Sahara w/ MOAB wheels questions

[Almost-clever]

Apologies, I'm sure these have all been asked before, but in googling/searching old threads I find many contradicting answers. Through quarantine I decided to pull the trigger on a '19 Sahara JLU. I've always wanted to join the club and it's quite an upgrade from my 2 door civic. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a set of MOAB 17" wheels. I'd like to wrap them in 35's but have a few questions. Please let me know if anything I think I know is way off base.

What I think I know

• 35's will fit on Sahara without rubbing
• Eventually I will considering lifting to alleviate concerns.
• Will need to adjust speedo (will probably just take to dealership to do rather than buy tool i'll only use once)
• Will need to add spare tire reinforcement

Questions I'm still looking for straight answers on

• Will I need to upgrade brakes/regear to account for bigger/heavier tires?
• Worth it to upgrade to the Mopar 2" lift or should I just get a Rubicon suspension takeoff to add an inch or so? Obviously the price is considerably different..
• Stock Sahara 18's have a +44 offset. I cant find an answer on the MOAB 17's. I'd like full turn radius without concern as I do heavy city driving and U-turning
• I'm considering Duratrac tires. Main concerns in no order are comfortable ride (understanding it will inherently be different than stock) road noise (again, as much as possible), and wet road handling (Florida is unpredictable.) Any known issues or better suggestions?

90% of driving will be on road/highway. Other than that mostly dirt roads with occasional beach trip. No climbing in my future (with this one.)

I'm sure i'll find more I dont know. Thanks in advance.

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[IronScott]

A MOAB is a Sahara with some styling and functional upgrades and perhaps Rubicon suspension (I don't recall exactly). 35s will fit. You might rub in certain situations but for what you mention as your intended driving style, you should be fine.

Tailgate reinforcement is debatable for that size. Plenty run without it. I use the MOPAR reinforcement mainly for peace of mind and covering potential warranty issues. I also installed a spare relocation bracket that moves the spare up a little to clear the bumper more. You may or may not need to do this depending on your bumper and the actual, not nominal, tire size.

You already have the bigger heavy duty brakes. No need to upgrade.

For your intended use, the Rubicon take-off suspension would be good. With 35s the MOPAR lift would look and perform great should you decide to do more rough terrain, flexing, etc.

The MOAB wheels have the same specs as the Sahara, I believe.

 

[Gropax]

MOAB is a Saharacon Sahara with Rubicon body and Suspension and no lockers. ok that out of the way you will need either wheel spacers or new wheels to put 35s on the narrow Sahara axles to prevent rubbing. remember 35s are either 12.5 or 13.5 wide. where 33s are 10.5 to 12.5 most being 11.5 and have no rubbing. and you have the lower fenders you will need a lift with 35s if you go anywhere near dirt first full flex you do that tire will be in the fender and might pop it off.

 

[scrape]

35's will fit on Sahara without rubbing

They will rub the control arms at full steering lock and they will rub the fenders under moderate compression (off-road use).

Using wheel spacers will prevent the rubbing at steering lock, but will significantly exacerbate the fender rubbing under compression.

Eventually I will considering lifting to alleviate concerns.

A lift does not prevent tires from rubbing.

Will need to add spare tire reinforcement

Nope but you either need to buy a Rubicon tire carrier or keep your stock one and use a relocation bracket.

Will I need to upgrade brakes/regear to account for bigger/heavier tires?

No.

Worth it to upgrade to the Mopar 2" lift or should I just get a Rubicon suspension takeoff to add an inch or so? Obviously the price is considerably different..

What you need to prevent tires from rubbing your fenders are bump stops. So figure out how much you need, probably somewhere in the 2-3" neighborhood, and then add a similar amount of lift to compensate for that. You can get the lift any way you'd like - coil spacers, rubi springs, aftermarket springs, it doesn't matter. Ride height is ride height.

