Wheel width 10” vs 12”

[A.Delaney]

Will a 10” wheel tuck the tire more in the wheel well than a 12” wheel? If the tire was a 38x15.50x15 would it change the tire shape going from a 12” wheel to a 10” wheel? I’m debating on the wheel sizes.

[cadillac_al]

I think either wheel will work for you and the 10" wheel should tuck the wheels in an extra inch.

What I do know is an 8" wheel was too narrow for my 12.50 tires on the road. I couldn't get the sides of the tread to touch the road unless I had about 20 lbs of air pressure. I had to switch out to 10" wheels to get the tread to lay flat on the road. I guess off road drivers don't mind an 8" wheel with 12.50 tires because they get more rim protection with the narrower rim.

I don't "think" a 10" wheel would be too narrow for a 15.50 tire but it's hard to say without trying them. When I used to run 14.50 wide tires I think they were on 10" rims but I can't really remember, could have been 12" wheels I suppose. I think your concern about tire shape is valid.

[A.Delaney]

Okay thanks. Interco recommends a minimum rim width of 10” and a maximum of 12” for that particular tire. I’m sure it would be fine to run a 10” rim. I’m just wondering how it would affect the tire. I believe 15.50 is the section width. The tread width is closer to 13” so maybe the bead on the tire is about that width.

[b454rat]

Intrco tires are weird. I have a set of 35x12.5x17s, had them on an 8.5" wheel and looked like it was too wide for the tire. I prefer a wider tire, not the bro-dozer look of a wider wheel than tire.

[nvrenuf]

I run 18" wide Boggers on an 11" wide wheel, no issues at all. You do have to pay attention to the footprint vs air pressure and adjust accordingly (I've keep around 23 psi in my tires).

[A.Delaney]

Ya I definitely don’t want the bro dozer look. I can’t stand it when the sidewall is bulged way out. I didn’t think about that happening with a 12” wheel. Probably go with a 10” then.

[Richard]

The back space on most off the shelf 10" and 12" wheels will be the same at about 4.5" So a 12" wheel would push the tire 2" further out than a 10"
Edit- as far as looks a 15.5" tire looks great on a 12 wheel. Had 38x15.5 on 12" wheels on my 85 with a 10" lift. Not a lot of suspension movement on it so it was fine. A 12" wheel with a big tire can cause frame rubbing with to much backspace and more fender clearance issues when turning at the 4.5"-5" backspace. Just need proper backspacing for fitment. Even with a 10" wheel I am having to do a lot of suspension cycling to determine the tire that I will get and fit on my current 72 build to eliminate any rubbing at full bump.

[litebulblsc]

38.5x15 on 16x10 with 4.5 bs wheels

[A.Delaney]

Nice! How much lift do you have? Any rubbing?

[litebulblsc]

9" lift. No rubbing unless turning with alot of flex

[A.Delaney]

Great thanks!