Best tire and lift combo for expedition JK

[love2fear]

I will be purchasing a 4 door JK soon and will be wanting to begin modifications to it immediately. In addition to "normal" vehicle use it is going to be my go everywhere adventure vehicle. I don't really anticipate doing any "cawling" or extreme "jeep trails" but I would like to do as much expedition, over landing, long term primitive camping, etc etc etc type adventuring as possible.

So my question is what is the best combination of wheel/tire size and lift for a 4 door Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited. Keeping in mind, on and off road performance, expedition weight requirements including possible additions of heavier bumpers, and visual appearance as the last and least important factor (honestly they just look cooler bigger and higher than stock, but if stock is the best then so be it).

I am a novice at 4x4 driving and mechanics, other than driving HMMWVs in the middle of Afghanistan on what may not have even been able to be considered trails. So as much detail and input as possible is greatly appreciated. Opinions about prefered companies and kits is also useful especially if they have been used and tested from experience.

Thanks in advance for all the help.

 

[Colorado Jeeper]

I've owned 8 jeeps and with everyone I've driven them stock for a while before upgrading. I think most people will be surprised at the capabilities of a stock JK.

 

[mhiscox]

I've owned 8 jeeps and with everyone I've driven them stock for a while before upgrading. I think most people will be surprised at the capabilities of a stock JK.

I would second that. One thing to consider is that big tires will take away performance unless you re-gear, and that's another cost to consider. You didn't mention whether you were getting a 2012 with the 282 hp engine or one with the previous 202 hp engine. If it is the latter, there's not a lot of extra power to turn big tires with the stock gearing, especially if you've also increased weight with bumpers and other add-ons.

That said, I am extremely fond of my Rubicon's Goodyear DuraTrac tires and the AEV nth Degree suspension. Both have worked extremely well for the same sort of adventure travel that you propose. (Be aware, if you're not already, that you'll need wheel spacers for most significant tire size increases on a JK.)

 

[Xodius]

I just got my JKU 4door and love it. It is my 4th jeep and I always say I will never get a different vehicle. I have not made a single payment on this one yet but I have put on a OME hd lift roughly 2" and have 33's on it. I love it. I have a KJ for sale which has the same lift and that rig has been in more places than I can remember and I never had an issue with it.
If you want a great lift for a good price OME is the way to go. If you have some deeper pockets then the AEV is one of the best out there. For tires I would highly recommend D or E's. My KJ has bfg at/kos rated e and they are good but a tad heavy. On my jk I have yoko ats rated d and they are more manageable. The duraracs are supposed to be very good too but I have not run them yet.

Back to OME with the extra gear I would recommend a HD spring but not the top one as it is rated for...220 I think it is and that might make the ride a bit stiff.
Lastly as soon as you get your jk I would do the marker light mod for safety. Super easy to do and virtually unnoticeable that you did it if you take your time at it.
If you have any other questions just shoot me a pm or email.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[love2fear]

mhiscox,
What size tires do you run, and what lift on your AEV suspension? I had been looking at the AEV kits before posting this thread and although pricey, they look like superb quality.

 

[owhiting]

lift kit

I have installed several of the AEV 3.5 kits and removed a few of the un-mentionable brands. The AEV kit really is a nice kit, complete with everything so there is no guess work involved. The vehicles handle well and maintain a good highway ride with the ability to fit 35 inch tires. The 35's do sap the power, but they look really good with that size tire.

 

[Hilldweller]

What sort of terrain will you see most of the time?

There's more mud than rocks where I live so my JK had 2.5" of lift and 285/75-16 Cooper Discoverer STT tires on Procomp 16x8" wheels with 4.5" backspacing. That combo made it easy to find inexpensive rubber, not rub hard parts, and roll over almost anything.
The stock wheels will have your tires rubbing the control arms with bigger rubber.

As far as lifts, there are a couple that have stood up to abuse. AEV certainly, OME with a few JKS parts to supplement it, Rock Krawler, and one of the gals on here just installed a Full Traction and loves it.
I'd just be sure that any lift I got addresses the front trackbar and caster angle too; the less expensive ones don't.

