

 

16" tires are more expensive, and much harder to find, in my experience.

 

BFG makes a 33x10.5x15.

for 200 bucks that aint bad

 

Yes, the BFG is one of I think two choices when it comes to 33x10.5 tires. I just would rather have my current tread (Hercules Trail Digger) in a 33x10-11ish size.

 

Hence the upgrading to a larger bore master cylinder. It will help alleviate some stress on the braking system.

 

Wheels are about he same, tires a little heavier, mostly due to more ply and heavier load rating. You will gain lower rolling resistance from a shorter sidewall though, and also better handling and with less sidewall give you should theoretically have better braking.

I got these Raceline wheels 16x8 cheaper than I could find any nice looking 15'shttp://

What I will add though is that its hard to get anything less than a ten ply when you go to 16's and up and want a mud tire