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Not sure about 35’s anymore

SOON

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So when I was getting all hyped up about getting a wrangler I had all these grand visions of oh I’m gonna do this! And that! And this! I wanted to do a lift and get 37’s. Then after looking at damn near every post on 37’s and 35’s I thought yeah, 35’s would be better for what I want.
so finally after years of waiting. I have my 2023 4XE Willy’s. I love it. But I don’t think I’m gonna go 35’s. It has a nice stance now. I’m never gonna go rock crawling but I’m gonna hit some trails and stuff. I believe what I have now are 32’s (which are basically 31 and a third…?) it has a slight lift and has rubicon shocks (But not springs. Lol! This stuff is fun!) so I think when I wear out the Firestone mud terrains I have now. I’m probably gonna keep the factory wheels. Go to a 33”tire (which apparently is actually, basically a 32” tire?…!) and go an inch wider to fill out the wheel well. (Hopefully an inch wider is actually an inch wider) I don’t think I’ll need a lift. I can’t imagine I’d ever put myself in a situation where I’m gonna be full flex. Maybe a half inch spacer to compensate for the extra width.

I now realize that with all the model wranglers with all the options there are about 2.6 billions different ways to get it. But out of curiosity does anyone have this set up?
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NWJeepr

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I think before you contemplate throwing away a perfectly good set of tires, get out on the trail first, a lot.

To answer your other question, you can buy 33" tires which are US measurement/imperial-sized like 33x12.5 for a 17" wheel, for example. Or you can purchase a metric 33, for example, 285/70/17 which, as you mentioned, is like 32" and some change. Not all 285/70/17's measure out exactly the same, btw, so if you ever re-calibrate your speedometer, you should go by actual measurements on the new tires when inputing the values in the programmer (at least, that's how it was done with an AEV Procal tool a long time ago).

Your existing gear ratio wills serve you a little better with the existing smaller tires, but the bigger tires will be an asset for ground clearance in general, and rocks. IMO, don't get rid of your existing until you NEED a bigger size.
 

azjl#3

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The tire dilema. Back in the day 33's were the rage. Then 35 the holy grail. Then someone went over the hill with 37, now up and over 40's. Why? So you can go over a rock 3 inches taller without touching it. And blow your mileage, and ride, and control, and wallet.

I'm on JK/JL number 3. Best overall? My current completely stock Rubi with OEM BFG's.
 

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My plan is to stick with 33”s on my Rubi. I like the stance, it rides great, typically gets 20 mpg, and feels nimble on the trail.

That said, I intend to go with a 285/75R/17 which should take it to a true 33” once my current KO’s need to be replaced.
 

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So when I was getting all hyped up about getting a wrangler I had all these grand visions of oh I’m gonna do this! And that! And this! I wanted to do a lift and get 37’s. Then after looking at damn near every post on 37’s and 35’s I thought yeah, 35’s would be better for what I want.
so finally after years of waiting. I have my 2023 4XE Willy’s. I love it. But I don’t think I’m gonna go 35’s. It has a nice stance now. I’m never gonna go rock crawling but I’m gonna hit some trails and stuff. I believe what I have now are 32’s (which are basically 31 and a third…?) it has a slight lift and has rubicon shocks (But not springs. Lol! This stuff is fun!) so I think when I wear out the Firestone mud terrains I have now. I’m probably gonna keep the factory wheels. Go to a 33”tire (which apparently is actually, basically a 32” tire?…!) and go an inch wider to fill out the wheel well. (Hopefully an inch wider is actually an inch wider) I don’t think I’ll need a lift. I can’t imagine I’d ever put myself in a situation where I’m gonna be full flex. Maybe a half inch spacer to compensate for the extra width.

I now realize that with all the model wranglers with all the options there are about 2.6 billions different ways to get it. But out of curiosity does anyone have this set up?
The bottom line is you can get by with any tire size, depending on what you are using it for. Sort of.

My first Sport JLU I put 33s on it - 2.0T with the eight speed and D44 rear limited slip. It did even better off-road and still rode great on road. Then I traded it for a ‘21 JLUR, which did fine on 33s on and off road. I lifted it and put 35s on it. It does much better off road, and still rides great on road - but I have 4.10s, D44s, 2.0T with auto (like you have), and 4:1 ratio. I had put 35s on the Sport shortly before trading it, but the 3.45s were definitely not as good as the Rubicon setup for the larger tires. You have to look at these additional factors well.
 

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Ang1Sgt

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Steve,

Welcome to the Whole Wide Worrld of JEEPS!

I have a 2020 Willys 2 Door that I absolutely Love. I have had a few Jeeps in my time and my 2013 JK and this Willys are both similar in equipment and capabilities for ME. I sure wished I lived in the Southwest again, THAT might change my needs for a lift and bigger tires.

The thing is, most of the trails I drive on are seasonal use or fire roads when I get the chance. Now there are a few trails down in Tennesse that I want to try just for the enjoyment and the beauty they have, but in all reality, my Subaru Outback could probably do the same trip.

I had first gen Firestone Destination MT’s on my 2013 JK Soft top. They were LOUD but I could take that Jeep places that I thought I could not. I had some complaints from my son. He thought they were way to loud.

Not the 2nd Gen Firestones seem to be slightly better. Of course my JL has a hardtop now so I would assume that the tire noise would be less noticeable. They seem to hold up well, but the next tire I may go with an all-terrain like the Falken Wildpeaks like I use on my SUBI. That was the first update I did on my Subi 3 years ago when the car only had 4000 miles on it. Now at over 30k miles, the tire wear on those is minimal. I hope that would be the same for the Jeep, but having a way different suspension and such, I am unsure of that.

