Staggering tires with different offsets for better steering response

[EmilHov]

Hi all,

I have 315/70r17 duratracs on 17x9 on my 21 jlur

with - 12 offset. Highway driving is just dangerous. It's all over the road. The faster you go the more dangerous it is. I've played with air pressure. I tried everything. Someone suggested to me changing the front wheels only to a + 12 offset and skinnier 295/70r17. What do you think of this idea?

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[CarbonSteel]

I am running 17x8.5 in 0 offset with 37x12.50x17 tires and it drives great. With that said, my suspension is MetalCloak and I have a Fox steering stabilizer.

I tend to think you may have an issue with not enough caster. Is everything stock on the suspension?

 

[Jtclayton612]

Something is wrong with your steering and front suspension. I’ve got 35x12.5r17 and 17x8.5” -6 offset. Tracks straight except on crowned roads and I regularly am going 80-85mph

 

[Jim1964]

When I go to a significantly larger tire diameter I always aim to change the offset outward just enough to maintain the scrub radius as close to factory as I can. Not a popular look I know, as most drivers want a lot of poke. However more scrub radius means more rut tracking and pull on irregular surfaces. Unavoidable.

You may well have some worn parts contributing to imprecise steering as well.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Adding caster will likely be far more effective and certainly cheaper than mismatching tires and wheels. On a 2wd car I could see mismatched tire sizes, on a 4wd absolutely not. You won’t be able to rotate them properly, you’d almost need to carry 2 different spares, and I think you’d have some inherent binding in 4wd as I doubt the 2 different width tires would actually end up the same height regardless of advertised height. If you really think scrub radius is the culprit, I’d swap out all 4, but ours handles drives, and tracks fine on 38’s with factory wheels and a 1.5” spacer. Added caster and a rear track bar relocation for better roll center were the biggest handling upgrades we made.

 

[blnewt]

Yep, sure sounds like your caster is too low. Even from the factory the Rubicons typically have caster in the low 4 degree range. All Jeep platforms regardless of the stock spring sets use the same lower control arms (LCAs), so the taller springs on the Rubicon cause a decrease in caster.

If you're totally stock you really need the longer Mopar lift LCAs, and if you plan to lift further down the road some adjustable lower (or upper) control arms will allow you to get caster in the 6 degree range where it really should be.

With caster at 6 degrees I can run 80mph all day w/ barely a finger on the wheel

Here's my install post on the LCAs with part#
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/rubicon-suspension-on-2-door-sport.40700/#post-919317

 

[EmilHov]

Thanks guys. I love how my jeep looks and would hate to change it. I will try to get the caster adjusted. I had a JT before, still have a fox stabelizer that I took off before trading it in. Maybe I'll replace that as well.

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