[Last updated 6/13/2017]
Ordering Wheels and tires
Decisions that you’ll need to make:
- Type of Tire (brand / model if you really know what you want) (we picked BFGoodrich KO2 315/75R16 – $245 each with federal tire tax)
- Type of Wheel (we picked Level 8 Tracker 16″ wheels that are 8.5″ wide with the JK 5×5″ (5x127MM) lug pattern in Aluminum Alloy – They also come, and look good in black for the same price – $120)
- Lug nuts (we got the kit of 24 and the key for $45
- TPMS sensors (we struggled with this, but went ahead and got new TPMS sensors for $45 each. I’m hoping that we can get more when we sell the the old wheels with the TPMS sensors still on them, and that the new sensors will last longer. Getting the new TPMS sensors also allowed the tire store to mount and balance the tires and ship them “bolt on ready” – for Free). We also had the option of having them pop in plan old valve stems, but we wanted to keep the tire pressure sensing system working.
- 4 or 5 wheels/tires (we went with 5 mostly because we wanted the look of the big spare with matching wheel n the back. This was a $400 decision including the TPMS sensor, but I’m hoping to get close to half of that back when we sell the original wheel, TPMS sensor and spare tire that’s never been used. That’s still $200 in extra cost that we spent more for looks than functionality)
- White Letters In or Out – If you’ve never done this before, most tires come with raised white letters. If you like the “black tire look” you just have them mounted with the letters facing in so you can’t see them (we had them mounted with white letters in / black out)
- Parts shipped separately or mounted/balanced and ready to bolt on (we went with bolt-on-ready)
- Shipping – I didn’t even ask if there were other shipping options (Frankly, they shipped them and they arrived in just over 2 business days. I wouldn’t have paid to get them any quicker)
Whoever you buy from, always ask about available discounts and promotions. I was able to get a $100 cash card for the wheels and $75 worth of discounts.