Tire and wheel help

Can anyone tell me if a tire that is listed to fit on a 7-8 inch wide wheel can safely be mounted to a wheel that is 8.5 inches wide? I am looking at a set of wheels and they are 16x8.5 but my BFG A/T KO's are listed to fit as high as an 8" wide wheel. I am just thinking that it would not be an issue considering it is only an additional half inch or quarter of an inch per side of the tire. Just saying.

I dont think its a safety issue so much as a wear issue. I believe if the rim is too narrow, the tire will "bow out" and wear unevenly along the middle of the tread. If the rim is too wide for a tire, the tire will "bow in" and wear along the outer edges. I dont think a 1/2 inch would be that big'a deal, but you never know...have you checked over on the blue room, one of the sponsors is Discount Tire, they usually answer tech questions pretty quickly...just sayin'

Yeah I sent DT an email but I dont expect a response until Monday. I also posted the same question on the blue room, no response there yet. Sometimes I hate that place. People will post numerous responses to nothing but it seems like every time I have posted over there I get nothing or I get smartazz replies.

If it is potentially a tire wear thing then that is not an issue for me. I have 37k on my tires now and plans to get some new ones early next year. Could be a little sooner than that.

If you're that close, there won't be any problems. I've run the past 30k miles on mud tires (hard miles at times). My tires are recommended on a 7"-8.5" rim and I'm running them on a 9" rim. Tire wear has been perfect, handling is good in all conditions as well. I'd have no concerns at all if you're that close.