How Wide Should Your Off-Roader's Wheels Be?
November 9, 2022
Which Off-Road Wheel Size Offers The Best Performance?
What happens when you mount a popular off-road tire size (let's say a 35x12.5) on a wheel or rim that's just as wide as the tire? If you guessed that the chances of debeading the tire off the wheel while running low air pressures is much higher, well, you're absolutely correct.
When you're heading for the off-road trails and need a new build for your rig, it might be tempting to spring for the wider wheel width to get a bit more capability when you start your journey. But, that's not always the case, and in many instances, a narrower wheel can still provide the optimal performance that you need for your adventures, especially when aired down. Today, we'll show you what kind of wheel size you should be running in relation to your tires, and why those size ratings matter so greatly - let's jump in!
Table Of Contents
-Why Are Wider Wheels Worse For Off-Road Performance?
-Recommended Width For Off-Road Wheels
-Why Should You Stick To The 75% Rule For Off-Road Wheel Width?
Why Are Wider Wheels Worse For Off-Road Performance?
For our purposes, let's say that we have a 10-inch wide rim that we've mounted a 12.5-inch wheel on. That's not a huge difference in width, but there's still a much greater chance that the tire will get knocked off the bead seat at lower air pressure when compared to running, say, 8.5-inch wide wheels. But why is this?
Well, it's not exactly rocket science, but what ends up happening with wheels that are too wide for the tire, especially those of us who hit the trails at lower air pressure, is that the wheel is more vulnerable to trail debris because the rim sticks out farther and isn't tucked back as far as it could be. Also, there isn't as much bead pressure coming from inside of the tire, pushing the bead outwards and tighter up against the rim of the wheel.
This means that with wider wheel sizes you'll need to run a higher amount of air pressure in the tire in order to hold the bead up against the rim of the wheel, compared to if you had just run a lower air pressure in a wheel that is proportional to the width of the tire.
Read More: Narrow or Wide Tires? Which Is Better?
Recommended Width For Off-Road Wheels
So then, what is the width of the wheel supposed to be in relation to the width of the tire? If the rim width is too narrow, you pinch the tire in and cause it to balloon out, causing premature wear and tear - if the rim width is too wide, however, you run a higher risk of blowing a bead at lower air pressures. The rule of thumb is a change of about two-tenths of an inch in tire width for every half inch of rim or wheel width.
What does that translate to? Well, we'll want the width of the tire to be roughly about 70-75% of the width of the tire. Doing the math, 70% of a 12.5-inch wide tire means a wheel width of 8.75 inches. A quarter inch one way or the other won't make a huge difference, so for this tire width you could get by with an 8.5-wide or a 9-wide. Personally, we'd go with the 8.5-inch wheel for that extra bit of bead security inside of the rim.
Why Should You Stick To The 75% Rule For Off-Road Wheel Width?
Just a few things to keep in consideration here. First, the 70-75% rule to determine the width of the wheel should be situational, and it's a stronger suggestion for those of us who go off-road and air down frequently. It doesn't necessarily speak to those running low profile tires either, but to those of us who prefer some sidewall distance between the edge of the rim and where the tire hits the ground, you don't have to stick to this rule of thumb. However, you'll get the best results if you do, especially for off-road performance.
Shop Off-Road Wheel & Tire Packages At TrailBuilt Off-Road
The best way for you to find the right wheel width to match your tire setup is by using the filters that are in our wheel store. There, you'll be able to click into the width you need and find all the wheels that fit it, while still keeping the diameter and offset that best fit your rig.
Plus, we offer free mounting and balancing on all off-road wheel and tire packages, so you can rest assured that if you do get a new set of tires to pair with your off-road wheels, they'll be good to go once shipped to you. Check out our wheel and tire inventory today and let us know if you have any questions - we'll see you out on the trails!
