33" vs 35" JK sahara

[Hilldweller]

Jimbo hit it; rubber for 16s is plentiful and affordable.
The wheel/tire combos are also lighter than their 17 or 18 counterparts.

33s vs 35s on breakover? That extra inch won't be a showstopper unless you did something else wrong. Sooner or later you'll need a winch anyhoo.
A lift helps breakover more comprehensively.

 

[NOMADIC_LJ]

33s vs 35s on breakover? That extra inch won't be a showstopper unless you did something else wrong. Sooner or later you'll need a winch anyhoo.
A lift helps breakover more comprehensively.

THIS ^^^^^

35's just have too many negatives vs. positives to make sense for expo travel.

 

[Piet]

THIS ^^^^^

35's just have too many negatives vs. positives to make sense for expo travel.

Can you explain?

 

[1leg]

Remember a Sahara doesn't have the D44 in the front. I wouldn't run 35s on anything less then a D44

I ran 255 85 16s BFG MT. without a lift and only had a little rub when off-road.

I would go 255 85 16 in a AT, that will get you the best MPG

I avg 18+ MPG on 1800 mile trip last year.

 

[tacomadave]

Heres mine on 33" or 285/75/17 or is it 70/17... anyways I like my 33's and I love the Goodyear Duratracs. I got my dad to get a set for his pickup and I think he's going to get a set for his LR3 when his current tires wear out.

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: Nomadic, may have diff. reasons, but my reasons for not employing a set of 35" tires is:

I have a JK 4dr-2" lift is at the edge of the JK 4dr suspension design and is PERFECT for the 33" tire, withouit gearing control arm/shock change

2) 35"tires GENERALLY can't be used on the stock spare carrier

3) 35" tires are 20 to 40% heavier than stock--mileage/power suffer

4) 35" tires require regearing /w auto and more lift

5) 35" tires/W more lift require adj control arms/adj track bars, flat fenders

6) 35" tires -HARD TO BALANCE

Thats enough to keep me with 33" tires

:costumed-smiley-007:costumed-smiley-007 JIMBO

 

[durango_60]

Tacomadave, are you running spacers with those tires and stock wheels?

 

[NOMADIC_LJ]

:sombrero: Nomadic, may have diff. reasons, but my reasons for not employing a set of 35" tires is:

I have a JK 4dr-2" lift is at the edge of the JK 4dr suspension design and is PERFECT for the 33" tire, withouit gearing control arm/shock change

2) 35"tires GENERALLY can't be used on the stock spare carrier

3) 35" tires are 20 to 40% heavier than stock--mileage/power suffer

4) 35" tires require regearing /w auto and more lift

5) 35" tires/W more lift require adj control arms/adj track bars, flat fenders

6) 35" tires -HARD TO BALANCE

Thats enough to keep me with 33" tires

:costumed-smiley-007:costumed-smiley-007 JIMBO

agree 100%. 35's are considered the smallest of the "big" tires. Fantastic for rock crawling but not so much for long distance travel. I think generally between 30" to 33" is the sweet spot for overlanding. It's just a very nice balance between offroad capability and on-road manners. Just my 2¢

 

[JeepinJon]

:sombrero: Nomadic, may have diff. reasons, but my reasons for not employing a set of 35" tires is:

I have a JK 4dr-2" lift is at the edge of the JK 4dr suspension design and is PERFECT for the 33" tire, withouit gearing control arm/shock change

2) 35"tires GENERALLY can't be used on the stock spare carrier

3) 35" tires are 20 to 40% heavier than stock--mileage/power suffer

4) 35" tires require regearing /w auto and more lift

5) 35" tires/W more lift require adj control arms/adj track bars, flat fenders

6) 35" tires -HARD TO BALANCE

Thats enough to keep me with 33" tires

:costumed-smiley-007:costumed-smiley-007 JIMBO

1) 2.5" of lift is all that is needed for a 35" tire. That 1/2" difference in suspension lift isn't enough to require a control arm/shock change. I ran the 2.5" Teraflex spring lift for about 9 months with shock extensions without problem

2) With the weight of a 33" tire you will be breaking spot welds on the swing gate, not different than a 35" tire.

