old school 15" vs. 17"+ wheels...

[lowcountry]

New to the site. Just got back from New Mexico with my "new" 83 CJ7 . Specs are AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l I6, 4sp. Totally rust free and all original. 1st jeep so I'm trying to learn all that I can.

First order of business is to totally re-build the 35 year old suspension. I thought I would break it up into two parts. First the steering components (upgrading to power) tie rods, front suspension components. Then want to look into a lift kit with new wheels/tires. Which brings me to my first question:

I know CJs came with 15x8" steel wheels. I see a lot of people still preferring to stick with 15" wheels as opposed to the newer sizes available in 16,17, 18".

Is there a reason for this besides the nostalgia factor? I was thinking about 17 x 8 al. wheels with 305 tires, which would be equivalent to 33s (I believe).

Mucho Gracias.

 

[BusaDave9]

I know CJs came with 15x8" steel wheels. I see a lot of people still preferring to stick with 15" wheels as opposed to the newer sizes available in 16,17, 18".

Is there a reason for this besides the nostalgia factor? I was thinking about 17 x 8 al. wheels with 305 tires, which would be equivalent to 33s (I believe).

Mucho Gracias.

Those big wheels are better for the street. With 18" wheels and lower tires you can really grip the tarmac as you speed around the corner. That is if you are in a sports car.

There's a saying: If you are interested in off-roading, you'll want more steel than you have rubber. So if you have 18" wheels you better have 36 inch tires if you are more interested in off roading than street. (18 inches of steel wheels and another 18 inches of rubber)

When you have less rubber the tires don't flex as much. THat's great for the street. Off road you want more rubber because that flex is good. It gives you traction. You can improve the traction even more by airing down. If your tires are low already you'll end up damaging those big rims if you air down too much.

I say keep the 15 inch rims. A jeep CJ will never corner like a sports car even with the low profile tires.

15 inch wheels with 33 inch tires is a great combination for a CJ. Great on road and off.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

https://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f19/old-school-15-vs-17-wheels-30480/

LG

 

[Kane]

The larger rims do not look right to me on a classic CJ so I stayed with 15's, plus it gives the illusion of the 33's looking bigger with more sidewall. A 33 on a 17" rim looks like a regular old tire to me.

 

[gert]

i went with 17s since i am running close to 35 inch tires

 

[shum8]

Is there a reason for this besides the nostalgia factor? I was thinking about 17 x 8 al. wheels with 305 tires, which would be equivalent to 33s (I believe).

Mucho Gracias.

I stayed with 15’s for a couple reasons...... first, that’s what was on it when I got it, and they’re old aluminum slots. And I agree with Kane - A CJ just looks right to me with 15’s. It also seems to me that tired for 15” wheels are a bit cheaper. Lastly they haven’t made wheels like mine for years, and one of my character flaws likes that!!

 

[jp360cj]

my "new" 83 CJ7 . ..

I know CJs came with 15x8" steel wheels...

Is there a reason for this besides the nostalgia factor? I was thinking about 17 x 8 al. wheels with 305 tires, which would be equivalent to 33s (I believe).

Mucho Gracias.

Just as an FYI in case you want something more like original...I believe the WT (82+) CJs came wiith 15x7s instead of 15x8s.

Also, if you go with metric size tires, a 305 tire is just the width (12"), so make sure you look at the whole size, or better yet, the specs. Other wise you could end up with 31s, 35s, or somewhere in between.

As far as the wheel size, I prefer 15s up to about a 35. I'm running stock 15x8s on 35x12.50s and they do very well. If I went to 37s, I'd probably look at 17s, mainly for fitting better brakes.

 

[gert]

old school 15" vs. 17"+ wheels...

I stayed with 15’s for a couple reasons...... first, that’s what was on it when I got it, and they’re old aluminum slots. And I agree with Kane - A CJ just looks right to me with 15’s. It also seems to me that tired for 15” wheels are a bit cheaper. Lastly they haven’t made wheels like mine for years, and one of my character flaws likes that!!

These different?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/usm-u10115808540/


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[shum8]

Well, never mind. Shows you what I know..... ok, smarty pants - The Keystone Turbine set I have hasn’t been made years........ Has it?? LOL


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[Kane]

Re: old school 15" vs. 17"+ wheels...

These different?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/usm-u10115808540/


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Who knew they still sell these. Hmm