How to Choose the Best Tires & Wheels for Your 4-Wheel Drive VehicleOct 21 '07 (Updated Oct 11 '09) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Be practical and true to yourself when choosing tires and wheels. Don't just slap on big tires and wheels for the wrong reasons.
Recently, I embarked on a vehicular odyssey. Well, I'm restoring a 1984 Jeep CJ7. Without mentioning the names of particular manufacturers, I'll try to shed some light on buying wheels and tires for your 4x4. I hope this review helps you make better-informed buying choices. One of the many decisions I've had to make was about my tires and wheels. What size rims should I go with? What manufacturer? What size tires should I run? Should I buy an AT (All-Terrain) or MT (Mud Terrain)? What company is the best or most popular? What the heck is siping? Let's talk about the wheels first. Wheels: You need to ask yourself if the rims you have now are going to stay or if upgrading to a larger size or better look is in your cards. Obviously, cost is probably your first thought. Well, new wheels can run as low as (about) $45 per rim (in steel) all the way up to hundreds of dollars per rim. I'm sure there are some that can reach price tags in the thousands. But for the four-wheel drivers out there, it's really all about two things: Either it's "Look what I got" or "I like the messed-up look." Thank the 4-Wheel Drive gods for making the chrome look die a slow death. Many guys are running all-black rims or a combination of black and aluminum alloy. In my case, my CJ7 came stock with 15" white steel wheels. White steel wheels? How 1980s. In today's truck scene, tires and wheels are getting bigger and bigger. So the wheel and tire manufacturers have responded by making their products bigger and bigger. I wanted to upgrade to a 16" rim but was talked out of it. I should have listened to myself. Little did I know that there are far more options with tire sizes had I gone to a 16" wheel (or larger for you full size truckers). The next deciding factor (after price) should be: what will you really do with your vehicle? Is your 4x4 going to be doing mostly on street or mostly off road? Most of us will do some combination of the two. In my case, it's about 75% on pavement. While my vehicle will not be a daily driver, I still wanted a certain look. If you're the type of person who needs to be flashy yet never see any dirt (other than when you park on your front lawn or when you navigate your dirt driveway) then go with a flashy wheel. But if you're the type who likes to drive through (or get stuck in) mud pits, rock crawling or trail riding, then go with a more substantial less-flashy rim. Reason is simple. If you use the vehicle for off-roading, the wheels will get dirty and or banged up. It's far less painful to scrape up a $60 rim than a $300 rim. They make several steel wheels that are all-black with bolt heads around the edges that give off the rugged (simulated) beadlock look. Beadlocks: What are beadlocks, you ask? They were designed for strictly off-road use for one main reason. So that the tire won't come off the rim when you run a lower air pressure. When you drive off-road, it's best to deflate your tires down to about +/- 10 pounds PSI. Why? Two reasons: When your tires are full of air, they're very rigid and more likely to sustain sidewall damage from rocks, branches and trail stuff. And so you can achieve better traction in mud or sand. That's why you might see air compressors or air tanks in 4x4 trucks - so they can re-inflate their tires for the ride home on pavement. Or to inflate the tires of fellow drivers whose tires pop off of normal wheels. When aired down on regular rims, your tires will almost certainly find their way off the rims in most scenarios unless the driver is more skilled or unless there's enough air in the tire to keep it on. Beadlock rims actually sandwich the bead (inner rim) of the tire between the wheel and the outer beadlock ring. They are locked into place with grade 8 bolts that need to be torqued to a certain pressure. This should be checked and tightened regularly. This is a much safer application for two reasons. While on the highway, if you should have a blowout or a flat, the tire is locked onto the rim and will not fly off. This saves your rims from almost certain disaster. The other reason is the fact that while off roading, your aired-down tires will not come off the rim. Here in California, beadlocks are not illegal. In other states like Colorado, they are, indeed, illegal. So check your local laws before you spend the money on these types of rims. I called the California Highway Patrol and spoke with a sergeant who laughed because he runs beadlocks on his 4x4 truck. He told me that beadlocks are not illegal but they have not been approved by the DOT (Dept. of Transportation) yet. I hope they do get approved soon because they are much safer. I had my beadlock rings powder coated copper to match the color of my vehicle. It really gives it a custom look. Tires: Please check your ego at the door when buying tires. Again, ask yourself what will your vehicle really be doing. Be honest. Will it ever see the trails or the mud? If not, you do NOT need huge mud terrain tires. Don't install these massive pieces of rubber on your rig because you think it looks cool. The reasons are quite simple. As you increase the size of your tires, the gears in your differentials take on a new meaning. They will invariably become under-powered for the size of the tires. Your gears will have to be changed out for the proper gear ratio and that can cost some big dollars in some cases. The trade off is more torque versus better gas mileage. Any 4x4 shop can