can anyone tell me if its ok/safe to mount 33x12.50 tires on stock 15x7.5 inch rims? and if anybody has pictures feel free to show them. thanks

 

The tire manufacturers all say that you need a rim width of 8.5" to 11" for that tire. However at least half a dozen guys will probably post on this thread and tell you that the tire manufacturers are all wrong that they have put them on stock rims with no problems.

Have you considered going just a skosh narrower? 33x10.5-15 tires require 7"-9" rim widths and obviously they will fit your rims.

 

im with Strange, keep it within the manufacture's spec's. i have a 35x12.5r15 mounted on a stock 7.5" rim but it is used ONLY as a spare. if you go with a wider tire/rim combo that leaves more room to play with later on down the road. IMO a 12.5 inch wide tire may look "pinched" on a 7.5 inch rim, and may not wear evenly...

 

...or it might roll right off the narrow rim under a heavy side load

 

Oh Jeez, here we go again. I have asked you this before, but have you ever actualy seen or heard of this happening?

I, as well as many people I know, have ran a 12.5" wide tire on a stock 7.5" rim for years with no issues.

 

i did and i ran 25 psi to keep the tire footprint flat to the ground and i had NO issues ... it was my dd and my weekend mudder

 

I have popped the bead seat on a properly seated, properly inflated tire installed on the rim for which it was designed during an emergent situation that caused very high high side loads on the tire. It would obviously be even easier to do on a tire which has a compromised bead seat due to being installed on too narrow a rim.

 

ANY tire on ANY rim could pop the bead in a "high load emergency situation".

For everyday driving, this will work just fine.

 

Then why do all the tire manufacturers say not to do it?

 

So you buy more tires, and they avoid litigation. I ran 32 11.50's for many years, just ran the pressure a little lower so the tire tread would run flatter on the road, and avoid wearing the center of the tread. I ran them at 25 lbs, and got 35K before I found dry rot in the tread blocks.

 

And if it is as safe to run those tires on the undersized rims as you claim that it is, then exactly what litigation do you see them avoiding?

 

Not trying to bicker here, but I'm curious as to what your logic is on the above quote? I would think the opposite... if you run tires wider then the recommendations for wheels, wouldn't they wear out faster.

Again, just curious. I too run larger tires then recommended for my factory wheels.

 

This may come as a suprise, but this is a "sue happy" country. They have deep pockets, I dont. People will sue at the drop of a hat. If someone mounts their larger aftermarket tires on stock rims, and it's not what the Manufacturer recomends, the manufacturer washes their hands of any wrong doing. However, if someone mounts a larger aftermarket tire on a larger aftermarket rim, then everyone is happy, right? Right up until the manufacturer sites that the wrong pressure in the tire was maintained, or the tire was not mounted right, or you used the tire in conditions that were not recommended, whatever. They will weasle there way from any culpability whatsoever.

2 years ago, I found sidewall dry cracking on my Bridgestone A/T duelers, that I bought through Sears. They had 28K on all four tires, and all four were cracking bad- so bad, that air was seeping out with a soap bubble test. I recieved a call from Bridgestone corporate, who proceeded to ask me 400 questions about the use of my tires. They asked if I used them off road, in soft sand. I said 'yes". they asked if I let the air out of them, I said "yes, I air down to 15 lbs". They said, oh, so sorry- because you used the tires underinflated in a off road situation, you have voided the warranties. I told them they were freaking all terrain tires! They didn't care. So, with the tire manufacturer telling me that, should I start telling people that they shouldn't use all terrain tires off road or airing them down, because "they said so"? Ha.

 

All of which has what to do with rim width? The situation you have described would be the same regardless of width

 

I know it wasn't real clear- what I meant was, you buy some aftermarket, larger tires from "tire rack" (or Craigs list, or ebay etc). take them to your local shop, and they warn you that you shouldn't run bigger tires on narrow wheels. So you either buy 4 new tires that will fit(because it would be a bee-otch to return them), or buy new, bigger wheels.

When I went through a local shop, they squeezed my 32x11.50 on the stock rim, but had me sign a disclaimer that I would hold them harmless if I or anyone else was hurt due to tire failure. That was 23 years and about 40 sets of tires ago.