One of the earliest mods on our TJ Unlimited project was new tires and wheels. All TJs came with 15 inch wheels unless the Jeep is a Rubicon where it was outfitted with 16 inch. The 16 inch wheel adds some improvement in appearance to the TJ and creates more tires options since the 15 inch wheel seems to be fading fast.
Wheels
Looking to control spending but yet have a good looking aluminum wheel we decided on a set of Quadratec’s Rubicon Extreme wheels in 16×8 size. These five spoke wheels look very sleek on the Jeep, the satin black finish fits that blacked out style look that is popular. With the wheels we added a set of new black acorn style lugs with locking nuts. Coming in at just above $100 each these are awesome wheels without the sticker shock of a name brand.
The wheels in the 16 inch size are really designed for the TJ. The 4.5 inch backspacing puts the wheel far enough out to prevent even a 12.50 width tire from hitting the rear spring bucket while minimizing the amount of tire sticking out the side.
These wheels are also available in varying colors and for the JK in a 17 inch size.
Tires
Always a fan of the BFGoodrich Mud Terrain we added a set to the Jeep. Since we were building a Jeep as a weekend trail runner while keeping the original styling we didn’t want to go too big (as if that’s possible). The 33 inch size on a TJ works best without a massive lift or cutting fenders. Most people agree to run 35’s requires at least 4.5 inch of lift and possibly a body lift or the tires will contact the fenders. Another alternative is tubular/custom fenders.
In the 16 inch wheel sizes there is a popular size run by many TJ owners. The 285/75R16 tire is essentially a 33×11.50 which measures in at a true 33 inches tall. It’s narrower width helps keep the tire from rubbing the suspension and sway bar. Really, just a near perfect size for a TJ.
After loading five tires and wheels (in boxes) into the jeepfan.com 2016 JK RHR we headed off to a local tire shop for mounting. When mounting tires to specialty wheels, especially black ones, you should choose a tire shop that uses mounting equipment that doesn’t contact the rim of the wheel which can cause damage.
With all five tires mounted up and loaded back into the JK they were ready for the TJ. Which as of yet has no lift. We couldn’t help ourselves and decided to put them on with no lift. It’s weird looking and not really drivable, the tires would make contact with the flares and possibly the fender. Luckily the 3 inch Teraflex lift is next.
The black wheels with the white Jeep go nicely together. The tires only stick slightly out of the flares which should be remedied with the Rubicon style flare we intend to add later. Rubicon TJ flares are 1 inch wider then stock flares.
