Toughest, lightest wheels-- 17" or 18"

[Hohn]

Well gang, I'm beginning to think that the 16" wheel is going the way of the 16. 5-- that is, off into the distant past. Goodyear must think so as well, as they are paring down their tire offerings in the 16" size (down to FOUR sizes now for the MT/R).

The Future lies with the bigger wheels-- probably 18s in the end, maybe even 20s.


So I'm trying to assemble a list of possible wheel choices. My selection criteria, in order of importance?
-- Fit. It has to fit right, and not stress the axle/hub differently than the stock wheels.
-- Strength. This is a big truck and needs STRONG wheels that can take abuse. The other way to read this is that they must be FORGED or BILLET.
-- Lightweight. Anything you can do to reduce unsprung weight is ALWAYS a good thing.
-- Style. I really don't give a flip about styling as long as I don't HATE the way they look.


So far, the only wheels I've seen that I'd REALLY consider putting on my truck are these:
1) Kore/Weld 18s.
2) Walker Evans 17s with "beadlock" look.


Any others you think I ought to add to my list?

justin

 

[Fishin Guide]

Well gang, I'm beginning to think that the 16" wheel is going the way of the 16. 5-- that is, off into the distant past. Goodyear must think so as well, as they are paring down their tire offerings in the 16" size (down to FOUR sizes now for the MT/R).



The Future lies with the bigger wheels-- probably 18s in the end, maybe even 20s.





So I'm trying to assemble a list of possible wheel choices. My selection criteria, in order of importance?

-- Fit. It has to fit right, and not stress the axle/hub differently than the stock wheels.

-- Strength. This is a big truck and needs STRONG wheels that can take abuse. The other way to read this is that they must be FORGED or BILLET.

-- Lightweight. Anything you can do to reduce unsprung weight is ALWAYS a good thing.

-- Style. I really don't give a flip about styling as long as I don't HATE the way they look.





So far, the only wheels I've seen that I'd REALLY consider putting on my truck are these:

1) Kore/Weld 18s.

2) Walker Evans 17s with "beadlock" look.





Any others you think I ought to add to my list?



justin

I persona;;y would not buy a eld wheel. Especially, a "one off" that could only be replaced by one dealer that may or may not have them available down the road.





I am looking at various 18x9 with 5" of backspacing. It's about the best you can do with the current offerings.



I would stay away from the 17" size as they just don't seem to be gaing a ton of popularity. Especially in 'E' range tires.



JMHO



Dave

 

[Luke Warmwater]

What is a "one off" Weld wheel lol?



Justin, call up Perf Wheel & Tire in Denver and you can get the Welds with proper BS for ~$300 a pop.

 

[JCleary]

What is a "one off" Weld wheel lol?



Justin, call up Perf Wheel & Tire in Denver and you can get the Welds with proper BS for ~$300 a pop.

If you're talking about the Kore Welds, then you're out of luck if you bend a wheel. AFAIK they're out of production, and out of stock. Kore and DRC are working on a new design, but nothing matching what they had before.



Perhaps Weld has something close, but not the hub-centric and properly back-spaced wheel like the Kore wheel.



Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[TheBigSgt]

Well I have Hallos on my truck. 17 inch and 9. 5 wide I think. Strong with alot of metal. Look good. Look at the pic of my rig on here.

 

[JayWm]

I persona;;y would not buy a eld wheel. Especially, a "one off" that could only be replaced by one dealer that may or may not have them available down the road.

Here's the thing with custom wheels, they all become "one off" wheels when the manufacturer quits building them for the next greatest trend or style. Unless you buy a very classic round hole style wheel, you run the risk of not being able to replace a wheel a few years down the road. I own a tire store and see this a lot with body shops. Car gets wrecked, custom wheel gets damaged and is no longer built... too bad so sad...



That said, I would say it's a little early to condemn 16" wheels to being obsolete like 16. 5's. But, you most likely will not see tire makers building the newest greatest tires and introducing them in 16" sizes, at least not the big sizes. They will follow the OE and aftermarket trends of 17, 18 and 20"



Also, keep in mind Goodyear has taken a beating financially the last few years. They are making all kinds of cuts to reduce cost, and I'm sure one of those cuts is dropping "niche" market tires like the MT/R. It was hot, now everyone wants the Toyo M/T. There will be a new "hot" tire to replace the Toyo in the future too. But I think you'll see 17's and 18's around for awhile.



Jay

 

[Beast2B]

1)FIT- Doesn't the stock offset already put the front hub in a bad situation? An 8" wheel with 6" backspacing puts you around 2" negative offset. Wouldn't zero offset be optimum?

2&3)STRENGTH & WEIGHT- Absolutely agree. stronger for the weight. Not to mention the fact that a forged wheel will TEND to bend as opposed to a cast wheel breaking a chunk out. You may be able to straighten a forged wheel enough to get you home!

4)STYLE- OK, agree 99%. I have a little vanity! I would stress NOT getting directional wheels or tires for easy and balanced rotation.