When buying new tires, many people opt to purchase a second set of wheels together with their new tires. There are multiple reasons why this could be beneficial. For starters, many shops offer a discount when you buy wheels and tires together, so you’re getting a great deal and you’re saving some money in the process.
Another benefit is that swapping out winter and summer tires for instance is much easier since you can simply swap the different wheels, without needing to take your tires to a tire shop to get them installed on your only set of wheels. This also works wonders if you have a set of rugged offroad tires and you want some matching offroad wheels that are stronger and more durable. Plus, you won’t worry about scratching your factory wheels.
Last but not least, when buying wheels and tires together, the shop will probably recommend tires that fit on those wheels. Occasionally, people make the mistake of buying new tires only to find out that they won’t fit on their existing wheels. It’s not enough to just match the radius of the wheel to the tire, you also need to match the width of the tire to the width of the rim, as well as the tire profile to make sure it will fit inside the wheel arches.
What To Look For When Upgrading Tires
When upgrading your tires, the first thing you’ll want to do is make sure that the tires you’re looking at getting will match and fit your wheels. As stated earlier, you have to make sure that the diameter of the tires will fit the rim, but also that the width and the tire profile can be accommodated on the rim and inside the wheel arch.
If you’re buying offroad tires, you’re probably looking to add more ground clearance to be able to clear obstacles. Apart from installing a lift kit, the other way you can gain some valuable height and ground clearance is to install a set of bigger tires.
If you install wheels that are one inch bigger in diameter than your factory wheels, you’ll be gaining a half-inch of additional height. It’s important to note that your vehicle’s height only goes up by the radius, not the actual diameter difference. For that reason, most people choose to buy two-inch bigger tires, effectively giving them one inch of extra ground clearance.
Off-road tires have a much more aggressive tread, giving your vehicle excellent traction in low-friction environments such as when driving in mud, snow, or even sand. The larger tread blocks and aggressive tread pattern that wraps around the shoulder for these types of tires give them extra bite in whatever loose surfaces you might find yourself driving. They’re also typically a bit more flexible, allowing them to retain better contact with any given surface at all times.
What You Can Get With A Lift Kit Package
Lift kits come in various shapes and sizes, depending on the vehicle they’re designed for and their price. The most affordable lift kits typically include simple strut spacers for the front end which is why they’re sometimes called a leveling kit. Rear lift blocks are also an excellent way of raising the rear end slightly without breaking the bank.
Some of the more expensive and advanced lift kits come with an entire set of shocks and springs though, which offer much better damping performance as well as typically upwards of three inches of extra ground clearance. The more extreme end of the segment has lift kits that offer as much as six extra inches of ground clearance. In addition to shocks and springs, many lift kits may also include control arms, bar end links, and even a transfer case lowering kit.
What does that mean for your tire and rim choices? It opens up a whole new world of possibilities. You can oversize your rims and tires since there’s more clearance in the wheel wells, although a test fit is always recommended before committing to oversized wheels.
Best Types of Off-Roading Rims
If we’re strictly talking about construction, aluminum wheels are much more popular than steel wheels since they’re lightweight, strong, and incredibly corrosion-resistant. On the other hand, aluminum wheels are more expensive than steel wheels and since the probability of scratching or denting a wheel when off-roading is significant, it’s understandable why a lot of people prefer steel wheels. Steel wheels are also easier to repair than aluminum ones.
If you’re doing serious rock climbing, you might be interested in beadlock wheels. A beadlock is a simple mechanical device that clamps the tire to the wheel itself. It achieves this by using a beadlock ring that bolts around the outside of the wheel. This ensures that the tire can’t spin inside the wheel and that it can’t come free from the bead and deflate, especially when running extremely low tire pressures.
Whether you’re looking for lift kit sets or wheel and tire packages, Morris 4x4 has you covered. You’ll discover extremely reliable products from some of the most popular manufacturers in the off-roading industry.
