What to Consider When Upgrading Your Jeep Wrangler JK Offroad Wheels & Tires
Planning is key when you're upgrading your Jeep Wrangler, especially when you're replacing the wheels and tires. Essentially, they function as the foundation for future upgrades and even if you only plan on swapping the wheels/tires it's important to know how they'll impact other components. For this reason, we'll take you through some factors to consider when upgrading your wheels.
Suspension and Ride Height
One of the biggest factors to consider is the suspension and ride height of your Jeep Wrangler, especially if you want larger rims and tires. Depending on the suspension that your Jeep has, you may be limited to smaller wheels and tires if you don't lift the Jeep first. You don't want small wheels that lack backspacing on a lifted Jeep because you increase the risk of tipping.
Ride height in general is also important to consider. When you add larger wheels the Jeep will sit higher off the ground. You'll need the proper backspacing to offset this problem or your Jeep will have a higher risk of tipping.
Backspacing
One thing many people overlook when upgrading wheels and tires is backspacing, which is the distance between the hub mount and the lip of your vehicle's wheel. The more backspace you have the farther away the wheels will be from the Jeep and vice versa for less backspacing.
The amount of backspacing your vehicle has is important for a few reasons. First and foremost, closer to zero inches makes it easier to fit larger wheels and tires on a stock suspension. Unfortunately, there's a tradeoff here. While you can fit larger wheels and tires, failing to upgrade the suspension to accommodate this spacing may result in premature wear and bad driving conditions.
Lug Nut Pattern/Bolt Pattern
The lug nut pattern, otherwise known as a bolt pattern, refers to the number of lug nuts a wheel has and how they're aligned. You can find the bolt pattern of a vehicle by measuring the diameter that the lug nuts form; most lug nuts are placed in a circle, so that's what you need to measure.
Most Jeep Wrangler JKs that have factory wheels and suspension have a bolt pattern of 5×5. This means there are five lug nuts placed in a circle with a 5-inch diameter. When swapping your wheels and tire, only choose options that are compatible with this bolt pattern or you'll need additional components.
The Type of Wheel and Tire
Wheels and tires come in many shapes and sizes and materials. Most modern wheels are either made with steel or alloy. Alloy wheels are made from lightweight materials like aluminum, which have less durability but more flexibility for off-roading. On the other hand, steel wheels have the best durability but they're heavy and may impact off-road performance.
Aside from the type of wheel, it's also important to consider the type of tire you want. Both wheel materials are compatible with every type of tire, it comes down to preference.
The three common types of tires include highway tires (H/T), all-terrain tires (A/T), and mud tires (M/T). Highway tires are best for driving on pavement, all-terrain tires are suitable for light off-roading and pavement, and mud tires are best for serious off-roading (mud, water, rock climbing).
