I've always thought we went to wide rims to support the sidewalls of the wider/higher-volume tires. If you're really looking at optimizing a rim, insert, and tire setup, you can go with a narrower rim because the insert supports the sidewall. AJ's experiment and all the comments are super helpful, but don't answer what is my main question from a trail-riding perspective: how does 2.5 DHF, 2.5 Aggressor, no inserts, 30mm ID compare to 2.3 DHF, 2.3 Aggressor, inserts (cushcore pro or tannus), 27mm ID, and 4ish psi lower in each tire. Really narrows down the difference in weight. And, with the inserts, can easily throw 2.5's (and a DHR) on the 27mm ID for shuttling days.
Nov. 2, 2020, 11:20 a.m. - MuscogeeMasher
I've always thought we went to wide rims to support the sidewalls of the wider/higher-volume tires. If you're really looking at optimizing a rim, insert, and tire setup, you can go with a narrower rim because the insert supports the sidewall. AJ's experiment and all the comments are super helpful, but don't answer what is my main question from a trail-riding perspective: how does 2.5 DHF, 2.5 Aggressor, no inserts, 30mm ID compare to 2.3 DHF, 2.3 Aggressor, inserts (cushcore pro or tannus), 27mm ID, and 4ish psi lower in each tire. Really narrows down the difference in weight. And, with the inserts, can easily throw 2.5's (and a DHR) on the 27mm ID for shuttling days.