Putting Rubicon wheels and tires on a Sport S - what do I need to know?

[blnewt]

One word of caution with the 6 speed. We had one so I feel i can give some insight...with the sport gearing and rubicon wheels coupled with the manual transmission, you will loose some performance. i would seriously consider the auto, it’s an incredible transmission and makes these so much fun to drive. They can compensate better for the larger tires. I know they add to the cost, but you’ll recoup it when you sell down the road. I was beat up on the trade because mine was a manual. I was just leary from the JK auto and would rather have the simplicity.

for the rubicon take offs, they just bolt up. No big deal. For the full on sporticon, it’s coils and shocks, rock rails and rear tire carrier. No alignment is needed at all.

brett

Yep, that 8AT is a great match for this vehicle! Lightning quick shifts and is always in the right rpm range for the situation, love it!

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[JLNOLA]

One word of caution with the 6 speed. We had one so I feel i can give some insight...with the sport gearing and rubicon wheels coupled with the manual transmission, you will loose some performance. i would seriously consider the auto, it’s an incredible transmission and makes these so much fun to drive. They can compensate better for the larger tires. I know they add to the cost, but you’ll recoup it when you sell down the road. I was beat up on the trade because mine was a manual. I was just leary from the JK auto and would rather have the simplicity.

for the rubicon take offs, they just bolt up. No big deal. For the full on sporticon, it’s coils and shocks, rock rails and rear tire carrier. No alignment is needed at all.

brett

Appreciate the insight. I've heard good things things about the new 8-speed auto, but I'm dead set on the stick in a Wrangler. In a perfect world I'd be able to order a Sport S with the wheels and tires that come standard on the Freedom edition, shown below. 17"x7.5" rim but slightly smaller tire than the Rubi stock so it looks more natural in the wheel well. Maybe I'll get lucky and find some as take offs between now and when mine comes in.

 

[BWWJL]

I set up a watch on member/wheels for sale section which helped me grab mine here ...

 

[jmcdtucson]

I have a manual and didn't notice any issue with the Rubicon tires. Now 35's would be a problem. I agree with the above poster - if larger tires are in your future, get the auto or you're looking at regearing for sure.

 

[The Fixer]

I'm close to placing an order for a 2021 JL Sport S and I'm leaning towards getting the standard no charge wheel and tire package and then buying some Rubicon take offs. What do I need to know about going down that road? Is it a straight swap at a tire shop, or is there anything that needs to be done or purchased to change the wheels and tires to the factory Rubicon package? Will the TPS from the Sport S wheels work with the Rubi wheels and tires if they don't come along with the purchase? Don't think it matters, but I'll be getting the six speed manual. Just trying to get a handle on what kind of costs I'll incur, aside from buying the wheels and tires of course. Thanks.

I just did this last month with my son to my Sport. If the Rubi wheels come with TPMS, your JL will learn them in a short while. If you shop around and are comfortable working on your truck, you can get everything taken care of in a few hours and it's budget-friendly. I followed @blnewt 's install thread and my son and I were done in about 4 hours. My computer is down, but here's a link to a few pics of mine in Brad's thread.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/rubicon-suspension-on-2-door-sport.40700/post-1172797

Edit: I forgot to mention earlier that we reused the original spare tire carrier as well, we just removed one set of screws and raised the brake light up to clear the tire.

 

[JLNOLA]

I have a manual and didn't notice any issue with the Rubicon tires. Now 35's would be a problem. I agree with the above poster - if larger tires are in your future, get the auto or you're looking at regearing for sure.

Good info, thanks.

 

[FormerF150Owner]

One word of caution with the 6 speed. We had one so I feel i can give some insight...with the sport gearing and rubicon wheels coupled with the manual transmission, you will loose some performance. i would seriously consider the auto, it’s an incredible transmission and makes these so much fun to drive. They can compensate better for the larger tires. I know they add to the cost, but you’ll recoup it when you sell down the road. I was beat up on the trade because mine was a manual. I was just leary from the JK auto and would rather have the simplicity.

for the rubicon take offs, they just bolt up. No big deal. For the full on sporticon, it’s coils and shocks, rock rails and rear tire carrier. No alignment is needed at all.

brett

I was thinking about buying Rubicon wheels and tires to put on my Sport 6 speed manual (2 door). Can you elaborate on the statement about losing some performance? What do I need to watch out for?

 

[rustyshakelford]

I was thinking about buying Rubicon wheels and tires to put on my Sport 6 speed manual (2 door). Can you elaborate on the statement about losing some performance? What do I need to watch out for?

you have the 3.45 gears vs the 4.10 of the Rubicon. Going from a 31ish tire to a 33 will further numerically lower your gear ratio.This will be evident when taking off from a stop and also on the highway it will struggle more in 6th. Not terrible but worth noting. 35s are pretty bad on the highway.

I have a set of rubicon take offs and suspensions in the shop if you end up being in the market

brett

 

[FormerF150Owner]

you have the 3.45 gears vs the 4.10 of the Rubicon. Going from a 31ish tire to a 33 will further numerically lower your gear ratio.This will be evident when taking off from a stop and also on the highway it will struggle more in 6th. Not terrible but worth noting. 35s are pretty bad on the highway.

I have a set of rubicon take offs and suspensions in the shop if you end up being in the market

brett

Very good information and I'm glad to know. Thank you.

 

[jmcdtucson]

Very good information and I'm glad to know. Thank you.

All good information, but as someone with the MT and the Rubicon tires, I didn't notice any difference when I put on the Rubicon takeoff tires. I've heard the stock highway tires were actually more like 31.5" or 32" and the KO A/T are more like 32.5" so that may be why the difference is not as dramatic. Everyone agrees 35's are a no-go with sport gearing and the MT. You'd want to re-gear.

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