 

[BIG JOHN]

I'm running the OME HD 2" lift. The actual lift ended up being 3 1/2" up front and 3" in back. I also installed the JKS adjustable front and rear trac bars. The lift, in my opinion, is the best out there for the money. Very simple install and the ride is much better than factory. I have had it on my JKU for 60,000 miles and zero issues. For tires I went with the 33x11.5 Duratracs! I have run all the major brands over the years and I can honestly say I will always run these tires now! Quiet yet aggressive! My set up fits me perfect and hasn't failed me.

 

[The Swiss]

I had a 2" Teraflex BB with 255/85-17 (33") BFG MT KM2 on my '08 JKU. I'm planning on going the same route with my '12 JKU. Will put the the 2" BB back on the JKU next weekend, but will wear the stock tires out first before upgrading the tires. Tire-wiese, I will either go again with the 255/85-17 (33") BFG MT KM2 or the BFG AT ko size 285/70-17.

 

[MattScott]

Which model JK Unlimited are you purchasing? Sport, Sahara, Rubicon?

If you're not purchasing the Rubicon, you may want to take the money you were to put into a lift, especially if you were looking at AEV, and put that towards the Rubicon. A stock Rubicon will go further than a non-Rubi with a lift and 35's.

If you're purchasing the Rubicon, ask yourself what you're going to do with the vehicle, and where you're going to be traveling with the vehicle.

35's seem to be pretty popular on the JKU.

 

[Rayholio]

A stock Rubicon with lockers and sway bar disconnect is plenty to tackle ANY expedition trail that I've heard of... (of course with proper recovery equipment)
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On a sport, or sahara, I would recomment sway bar disconnects, and at least a rear locker as upgrades...

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All that aside... Your tire size and lift are already beyond nearly any other vehicles stock configuration.. and will be fine.

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The problem is suspension CAPACITY, and PERFORMANCE.

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Capacity: The stock suspension will not be able to handle an overlanding load. Simply putting an ARB bumper on mine dropped the front end by over an inch. OME is a great choice because they make different tuned springs for your aproximate loaded weight. So sag will be 'tuned' and performance will not be lost.
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Performance: Stock suspension (at least on my rubi) is too rough when unloaded, and worthless when overloaded. It's not that the springs are horrible.. it's more like the OEM rubicon shocks are too tight, lest ye be rock crawling.

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Tires: The only true lift; Add a 2 inch lift, you get zero extra ground clearance, as your axle sits where it always did. but the OEM tires are already bigger than almost any overland capable vehicle out there... why change 'em?

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BTW... The OEM 32's offer the best gas milage. (I have yet to find a lighter weight wheel than the OEM wheels) When my tires wear out... I MIGHT go with a 33.. just because it will look better with my lift. but it doesn't matter what you can crawl over if you run out of fuel in the middle of the jungle.

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The BEST advice I can give you is to go out an use your new JK.. Identify problems in the field, and THEN seek solutions. Try not to anticipate problems that you may not ever have, and then spend a bunch of money on them.

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The idea is to focus your resources on the things that the JK doesn't already excel at.. storage & fuel capacity, ride comfort, etc... and leave the clearance hieght and lift for the rock crawlers..

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My ride is a JKU with OME HD lift + OME LT shocks. I had to add track bars, control arms, break line extentions, bump stops, etc.. it was expensive.. and at the end of the day, I would have been a lot better off with airbags front and rear for about 20% of the price. + standard OME shocks. My current HD suspension is sorta harsh when not loaded (98% of the time) (yet still better than stock)

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Also consider Center of Gravity, and overall height; the 2 inch lift makes a noticable, and negative difference... on wooded trails.. the lower you are, the better.. especially with gear on the roof, which can be shreded by low trees.
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I dunno.. I sorta feel like the Jeep culture is one of rock crawling... and as such the culture itself can lead an overlander a stray. Basic overlanding concepts like weight reduction, and fuel economy are ignored by most jeep guys...

