37s stock JLR wheels 2.5" lift, must I do it all at once?

[COJeeper]

Looking for smart people input that know about this stuff.

I've priced out everything I need to do to run 37s "properly" and we're talking over $8000. Will I cause myself more trouble than it's worth to go little by little? It appears you can put a 37x12.5 on the stock Rubicon rim, people on this forum are doing it, have pictures, have video and apparently it works. I'm debating between Clayton and Metalcloak right now, both top tier based on the research I've done. I don't have $8000 laying around so I'm thinking to start off with, get the lift and the 37s and then build out from there. Tire carrier (probably first), brakes, steering components, re-gear, new rims that appropriate fit manufacturer requirements, all in that order.

Am I crazy? Am I creating major headaches for myself because I'm not upgrading all these components at once? I wheel in CO and I'm 6 hours from Moab, went twice this year since I picked up my Jeep this past February. I've also driven over two curbs at the mall. So now you have an idea of the type of wheeling I do.

Am I even dumb to go to 37s? I just think they look like the right fit on the JL platform. I'm surprised I haven't damaged anything yet stock, a lot of scraping and a couple hard hits. Glad there's some stock protection under this thing.

Am I drunk??

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[jhackathorne]

Assuming you are driving a Rubicon, like posted in your pic, then you don't have to upgrade everything you are thinking of. Plenty of people running 37's on stock rims and a spacer lift. While MC and Clayton are great lifts, unless you really need the flex and/or are overloading, you can go with a lower cost lift and be perfectly fine.

I'm on 35's now and 37's here in the next month or so. My 35's weigh the same as my 37's and I am running a Rubicon as well with the 2.0L engine and a Pulsar XT for a little extra HP. I do not plan on regearing. Nor changing to larger brakes. I will swap out ball joints here shortly and upgrade to chromoly axle shafts before end of next summer most likely. But only because I wheel some difficult trails and run with a group of fearless Jeepers.

I'd say stick with your 37's on stock rims and upgrade your tire carrier to Teraflex HD Alpha adjustable one and pick your lift kit. That is plenty to get you wheeling some difficult trails and then you can upgrade ball joints, brakes, axles as you start to get a little wear on them.

 

[Tyler225]

You can definitely do it in stages, that's exactly what I am doing.

I went with the RK adventure series lift which only comes with front track bar and front LCAS, 37s and new wheels (new wheels arent needed if you add wheel spacers on the stock ones).

Now my plan is to rebuild my jeep spending account and just upgrade as things start to wear out and/or break. (I.e tie rod, drag link, rest of the control arms, steering stabilizer, ball joints, driveshaft etc.)


Edit: If you are going with a metalcloak lift their sale right now for 15% off is probably the best you'll see until next black friday so might make sense to get the entire lift now.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

IMO, with a Rubicon:

Necessary:
2" to 2 1/2" Lift (coils, shocks, front lower control arms)
Wheels with enough backspacing or wheel spacers
37" Tires
Adjustable tire carrier
Programmer to calibrate speedometer and shift points

Good idea to have:
Adjustable front track bar
Adjustable rear track bar (or track bar relocation bracket)
HD ball joints
Side steps if you have any little ones
Bottle jack

Nice future upgrades to get ready for 38, 39, or 40s:
HD front axle and re-gear of rear axle
All 8 adjustable control arms
Steering upgrade
Brake upgrade
Rear gate hinge upgrade
2nd job to pay for all of it

 

[XX4XEXX]

I'll chime in here I love these posts.

1 Yes do it in stages however do not focus on the tire size. 2 you can not run 37s on rubi wheels unless it's the 8.5 bead locks, you sound like you plan on wheeling so dont try it. 3 you can not run stock wheels with a lift meaning you will rub and scrub. 4 MC vs Clayton is apples for apples both great and both worthy, depending on your intent with your Jeep you don't need knuckles or gears. 6 as advice pick your lift and stick with no less the 2.5" (all 8 arms are not needed however you sound eager so...) run whatever shock you desire @AccuTune Off-Road is my prefered. Dont set your droop set your squish with no bump stops installed then set your bumpstops. Check all your lines and brakes. Now here is a must if you plan on 37s drop all fluids even engine oil and pour in Amsoil, use 75w140 in both diffs you will Thank me. After your all tuned in pick a wheel with proper BS (4.5) and tire combo but don't forget to keep in mind tire weight some get heavy. After all this don't replace a thing till it breaks or you have cash to replace it. Right now manufacturers have crazy sales going on its a perfect ti

People do go all out crazy on builds drop coin ride around as a DD and see 10% dirt which is OK but not needed size your build for what you intend to do or have $$$$. Also don't be afraid to build your lift as some call Frankenstein, some parts work better from other manufacturers.

