wide vs narrow wheels?

[smallblock500]

im not sure if this should go here or in the tire and wheel forum but im a newbie so im putting it here :-P . im sure this is a driver preference but what are the differences in a wide vs a narrow rim with say the same tire on both?

another part would be for the super guys what about wide vs narrow tires. the only ones i can think of right now is the proline 40s moab tires. they have a 40s wide moab and a 40s narrow moab. given the same truck, driver, and corse what do you think would do better the wide or the skinny moabs?

[smallblock500]

wow 25 views so far and no one knows the up and or downs of a wide wheel vs a narrow one?

[JeremyH]

With a narrow rim you can suck in the bead of the tire which will cause the tread to baloon out and will spread out the tread on the tire and make some lugs closer to the sidewall.

[Harvo]

Narrow rim = taller profile

Wider = shorter doughnut

[Belker]

I'm a newb trying to figure this all out. It seems like smallblock500's question wasn't fully answered.

A narrower rim will change the profile of the tire making it taller and "make some lugs closer to the sidewall" which I guess is a good thing.

But, if all other things could somehow magically be equal, which would be better - a narrow tire or a wide tire? And, why?

[JeremyH]

That really depends on a few different factors.:
-Do you need the clearance of narrow tires?
-can your axles handle the extra weight?

However, his question was answered. He was asking about a wide versus narrow rim. It seems like you are asking about a wide versus narrow tire....and that is a different ballgame.

Personally, I like a tire that is a bit wider set on a narrow rim...but I also like sidewall traction

[chrisjlittle]

I run 1" wide wheels, but I do that primarily because I use the relatively wide berg axles, and the track width would be wider with wider wheels. I don't like the way some of the wider tires (mashers, rubicons etc...) react on a 1" wheel, so I stick to narrower tires such as claws and badlands. That may just be personal preference though. Plenty of people do well with wider wheels, most of the comp axial offset wheels are around 1.25" wide, and I rarely hear anyone complain about that. I wouldn't go wider than about 1.35" though, at that point the wheel just gets hung up on stuff.

As far as tire width goes, a narrower tire seems to work better. a wider tire generally has a larger contact patch, which spreads the load out over a larger area, reducing traction. Most people around here use moab XL's instead of the plain 40s moabs. The XL's are also taller than the standard 40's.

[Belker]

OK, thanks.