I didn’t try it, but from what I’ve read 33” is the max size you can fit on a Sahara or Sport without it rubbing at full articulation. The 295s are 34.25”. You might get away with it if you never take it off-road, but I didn’t want to have any issues.
Hi JL18! Nice looking JL there! I love what you did, so much so that I want to do it too.
. So, may I ask where you sourced the parts from? Especially the wheel spacers and the Daystar Lift kit?
Hi JL18! Nice looking JL there! I love what you did, so much so that I want to do it too.
Thanks!
Do you have the tire on the back now? I would love to see a picture of that to see how wide it looks up there.I agonized over how best to make my Sahara Unlimited JL a little tougher looking without getting too crazy. I was going to go with aftermarket wheels, but decided not to because I didn’t like the offset choices and didn't want to have the wheels sticking outside of the factory fenders too far. I wanted them to just barely stick out. I looked at a lot of threads and did a ton of looking around before I did this. I think this will answer a lot of the same questions I had.
- I stuck with my original factory wheels.
- Went with Nitto Ridge Grapplers 295/70/R18. This is a 34.2” x 11.6” tire. As far as I know, this is the largest I could fit on my factory 7.5” wide wheels. Per Nitto recommended wheel widths.
- Added 1.25” aluminum, hub centric, wheel spacers, so the tires wouldn’t rub. Got them from Wheel Adapters USA.
- Went with a Daystar 2” spacer lift. I loved that this kit came with front lower control arms to keep the caster within spec. After install my caster is 5.5 degrees. I also wanted to maintain close to the factory gap between the fender and tire.
- Waiting on my spare tire relocation kit....
Very happy with the result, so far. The ride is still great, maybe slightly more harsh over pot holes and large bumps due to the E load rating of the tires. Road noise slightly higher than the factory tires, but still quiet. Definitely not annoying. Handling is still great. Very happy so far. Check out the pics, before and after. Hope this helps someone with their decision.
I didn’t measure, but since it is essentially a 2”” piece of plastic you put under the spring, it should be 2” on the money. Here are some spare tire photos
Thank you and those look awesome! Mean looking tire.I didn’t measure, but since it is essentially a 2”” piece of plastic you put under the spring, it should be 2” on the money. Here are some spare tire photos
I did consider a 35 x 12.5 and that is originally what I wanted, but all the technical specs from the manufacturer’s had a minimum rim width wider than the Sahara rim. I was going to buy new wheels so I could get my 35s, but I decided to chill out and save some money since the 295s were pretty close and I actually like the factory wheels. I know you can ignore the tire manufacturers advice and they will fit, but they have a minimum rim width for a reason. The 35 x 12.5 do look a little beefier, but the wider you go the easier it will hydroplane at high speeds. So many options and trade offs...........
Very good insight! Yeah...sometimes it's easy to add "just a little bit more" and the expense starts to pile up! Do you have any regrets of not going to the wider 35" - sounds like you are happy with the 295/70/R18 and they look plenty wide? I might heed your advice and chill!
I don’t want to steer you one way or the other because everyone has their own vision of what their Jeep “needs” to look like, but....Very good insight! Yeah...sometimes it's easy to add "just a little bit more" and the expense starts to pile up! Do you have any regrets of not going to the wider 35" - sounds like you are happy with the 295/70/R18 and they look plenty wide? I might heed your advice and chill!
Thank you! Very helpful. I love how the Jeep community helps each other!!I don’t want to steer you one way or the other because everyone has their own vision of what their Jeep “needs” to look like, but....
1 - yes, I am very happy with my choice and I’m not itching for my tires to wear out so I can go bigger. The 12.5 is visibly a little wider, but I’m sticking with my stock wheels and adhering to the tire manufacturer’s specified wheel width. A lot of people ignore it.
2- I’m already a few pounds over the maximum wheel weight for the tailgate hinges and I wasn’t planning on upgrading them. The 35x12.5s are even heavier. Different manufacturer’s and load rated tires have different weights as well. I loved the way the Ridge Grapplers looked and what owners had to say about them. I was looking for a tire that looked aggressive, was quiet on the road, and still got decent traction off road. I spend the majority of my time on the pavement. From my research the ridge grappler is a heavy tire, but I love everything else about it
Have fun pulling your hair out and giving yourself headaches picking out all the fun stuff you can add to you jeep. It’s definitely a functional and fun vehicle.
A few more pictures showing how the width appears.....
Which spare relocation kit did you go with? Do you think a 33.98” RG would touch the bumper without one? I think it’ll be close after measuring my current tire. I’m thinking of going with the 285/70/18 because it’s only 59.9 lbs supposedly and 33.98” tall.I don’t want to steer you one way or the other because everyone has their own vision of what their Jeep “needs” to look like, but....
1 - yes, I am very happy with my choice and I’m not itching for my tires to wear out so I can go bigger. The 12.5 is visibly a little wider, but I’m sticking with my stock wheels and adhering to the tire manufacturer’s specified wheel width. A lot of people ignore it.
2- I’m already a few pounds over the maximum wheel weight for the tailgate hinges and I wasn’t planning on upgrading them. The 35x12.5s are even heavier. Different manufacturer’s and load rated tires have different weights as well. I loved the way the Ridge Grapplers looked and what owners had to say about them. I was looking for a tire that looked aggressive, was quiet on the road, and still got decent traction off road. I spend the majority of my time on the pavement. From my research the ridge grappler is a heavy tire, but I love everything else about it
Have fun pulling your hair out and giving yourself headaches picking out all the fun stuff you can add to you jeep. It’s definitely a functional and fun vehicle.
I don’t know for sure. I think it will be really close. I’d try it without it and if it won’t fit, order the bracket. You can get the bracket in a couple days. It won’t hurt to throw the spare in the “trunk” for a week.
I’m no expert, but the rule of thumb is 33” on sport and Sahara, 35s on Rubicon with no modification. Can you jamb bigger on? Yes, but it will rub at full articulation. That’s what I’ve read....
