8 Inch Vs.10 Inch

[91YJay]

Hi All,

Got a question for the bunch.

I'm running 33 X 12.5 X15's on 15 X 8" rims on my 91 YJ. Is there a benefit or a detriment to running 10" rims as opposed to 8"?

I've been told that the tires will slip off the rim easier on a 10" at lower pressure, but that a 10" gives you a better footprint and more tire on the trail.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

[kcruisin]

A 12.5 on a 8" rim is going to give a solid footprint when you get around 20psi. At 30psi, only the center lugs are getting on the road.
If most of your miles are going to be on the street, a 10" rim is going to give you much better wear.

[Kodiak Spirit]

The 8" rims will help yer tire stay on the rim when aired down, the tires will also tend to "narrow" a bit, which also helps with keeping the front tires out of the leaf springs on yer YJ when you turn. As long as you air down enough, the 8" rims are not going to give you much less footprint than the 10" rims offroad. If you run 10" rims you might want to run yer tires out a bit with spacers or offset rims if you rub yer springs up front, or you can adjust yer steering stops and make wider turns. This is a mild effect, don't get the wrong idea. the 10" rims might have you rubbin a little, not alot. The 8" rims will also have yer tires a little taller at pressure than the 10" rims which will be lower and wider. it really is a matter of opinion, I run 8" rims myself and with 35" tires I am rubbing my leaf springs up front at lock... if I had 10" rims I would be buyin' spacers.

[RAT]

I run 35x12.50x15 tires on 8" wheels. No burping, no tire spin on the wheel at low pressure. No bead locks. Highway stability is fine at 28 PSI. If I go higher than that I get the "lug rattle". Tires wear evenly and grab the rocks like glue.

[NAILER341]

i vote 8" wheels.

[Giffer]

im happy with my 35 x 14.5 on my 15x10's

[Fish]

Since you're already on the subject, what is a good pressure to run with 33s on 8" rims? I've heard that the factory pressure is too high since Jeeps are lighter and was wondering how you figure out what psi to run.

[Kodiak Spirit]

with my MTR's I run 8-12 psi depending on the trail. The MTR's have sick sidewalls so, it's all good. I have been told that you don't want to go that low with BFG's so maybe stay above 10psi with those... what kinda tires ya got?

oh, on the road... about 26-30psi...

[Old Fart]

Since you're already on the subject, what is a good pressure to run with 33s on 8" rims? I've heard that the factory pressure is too high since Jeeps are lighter and was wondering how you figure out what psi to run.

Chalk test
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question...6105022AAOrqL8

Bear in mind that this will hive you the most EVEN wear, not necessarily the BEST wear. And with bigger tires (35" or better) will usually give you a pressure low enough to make the Jeep handle even worse than a Jeep normally does. And the number is different if you change rim size - you can generally run more pressure and get the same wear with a 10" vs a 9" rim

FWIW, I ran my 33x12.50's at about 26 psi (street/8" rims). Currently run the 37x13.50's at 28 - but I'm willing to trade a bit of wear for a little better handling - Jeep only sees the road to and from the trails, not a daily driver anymore.

[cbrazor1]

running 35x13.50x15 bfg krawlers on 10x15 rims @about 29 psi

[Jerry Bransford]

A 12.5 on a 8" rim is going to give a solid footprint when you get around 20psi. At 30psi, only the center lugs are getting on the road.
If most of your miles are going to be on the street, a 10" rim is going to give you much better wear.

Baloney (sorry to be so blunt). With proper air pressure, you'll get the same wear with 8" vs. 10" wheels for that size tire. I've had perfectly even wear with my 32x11.50, 33x12.50, and two sets of 35x12.50 tires over the past 160,000 miles since installing the 32x11.50 tires on my 15x8 wheels... all I do is run the proper air pressure in them.

And for offroading, a 15x8 wheel helps the tire remain seated at lower air pressures (when the tire is aired down for offroading) than a 15x10 wheel will. It requires less air pressure to hold a tire securely seated between two edge 8" apart than if they were 10" apart.

[Coolroad5]

Wild opinion page?:hide:
I prefer the foot print of a wider rim I get great tread wear with 33x12.5 BFG's on 15x10. I run 3.75 B/S to keep rubbing to a minimum and for the track width.you will have better retention of the bead with 8" rims But i have had little problems above 10 psi.

On the street I run 28 psi, trail 12-16 psi

[91YJay]

Great opinions, I love it.

I currently run 33X12.5's on 8" rims with stock backspacing. I run 10-11psi on the trail and 25-28psi on the road. They have given me no issues at this point.

The only reason I asked is that I like the footprint a 10" rim seems to give, and have heard from a few sources (reputable an non-reputable) that a 10" rim can make a big difference on the trail.

[Jerry Bransford]

and have heard from a few sources (reputable an non-reputable) that a 10" rim can make a big difference on the trail.

Yep but in the wrong direction. Go talk to more experienced offroaders that are a little more hard-core/experienced and you'll quickly learn that 15x8 is the more preferred wheel size for up to 35" tire sizes. Plus 10" wheels protude out of the wheelwell 2" more when compared to an 8" wheel with the same backspacing which causes more damage to the wheel itself when offroading. Stick with a 15x8 wheel.

[91YJay]

10-4

Thanks all for your thoughts and help!