40s to 38s inch tires - I left the cool kids table. Why?!

[colojeepr]

When my stock 33s on the Rubicon wear out I’ll probaly get 35s. No lift. Probably keep the stock wheels. I’ve never been cool. Not going to start now

Same boat here. 35" tires will go anyplace I want to go.

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[RMojitoJL]

Well, I'm here to tell ya....I made the right choice. For ME.

I was one of the early ones to put 40s on a JL. Not the 1st, not the last..but I did it. And it looked amazing. It also did very well offroad.

That being said, the JL as a whole does amazing off road no matter what . Did the 40s help? Maybe. Huge obstacles, ya. So of course with the 40s came the questions on longevity of parts. There was no doubt that 40s will shorten lifespan of many stock and aftermarket parts. I was also on the bare minimum of lift for 40s, and it remaining functional. Even when properly bumpstopped...I had issues front and rear with rubbing and lack of uptravel. Certainly far from utilizing the potential of my Metalcloak lift and of my Jeep, period.

I made the decision awhile back to try 38s and give em an honest go, so I finally did. Heres what I gained by dropping down to 38s (that sounds so weird).

• 3.5+mpg better.
• no rubbing whatsoever.
• better steering
• less worry about breakage and shortening of parts lifespans.
• significantly better braking
• 1/2 second faster to 60
• easier fit in to my garage, lol.
• more uptravel.
• better handling & stability

Okok, so how about some downsides Mr JL.Rubitron?
Looks? Debatable
Ground clearance, yes...lost 0.8". Im currently at a very respectable 13.0" to the front diff right now.
Leverage on very large obstacles, slightly.

I still plan on doing axles at some point, but its no longer a 100% necessity.
There is little to no where I cannot go on these 38s, that I want to go anyway.
It still looks hot as hell.
My new tires are stickier, quieter. Bonus.

It really boils down to what you want. Form, or function. I built for both, but I also went in to it knowing I'd make changes down the line if I felt I was lacking in function. This is step 1. Could I have lifted more, yes. Could I have cut more, yes. Again though, function. I feel like now I am in an ideal situation. I prefer to keep the Jeep as low as possible Especially before Moab EJS. I like the lower center of gravity, the better handling and stability.

Since we are on topic here, let me tell you about the 38s. Ive long been on the fence about Milestar Patagonia. No matter how much I researched them I saw a huge gap. Absolute Love, or Troll level hate. That led me to believe that most likely neither was true. I was wrong. Ive heard the term "cheater tire" when it comes to these. Also, hard to believe based on price point. Again, I was wrong. Ive been around the block with a lot of tire companies. All of the big boys. A couple of no name companies too. So far, Ive only put around 600 miles and 2 off road trips on these but they have already massively impressed me. Quietest MT Ive been on so far. Stickier than I could have hoped for. Lots of slick rock and granite around these parts. No issues. Grab n go. Looks, truthfully middle of the road. Snow, very nice. Obviously an AT will have an advantage here, but for a MT...impressive. Wear? Not sure yet. They are sticky so I dont expect miracles as far as mileage goes. It cant possibly be much longer before they realize they are up there with all the big dogs. Grab a set to try while the $$ is still good!

I left the cool kids table...and I'm ok with it.

thanks for the post - info on experience from different people never hurt. I had 35's on my JKU and now run 37's on my JLU. both were Toyo MT's. They work for me without issue, you get the highway hummm as expected… but not awful.
Hopefully see ya around sometime (I'm in Las Vegas) so not too far

 

[Kevin8086]

I was on 37s within 200 miles, so no real oem size input there.
mixed 50/50 driving and on stock gears for a long time.
37s/410s 16ish,as long as I wasnt on hwy too much
40s/410s short lived, 10ish
40s/513 12-12.5
38s/513 15.5-16 so far.

That’s because the milestar are so light. You forgot to mention the 38” milestar are lighter then all or most of the competition 37” and that rotating mass makes a huge difference

 

[coneklr]

That’s because the milestar are so light. You forgot to mention the 38” milestar are lighter then all or most of the competition 37” and that rotating mass makes a huge difference

Kevin, don't let Brittney read this post...

But seriously though, I actually hope you don't go 40's. Love the way you wheel the way it is now.

 

[Kevin8086]

Kevin, don't let Brittney read this post...

But seriously though, I actually hope you don't go 40's. Love the way you wheel the way it is now.

I wanna go 40s just to try it. Lol

 

[gsxr310]

Thx for the review! Should be putting my Currie axles next month!

 

[The Custom Jeep Builder]

bit of a follow up, Around 1200 miles and 4 offroad days on these so far and couldnt be happier. They are definitely top 1-2 of the quietest MTs ive experienced. They handled Mud incredibly. Deep nasty step out of the jeep and sink your boots 3" kinda thick mud on a long 23mile trail. Soft as hell. So soft I regretted my Tazer locked rear burnout. oops. Molten rubber everywhere lol. They grip and go. So far so good. Cant wait to see how they handle MOAB

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