 

[jhackathorne]

I'll chime in here I love these posts.

1 Yes do it in stages however do not focus on the tire size. 2 you can not run 37s on rubi wheels unless it's the 8.5 bead locks, you sound like you plan on wheeling so dont try it. 3 you can not run stock wheels with a lift meaning you will rub and scrub. 4 MC vs Clayton is apples for apples both great and both worthy, depending on your intent with your Jeep you don't need knuckles or gears. 6 as advice pick your lift and stick with no less the 2.5" (all 8 arms are not needed however you sound eager so...) run whatever shock you desire @AccuTune Off-Road is my prefered. Dont set your droop set your squish with no bump stops installed then set your bumpstops. Check all your lines and brakes. Now here is a must if you plan on 37s drop all fluids even engine oil and pour in Amsoil, use 75w140 in both diffs you will Thank me. After your all tuned in pick a wheel with proper BS (4.5) and tire combo but don't forget to keep in mind tire weight some get heavy. After all this don't replace a thing till it breaks or you have cash to replace it. Right now manufacturers have crazy sales going on its a perfect ti

People do go all out crazy on builds drop coin ride around as a DD and see 10% dirt which is OK but not needed size your build for what you intend to do or have $$$$. Also don't be afraid to build your lift as some call Frankenstein, some parts work better from other manufacturers.

While I agree with most of this, I will disagree that you can't run 37's on factory wheels. PLENTY of people here are doing just that. It acts as a poor man's beadlock. Also, you can run a 2" lift and hit hard trails still. I am running a 2" Synergy lift and flex just as much as others I run with with 2.5-3.5" lifts. I would look at 1.5"+ lifts but no more than 2.5" IMO.

 

[XX4XEXX]

Not my point. Point was you CANT on OEM rubi wheels but can on "poor man" OEM 8.5 BL wheels however the 8.5s are not poor man. Regardless you need 8.5 or you will run a risk or blowing bead. Or run um and hit me up to fire your tire on the trail. Simply put buy a wheel and tire combo last. 9 out of 10 it's a 35"

He'll in that case my dad traveled all Vi in a M151 on skinny, did he wish he had 35s yup did he nope! It's not what others do it's what won't get you stuck. If your on 37 on an 8" wheel I'll lead.

While I agree with most of this, I will disagree that you can't run 37's on factory wheels. PLENTY of people here are doing just that. It acts as a poor man's beadlock. Also, you can run a 2" lift and hit hard trails still. I am running a 2" Synergy lift and flex just as much as others I run with with 2.5-3.5" lifts. I would look at 1.5"+ lifts but no more than 2.5" IMO.

 

[Jeepn’]

Not my point. Point was you CANT on OEM rubi wheels but can on "poor man" OEM 8.5 BL wheels however the 8.5s are not poor man. Regardless you need 8.5 or you will run a risk or blowing bead. Or run um and hit me up to fire your tire on the trail. Simply put buy a wheel and tire combo last. 9 out of 10 it's a 35"

My buddy has had 37s on the stock wheels since 2019, ran the rubicon, dusy ershim, etc.. no issues and its his daily.

 

[XX4XEXX]

On 8"

