More Wheel & Tire Questions: 33 vs 35

[Larry_Musgrave]

I don't like the aftermarket wheels, as the hummer wheel design is a clear part of trademark look of the hummer brand. If I had a choice if an 18" vs a 16" hummer design wheel, obviously I would go with the 16" for two reasons.
1) The 16" will cost me much less to wrap rubber around.

2) The 16" will typically out perform the 18" aired down off road due to greater sidewall flexibility.

I guess if your goal is to go with a car style tread and lower profile tire for street use only, maybe you like the idea of the 18" over the more off road oriented 16" setup. I'm one of those folks that thinks a hummer should look like an off-road vehicle, even if it's only to be used on road. But, its true that there are different strokes for different folks.

 

[Larry_Musgrave]

I got 5, 35" maxxis bighorns for 1200, thats with mounting too.

Was that for an 18" wheel, and if so, would you mind sharing the link? I'm in the market for 35"x18" for my factory 18" wheels on my other 4x4, and the $2000 price is killing me.

 

[Woodtick]

Other than bead lockers ,after markets don't do it for me. They all look the same. Black and boring. I would agree with the above post. My neighbor just put some big Duratracks on his factory Z71 rims. Looks tuff that way. To each there own.

 

[owlxxx]

I like my aftermarkets.

 

[derian06]

I switched to a 17" rim because of the wide variety of tires. The 16" rims didn't have the mtr's with kevlar I was looking for

 

[MaxPF]

Dam. I was thinking about replacing my wheels but I don't want any seals to get clubbed.....

I'm guessing that having H2 wheels on my K5 is probably a hangin' offense? :giggle:

 

[IISPEEDYII]

Was that for an 18" wheel, and if so, would you mind sharing the link? I'm in the market for 35"x18" for my factory 18" wheels on my other 4x4, and the $2000 price is killing me.

nah it was for the factory 16's. I got em at pep boys.

 

[Larry_Musgrave]

Okay, that's right in line with what I'm seeing. Almost half the cost for 16" compared to the 2100-ish for the same choices but in 18". It's crazy, an 18" had a larger hole, hence it has less material.... yet costs twice money.

 

[owlxxx]

Okay, that's right in line with what I'm seeing. Almost half the cost for 16" compared to the 2100-ish for the same choices but in 18". It's crazy, an 18" had a larger hole, hence it has less material.... yet costs twice money.

Maybe it has to be built differently to maintain functionality with minimal rubber? or it could just be a fashion tax? kinda like the hummer tax we all pay for similar or inferior products compared to the jeep crowd which has an overabundance.

 

[Synthetickiller]

Maybe it has to be built differently to maintain functionality with minimal rubber? or it could just be a fashion tax? kinda like the hummer tax we all pay for similar or inferior products compared to the jeep crowd which has an overabundance.

From what I've been told (so take that with a grain of salt), it's the former. Less rubber to build a side wall requires a different design to maintain side wall rigidity, with negative implications (more ridig side wall, harsher ride, possibility of wearing the wheel out much more quickly, etc etc).

The H3 had stock wheels that were 18s, the H2 has the option of 20s.

H3 18" Wheels:

There seems to be enough tires for 16" wheels that we should be set. If you need over a 37, I guess you'll be moving up, but at that point you'd want a beadlock anyways for airing down, right? I know there's models of tires that need a wider wheel & or require 17" or larger wheels to get the size you want. I'm making more of a general statement than rigid rule. Unless you want a specific tire, I don't see much of a reason to move unless you simply love the look of the wheel & you don't mind paying more for tires.