Wheel Questions

[afroman006]

I'm trying to plan out what I want my dream Burban to look like and I am stuck on the wheel choice. What are the merritts of 15", 16", and 16.5" rims? I know the bigger the rim the higher the load rating of the tire but I remember reading something somewher about 16" and 16.5" rims being inferior for offroad use because of part of their design but I dont know why. I would like to use 16.5" rims if possible so I can get higher load rated tires so that when I jump the Burban that'll be one less thing to worry about /forums/images/icons/grin.gif . Also what are beadlocks and why are they not street legal? What are the qualitative details of steel and aluminum rims and which is better for what? Thx for the help

 

[Swanson52]

16.5's don't have a safety bead on the inner portion of the wheel, making it difficult to air them down and keep the wheel seated. Of course, with bead locks this is not an issue. The availability of sizes and the corresponding lower price is the biggest benefit of running 15 inch wheels, but more sizes are coming available in 16 and 16.5's all the time, albiet at a slightly higher cost. If you run 1 ton running gear, fitment of 15 inch wheels in the front becomes an issue because the calipers are larger than 1/2 and 3/4 ton stuff (someone just did a good article on caliper grinding to remedy this).