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Lets talk about 37s and 8th gear...

Knife Hunter

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No regrets! You won’t either. Great choice on tires, and you’ll be surprised how little they affect your JL. Don’t even look back. There’s no way I would put anything smaller than 37’s on a JL Rubicon. Here’s a couple flex pics from tonight. No spacers and factory wheels.

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How were you able to get the 37-12.50-17 BFG KO2 to fit on the upgraded stock rim? I thought they were 7.5" wide and wouldnt hold a 37?
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inb4ammo

inb4ammo

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How were you able to get the 37-12.50-17 BFG KO2 to fit on the upgraded stock rim? I thought they were 7.5" wide and wouldnt hold a 37?
Most of the tire manufacturer specs don't list a 7.5 inch rim, but 35s and 37s will fit fine.
 

OnlyOne

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How were you able to get the 37-12.50-17 BFG KO2 to fit on the upgraded stock rim? I thought they were 7.5" wide and wouldnt hold a 37?
They fit more than fine. They are great. They have a pretty darn good contact patch too.
 

aug0211

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Hi all, loving this conversation. So glad I found this.

My original order was for a Sahara, and I’ve switched to a Rubicon.

I have five 35x12.5r17 Ridge Grapplers in the shop waiting to go on my wheels once the Jeep comes in.

I had originally planned for a 1.5” spacer lift on the Sahara to fit the 35s, then sold myself on no lift with the 35s on the Rubi.

As you’ve all guess by now, I’m wondering if I should go back to planning a 1.5” lift, and jump to 37s instead of 35s.

The benefits for me would be:
•Get a D rated tire instead of E, for a smoother ride (biiiig priority for me)
•Look cooler :)

I like the look of less gap in the fender well - not quite stuffed (it’s a Jeep, after all), but a bit less space than most prefer. I’ll be on road 95%+ of the time so flexing is a consideration but not huge.

Thoughts on the E 35s with no lift vs D 37s with a 1/1.5” leveling kit?

Also - Ridge Grapplers vs STT Pros? For mostly on-road miles.
 

Mojito Mojo

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The
Hi all, loving this conversation. So glad I found this.

My original order was for a Sahara, and I’ve switched to a Rubicon.

I have five 35x12.5r17 Ridge Grapplers in the shop waiting to go on my wheels once the Jeep comes in.

I had originally planned for a 1.5” spacer lift on the Sahara to fit the 35s, then sold myself on no lift with the 35s on the Rubi.

As you’ve all guess by now, I’m wondering if I should go back to planning a 1.5” lift, and jump to 37s instead of 35s.

The benefits for me would be:
•Get a D rated tire instead of E, for a smoother ride (biiiig priority for me)
•Look cooler :)

I like the look of less gap in the fender well - not quite stuffed (it’s a Jeep, after all), but a bit less space than most prefer. I’ll be on road 95%+ of the time so flexing is a consideration but not huge.

Thoughts on the E 35s with no lift vs D 37s with a 1/1.5” leveling kit?

Also - Ridge Grapplers vs STT Pros? For mostly on-road miles.
Man I was in the same boat as you. First it was deciding which model to buy. I started off thinking Sport S and building it up. But I couldn’t get all of the options I wanted. Next was the Sahara and while nice it still would take some mods to get it to where I wanted. I , like you, ended up choosing the Rubicon!

Now for the tires! I originally had 37” wheels and tires ordered and sitting in my garage and was planning on a 2.5” Rough Country spacer lift. But then I had buyers remorse. After reading threads on this forum about poor gas mileage, losing 7th and 8th gears in anything but ideal conditions, and the huge expense of regearing if necessary I switched directions once again and returned the 37” tires. Thank God the place I ordered them from had a 30 day return policy as long as they hadn’t been installed.

I too was probably looking at a 90%/10% ratio of highway vs. off-road driving. I was looking for a C rated sidewall for comfort and a semi aggressive tread pattern. I considered the Ridge Grappler but decided against because of the sidewall rating. You do know you can get a 315x70x17 BF Goodrich KO2 in a C rated sidewall don’t you? This tire is essentially the same diameter as a 35” tire and might be a great choice for you. I ended up with a 35”x11.5x17 Nitto Trail Grappler Tire that has a C rated sidewall and an aggressive tread pattern. Maybe the one negative of this tire is it is one inch narrower than standard. But I think they look great, ride nice (only 250 miles) and fill up the Rubicon fender wells nicely with no lift. Because they are slightly narrower I don’t anticipate any clearance issues. I would recommend either this tire or the BFG 315 KO2 C rated tire for your needs. Here are a few pics of my setup. The wheels are 17” ICON Rebounds with a 4.5 inch backspace and -6mm offset.
 

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aug0211

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Man I was in the same boat as you. First it was deciding which model to buy. I started off thinking Sport S and building it up. But I couldn’t get all of the options I wanted. Next was the Sahara and while nice it still would take some mods to get it to where I wanted. I , like you, ended up choosing the Rubicon!

Now for the tires! I originally had 37” wheels and tires ordered and sitting in my garage and was planning on a 2.5” Rough Country spacer lift. But then I had buyers remorse. After reading threads on this forum about poor gas mileage, losing 7th and 8th gears in anything but ideal conditions, and the huge expense of regearing if necessary I switched directions once again and returned the 37” tires. Thank God the place I ordered them from had a 30 day return policy as long as they hadn’t been installed.

