What makes a rim good for off road?

[smritte]

I run aluminum rims on everything. On my TJ i run 6-8 psi rock crawling. I'm not gentle. I have rock rash on the bead lock rings but that's about it. The rims are Walker Evans 17x9. Their real heavy rims. I have a few friends with desert race trucks and ultra 4 trucks. They all run aluminum. Ive seen a bunch of Method wheels out here in the desert. All i can say about the one posted is wow. Never saw one do that. Yes steel will bend and aluminum will break. I can say I have bent a few steel rims in my travels but I have never broken an aluminum rim.
I guess the bottom line is, what do you like and how hard to you run and most importantly, how much do you have to spend.
People will go back and forth with this and it still gets down to preference.

It has been proven the narrower tire tracks better in everything but soft stuff where you need to float on top. They get better mileage on the road and tend to form to the terrain where wider tend to bridge over things giving less bite.


Scott

 

[TrippinStfflr]

I have a full size rig thats used for towing everyday. Its hard to find a 17in tire with an E rating thats a good offroad tire too. They are out there,though. Im gonna have to stick with the stock 18s until I can get a set of 17s just for off road. I really like the look of a lot of meat (shut up!!)

 

[Thelgord]

I have a full size rig thats used for towing everyday. Its hard to find a 17in tire with an E rating thats a good offroad tire too. They are out there,though. Im gonna have to stick with the stock 18s until I can get a set of 17s just for off road. I really like the look of a lot of meat (shut up!!)

LOL!

 

[James Deaton]

So what are the pros and cons of narrow, and pros and cons of wide?

James

 

[Ron W.]

So what are the pros and cons of narrow, and pros and cons of wide?

James

Good question. I am interested in what people have to say.

 

[smritte]

What I read and have experienced on the difference is this.
Thinner tire: Less road resistance (better mileage), When tracking rocky terrain, will form better to the rocks and not bridge over them like a wide tire will. Will dig in and not float on top (good for some things, bad for others). Less unsprung weight (less the suspension has to deal with), Hard to find tall narrow tires, very limited selection.

Wide tire: Better flotation, better traction in soft terrain. Will tend to ride over the top of rocks not form around as well as narrow. Heavier (more unsprung weight), bigger selection of tires.

I'm sure if I think on it, there's a few more things. The reason I don't have narrow tires on my landcruiser is I got a smoking deal on the ones I have. My next tire will be thinner.

Scott

 

[jimmyjamson]

As others have already mentioned, I try to stay stock if possible, but if I need to change the wheel for some reason, I tend to gravitate towards steel wheels:
- Can be bent back if needed
- The wight difference between comparable strength Alu wheel is negligible by the time you factor in the effect of the extra weight from the larger tire you're usually trying to fit (comparing dollar to dollar, not the high zoot stuff)
- I tend to view wheels as a consumable, and the Steel wheels tend to be cheaper than their alu counterparts
- Generally more abuse resistant (again, dollar for dollar).

Granted, there are some broad brush strokes above, but generally speaking, the steel wheel will stand up better when considering the $ per abuse factor. Yes, you can get some very strong alu off-road wheels, but they tend to come with a premium price. The more affordable alu wheels tend not to handle abuse as well (in my experience). A bent steel wheel will still get you off the trail, a cracked Alu wheel likely won't.

Size wise, whatever it takes to clear the brake calipers and call it good. You want as much tire side wall as you can get to make the off road ride more compliant.

Bead locks are nice, but for most 'overlanding' situations, they're overkill. Size your tire correctly, and the standard safety bead will get the job done.

$0.02

A good off-road rim is typically a strong one-piece design made to handle impacts and heavy loads. Steel rims are heavier but easier to repair in the field, which makes them ideal for remote travel. Aluminum rims are lighter and often stronger for their weight, but they can crack under extreme impact and are harder to fix trailside. The rim should have a high load rating, thick spokes, and a reinforced bead area to resist damage and tire debeading. Beadlock or bead-retention features are helpful if you're airing down. Overall, smaller diameters with more sidewall are preferred for better protection and ride quality off-road.

 

[Outdoordog]

I'm running stock too, because the factory Alcoa wheels are really hard to beat. They're very strong. A lot of people rush out and ditch the factory wheels for the aftermarket. And they don't check the load ratings of those wheels or consider if the wheel is strong enough for the application. I'm sure most purchases are all 98% based on appearance.

Steel wheels can take abuse, and sure you can, in theory, pound them out (have fun with that); but I see you're in a fullsize, not a jeep. Steel wheels will be about 10x easier.

That being said, I've seen Method's explode just from wheeling in the mud
View attachment 48838

True.
I chose my wheels because of the weight, also watched a lot of reviews.
I would of kept stock wheels (wish I did for winter tires), but they are too narrow for larger tires. Im running a 38x13.5x17 tire and needed wheels to accommodate the width.
Looks was last on the list.

 

[Sea Diamond]

Aluminum without spacers ;-)

 

[rtexpeditions]

Rims provide the most robust discussions (arguments) amongst overlanders.
From my experience, good-quality alloy rims can withstand an impact, unscathed, which would bend a steel rim beyond repair. However, there are many poor-quality rims on the market that I wouldn't trust even on the road.
Bending a steel rim back into shape doesn't seal tubeless tyres, so if you go steel to bend back, you should carry a tube to get you out of trouble

 

[smritte]

Rims provide the most robust discussions (arguments) amongst overlanders.

I very much agree with this statement. It doesn't help when peoples opinions are based on outdated knowledge and rumors. When I was young, the old timers were afraid of aluminum rims. They would say, "you can hammer a steel rim back into shape to get you home but you cant on an aluminum". Unfortunately, that same info is still spread today. I've bent both steel and aluminum. Pounded my buddies steel rim back into shape so it would hold air. The one thing I saw constantly was how easily people bent steel rims and how hard it was to bend aluminum rims. Another thing I noticed was, almost all the bent steel rims had very narrow tires with the rim lip not protected. Straight sided, old school mud tires are a great example. My experience here is what led me to buying narrower rims and using the tire to protect the lip.

Moving forward. Either rim design is fine as long as you protect the rim lip.