You knew I'd wade in here eventually, didn't you...? Or maybe hoped I wouldn't? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Just to throw some "balance" into this discussion, here are my opinions... ~YMMV~

Firstly: Eli makes a good point about wider wheels/tires protecting the body by sticking out past the body work. But, this is only ONE wheeling situation. I could make many arguments against as well, such as the ability to stuff a skinny more completely, which in turn allows you to "articulate" more (I use the term loosely, since most of us, Curtis excluded, are running IFS). Plus many states/provinces mandate that the tire must not stick out past the bodywork, so unless your truck is offroad only, you have to add some kind of flare in many cases, which can be damaged as easily as the body... BUT, Eli's title was "Skinny Tires + Stock BS Rims + Ruts/Highwalls = Not Good". Agreed. For that type of wheeling, less/no damage probably would've occurred with fatties.

Secondly: A skinny tire will increase your contact pressure. Your contact patch is smaller, but your pressure is greater, hence more traction, when traction is available... You can run a narrower rim, so the combo gives you less rolling resistance getting to your favorite trail, less rotating mass, less unsprung weight. These are some of the reasons why skinnies often = Good.

Thirdly: As far as unseating the bead, I have unseated 33x950s on 6 inch wheels. Three tires actually, simultaneously, in the same rut (Betsy II, so I've had three trucks since then, and arguably have gained a little more experience). It wasn't a factor of the wheel/tire, but the temperature (it was minus 21*C, and I running too little air - rubber was too hard). I've seen 1250s on 8s spectacularly blow their bead, 1150s on 7s, etc etc. The rim/tire combo has some bearing, but I don't agree that x wheel combined with y tire will surely result in a blown bead. There are too many variables...

For my type of wheeling, combined with lots of daily driving miles, I'll run skinnies, or as I like to call them, pizza mudders, and I'll get to the same places where my fat tire friends go. Sometimes with more effort, sometimes with less.