Preferred rim width for a 285?

[nemesisnight]

Somewhat related but I just got 5 285/75 r16 BFG ko2 tires with 5 american racing 16" baja rims and black lug nuts after reading all this for only $1530 (after $50 mail in rebate) from discount tire with free mounting and free warranty , screaming deal and saved me a ton over going with the same setup in 17". 4wd.com is having a crazy sale on them right now with no tax, free shipping, $70 off 4, and $50 rebate so if anyone else is in the market jump on the deal, any discount will match it. Hopefully it's not against forum rules to post deals from sites (not sure)......the 315's were only a little more

[MadScience]

I'm getting similar rub from a 275/70R18 with what I think is a very similar rear lift to the agile vans. I worried when I first noticed it years ago, but at some point saw it happen while spotting from the outside and realized that the rub is mostly from the top of the tread on articulation. Once I realized that it stopped bothering me.

FWIW, my 18'x8' rims are takeoffs from an f-series. Cheap, but OEM quality. Tires are more money yet than the numbers from earlier in this thread, so my rims may be a false economy.

[Michisurfer]

Originally Posted by MountainBikeRoamer

CONCLUSION:

Went with 17x8 American Racing AR172's - the "Baja" rim - in matte black.
(paired up with 285/70R17 BFG KO2's.)

(Incidentally - the identical setup to what the white lifted E350 in the photo I posted a couple days ago parked outside Action Van's shop has.)



What decided it:
1) For whatever reason --- Larry at Action Van has been consistently of the opinion that a narrower rim was somehow a preferred choice, in that he felt a narrower (8") rim applied force differently to the suspension than did a 9" rim, and stated his experienced opinion that the Ford van's I-beam suspension was better arranged, geometry-wise, to work with an 8" wide rim. (I honestly don't see how the rim width makes any difference in this equation, all other things being equal (285 width tire and 0 offset), but that was his take.)

2) All that opining on Larry's part aside, he said that 9" was still not a problem....and so I was still ultimately planning to go 9".....but it turned out that the AR172 was in pretty short supply nationally at the moment in that size.

In any event --- Boywonder posted earlier that he is running the same size/offset/width and that it works fine for him.....so game on.

There's nothing left now....but to BRING ON THE LIFT KIT!!!

Wrong to revive this thread? I've been reading through it and its helpful, and confusing, ha, more helpful though for sure, appreciate everyone's input

MountainBikeRoamer;187391 ... can you update on the highway capabilities of your 17s? I'm in the same boat...1000 hwy miles to get to 50 miles of offroad. Just ordered my Action Van lift kit and wheels and tires are next. E350 7.3L EB....she's heavy, and a few extra feet in the back.

Appreciate everyone's insight and time on this thread.

Leaning towards either the ProComp comparable to the AR172 and really digging the Falken Wildpeak for Northern Michigan winter driving....


Any insights are welcome!