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Wheel size


Sagittarian
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Today 31x10.5 ONLY comes as an "LT" tire meaning C, D or E rating. Its a heavier tire for carrying heavier loads... typically 40-45 lbs of rubber.
Anything else 30" or taller (metric included) will probably be the same story on a 15" rim

A 265/70r16 would compare pretty closely in overall height and width but can be found without the heavy load ratings and is typically 38-44 lbs. Some are lighter some are heavier. ESP offroad tires

A 245.75r16 would compare in height but is narrower for less rolling resistance and now you are getting down to the 35 lb range... again trail tires may be heavier...
Less weight = better acceleration, better braking and better MPG POTENTIAL and better suspension response.
Loosing the LT rating typically means a quieter and more comfortable ride assuming you maintain a 70 or 75+ aspect ratio

Narrower will offer MPG gains, improved wet traction and improve hydroplaning resistance.

Starting to sound like a win? Aftermarket 16" rims are always heavier than OEM 15's unless you spend some really big bucks and even then it may still be a wash. So there goes your weight savings. Now a lot of OEM 16x7 wheels are fairly light so if you score some of those you my wind up tipping the scales a little. (looking for ~21 lbs)

Ultimately 16" gives you a lot more tire choices and may cost less in the long run. The option to go narrower and taller is easier than with the range of now very heavy 15" sizes so there is that plus too.

I personally want to switch our family 4-door to a tall skinny 16" it doesn't off road but it does rack up a lot of highway miles on family trips.

Edited by MY1PATH
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Is there any benefit to with 16" or 17" wheels over 15" wheels?

As was stated, it depends on the usage. Which are you asking about?

When you depart from the 15" rim, you generally leave the high flotation sizes behind...

 

B

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FYI this style GMC 16x7 is only 19lbs or 18.5 once you bore it to fit a pathfinder. This is about as light as some but not all 15" alloy wheels. But More importantly is the tire weight or location of mass. The farther from center the weight is located the more it effects the vehicles acceleration and braking.
So theoretically a 15lb rim with 30lb tire would be slower than a 30lb rim with a 15 lb tire.
th_GMC%2016x7.jpg

Edited by MY1PATH
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