Rodeo wheels

[handeeman]

I have the opportunity to get a set of 02 Rodeo wheels and street tires. My question is: Since my 00 VX has 18" and these are 16" are they of any use to me? Even if I do the lift, does it make any sense to have some off-road type tires put on the 16" wheels and save my originals for normal driving. Say I lift the VX 2" and then drop 2" in wheel size am I just being cheap for not stepping up and buying some good looking 18's ? Keep in mind I may be off road 2-3 times a year (thinking Moab).

[VXorado]

Technically, smaller rims would better for offroading with the right sized tires.

Pros: 33" tires on 16" rims would have more sidewall than 33" tires on an 18" rims. A bigger sidewall is better for offroading because there's more rubber that can be used in rocks/ruts without damaging the rim. Your 18s are more likely to get damaged when offroading because they ride closer to the ground. A lot of rock crawlers have 15" rims with massive tires.

Cons: Buying tires would be expensive if you are only going a few days out of the year, 18s are bling-y-er

I would say 18s can look nicer with big tires and will be just fine offroad as long as the sidewall is big enough. With 16" rims you could get a bit smaller tires and still have a decent sidewall. It's really depends on what you want. Either way, 16s are good for offroading.

[tomdietrying]

I have 18 wheels with 285/60 Nitto Grappler tires. I have been to Moab the last 5 years and have not damaged any of my wheels. There is always a first time, but as of yet I haven't done it.

I say keep your 18s, don't buy the 16s, and use that money for a set of 285/60/ 18 Nittos.

Peace.
Tom

[handeeman]

Thanks for the info guys. Thinking nittos on the 18's. I appreciate the response.

[VXorado]

I have 18 wheels with 285/60 Nitto Grappler tires. I have been to Moab the last 5 years and have not damaged any of my wheels. There is always a first time, but as of yet I haven't done it.

Tom, no damage in 5 years at moab means you're a good driver

I also say keep the 18s and buy good tires. Having an extra set of offroad rims/tires is only worth it if you went 4 wheeling a lot.

Good luck

[pbkid]

then you can have someone like me that runs 15's with 31's and gets lots of rock rash on their rims (the difference is im pretty heavy on the skinny pedal)

[Riff Raff]

Save your money and use your stock OEM 18x7 wheels. Keep your VX stock height (no lift) and your CV's will be much happier. If you want maximum ground clearance with minimum installation issues, then go for tires in P275/65R18 (32" O.D.). This size tire will give you 1.25" increased ground clearance over stock.

I recently installed the General - Grabber AT2 in P275/65R18 (32" O.D./44 lbs) on my 100% OEM stock non-lifted VX (no aftermarket rear springs and no front torsion bar cranks). They are bolt-on perfect "IF" used with the stock OEM 18x7 rims which have the correct offset and backspacing you will want to maintain.

It is not necessary to have "off-road" tires on the smooth rocks at MOAB. If you sift through the many pictures of MOAB-VX's, you'll discover most had A/T version tires and some even used "street" tires with complete success. Buy your next set of tires with your everyday driving habits in mind, and have confidence they'll be MOAB worthy when the time comes.