determine the best gear ratio for you. You might also have to lower your transfer case and transmission so that your driveshaft will be at the proper angle. You might also have to alter the angle of the axle and so on. So you see, lifting the vehicle and adding huge tires will cost you so much more money. If you go off-roading all the time and really need the clearance and the torque, I say go for it. Otherwise, be practical and buy the right size wheels and tires for your vehicle and suspension lift kit. Keep in mind this general rule of thumb: The closer together the tire's lugs are, the better they do on road and the worse they do off road. On the other hand, the further part the lugs are, the better they do in the mud because they are "self cleaning" and the worse they do on pavement. This means they can get rid of the mud in the lugs as the tire rotates. Not to mention that they are much louder on pavement. Of course, it's not unheard of to have different sets of tires for various driving conditions. Basically, there are four types of tires for 4x4 vehicles: All Terrains: As you'd expect, these are what most people go with. They have a tighter lug pattern and are great on pavement but lack in muddy adventures. The lugs are so close together, that they fill up with mud too quickly. Imagine what a bald tire would do in the mud because this is exactly what the tires become in essence. If you do mostly street driving, this is the tire for you. Mud Terrains: These are designed for the mud but some models offer really great behavior on pavement too. Be careful to look for siping on the lugs. Siping is the little lines cut into each individual lug that help the lugs grip wet pavement. Not to be confused with the actual grooves between the lugs. One popular brand of mud tire has ZERO siping in their lugs and they would be very slippery in the rain. Some of these MT tires are designed for rock crawling. Specialized: Crawlers, Swampers, Boggers and Sand: These tires are really made for mudding or rock crawling. They're horrid on the pavement because their lug patterns are so far apart. Great for getting you out of the mud and over rocks - terrible with gas mileage. Not to mention they're VERY loud on the highway. The large outer lugs and the wind at high speeds create the loud hum. If your vehicle likes to play in the desert dunes, run a tire made for better traction in the sand. Hybrids: These tires are great if you (for instance) want a more aggressive tire than an AT but not quite as rugged as an MT. It's a happy medium. Different tire companies make different levels of hybrids to suit a wide variety of driving needs. Tire Sizes: If you have 16" rims install 16" tires. NEVER install a different size wheel and tire combination. You're just asking for trouble. Also, if you contact your local tire shop or 4x4 store, they will be able to tell you what your tire and wheel size limits are - with and without suspension lifts. If you need a 31" tire, don;t just look at a tire that's 31x10.50 R15 - look at the "LT" tires as well. For instance, if there's a 32" tire you want, you may also find an LT275 tire that's actually a 32" size. A 33x12.50 match would be an LT305 and so on. When in doubt, check the manufacturer's website for fitment charts. The next thing to consider would be the tire's configuration. Is it a 2-ply or 3-ply sidewall? Is it a soft or hard tire? Remember that you'll need a harder tire for off-roading but on the road, it might add a bit of stiffness to your ride. Finally, soft durometer tires wear faster. Remember the bigger the tire and wheel the heavier they are. The heavier they are the faster your brakes have to work and in turn the faster you'll go through brake pads. Not to mention the amount of gas you waste generating enough power to move larger wheels and tires. Also, consider rotating your off-road tires much more often. I rotate mine every 5,000 miles. As far as getting a spare, if you have disposable income, buy a new same-sized spare tire and matching rim. If you don't have disposable income, buy a used rim in the same size but any kind - it'll probably be covered or out of sight anyway. I'd also buy a good used tire in the same size. However, if you plan on rotating the fifth tire & wheel into your regular rotation, then go with a matching rim and tire. NOTES about wheel spacers and body lifts: I'm not a big fan of wheel spacers. In fact many tire places and four wheel places will refuse to install them for liability reasons. Spacers are used when your tire size is okay but the tires rub on things like the steering or wheel wells and you need more clearance. It's a band aid. Do it the right way. I'm also not a big fan of body lifts higher than 1". When you start lifting the body two things can occur. You run the risk of body sheer in a major accident. The other reason is, once you lift the body, many other things need to be extended to compensate for the lift and that can get expensive too. Have fun out there and tread lightly. Meaning, respect the environment when off-roading. Join a local Jeep club and find out where to go for trail trips on privately owned 4x4 parks or state-owned parks. In either case, don't just go tear up the terrain without knowing if it's okay to do so. * * Jeep Owners: Please visit www.JeepRiver.com * * Other Jeep-Related Product Reviews: 1984 Jeep CJ7 2007 Jeep Liberty 3" Nerf Bars / Step Rails Bestop Seat Glider Bestop Hard Door Jackets Bestop Soft Top Bestop Bikini Top Bestop Rollbar Cover Bestop Window Storage Bag Bestop Snap Repair Kit Jeep Weatherstrip Kit Ultimate Grab Handles Grab Handles for Jeep Winch Roller Fairlead  |
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