My buddy has had 37s on the stock wheels since 2019, ran the rubicon, dusy ershim, etc.. no issues and its his daily.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Our 2019 was bone stock until 2 weeks before our 1st ever Moab trip in 2020. Cheap 2" spacer lift with shock extensions, a spare tire relocation bracket (jeep had the Mopar tailgate reinforcement from the factory), and yokohama x-mt's in a 37x12.50 on the stock wheels all went on at once. Under $3k total. Drove 1,100 miles at 80+, wheeled for 4 days, drove home. Ran top of the world, hells revenge, Fins, and Poison Spider/golden spike out through gold bar rim all without issue. Even walked right up the waterfall 1st shot. Added upgrades along the way after that as I found shortcomings, behaviors I wanted to change, or as components wore out. Even went to 38x13.50's on the stock wheels once the 37's wore out. 62k miles, numerous 1,000+ mile roadtrips, 26 badge trails including the Rubicon, the dusy, and gutbuster when it was still washed out and considered impassable by the park employees. Still had the factory tie rod and rear track bar when it was stolen in September. The stock ball joints wore out by 35k miles and were replaced with the HD version. If you can swing a full build out the gate, more power to you. If not, I'd still argue running 37s on an "underbuilt" rig will still be easier on the vehicle than running small tires on the same difficulty trails.

 

[GATORB8]

Not sure on Clayton, but you don’t have to jump straight to a game changer. The dual rate MC will get you what you need to start with and you can add the remaining arms.

If you run MCs shocks, you’ll have a ton of flex, but you’ll need a driveshaft out of the box.

 

[CarbonSteel]

On 8"

You mean 7.5", right?

 

[COJeeper]

I'll chime in here I love these posts.

1 Yes do it in stages however do not focus on the tire size. 2 you can not run 37s on rubi wheels unless it's the 8.5 bead locks, 3 you can not run stock wheels with a lift meaning you will rub and scrub.

Dont set your droop set your squish with no bump stops installed then set your bumpstops.

Now here is a must if you plan on 37s drop all fluids even engine oil and pour in Amsoil, use 75w140 in both diffs

I greatly appreciate everyone’s input here. This post is exactly why I asked these questions. I have found many people showing 12.50 35s and 37s on stock Rubicon 7.5” rims. I’m interested in your reasoning behind saying you cannot run this when many are. What do I risk by doing this? When people say it’s a “poor man’s beadlock” I immediately think this is good for airing down on the trail. I can run at lower pressures and not risk losing the bead. Why would you say I cannot do this? I’m dumb, explain it to me like I’m 7. Could you also explain why I should drop all fluids and use this 75w140 in the diffs? What does engine oil, coolant, washer fluid, etc have to do with 37s on stock Rubicon rims?

To keep this discussion on track and easy for an idiot like me to follow, let's discuss this first. What I'm understanding by your post is that it's not best practices because it can be done based on what I've read on the internet, and I believe everything I read on the internet.

Here are two threads I have perused. Both showing folks running 37s on stock rims.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/anyone-running-37s-on-stock-rubicon-wheels.4117/

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/37s-on-stock-wheels-with-no-wheel-spacers.45471/



My biggest concern would be not following manufacturer recommendations and going 80 on the freeway and a wheel falling off the rim and killing my poor dog because she wasn't wearing a seatbelt. I have no intention of running wheel spacers. Why? I've heard more negative than positive with it and at one point I think I heard it was illegal. Can't remember if I actually did hear that or if I'm remembering incorrectly. All that said, I just don't want to do it. If that isn't enough, I don't want to pay extra money for wheel spacers when the end game is to get properly sized rims, seems like a waste of money.

 

[COJeeper]

IMO, with a Rubicon:

Necessary:
Programmer to calibrate speedometer and shift points - Got a Tazer!

Nice future upgrades to get ready for 38, 39, or 40s:

2nd job to pay for all of it - Isn't that the truth!!!

It's funny you say 38, 39, 40s... when I got this Jeep, I said, "I'm buying this instead of the 4Runner because it already has the ground clearance I want with 33s and I won't need to do anything else to it." Three months into owning it I'm like, "hmmm I think I want a 2.5" lift with 35s." Nine months in I'm considering 3.5" with 37s! I'm crazy.

It's my DD but I'm 100% remote so we typically take the Equinox if we go somewhere to save on fuel costs. I've got 15k miles since I picked it up in February and with working 100% remote, that's a good amount of driving on road trips and wheeling. :D I love it!

 

[COJeeper]

Not sure on Clayton, but you don’t have to jump straight to a game changer. The dual rate MC will get you what you need to start with and you can add the remaining arms.

If you run MCs shocks, you’ll have a ton of flex, but you’ll need a driveshaft out of the box.

I want to touch on the driveshaft thing after we hash out the wheels part because this is one of my considerations. Thanks for bringing it up! I think we're close on closing out the tire and rim discussion.

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