Rims & Off Roading?
 

I am currently Driving a 2000 Blazer ZR2 and I've recently considered purchasing plus sized wheels that i could also go off road with and not bend the rim. So my question is this, what would be the largest wheel size/smallest amount of tire i would need to off-road successfully? I've also considered doing a body or suspension lift to fit more tire, but it would be great to hear some feedback.

i have never heard of rims bending before

but the biggest you can fit on STOCK suspension is 30x9.5x15

the biggest you can fit with 2" shackles and a 1.5 tbar crank would be 31x10.5's? - minor trimming right?

go to the tire section, there should be some help there

i have 31x10.5 15 stock... havent lifted andthing yet... on my 99 zr2 stock wheels and all

zr2s come stock with 31s ...which is why i am jealous of them

ZR2s came from the Factory with 31s
My first ZR2 had 32" Cooper Discovery's and didnt have any lift of any sort (that i was aware of) and didnt notice any rubbing

True, I believe you would be able to fit 32" with minimal trimming, if any.

The larger the rim, and smaller the tire, the more you're going to pay for em. How come you want a bigger rim for offroading? The more tire would be better. You dont have to worry about your tires getting scuffed and scratched either.

You could look into some Cragar soft 8's. The likely hood of bending them is small, and they can be replaced very inexpensively. Any steel rim will suit your need pretty well.

I really like the style of larger wheels but i'd still like some off-roading capabilities so do you think i could get 17" or 18" wheels and still fit a tire that would let me do so?

More sidewall means less damage to the rim when offroading. More rim means more of a street queen.

What do you really want?

It's not that it cant be done, It's just that it WILL cost you a LOT more in the long run. I'll try to explain, lets begin:

1. Larger wheels cost more money, a lot more when your talking about aluminum rims.

2. Since the fitment will be custom you will need 4 wheels plus at least 1 if not 2 spares.

3. nonstandard tires cost WAY more then standard sizes (tires that have lots of applications vs those that don't).

4. The reason guys run 15x8 rims on 33x12.5 and less is because the extra tire protects the lip and bead. same goes for 15x10 on 35s and larger.

5. Aluminum is a really soft metal.

6. Aluminum cracks really easlly compared to steel.

Conclusion:
You are MUCH more LIKELY to trash your MORE EXPENSIVE rims, in a much QUICKER fashion. This really is a "cake and eat it too" situation. Do like some of the other guys around here do; buy a street set and an offroad set, problem solved and it WILL be cheaper in the long run when you don't trash your nice rims.

Good Luck, Hope it helps!

Steel wheels = cheaper and if bent also = easier to fix with a B.F.H. (Big EFen Hammer) to get you home.