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-Ray

 

[BIG JOHN]

Which model JK Unlimited are you purchasing? Sport, Sahara, Rubicon?

If you're not purchasing the Rubicon, you may want to take the money you were to put into a lift, especially if you were looking at AEV, and put that towards the Rubicon. A stock Rubicon will go further than a non-Rubi with a lift and 35's.

If you're purchasing the Rubicon, ask yourself what you're going to do with the vehicle, and where you're going to be traveling with the vehicle.

35's seem to be pretty popular on the JKU.

I doent necessairly agree with part of this statement. I have a lifted X and a friend if mine has a Rubicon. I have personally towed him four times! I have better ground clearance that allowed me to go over obstacles without getting hung up where his stock Rubicon did.
Dont get me wrong, Rubicons have better components but dont always make them better. You can purchase a lot of usefull parts for overlanding/expeditions that dont add up to the $6000 differance between an X and a Rubicon.

 

[Busarider]

I'm building my JK up for overland, but I also enjoy hitting the trails out in the woods so I am building more a dual purpose. I went with OME HD lift, front and rear track bars, Teraflex lower front arms and rear upper arms. For tires and wheels, I am waiting on Mopar winter wheels to get here. I find the Rubicon Tires to be loud and not sure if they are completely necessary. I am about to order tires and have just about landed on 315/70/17 Falken Wild Peak AT's. They get good reviews, I also want more axle height. In my limited experience I have talked myself into the fact that the AT's will get me thru most anything when paired with ARB lockers and 5.13 gears. I think the AT's will offer a better ride also. The included pictures are a little out of date. I have added side rails and removed the steps since.

 

[mhiscox]

mhiscox,
What size tires do you run, and what lift on your AEV suspension? I had been looking at the AEV kits before posting this thread and although pricey, they look like superb quality.

The lift is 3.5 inches front, 4.5 inches rear. But the heavier duty rear is is due to the impressive weight of the XV-JP, which is a near-7K-pound vehicle with most of the weight over the rear, so it settles down to level. I knew to get the four inch rear because Scott Brady had used this setup on the EarthRoamer Jeep he had. Three inch front and rear would, I believe, be best for most people.

The biggest place the sophistication of the suspension shows up is in highway use. In a curve at 65mph, the difference between the original Teraflex-MT/R setup and the Nth Degreee-Duratrac setup is huge.

The tires are LT285/70x17 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs. Tire diameter is spec'd at 33.0 inches.

 

[Hilldweller]

Tires: The only true lift; Add a 2 inch lift, you get zero extra ground clearance, as your axle sits where it always did. but the OEM tires are already bigger than almost any overland capable vehicle out there... why change 'em?
.
BTW... The OEM 32's offer the best gas milage. (I have yet to find a lighter weight wheel than the OEM wheels) When my tires wear out... I MIGHT go with a 33.. just because it will look better with my lift. but it doesn't matter what you can crawl over if you run out of fuel in the middle of the jungle.
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The idea is to focus your resources on the things that the JK doesn't already excel at.. storage & fuel capacity, ride comfort, etc... and leave the clearance hieght and lift for the rock crawlers..
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-Ray

A lift gives you more breakover angle. Depending on geographic location, that can matter more than diff clearance. Belly height requirement is relative to wheelbase.
I wheeled many times with the Swiss and watched him high-center where I didn't. Both of us in JKs, both with 33s, both with 2.5" lifts ---- the difference was he had a 4-door Rubicon and I had a 2-door Sahara (without lockers, LSD, or swaybar discos). I had bumpers at both ends and a winch; he had stock springs, stock bumpers.

I got better gas mileage with bigger tires and lighter wheels; the Procomp wheels that I bought were 6 pounds lighter than my OE wheels. The best mileage 33s I had were BFG 255/85-16 but they were bad handlers in the rain on the road. I traded the fuel economy for better traction and mounted Cooper Discoverer STTs in a 285/75-16.

Just saying that you have to build it for where you go. Not all "overlanding" is the same.

My little Sahara went anywhere: