33 vs 35s for my XJ Overland Build

[osinrider04]

I was wondering if your XJ was an Auto or a 5-spd. (Mine is a 5-spd). Having it gear the way you do you would be fine with the 35"s but if you have a auto tranny I would take extra measure to keep it cool pulling up mountain passes. Maybe a tranny cooler and a auxiliary fan mounted on the front side of the radiator to provide extra air flow.

On my XJ the final set-up will have a Dana 30 and a Dana 44 w/4.56 gears and ARB lockers front/back, with 33" tires (BFG 15x10.5x33) The main reason I feel this is best for me is that I plan on pulling a overland trailer over the steep mountain passes and it will allow me to have a tighter range of gears to be in while trying to keep pace with traffic. With my 5spd 5th gear is almost useless (currently 3.55 gears and 31" tires)

You are running 33"s and 4.88 gears right now? Do you feel it is too steep right now? If so it defiantly factors into over-landing, but wheeling it's probably perfect. It is a dilemma that once you buy the tires your going to have to live with them.

Mine is an auto. The 33's with 4.88 is maybe slightly too tall for highway driving. However, right now I'm running the wrangler duratracs and they seem to measure a bit small from what I can tell. I'm moving to the BFG KO2 and those seem bigger (both in 33s, but I'll take official measurements when they're installed) so maybe that will help a tiny bit. The other thing that's interesting is even though they feel tall, if I hit a highway with a steep or semi-steep incline, I can still see a slowing of the MPH with consistent pedal pressure. It's extremely better than on the 3.55s I had but just something interesting.

The other thing is that when loaded down with gear I'm sure the 4.88s will help, especially since I'm still adding armor, winch, etc.

Right now the 33" seems to be winning the battle.

 

[osinrider04]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! For me, doing crazy trails is not really in mind for this jeep and even though 35s sound good for the ego and whatnot, it seems silly from a realistic standpoint.

The cupping was caused by tire inflation believe it or not. I ran it with an improper pressure for quite a while and it ate up my duratracs real fast. Sad news too because the tires never even saw offroad so they are in great shape otherwise. Since the xj doesn't have tpms, ARB does sell both an internal and external tire pressure system where you can plug into a cig lighter and it will tell you the pressure at all 4 corners. I may install that just so this doesn't happen again.

 

[JandDGreens]

I go on some trails that push the limits of my XJ due to no lockers. and I need to amore up mine as well. I think 33"s will help a lot. I have the mid stiffeners that need to go on and I would really like to do a SYE to gain some of that clearance that you lose on the T-case drop. When I bought my Xj it did have 33"s on it but with 3.07 gears I traded for the 31"s. and then did the axle swap. I am going with the 10.5 inch to save on the wear and tear and they will only cost $862.99 vs. $1,064.99 for 4 out the door with road hazard warranty.

 

[osinrider04]

I go on some trails that push the limits of my XJ due to no lockers. and I need to amore up mine as well. I think 33"s will help a lot. I have the mid stiffeners that need to go on and I would really like to do a SYE to gain some of that clearance that you lose on the T-case drop. When I bought my Xj it did have 33"s on it but with 3.07 gears I traded for the 31"s. and then did the axle swap. I am going with the 10.5 inch to save on the wear and tear and they will only cost $862.99 for 4 out the door with road hazard warranty.

I had the tcase drop when I bought my jeep, but then I swapped to a np231 and SYE kit to tuck things up higher. It made a huge difference and I have great ground clearance now. When you do that, be sure to reshim the rear end or double check your pinion angles. I had really bad vibration afterward because of the different angles, and actually got new drive shafts to help some as well. Currently I have a mechanical locker in the rear but since I have my Viair system I will eventually go to air lockers front and rear once I have the coin.

 

[JandDGreens]

The thing that has my Xj stalled is I have a trailer I'm building and want to be able to get it titled and tags for it so that I can move it out into the yard and get my shop space freed up.

 

[Se7en62]

Seems like we all have very similar setups, so far. - My next upgrade since I've gone to 33's will be front brakes, a ZJ disc conversion in the rear, then 4.56 gears. After that, I'm leaning towards Aussie Locker's so I don't have to mess with them at all. They're also much cheaper than manual lockers.