3) A 33" BFG M/T is 60lbs. A 35" BFG M/T is 68 LBS. 8lbs of difference between the sizes he is looking at isn't enough to make any drastic differences in mileage and power.

5) With the JK and a 2.5" lift a 35" tire will not require any more suspension components than a 33" tire. A 33" tire requires 2" of lift, and bump stops. A 35" tire is the same. Flat fenders are not needed.

6)35" tires are no harder to balance than a 33" tire.

That is just my 2 cents. Since we are comparing a 35" tire to a 33" tire and comparing what is needed I would argue that to do it properly there is no difference in needs, or on road performance other than .5" of lift, and 1" more clearance between the diffs. Off-road this difference may seem small, but can make a huge difference.

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: It'a a jungle out there !!

When you own your own jeep, its amazing what you can do

:costumed-smiley-007:costumed-smiley-007 JIMBO

 

[tacomadave]

Tacomadave, are you running spacers with those tires and stock wheels?

Right now I have the Spidertrax spacers on the front, but nothing on the rear, and it doesnt need them in the rear but it looks kinda goofy with the front track wider.

I don't really like the idea of spacers, mine havent come loose or anything but it just seems like its a potential failure point, I have been wondering lately if some company makes a clearanced or bent lower control arm that i could use instead, because that was where mine rubbed.

 

[tacomadave]

5) With the JK and a 2.5" lift a 35" tire will not require any more suspension components than a 33" tire. A 33" tire requires 2" of lift, and bump stops. A 35" tire is the same. Flat fenders are not needed.

A 33" tire does not require 2" of lift, nor bump stops. They will rub the lower control arm, but wheel spacers or wheels with different back spacing prevent that.

 

[JeepinJon]

A 33" tire does not require 2" of lift, nor bump stops. They will rub the lower control arm, but wheel spacers or wheels with different back spacing prevent that.

A full 33" tire will rub the fenders without extending the bump stops. Most manufacturers 33" tires though are only 32" mounted.

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: Ah, troops, this thread was started by a guy who wanted to know about JEEP JK 4DR TIRES

Lets stay within the JK 4dr parameters, if you have a JK 4dr, then your answer might mean something

:costumed-smiley-007:costumed-smiley-007 JIMBO

 

[JeepinJon]

:sombrero: Ah, troops, this thread was started by a guy who wanted to know about JEEP JK 4DR TIRES

Lets stay within the JK 4dr parameters, if you have a JK 4dr, then your answer might mean something

:costumed-smiley-007:costumed-smiley-007 JIMBO

Since I got my 4 door JK two years ago I have done 4 different suspensions (still with stock Rubi tires). I started with a TJ spring up front to level the JK. This was good for normal daily driving, but on trails I got high centered frequently when empty. From there I went to a 2" budget boost, and then I was still getting high centered often when I had any gear in the Jeep. Third setup was the 2.5" Teraflex spring lift (shock extensions, stock control arms, stock track bars), which handles weight better than any budget boost, or stock springs. When fully loaded I could still make it through most trails when loaded, but on steeper hills I would need to give it extra gas to clear the top, and oftentimes it included quite a bit of riding on the skids. Now I am on to a 4.5" lift, and I can crawl over most things without needing to bump the pedal to avoid getting stuck on the belly.

From my experience the 4 doors JK really does need at least 4" total lift in order to be able to even compete with a stock 2 door. If I were to do it from the begining again I would probably do it with a 2.5" lift and 35"DuraTrac. In the local Jeep club I am in we have several guys with a JK and 35 and 37" tires with a completely stock drive train. The biggest difference between the Dana 30 and 44 on the JK is the ring gear size. The stock axles are pretty strong, and really all you need to do is tack weld the u-joint caps on the front.

Driveability really is decent with an auto and stock gears as long as you reprogram the speedo for the new tire size. You aren't going to win any drag races, but you can maintain highway speeds. I know that many people think that a 33" tire is the way to go, but at the same time with a 116" wheel base your stock breakover angle is only 20.8* (same as a stock commander) compared to 25.3* with the 2 door. There really is only one way to overcome this, and that is with lift, and larger tires.