I too was probably looking at a 90%/10% ratio of highway vs. off-road driving. I was looking for a C rated sidewall for comfort and a semi aggressive tread pattern. I considered the Ridge Grappler but decided against because of the sidewall rating. You do know you can get a 315x70x17 BF Goodrich KO2 in a C rated sidewall don’t you? This tire is essentially the same diameter as a 35” tire and might be a great choice for you. I ended up with a 35”x11.5x17 Nitto Trail Grappler Tire that has a C rated sidewall and an aggressive tread pattern. Maybe the one negative of this tire is it is one inch narrower than standard. But I think they look great, ride nice (only 250 miles) and fill up the Rubicon fender wells nicely with no lift. Because they are slightly narrower I don’t anticipate any clearance issues. I would recommend either this tire or the BFG 315 KO2 C rated tire for your needs. Here are a few pics of my setup. The wheels are 17” ICON Rebounds with a 4.5 inch backspace and -6mm offset.
Oh man, this is awesome! Seriously, GREAT! Well done. Thank you for sharing all of this!

I considered the KO2s, a lot - especially because of the snowflake rating (I’m in Ohio). Those probably make the most sense for me, I just can’t sell myself on the tread pattern, though. I know - it’s dumb...

The 11.5 Ridge Grapplers are on my list too, if the E rated 12.5s are just too stiff. Based on your look, though, I may be fine with 11.5!

I had been nervous that they’d just be too narrow but yours look great.

With my -10mm offset wheels, mine would stick out a bit further than yours.

Any chance you could take some photos down the side showing how far they stick out from the fenders? Also, can you get a pic showing how wide or narrow they look from the front straight on or from the back?

Thanks again!
 

Mojito Mojo

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Oh man, this is awesome! Seriously, GREAT! Well done. Thank you for sharing all of this!

I considered the KO2s, a lot - especially because of the snowflake rating (I’m in Ohio). Those probably make the most sense for me, I just can’t sell myself on the tread pattern, though. I know - it’s dumb...

The 11.5 Ridge Grapplers are on my list too, if the E rated 12.5s are just too stiff. Based on your look, though, I may be fine with 11.5!

I had been nervous that they’d just be too narrow but yours look great.

With my -10mm offset wheels, mine would stick out a bit further than yours.

Any chance you could take some photos down the side showing how far they stick out from the fenders? Also, can you get a pic showing how wide or narrow they look from the front straight on or from the back?

Thanks again!
Above you mentioned 11.5” Ridge Grapplers but mine are Trail Grapplers, just so you know. Here are a few more pics. At times even I think from certain angles they look a little narrow, but they are still wider than the stock tire and I figure at the end of the day if they can’t get me where I want to go then maybe I don’t need to be there lol!
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Arkewn

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I too was probably looking at a 90%/10% ratio of highway vs. off-road driving. I was looking for a C rated sidewall for comfort and a semi aggressive tread pattern. I considered the Ridge Grappler but decided against because of the sidewall rating. You do know you can get a 315x70x17 BF Goodrich KO2 in a C rated sidewall don’t you? This tire is essentially the same diameter as a 35” tire and might be a great choice for you. I ended up with a 35”x11.5x17 Nitto Trail Grappler Tire that has a C rated sidewall and an aggressive tread pattern. Maybe the one negative of this tire is it is one inch narrower than standard. But I think they look great, ride nice (only 250 miles) and fill up the Rubicon fender wells nicely with no lift. Because they are slightly narrower I don’t anticipate any clearance issues. I would recommend either this tire or the BFG 315 KO2 C rated tire for your needs. Here are a few pics of my setup. The wheels are 17” ICON Rebounds with a 4.5 inch backspace and -6mm offset.
I'm still back and forth on this as well with my Jeep showing up next week (hopefully). I'll likely end up with the Cooper STT Pro 37" D rated tire but I'm still weighing the same things. Finding a 35" well reviewed Mud Terrain tire under E rated seems hard. While I still may spend a fair amount of time on pavement I still wanted an MT since it is my camping vehicle and I like to get off the beaten path. If my Jeep was going to be my daily driver I'd likely go with an AT like the 37" KO2.

I had overlooked your 35" Trail Grappler tire since it wasn't a 12.5" wide but seeing your Jeep and seeing a C rating on a 35" makes me reconsider!
 

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What MPG are you getting after the 37s? Highway? City?
I can get ~18-20mpg at 40-50mph, At 70-80 I get around 12-14mpg. average city/highway mix is 12-15. depends a lot on wind and hills at the higher speeds
 

Martindfletcher

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How were you able to get the 37-12.50-17 BFG KO2 to fit on the upgraded stock rim? I thought they were 7.5" wide and wouldnt hold a 37?
I have stock rims with the cooper SST pro 37 12.5. No issues, just lower tire pressure. However, I do have 1 3/4 spacers. Need for spacers varies with lift kit. You do need to remove trim and position trim on the rear wheel well.
 

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Went with Nitto Ridge Grapplers 35- 12.5 17 E rated and was told they ride soft. I found the ride to be really good and quiet. I have a 2.5 Rock Krawler kit. We like to take the jeep on trips and i think the 35's will be better for the long weekend rides.

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I finally got to drive my jeep around with the 37 sst pro's today. I live in Utah so it's not really flat. To me it looks like the rubi is going to have to be re-geared to restore what it lost. 8th gear is gone and 7th is questionable.
 

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I finally got to drive my jeep around with the 37 sst pro's today. I live in Utah so it's not really flat. To me it looks like the rubi is going to have to be re-geared to restore what it lost. 8th gear is gone and 7th is questionable.
Regearing is really expensive! Now I’m glad I went with 35’s! Good luck with yours and enjoy the ride!
 

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All set them up myself. It’s been a few years but I remember how it’s done so it will be about 1000 bucks for complete set up.
 

Mojito Mojo

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All set them up myself. It’s been a few years but I remember how it’s done so it will be about 1000 bucks for complete set up.
$500 for each axle for parts?
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