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Hello, jeepinstien,
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
My admittedly inexpert overview of this topic is that like other forms of engineering, the match up of wheel width to tire width is a trade-off of several tire performance factors.
To illustrate, a short quote from the Yoko Tire Co. web site:
"Choosing a wheel [width] near the middle of the range [considered acceptable for a given tire width] will give a balance between ride quality and handling. A wider wheel will improve handling at the expense of ride quality, while a narrower wheel will improve ride quality at the expense of handling."
That said, I don't doubt that many Jeepers are running wide tires on wheels considered too narrow by the tire manufactures. The reverse situation also surely occurs. But, in either case, it does not follow that doing so is a good idea.
So, the question here is NOT -- CAN -- one run a 12.5-inch wide tire on an 8-inch rim. Rather, the question is what are ALL of the factors involved in making an informed tire to wheel match up given the commonly available tire and wheel sizes?
Rob gave us an on-track good start in his post.
Yet, somebody with professional, honest-injun tire engineering expertise should put together a tutorial. One would think the tire manufactures would have already done that. This is not, after all, national defense security information.
EDIT: This might also make a good article for the "How To" section of a certain Jeep-centric web site.
With that information at hand, all in one place, then we who must compulsively tinker and mix and match would be better equipped to make choices and be more effective, satisfied consumers.
OK -- I had best stop now. I feel an Inspector-G, patented, full war paint, anti-tire manufacturer rant coming on.
Again -- thank you for posting, jeepinstien.
Regards,
Gadget
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