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Rubicon Wheels on a Sport

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ThirtyOne

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Is it cheesy to put Rubicon wheels on a sport?

When I see it I always thing it is a poser move.

But if I can get takeoffs with the 285 KO2s for about what I would spend on upgraded wheels on my Sport S it would be tempting.

Another option would be to get them and paint them black to get the LA Auto Show Hella Yella look and also make it look less stock.

Thoughts?
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Moe

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IIRC, a stock 44.45 mm (1-3/4") positive offset wheel (at least on a JK) puts the center of the wheel/tire load where Jeep engineers want it with respect to the hub and bearings. Aftermarket 8-9" wheels with 12 mm (≈ 1/2") offset move that load out 32 mm or 1-1/4". Aftermarket wheels with 6 mm (≈ 1/4") offset or 1-1/2" wheel adapters such as the Spidertrax. move the tire/wheel load out 1-1/2". Zero offset and negative offset are even worse.

On the JL Rubicon, Jeep did it right by using wider axles to move the hub and bearings out, so a wider tire/wheel combo will clear on the inboard side and can still put the center of the load where they want it over the hub, i.e. 44.45 mm positive, I suspect. I'd also guess the wider JL Rubi wheels backspacing is somewhere around 1/2" more than that of their 7-1/2" wheels. But I've been wrong before.

The bottomline is I believe common 1-1/2" adapters will be required to use the JL Rubi wheels on the JL Sports. That's what those who run 11.5 - 12.5" tires on stock 7.5" wheels have to use.
 
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ThirtyOne

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Thanks. I'm ok with spacers.
 

TroyBoy

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I'm betting that the rubicon wheel backspacing is the same as the sport and Sahara.
 

Moe

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I'm betting that the rubicon wheel backspacing is the same as the sport and Sahara.
It appears it's not only the backspacing, but the width and offset as well. I never saw a 285/70R17 tire rated for a rim width less than 8-9" but it appears Jeep may've got BFG to do that for these K02s... with a range of 7-1/2"-9". And why wouldn't they if this tire is the only one spec'd for a JL Rubicon? From what I've recently read, the Rubi is using standard 7.5" x 17" Wrangler wheels... just pushed out 3/4" (20 mm) on each side by the wider axles (which is half of the additional tire width). I was wrong... yet again. :)
 

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BoisetheCat

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It appears it's not only the backspacing, but the width and offset as well. I never saw a 285/70R17 tire rated for a rim width less than 8-9" but it appears Jeep may've got BFG to do that for these K02s... with a range of 7-1/2"-9". And why wouldn't they if this tire is the only one spec'd for a JL Rubicon? From what I've recently read, the Rubi is using standard 7.5" x 17" Wrangler wheels... just pushed out 3/4" (20 mm) on each side by the wider axles (which is half of the additional tire width). I was wrong... yet again. :)
I'm not intelligent in this area, thus since Jeep is using same size wheels throughout there wouldn't be a problem slapping on the 33' ko2's on the sport / s ?
 

Jeepsterfreak

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I'm not intelligent in this area, thus since Jeep is using same size wheels throughout there wouldn't be a problem slapping on the 33' ko2's on the sport / s ?
I was wondering the same thing. Can I put the 285/70-17 tires on a stock Sport 17x7.5 JL steel wheel and mount them on the Sport?
Would spacers be needed to clear the inner fender and suspension since the Sport axles are less wide than Rubi?

Jeep lists the track at 62.9 for all trims so this really has me confused since the Rubi has wider axles.
 

JHJLUR

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I put a set of black ZL1 wheels on my black 2SS Camaro and didn't see it as a 'poser move'.
11080475_10104849745867338_415732256332906757_o.jpg


I say whatever look you want... go for it.
Definitely not a poser move. I like using OEM mods... now if you were to stick a Rubi sticker on it, or an m3 sticker on your 328, that’s a different story.... but as far as using any parts from different trims, go for it... I’m sure it’ll look great.
 

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Never minded things like that. Its your vehicle, do what you want. But since you asked, my 0.02...

The only people that will notice will be jeep enthusiasts, or rubicon owners...assume the later would just think, yeah, those wheels DO look good.

I always thought parts swapping was wise..but decals/badges was wierd. IDK, hop up the sport, just dont put rubicon or sahara badges on.
 
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ThirtyOne

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I put a set of black ZL1 wheels on my black 2SS Camaro and didn't see it as a 'poser move'.
11080475_10104849745867338_415732256332906757_o.jpg


I say whatever look you want... go for it.
That's a nice looking Camaro!
 
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ThirtyOne

ThirtyOne

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How much does a shop charge to mount wheels and tires if you bring them in?
 
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