 

[burton58]

Just to share my experience I have had 2 different auto xj's, one with 33's one with 35's. Both had 4.88s. Running 33's with gears that deep was wonderful for power around town and while wheeling but was at a pretty high rpm on the highway. On 35's it was better for long distances on the highway.

 

[Evan.Fiorentino]

I don't want to totally derail this thread but I had a quick question. Do you all think that a nice set of 31's would cut the cheese for overlanding in an XJ? I am stock now and wanted to go with a mild lift and was going to go with 31's for fuel economy, ease of availability and also to hopefully put less wear and tear on all the other components on long trips. I live on the East coast and drive her across country once a year as well as having a pretty hefty commute so that is my thought process behind going with 31" instead of 33".

Mods can delete my comment if it is too far off course for this thread!!

Evan

 

[Se7en62]

Just to share my experience I have had 2 different auto xj's, one with 33's one with 35's. Both had 4.88s. Running 33's with gears that deep was wonderful for power around town and while wheeling but was at a pretty high rpm on the highway. On 35's it was better for long distances on the highway.

What axles were you running with the 35's and what was your primary use (DD, Crawling, Overlanding, Towing, etc.)?

 

[Kevin108]

Do you all think that a nice set of 31's would cut the cheese for overlanding in an XJ? I am stock now and wanted to go with a mild lift and was going to go with 31's for fuel economy, ease of availability and also to hopefully put less wear and tear on all the other components on long trips. I live on the East coast and drive her across country once a year as well as having a pretty hefty commute so that is my thought process behind going with 31" instead of 33".

Absolutely. You definitely don't need 35s and are unlikely to need 33s. XJs aren't heavy. 31s offer plenty of flotation.

 

[burton58]

What axles were you running with the 35's and what was your primary use (DD, Crawling, Overlanding, Towing, etc.)?

D30, xj d44, both Aussie locked, 4.88s as I said. It was a rock crawler, didn't daily drive it but did drive it the 2 1/2 hours on the highway to the offroad park.

Red one on 35's

White one on 33's

 

[osinrider04]

I don't want to totally derail this thread but I had a quick question. Do you all think that a nice set of 31's would cut the cheese for overlanding in an XJ? I am stock now and wanted to go with a mild lift and was going to go with 31's for fuel economy, ease of availability and also to hopefully put less wear and tear on all the other components on long trips. I live on the East coast and drive her across country once a year as well as having a pretty hefty commute so that is my thought process behind going with 31" instead of 33".

Mods can delete my comment if it is too far off course for this thread!!

Evan

It seems to be that tire size is dependent upon your build and use. I'd say if you are stock that 31s is probably the biggest I would go. However, this is how it all starts. You want 31s now, then 33s in a year, then 35/37s...it's a thing you get addicted to lol. Also depends what your factory gears are and if you want to cut your fenders. What I've learned with my XJ over the past 3.5 years is that when you mod one thing, expect to adjust/modify/upgrade 3 other things for it to be incorporated properly. This is an expensive hobby and trying to half-***** it costs you time and money in the long run. One thing to keep in mind though is if you are planning for a small lift that would clear 33s, I would wait to buy the 33s once you have the lift ready to go. Waiting a bit longer for your long-term goal is much friendly on the wallet.

 

[Se7en62]

I agree with sinrider04 (above). 31's will work just fine for overloading so long as you know your limits. That applies to an setup though. If you read around on here more, you'll see there's a lot of guys Overlanding, some full-time, on 31's; In Jeeps, Toyotas, etc. Its not necessarily all about tire size, as it is how the rig is intended to be used.

 

[Fursphere]

My XJ was built for rock crawling, but I'm using it more for overlanding. Its on 35s, Dana 44s front and rear, and 4.88s gears. 7.5" Rubicon Express lift.

My only compliant is that its a dog on hills on the highway. Other than that its great. Running BFG AT KO2s as well.

 

[redthies]

It seems as the forum grows, it becomes increasingly "rock crawler portal". While 90% of people on here will never go on an actual "expedition", there is a common desire for offroad camping. That said, I think 33s and a 3 or 4" lift are plenty big for an XJ doing camping and exploring duty. If you want to go to Moab and run the hard trails, the bigger meats might be what you're after.