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37” tires on stock Rubicon wheels

Ricmcd

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Ordered a JL Rubicon , 2 Door. 3.6 w/8speed. I’m considering putting the JKS 3.5 lift (net 4” on a 2 door), Fox 2.0 shocks and Stabilizer, Nitto Trail Grapplers 37/12.5/R17 on stock Rubi wheels. Anybody done this yet? Do the stock wheels work without rubbing? Do I need spacers? Will I need to replace the drive shafts?
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Arterius2

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Ordered a JL Rubicon , 2 Door. 3.6 w/8speed. I’m considering putting the JKS 3.5 lift (net 4” on a 2 door), Fox 2.0 shocks and Stabilizer, Nitto Trail Grapplers 37/12.5/R17 on stock Rubi wheels. Anybody done this yet? Do the stock wheels work without rubbing? Do I need spacers? Will I need to replace the drive shafts?
I’m not speaking from experience, I’m an engineer and my math says it would fit without spacers. As long as you have the 4” lift you should clear it. However the consensus from reading the forums is that you probably should get a new DS.
 
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Ricmcd

Ricmcd

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I’m not speaking from experience, I’m an engineer and my math says it would fit without spacers. As long as you have the 4” lift you should clear it. However from reading the forums you probably should get a new DS.
I do believe the height will not be an issue but I’m worried about the back spacing. JKS says I need 4.5-5” back spacing but does not specify a offset. Nor do they specify a wheel width. The Rubicon wheels are 17 x 7.5 which seems very narrow for a 12.50” wide tire and nowhere can I find the back spacing for this stock wheel. I was hoping I did not need to purchase new wheels...
 

Arterius2

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I do believe the height will not be an issue but I’m worried about the back spacing. JKS says I need 4.5-5” back spacing but does not specify a offset. Nor do they specify a wheel width. The Rubicon wheels are 17 x 7.5 which seems very narrow for a 12.50” wide tire and nowhere can I find the back spacing for this stock wheel. I was hoping I did not need to purchase new wheels...
I was talking about backspacing the whole time. No doubt you have enough height.
What I know from experience is that my Sahara can clear 11.5” tires no issue and Rubicon have 1.5” wider axles, so for a 12.5 tire, using my Sahara as reference you get 0.75” more of clearance inward to work with and 12.5 is only 0.5 wider than 11.5 inward so yep you will clear as long asthere is enough fender clearance. Which you do..
 
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Ricmcd

Ricmcd

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I was talking about backspacing the whole time. No doubt you have enough height.
What I know from experience is that my Sahara can clear 11.5” tires no issue and Rubicon have 1.5” wider axles, so for a 12.5 tire, using my Sahara as reference you get 0.75” more of clearance inward to work with and 12.5 is only 0.5 wider than 11.5 inward so yep you will clear as long asthere is enough fender clearance. Which you do.
Thank you, this is good info...
 

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Arterius2

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Thank you, this is good info...
If my math is correct you can probably fit 13” wide tires without rub. But don’t hold my math to it if it doesn’t work out, real life is always a little more finicky. Heh.
 

Arterius2

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I do believe the height will not be an issue but I’m worried about the back spacing. JKS says I need 4.5-5” back spacing but does not specify a offset. Nor do they specify a wheel width. The Rubicon wheels are 17 x 7.5 which seems very narrow for a 12.50” wide tire and nowhere can I find the back spacing for this stock wheel. I was hoping I did not need to purchase new wheels...
Telling you backspacing is useless unless they tell you wheel width as well. 7.5” wheels have 4.25” of backspace at 0 offset. And less backspacing pushes the mounting surface inward and wheel hub outward giving you more room.

5CEB96C0-8B80-4F91-B44D-6125405DA038.jpeg


You can mount 12.5 tires on 7.5 wheels just fine they just bulge out quite a bit on the sidewalls like a balloon, but people have been running them without issues.
 
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Ricmcd

Ricmcd

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Telling you backspacing is useless unless they tell you wheel width as well. 7.5” wheels have 4.25” of backspace at 0 offset. And less backspacing pushes the mounting surface inward and wheel hub outward giving you more room.

5CEB96C0-8B80-4F91-B44D-6125405DA038.jpeg


You can mount 12.5 tires on 7.5 wheels just fine they just bulge out quite a bit on the sidewalls like a balloon, but people have been running them without issues.
Thank you, great chart, do you happen to know if the stock Rubi wheels are 0 offset or if not what they are?
 

Arterius2

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Thank you, great chart, do you happen to know if the stock Rubi wheels are 0 offset or if not what they are?
I haven’t measured myself but there is a good deal of info here.
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...and-backspace-of-stock-jl-rubicon-wheel.3992/
Either-way a specific offset/BS difference should be multiplied by 2 to get maximum tire width to take advance of that given offset.

So.. if you were to gain 2” of offset you can essentially increase your tire width by 4” which I think is pretty excessive.. it increases the stance by giving you a wider look, but that’s about it.. looks.. doesn’t do anything for you technically speaking.
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