[mossman77]

I'm looking at a couple wheels/rims and one of them is 8.5" and the other is 9". My tires are 265/65/17 and the specs give a wheel width range of 7.5 to 9.5, so either wheel will fit, but I'm concerned what a 9" width wheel would look like on a 265 tire. Anyone running this combo? I don't want the tire to look stretched out or bloated.

 

[[email protected]@]

A 265 will look stretched on a 9" rim IMO

 

[volleyball]

Find the tires spec for tread and section width. Don't exceed the tread width.

 

[mossman77]

Find the tires spec for tread and section width. Don't exceed the tread width.

Sounds like a good rule of thumb. If the tread width and wheel width are the same, then the sidewall should be "flat". Tread width for my tires is 8.3" and the rims I ordered are 8.5" wide, so close enough.

 

[TundraRockWarrior]

The best solution is to find a rim that is the middle of the recommended band (i.e. tire manufacturer states 7.5-9" rim then shoot for a 8 or 8.5" rim. There is a federal tire/rim matching guide available at most tire dealers.

A couple of things to consider:

1. Tire to narrow for rim: Bead will not seal properly and can rapidly deflate under load or not inflate at all after installation
2. Tire to wide: Similiar issue as above and over stress the side wall

More common issues:

1. Tire too narrow (i.e. at or exceed the lower recommendation for rim width) and the tread cups in the middle resulting in excessive edge wear
2. Tire too wide (i.e. at or exceed the upper recommendation for rim width) and the tread bows up in the center causing excessive center tread wear

The ******* way to compensate for said stupidity listed above is to under or over inflate the tires to compensate for excessive wear pattern. My advice stick with a tire/rim combination that is exactly or at least near the center of the recommended rim width for a given tire.

4 wheelers are notorius for violating common issue #2. My lift is bigger than yours mentality, but I am too cheap to buy rims and bigger tires are necessary and just look nice.

 

[mossman77]

My new wheels (17x8.5) will arrive tomorrow and if they clear the calipers (fingers crossed) I plan on sticking with the 265/65/17s I just bought, which have a range of 7.5 to 9.5. The stock wheels are 7.5 so going to an 8.5 should get rid of some of the bloated look.