Stock Sahara 18's have a +44 offset. I cant find an answer on the MOAB 17's. I'd like full turn radius without concern as I do heavy city driving and U-turning

They are going to rub at full turn. Rubis can run larger tires without issue because the axles are wider.

I'm considering Duratrac tires. Main concerns in no order are comfortable ride (understanding it will inherently be different than stock) road noise (again, as much as possible), and wet road handling (Florida is unpredictable.) Any known issues or better suggestions?

Keep lowering air pressure until you are happy with the ride quality. Will be louder than your stock tires when new, and a lot louder when worn in. Wet handling will be fine.

90% of driving will be on road/highway. Other than that mostly dirt roads with occasional beach trip. No climbing in my future (with this one.)

Cool then forget this entire post and just get yourself some Rubi take-off KO2s 285/70/17 they go for $500-600 on craigslist for a full set of 5, they fit great without changing anything else, and do great off-road and on the sand.

 

[Kraty1]

I have an ‘18 Sahara with Rubi suspension, 17” Moab wheels, and Rubi 33” KO2’s. No rubbing, no tailgate reinforcement, and no issues whatsoever... love the look! The speedo is off I’m told 1mph at 60mph. I’ve also been told 33’s are the most you can do on a Sahara with stock suspension, I’m pretty sure you would be fine with the Mopar lift kit or even a Rubi suspension if you go to 35s, not sure about the reinforcement kit, but I believe the tailgate max is 80lbs, which is about right for 33” tires and 17” wheels.

 

[Kraty1]

A MOAB is a Sahara with some styling and functional upgrades and perhaps Rubicon suspension (I don't recall exactly). 35s will fit. You might rub in certain situations but for what you mention as your intended driving style, you should be fine.

Tailgate reinforcement is debatable for that size. Plenty run without it. I use the MOPAR reinforcement mainly for peace of mind and covering potential warranty issues. I also installed a spare relocation bracket that moves the spare up a little to clear the bumper more. You may or may not need to do this depending on your bumper and the actual, not nominal, tire size.

You already have the bigger heavy duty brakes. No need to upgrade.

For your intended use, the Rubicon take-off suspension would be good. With 35s the MOPAR lift would look and perform great should you decide to do more rough terrain, flexing, etc.

The MOAB wheels have the same specs as the Sahara, I believe.

Moab wheels actually have the same specs as Rubi wheels, just powder coated FYI.

 

[Almost-clever]

Thanks everyone for replies. I did not know how similar the MOAB was to the Sahara. After reading replies and doing some more homework I think I'm going to go with the rubicon takeoff suspension and just find a set of K02's rather than jump through hoops to make the 35's work. This, however opens a whole new can of worms. I've read about needing different LCA's and spacers to make up for death wobble that comes with upgrading to the rubicon suspension. Anyone have personal experience?

 

[Almost-clever]

I have an ‘18 Sahara with Rubi suspension, 17” Moab wheels, and Rubi 33” KO2’s. No rubbing, no tailgate reinforcement, and no issues whatsoever... love the look! The speedo is off I’m told 1mph at 60mph. I’ve also been told 33’s are the most you can do on a Sahara with stock suspension, I’m pretty sure you would be fine with the Mopar lift kit or even a Rubi suspension if you go to 35s, not sure about the reinforcement kit, but I believe the tailgate max is 80lbs, which is about right for 33” tires and 17” wheels.

Any before and after Pictures?

I searched your profile and could only find some before the suspension upgrade. That being said- you definitely inspired me to invest in plastidip. Your grill inserts and sahara lettering look awesome in black.

 

[Kraty1]

Any before and after Pictures?

I searched your profile and could only find some before the suspension upgrade. That being said- you definitely inspired me to invest in plastidip. Your grill inserts and sahara lettering look awesome in black.

Thanks, I’ve enjoyed making it my very own! Hers a couple pics for you, one before and after the wheels and tires and another before and after the suspension. I had initially plastidipped the stock Sahara wheels to get an idea of the look before pulling the trigger.

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