16s or 17s

[rz03LTZ]

Which is better for off road?

Does the extra inch of rubber make a difference on a tire with a 16 rim but the same overall diameter?

[dvanbramer88]

Most would say go for the 16. Especially if you will be airing down.

And with all the chevy and ford trucks that use 16 inch rims, finding a tire in an emergency will be easier with 16 inch rims.

[DirtyBacon04]

[Diacom]

I don't agree....

Reason being is once you go past a certain ratio of tire sidewall/rim height, it wont make any difference really on which of the two you pick.

For most however, being tire size restricted, yes 16" will give you more sidewall to play with typically.

Also, as an employee at a GM dealership, 16" is going by the way side if the new models are any indicator. Lots of 17 and 17+....

Edit...

On another note, the advantage of the larger wheel, is while aired down once you pass the similar sidewall/rim height, you gain from the larger wheel in ground clearance per say. So the balance is at what point is it moot, say 20" wheels if you can't run enough tire to be bennificial.

[Opeth]

17's look better, and air down just fine. I run 265/70r17... Stock size Chevy pick up tire, very available. Most of use carry full size spares and tire repair kits, at this juncture I'd say go with what's in your budget.

[mikekey]

Don't ever plan on upgrading your brakes with 16inch rims.

[v7guy]

What Mike mentioned was my first thought. 17s mean you can upgrade brakes if you're inclined. If you don't have wheels in the budget, use what ya got, neither is necessarily bad.

[HARDTRAILZ]

17s are more common now and allows for brake upgrades...seems like a no-brainer if you are buying wheels.

[fishsticks]

+1 for 17s. The bigger brakes make a difference when you're stopping big tires.

[DustinC1989]

Another +1 for 17's. Room for bigger brakes, still a good amount of rubber and easy to get tires for.

I hate my factory 18's

[The Roadie]

17s are more common now and allows for brake upgrades...seems like a no-brainer if you are buying wheels.

Except for the rare folks who are looking to stop at 31" tires? .... Upon further thought, the 31" tire crowd is not serious about airing down or rock crawling, so they'd be good for 17" wheels, too.

[navigator]

I had been browsing CL for full sized rims and decided it wouldn't make a huge difference to me, I would just get what was the best deal. I needed 2 sets so I could match my trailer and TB. It seems easier to find the 16 inch takeoffs right now in my area.

One other thought is tire selection, I noticed that most 16 inch tires have an equivalent in the 17 inch size as well. One missing in the 16 inch area is a 255/75/17 (32X10.00) which several guys on here run. Some folks like that because they get a 32 inch tire with decent width but not the road resistance of a (32X10.50). It seems to be a good balance of capability vs daily driver.

[HARDTRAILZ]

255 75 17 is an oddball that came about with the Jeep Rubicon.

[JCrayton99]

I like my 16. I will try to keep them because my next tire is going to be a 255-85-16. I have also done the EXT break mod. 4" of backspacing or less is a must if you want to keep the 16s. Id love to run 255-80-17, If someone made them.

[TBYODA]

17s are more common now and allows for brake upgrades...seems like a no-brainer if you are buying wheels.

Except for the rare folks who are looking to stop at 31" tires? .... Upon further thought, the 31" tire crowd is not serious about airing down or rock crawling, so they'd be good for 17" wheels, too.

I have been debating 16 vs. 17" tires also and I am a little confused by Roadie's statement about the 31" crowd etc.

Debating because my TB is my DD I am of thinking of running my current tires (245/65r17) then switch off to M/T when off roading, camping etc. Switching off would save the M/T tread allot and for more $$ for other mods. In addition, the fact I sourced a bunch of Chevy 16" alloy rims at new pick & pull for $22 each. $22x5=110.

Still not sure, if running my stock tire/rims with lift is good idea with the smaller tires. Opinions wanted.

Since I am still in the planning stages with my build and the fact that my current gear is 3.42 max tires would be 32". I have read the bit about airing down and it makes total scene to do so. On the 17”, side was planning to go with 265/70r17 31.6" tire on 16" 265/75r16 also 31.6" tire both common. The only difference I can see between two is the 16" has .5" more sidewall difference. Is that sidewall difference allot when airing down does or not make a bit of differences or have I over look somthing?

I understand that there is not any space to upgrade to large brakes if going with 16" no plans right now. If I were going to out swap out rear axle and re-gear to say 4.10, so I could go to a larger tires then I would go back to 17" rims.

[v7guy]

basically the minimum sidewall you want to shoot for is 2x the diameter of the wheel ( it's the figure I read the most often anyways). When you air down you want to keep from smacking the wheel. More sidewall helps. We've gotten to the point that 32" tires are pretty much the starter size tire for our trucks and it's still considered a small tire in the off-road world. Bigger tires are in general more capable in many off-road situations. But as you commented there are on road sacrifices to be made.

[TBYODA]

basically the minimum sidewall you want to shoot for is 2x the diameter of the wheel.

So to compare to two sizes, 265/75r16 and 265/70r17 the 16" would be better.

[fishsticks]

I know the sidewall thing is a general "rule" around here, but after doing the EXT brake upgrade, I wouldn't even consider 16" wheels. The brake upgrade is ridiculously cheap and makes a big difference. IMO, it should be considered for addition to the list of "requirements" for offroading as a safety concern.

1/2" of sidewall isn't going to make a difference. Most people here don't air down past 20psi anyway, so usable sidewall is still there.

[NC_IslandRunner]

basically the minimum sidewall you want to shoot for is 2x the diameter of the wheel ( it's the figure I read the most often anyways). When you air down you want to keep from smacking the wheel. More sidewall helps. We've gotten to the point that 32" tires are pretty much the starter size tire for our trucks and it's still considered a small tire in the off-road world. Bigger tires are in general more capable in many off-road situations. But as you commented there are on road sacrifices to be made.

To get 2x the diameter of the wheel on a 16" wheel you would need a 48" tire for 32" of side wall. I know what you meant I'm just bustin your balls!:grin:

The easier way to put it is your wheel should be no bigger than half the diameter of the tire. But unless you air down into single digits if you are a little off it shouldn't matter too much, the added braking you get with the 17" wheel and larger rotors is most likely a bigger plus than the 1/2" of side wall you lose is a minus.

[Diacom]

265/70/17 w/BFG AT's aired down to 15psi will get you some rock rash on your wheels, but then if your worried about a little rash on your wheels, you must be a mall crawler....