When you buy your four wheel drive, most of them come with steel wheels. You can choose to mount other rims or stick with the steel ones. Your only other option is to mount aluminum rims, which have their advantages but also many disadvantages. At the end of the day, the best tires for your four-wheel drive should be based on what you want it to do.

Aluminum rims look much better, but cost more than 5 times the price of steel. They are also much lighter, but then they are not as strong and very difficult to repair. When you’re 600 miles from the nearest city, you want something that’s reliable and can be put back in place if something goes wrong.

I much prefer steel rims because they are cheap, reliable and easy to repair. You can buy a steel rim for $50, while an aluminum rim can cost up to $800. The number of aluminum rims I’ve seen crack or break off the road has really put me off buying them. Sure, steel wheels are heavy and don’t look as good, but I prefer reliability over everyday looks. You also have a few options for the size and offset of your tires. Negative offset tires protrude more from the guards and give you less chance to roll.

Bigger rims mean your tires will cost more, but they give you better on-road capability for maneuvering and cornering. However, they also degrade your off-road capability, so it’s a compromise either way. What you want to do, however, is make a list of what your vehicle is used for and your budget. Consider your best options and go from there, and you won’t regret it.