Favorite Overland Wheels for BS?

[jhnvan]

The lighter wheel makes sense why it fits with it having thiner material in the center. The few i tried in 16 originally all didn't fit... I've already experienced pinched tires and solid hits on my wheels where i go so i would probably not run lighter wheels on mine. There's also a lot of loose rock and i would be afraid of having rocks getting crushed in there and damaging my wheel or caliper...

I guess i should've been more specific about the 16s not clearing the caliper. Very very few offroad wheels will clear due to them having more material to handle more abuse.

Good to know about the few that do fit though!

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[Mark S.]

For my most recent purchase, I wanted to try something different and I went with method MR 707 bead grip wheels in a 16 x 7, +30, with a 245/70/16 Nokian Outpost nAT because I wanted to try a 16 inch wheel, which I already knew of at least two other examples that fit. The advantage of the 16 inch wheel is it gives me a half inch more sidewall, to protect my wheels, which is important for Overlanding or offloading. The disadvantage of these particular wheels is that they are not what I think of as particularly strong, with a load rating of 1850 pounds, I would consider them adequate, where, as many wheels out there will have a load rating of 1600 to 1700 pounds. They are, however, extremely light, at 17.6 pounds, and in combination with the taller sidewalls and the bead grip technology, I was willing to give them a shot. The wheels themselves clear the calipers and the spokes, of the wheel, by about the thickness, of my little finger. The tires themselves, are extremely close to rubbing, which I consider to be mostly the change in offset, from my +35 foxtrots to my +30 method, as the tire I have on the foxtrot's is the slightly larger in diameter, Mickey Thompson, Baja A/T, which has a spec diameter of 29.8 inches and the outpost’s are 29.5”. I would not have thought that little change, in offset, would make as much difference as it did, with the new tires and wheels, clearing the felt liner at the back of the wheel well by only the thickness of a few sheets of paper, at full lock, and maximum wheel, articulation, where, as previously, It looked to have a quarter inch of clearance. I'll also mention I have the Flatout GR+, coilovers, which do have more travel and I'm lifted 2"

Thanks for the report; quite helpful!

 

[Babybronc21]

I purchased my bronco sport Badlands specifically to take off road and do so an average of once a month, since I purchased my car, at the end of July 2022, and the subjects of wheels and tires are near and deer to my heart. I see there being a difference between Overlanding and offloading, although there is certainly some overlap. I think of Overlanding as long-distance multi day trips, as in four or more days and for most of that time, not particularly close to any help other than what you carry or people you may be traveling with. In that case, there is a good argument for steel wheels, extremely durable tires, and possibly more than one spare, especially if you are on alloy wheels and/or mediocre tires. The advantage of steel wheels is that if you hit something so hard as to bend the wheel, you can frequently knock enough of the bend out with a hammer that it will continue to hold air, where as, an alloy wheel will most likely crack, unless it is exceptionally strong.

I have posted several threads mentioning good wheels, some on sale, and some at closeout prices. The first set of wheels I purchased were the alpha foxtrots, which are 17 x 7 1/2 and weigh 27.6 pounds. So they are not light, but they are strong, with a load rating of 2650 pounds. They are still available at closeout pricing and four colors. There are, of course, other good choices, one of them being the RRW, RR5- S, which I also think is good looking and is/was available at closeout pricing.
For my most recent purchase, I wanted to try something different and I went with method MR 707 bead grip wheels in a 16 x 7, +30, with a 245/70/16 Nokian Outpost nAT because I wanted to try a 16 inch wheel, which I already knew of at least two other examples that fit. The advantage of the 16 inch wheel is it gives me a half inch more sidewall, to protect my wheels, which is important for Overlanding or offloading. The disadvantage of these particular wheels is that they are not what I think of as particularly strong, with a load rating of 1850 pounds, I would consider them adequate, where, as many wheels out there will have a load rating of 1600 to 1700 pounds. They are, however, extremely light, at 17.6 pounds, and in combination with the taller sidewalls and the bead grip technology, I was willing to give them a shot. The wheels themselves clear the calipers and the spokes, of the wheel, by about the thickness, of my little finger. The tires themselves, are extremely close to rubbing, which I consider to be mostly the change in offset, from my +35 foxtrots to my +30 method, as the tire I have on the foxtrot's is the slightly larger in diameter, Mickey Thompson, Baja A/T, which has a spec diameter of 29.8 inches and the outpost’s are 29.5”. I would not have thought that little change, in offset, would make as much difference as it did, with the new tires and wheels, clearing the felt liner at the back of the wheel well by only the thickness of a few sheets of paper, at full lock, and maximum wheel, articulation, where, as previously, It looked to have a quarter inch of clearance. I'll also mention I have the Flatout GR+, coilovers, which do have more travel and I'm lifted 2".

This is such a well thought out and informative post!! Thank you. I guess id do more long back trails as opposed to rock crawling. Id stick with 17s to keep the setup as OEM as possible and try not to go too heavy. Im looking to go 17x8 and beef up the tire slightly with the new Falkens. Don’t need bead lock but they are pretty cool.

Im going to digest your post a bit more and really appreciate your sharing your expertise. ????

 

[SHAKEmeBUNS]

Fuel Zephyr with Toyo Open Country AT3s 245/65/17. Slight rub, but haven't heard it since new to be honest. I did install the RTR 1.30" lift kit for added clearance. Had a really hard time buying theses but I was persistent and got a set!

 

[incavulator]

Anyone try 17x8 wheels with 30 offset?

I have these Motegi MR147's in what I think is a 17x8" with a 38 offset. I believe the factory wheels are 17x7" with a 37.5 offset. My understanding is this will essentially split the extra 1" of width both inward and outward 1/2" in each direction (ignoring the 0.5mm difference in offset since it's so small). NOTE: Pic below of them is when they were installed on another member's BS, but you get the idea.

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