The weight of the XE version of the Jeep are on the heavy side of things. So pay close attention to the tire load rating. I don’t know what the XE have for a Load Rating but stick with the same that you have now. I myself will probably go with a slightly larger 33 inch tire for the replacements but that is a long way off. The Firestones are looking good at 8900 miles with 5 tire rotations so we will see.
 

TX_Ovrlnd

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Get what you like and what fits your needs or desired look (and what the wallet will allow). The point to these rigs is functionality and easy ability to customize. They're very capable from the factory though. Despite this forums' best attempts at establishing a standard, there is no right or wrong way to set up your ride. There are preferences and opinions heavily pushed here to be sure!
 

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Yee, Haw!!! I like the stance of my Jeep with a bit wider wheel... typically ended up with a 17x8.5 - 9 with a 4.5 backspace. I always ended up with close to a 33" tire and never had an issue. Drove good on the road (98% of my driving), and did what I needed it to going over reasonable trails and off-road adventures. Prior to owning a Rubicon, I would get a 2" lift for a bit more height. My Rubi ripped an anti-lock brake line the first time I was off road. Had nothing to do with tires or clear height, just missed a branch that jumped up and found its way to the line... It's all good!

Have a blast and enjoy getting out in a fun vehicle that you can make yours and enjoy.
 

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I have the rubicon with "33s". I will not go to 35s because imo, that doesn't change much. If I'm going to the trouble and expense of a lift, wheels and tires, I'm going 37. So like others have said, I will ride these 33s until I need new tires, or my access to trails changes dramatically.
 

Old Jeeper

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So when I was getting all hyped up about getting a wrangler I had all these grand visions of oh I’m gonna do this! And that! And this! I wanted to do a lift and get 37’s. Then after looking at damn near every post on 37’s and 35’s I thought yeah, 35’s would be better for what I want.
so finally after years of waiting. I have my 2023 4XE Willy’s. I love it. But I don’t think I’m gonna go 35’s. It has a nice stance now. I’m never gonna go rock crawling but I’m gonna hit some trails and stuff. I believe what I have now are 32’s (which are basically 31 and a third…?) it has a slight lift and has rubicon shocks (But not springs. Lol! This stuff is fun!) so I think when I wear out the Firestone mud terrains I have now. I’m probably gonna keep the factory wheels. Go to a 33”tire (which apparently is actually, basically a 32” tire?…!) and go an inch wider to fill out the wheel well. (Hopefully an inch wider is actually an inch wider) I don’t think I’ll need a lift. I can’t imagine I’d ever put myself in a situation where I’m gonna be full flex. Maybe a half inch spacer to compensate for the extra width.

I now realize that with all the model wranglers with all the options there are about 2.6 billions different ways to get it. But out of curiosity does anyone have this set up?
First question to answer is: What is your axle ratio?

Second question is how often do I go beyond the curbs?


What do i have? 35 x 12:50 x 17. I am running 4:88s and that mix is a REALLY great mix, incredible street performance and for the trails it works wonders for what do. I now live in FL and it mud and sand neither of which I do when wet, so I get run a few dry trails and see some scenery. My tire of choice is GY Duratracts...its the best overall street and trail tire I have used

In my wheel days where I out wheeling 52 a year, Moab at least twice a year, out to Rubicon, all over the SW Us from Tex to Cali and Utah down in Mexico...4:88s 37 BFG KM2s and I drove to all my destinations, not trailer queen. Now the 37s & 4:88s were not the ideal street combot vs the 35 & 4:88 and YES there that big of a difference. KM2s for driving are the best off road tire I have ever used and I run the rocks.

If you have 4:10s then I would shy away from 37s and go with the 35s which will give you about a a good 1.5 - 2 in lift vs your OEM tires.

Enjoy
 

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kah.mun.rah

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IMO with the large wheel wells on the JLU I think the best balance for lift vs tire size is:

Stock Sport/Sahara, 33s
1" lift (or Rubicon stock), 35s
2.5" lift, 37s
3.5" lift, 39s
 

Flip

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I'm currently running a 255/80r17 a true 33" tall tire (pizza cutter) 10" wide. They're great! Drives like a 4x4 go kart. Only problem, I'm taking on a slight war wound on one of the trails I regularly run. I want to stay skinny, but I feel like I need just a little more ground clearance. Looking at 285/75r17 = 34" tall x 11.2" wide. We'll see what happens. Best of luck.
 

Zandcwhite

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Personally I found the stock JLUR on factory 33’s was just too low with that long wheelbase. We wheeled mostly moderate trails stock for the 1st year. Belly dragging due to the low breakover angle was more frequent than I liked. We jumped straight to 2.5” lift and 37’s from there, but that sounds like overkill for your use. Our 2022 XR was perfect for moderate trails in my opinion. With the length of the JLU I find 35’s to look and perform much better. In my opinion gearing won’t be an issue in a 4xe thanks to the electric motors instant torque. I vote 35’s. You don’t need much to run them and 33’s aren’t much cheaper anyway.
 

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I'm a big fan of "get the tires you need for what you do, and nothing more". If 40's or 37's or 35's were the right answer for everyone, then our Jeeps would have just come with them from the factory.

Nothing wrong with running 33's at all. In fact, there are HUGE advantages in doing so - not the least of which is that tires are substantially more affordable. Hell, you could buy a nearly new set of 5 Rubicon takeoff tires WITH wheels and TPMS sensors already mounted and balanced for less money than just the cost of a set of 4 new 35's. You could literally just keep buying Rubicon takeoffs every time you need new tires and save money.

Additionally, you'll save money on gas, put less wear and tear on your drivetrain, and avoid the need for additional costly upgrades to accommodate larger tires and larger spare.

I run 37's because I plan to do some pretty wild rock crawling including the Rubicon Trail this summer, but if that wasn't what I was using my Jeep for then I'd happily keep running 33" KO2's.
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