Rubicon - No Lift - 35s (or equivalent) - Need HELP

[acheron800]

Hello,

First time poster. Looking to sell the FJ and get a Rubi.

I hate posting such a question because there are tons of threads on the topic and have searched those feverishly however the amount of information is huge.

Wanted to post a thread with specifics.

Looking to get a 2020 Rubicon Unlimited


Goals:

NO LIFT - No spacers, no extended bump stops.

Largest tires with no rub at full stock travel/flex.

Tire brand either BFG or Nitto want 35" or as close to as possible.

Wheels KMC or Method, specifically XD131 17" or Method 305 or 309 17"


Is this possible?


Thank you for any help!

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[AnnDee4444]

Hello,

First time poster. Looking to sell the FJ and get a Rubi.

I hate posting such a question because there are tons of threads on the topic and have searched those feverishly however the amount of information is huge.

Wanted to post a thread with specifics.

Looking to get a 2020 Rubicon Unlimited


Goals:

NO LIFT - No spacers, no extended bump stops.

Largest tires with no rub at full stock travel/flex.

Tire brand either BFG or Nitto want 35" or as close to as possible.

Wheels KMC or Method, specifically XD131 17" or Method 305 or 309 17"


Is this possible?


Thank you for any help!

Many Rubicon owners are running 35" BFG K02 (315/70R17 = 34.4") with no rubbing on stock suspension & wheels at full flex. Some of the lower offset wheels may cause issues, but I don't have any specifics what the acceptable range is.

 

[Angrypenguin]

Seen mixed information on 315/70r17 at full flex. I am currently running 305/70r17 and wheeled a few times now with zero rubbing. Take that for what it is worth.

 

[acheron800]

Many Rubicon owners are running 35" BFG K02 (315/70R17 = 34.4") with no rubbing on stock suspension & wheels at full flex. Some of the lower offset wheels may cause issues, but I don't have any specifics what the acceptable range is.

I guess thats what I am looking for, what is the range of sizes of tires and range of backspacing and offset for wheels.

 

[Jerrybizzle]

I guess thats what I am looking for, what is the range of sizes of tires and range of backspacing and offset for wheels.

17x9 from +12 to -12 offset will be fine. Most are around 0 or -12 offset, more poke than positive offset. 8.5 wides will work as well. The 35s may rub when off roading and sway bar disconnected. At those slow speeds the rubbing shouldn’t cause much damage. Are you planning to off road heavily or mainly camping/beach/fire road use? You can always do fender mods vs a lift if it ends up rubbing more than you like. There is a whole thread on here dedicated to people running 35s on stock height rubicons. I’ll link it shortly if you haven’t seen it.

26 pages of fun. It was pretty buried and the new search function since they updated this site isn’t as good as the old one in my opinion.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/jlu-rubicon-on-35s-no-lift.7290/

 

[acheron800]

17x9 from +12 to -12 offset will be fine. Most are around 0 or -12 offset, more poke than positive offset. 8.5 wides will work as well. The 35s may rub when off roading and sway bar disconnected. At those slow speeds the rubbing shouldn’t cause much damage. Are you planning to off road heavily or mainly camping/beach/fire road use? You can always do fender mods vs a lift if it ends up rubbing more than you like. There is a whole thread on here dedicated to people running 35s on stock height rubicons. I’ll link it shortly if you haven’t seen it.

26 pages of fun. It was pretty buried and the new search function since they updated this site isn’t as good as the old one in my opinion.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/jlu-rubicon-on-35s-no-lift.7290/

Some offroading, not too much. I have designated offroad vehicles for that.

Thanks for the link.

 

[Foggy47]

Some offroading, not too much. I have designated offroad vehicles for that.

Thanks for the link.

Hello,

First time poster. Looking to sell the FJ and get a Rubi.

I hate posting such a question because there are tons of threads on the topic and have searched those feverishly however the amount of information is huge.

Wanted to post a thread with specifics.

Looking to get a 2020 Rubicon Unlimited


Goals:

NO LIFT - No spacers, no extended bump stops.

Largest tires with no rub at full stock travel/flex.

Tire brand either BFG or Nitto want 35" or as close to as possible.

Wheels KMC or Method, specifically XD131 17" or Method 305 or 309 17"


Is this possible?


Thank you for any help!

Do you mean like mine?

(ooops, I thought I had a pic to attach to this thread but I deleted some. I will post a pic of my stock suspension JLUR with methods and Nitto Ridge Grappler 35's later. They work for me.)

 

[Foggy47]

Do you mean like mine?

(ooops, I thought I had a pic to attach to this thread but I deleted some. I will post a pic of my stock suspension JLUR with methods and Nitto Ridge Grappler 35's later. They work for me.)

Edit: Added pics below.

 

[rampart_ranger]

The Rubicon was made for 35s. It sits about 2" higher than other trim levels and has high clearance fenders. I'm running 35" Nitto Ridge Grapplers on 17x9 wheels with 0 offset. No aftermarket lift, spacers, etc. Mostly mountain roads, never pushed it to extreme flex, but I haven't had any issues with rubbing.

 

[JeepSmash]

I ran 17x9 wheels with +1 offset and 35's with no real rubbing. The only time I ever got anything was once in a while it would just barely tap the top of the fender liner on full stuff. Not enough to matter. I have a lift now only because I got sick of dragging the skid plates on every damn rock.

 

[UNC Rubicon]

I’m running 315/70/17 BFG KO2s on MOPAR beadlocks (4.4in of BS and 12mm of offset). I’ve got a lot of weight on my Jeep (LoD front bumper, winch, Rhino Rack, and Metalcloak skids) and I’m rubbing quite a bit off-road with the sway bar disconnected.

 

[Fsttanks]

If you run the STOCK rims you can run up to a 35” tires with no issues as these are what the JLUR was designed to work with from the factory. If you run any other rims it’s a crap shoot. Seems this keeps getting lost in translation and folks are just hearing the “Rubicons can run 35s” and glazing over the stock factory rim part.

I run the stock rims and “35s” on my JLUR with no lift, at full flex while at full wheel lock turning left or right and have NO RUBBING.

Here are a few basic photos form last week though not at full flex you can clearly see the front tire neatly tucked inside the fender well and not rubbing the outer fender edge.

 

[AnnDee4444]

I find it interesting how the old rule of thumb was to push the wheels further out for more clearance, but it seems to be not true on the JL (at least with the Rubicon).

 

[Fsttanks]

I find it interesting how the old rule of thumb was to push the wheels further out for more clearance, but it seems to be not true on the JL (at least with the Rubicon).

Because on the older Jeeps it was needed to clear suspension and frame components. Not so with the JL Rubicons. The Rubicon was designed from the start with STOCK rims using 35” tires in mind.

 

[jeffleach]

I have a 2018 JLU Rubi and run stock wheels + suspension with 35x12.5x17 Goodyear MT/R's with zero rubbing. I did two of the BOH trails last week with the sway bar disconnected and had at or near full flex and no issues at all.

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