Wheels?

[alanmikkelsen]

I have a couple of wheels on my TJ that are really difficult to balance and about 65 mph you really start feeling them. I was wondering about a new set of wheels, but unsure what direction to go. Steel or alloy? My current rims are pretty scarred on the edges, so I'm looking for something that will take a beating/scraping on the edges and still be servicable. 15" x 10", 12.50 tires and balances well, with durability in tough conditions are my primary factors. I don't care about looks (within reason).

[Spieg]

You sure it's the wheels? Maybe ask them to put one of the bad ones on the balancer without a tire and see what it says?

[FINOCJ]

15" x 10", 12.50 tires

If you decide to get new rims, I might suggest thinking about a narrower rim which would protect the rim/bead a bit more from rock rash, which can be helpful for alloy rims that won't take as much abuse. Going with a narrower steel wheel will help save some weight (as weight is one of the negatives to steel), so in either case it makes sense to me. I ran 33x12.5s on 15x8 for years on my cj7. I currently run 33x10.5s on my cj5 with 15x8 and I think the rim is too wide as it takes a lot of rock rash. I'd much prefer to be on 15x7s, but I like the vintage mag slots on the old iron and sometimes its easiest to run what you got.

[Brian]

I too would suggest a narrower wheel. I run 35x12.50 on 15x8 wheels and it offers good protection and I feel it let's you air down more as well.

[Jim]

I was wondering about a new set of wheels

In my car, I was in the same camp - slight out of balance (only noticed at highway speed) was a continued issue, tire set after tire set, and I considered changing wheels - until a service guy said - how are your shocks. With the years and miles it was a slap to the head type of comment. I changed all four shocks (when I changed to a new set of tires) and the issue is resolved.

The worn out shocks were causing just enough odd wear to the tires to knock them out of balance but not enough to cause overly bad (visible) tire wear.

As for a bent wheel - you should be able to check this in your driveway. Jack up one wheel so it can spin and do a visual to the rim/tire area to see if there is any deformity as it rotates.

[alanmikkelsen]

I've got new shocks, and one of the wheels has a noticeable wobble (spare) and the one that's vibrating now has a shake on the machine. I'm thinking about some Pro Comp alloys and thinking about 8" instead of 10". I can get into them for about $80/wheel. Flat black color, nothing fancy.