As a jeep owner, a tire upgrade is probably one of the top jeep modifications you want to make to your vehicle. A bigger, beefier set of tires is definitely an asset and a necessity especially if you are a regular off-roader.

Upgrading your tires and wheels has a lot of advantages. For one, bigger tires provide greater traction thus improving your off-road performance. They are also durable and allow for greater ground clearance so your rig will be able to clear obstacles with minimal difficulty. Best of all, meatier tires coupled with black, chrome or painted rims give your 4x4 a cool, mean look that will have heads turning.

Choosing The Right Tires For Your Jeep

Dixie 4 Wheel Drive offers a range of tire and wheel packages or replacements to keep your Jeep looking sharp and trail-ready. We know how important the right set of tires and wheels are and we’ll do our best to help you select those that are compatible with your car’s make and model.

When it comes to picking out tires for your Jeep, you need to consider your budget, your most common driving environment as well as how your choice will affect your fuel economy, drivability and the complications that might result. For instance, a bigger set of tires and wheels calls for a larger suspension lift kit and you might need to change some drivetrain components too.

Additionally, you’ll have to pick out compatible wheels to go with your tires. The right rims for your tires will improve your off-road prowess by enhancing your Jeep’s maneuverability, flexibility and control on the trail.

The Perfect Jeep Wheels And Tires Packages

If you’re considering upgrading your Jeep’s tires, there are several sizes to choose from and it’s important to know how they interact with the wheels. Most tires come with a tire measurement numbering system on their inside walls. These measurements are either in millimeters or inches.

For example, your tire might read 215/75R15. Here 215 refers to the tire width in millimeters, 75 is the sidewall ratio while 15 is the diameter of the rim. Alternatively, the reading might be 37x12.05R15. In this case, the measurements are all in inches and 37 represents the tire diameter (measured from the ground to the very top of the tire) while 12.05 is the tire width and 15 again refers to the rim’s diameter. This information comes in handy when you’re looking for that perfect tire and wheel combo to suit your Jeep.

When matching tires to wheels, the two crucial measurements include the diameter and the width. Matching the rim diameter to a particular tire is pretty straightforward. The rim diameter is often provided and a 15-inch rim goes with a 15-inch tire.

Additionally, each tire comes with certain rim width guidelines or Measuring Rim Width (MRW) so all you have to do is stay within this given range. Of course, you could try shoehorning the tire into a narrow rim but this will only pull the edges of the tread away from the road while a wider than recommended rim will pull the treads up in the center. Both extremes reduce your tires’ durability and affect your Jeep’s traction.

For easy reference remember that 33-inch tires work best with 15” or 16” rims while 35-inch tires go well with a least 17” rims. 37-inch tires are perfect with 17”- 20” rims. The larger your tires, the bigger the rims you’ll require.

Other Tire And Wheel Aspects To Consider

Other than the tire/wheel diameter and width, pay attention to the following:

Tire Tread Design

You have to make a choice on your tire’s tread design based on what surface you drive on most. The 3 most common tread design categories include all-terrains, street tires and mud terrain tires. All terrains have a more aggressive tread than street tires but have less aggressive ones than mud terrain tires. Street tires are less noisy and great for on-road driving while all-terrain tires are okay for most surfaces.

Rim Material

Rims are basically made of steel or alloy. Steel wheels are preferable for off-roading since they are durable, inexpensive and easily malleable i.e can be hammered back into place. On the downside, they’re rather heavy. Conversely, alloy rims are lighter, making them more suitable for daily street driving since they don’t strain the suspension as much.

Whether or not to get tire beadlocks

Beadlocks are used to secure the tire bead to the Jeep’s wheel. You can consider them if you regularly take your rig on hardcore trail runs as they are useful in preventing your tire from rolling off the wheel if you’re running on low tire pressure. They’re not really recommended for street use because they’re heavier and harder to balance than your standard wheel.

The Bolt Pattern

Jeep rims often come with specific bolt patterns to help mount them to wheel hubs. Most wheels have a 5x4.5 bolt pattern but this becomes impractical when you’re dealing with tires with larger diameters. Bigger tires mean that a lot of strain is put on a small area, leading to huge trouble in form of damage to mounting points or broken wheel studs, among others. So if you’re thinking of getting tires that are over 35 inches, upgrade to a 5x5 or 5x5.5 bolt pattern.

Come Talk To Us Today

Our Jeep experts at Dixie 4 Wheel Drive have years of experience working on hundreds of custom 4x4 builds for our customers. They know which tire and wheel combinations suit each other and which ones will be perfect for your Jeep. Come talk to us today and let us help you make the best selection.