16" Rim vs. 15" Rim, 8" Rim vs. 10" Rim, 10.50" Tire vs. 11.50" Tire vs. 12.50" Tire

[CB3]

The wider tires are better for dryer climates that have lots of rocks and sand, IMO.

The narrow tires are better for wetter and/or colder climates, IMO.

My climate and terrain are in between and varies a lot with elevation. So I tend to prefer a medium width wheel and medium width tire as my first choice. My second choice would be to go narrower on wheel and tire. Wide tires are never appropriate in my area, IMO.

So what is best all depends on a person's situation.

[Death_Valley_TJ]

In addition to what Jerry already said, one more issue to think about is if the tire goes flat while you are on or off road. With the wider rim it is more likely to break the bead before you get stopped. It is also much harder to seat the bead after a repair with the wider wheel. I have seen this happen many times and if you don't have a high volume air source, it can be difficult to get the tire inflated.