Stock 2020 Rubicon Unlimited, going 35”, but need some advice (I’ve searched)

[Nicky Pass]

I bought a 2020 Rubicon about 3 months ago. I daily drove it to my shop in the ghetto of Chicago, 35 miles each way to work. I bough a commuter car, so the Jeep is my “fun” vehicle. I love it except...I need to put bigger and wider tires on it. So, I have a few questions (I’ve searched to do crystal clear answer)....

1. I know I can go 35” ‘tires without a lift, but I’m not sure which tires to go with....Nitto, Toyo, BFG. I know they say they are 35”, but some are closer to 34”....some are exactly 35”....does it really matter?

2. I want 18” Gray wheels....my rig is sting gray. I want not suspension work for the time being, so what is a good offset. I saw a video on YouTube and the guy put 35” on wheels with a -12 offset and I liked the way it looked.

3. The tire carrier. I know size and offset can be the difference from fitting and not. Will 35”s on 18” wheels with a -12 offset require any mods to the tire carrier?

Thanks for any help....I wanna do it this way for a while and I don’t plan on rock crawling or hitting any major rails until it’s out of,warranty and paid off.

Sponsored

 

[RedundanT]

1. Unless going in deep mud, BFG K02
2. 17" Give softer ride in those canyons Cook county calls potholes. But those 18's would do.
3. 35 will fit on stock Rubicon carrier.

 

[MntsRcalln]

For tires, take a look at Falken Wildpeak A/T3W as well. They are what I am going with.

 

[dhlevin]

These are 315-70-17 KO2's

on stock wheels with no lift

 

[track.n.trail]

I second the Falken Wildpeak AW3W tires.

Quieter on the highway than K02s and better in wet weather and snow due to their siping.

 

[mjaga]

These are 315-70-17 KO2's

on stock wheels with no lift

Mind sharing which step bars those are? Thanks.

 

[BullMoose1776]

If you'll eventually lift the jeep consider BFG KO2 37s.

They will fit and they won't rub (generally speaking) . Spare tire is another thing.

If you really want to buy 2 sets of tires, then go with BFG KO2 35s. Why bother with anything else .

 

[Nicky Pass]

I want to leave the suspension stock for the 3 year 36,000 mile warranty is up. I also don’t want to mess with regearing...

 

[Dkretden]

There are folks on this board who suggest that 35’s on a Rubicon will “only” fit (and give you full articulation/no rubbing) without a lift if you use the existing OEM rims (+44 offset). There are many examples of folks on this board doing exactly that.

there are some who suggest that the 7.5” rim width of the stock rim is out of spec for a 35” tire. For instance, some say, BFG KO2 315/70/17’s “require“ a minimum rim of 8” and should not be mounted on a 7.5” rim. Yet Discount tire among others do mount them on OEM 7.5” rims

there are others who have put all sorts of rim offsets (0’s and -12’s, etc) on 8-9” rims and 35’s without a lift and claim absolutely no issues but it is unclear to me if they are getting full flex or not without rubbing.

for me? I just remain confused.

 

[dhlevin]

Mind sharing which step bars those are? Thanks.

Nfabs....not happy with them.....rusting on the inside after a month!

 

[Nicky Pass]

This is the video that got me interested in 35”s on 18s.....

 

[blnewt]

Toyo AT3, Wildpeak AT3, and BFG KO2 are all good choices and are 3 peak snow rated if snow rolling is a priority.
Is there a specific reason you want 18s? 17s are cheaper and have a larger selection of wheels & tires. Can't go wrong w/ Mickey Thompsons too, those in that vid clip are nice!

 

[Abend]

I have +10mm offset 8.5" wide 17" wheels and my Milestar Patagonia 315/70R17s just barely clear at full flex with the sway bar disconnected and aired down to 15PSI. The closest point to rubbing is the lip of the fender. If you went with anything that sticks out more than a +10mm offset wheel, I don't see how it wouldn't rub. For a Rubicon, I'd definitely stick to something in the +10 to +44 range if you're going to take it on trails without also getting a lift. If you're never leaving the pavement with it, then you can probably get away with pretty much any wheel/tire combo you want.

Your stock tire carrier will work fine, but you will need to extend the spare tire bump stops. A lot of people use PVC pipe to do it, but you can also buy longer bump stops and cut them to the size you need.

 

[Fsttanks]

There are folks on this board who suggest that 35’s on a Rubicon will “only” fit (and give you full articulation/no rubbing) without a lift if you use the existing OEM rims (+44 offset). There are many examples of folks on this board doing exactly that.

there are some who suggest that the 7.5” rim width of the stock rim is out of spec for a 35” tire. For instance, some say, BFG KO2 315/70/17’s “require“ a minimum rim of 8” and should not be mounted on a 7.5” rim. Yet Discount tire among others do mount them on OEM 7.5” rims

there are others who have put all sorts of rim offsets (0’s and -12’s, etc) on 8-9” rims and 35’s without a lift and claim absolutely no issues but it is unclear to me if they are getting full flex or not without rubbing.

for me? I just remain confused.

Actually the 315/70/17 KO2s in “C” load range are rated for 7.5” rims and up. This according to the information listed on them by BFG.

The issue with tires in the 315/35 range on rims of 7.5” come into play when the psi is somewhere under 15psi. At low off road psi the chances of blowing a bead increase sharply.

I ran 35” “D & E” rated tires on my 13 JKU with stock Rubicon rims for well over 125,000 which included countless trails at low psi #s in the 17-18 range. I never went below 15psi and never once had any issues.

If you need to run lower then 15 psi then you should look at 8” and up rims. If you don’t need to run lower the 15 psi then a 7.5” rim is adequate.

 

[aldo98229]

I bought a 2020 Rubicon about 3 months ago. I daily drove it to my shop in the ghetto of Chicago, 35 miles each way to work. I bough a commuter car, so the Jeep is my “fun” vehicle. I love it except...I need to put bigger and wider tires on it. So, I have a few questions (I’ve searched to do crystal clear answer)....

1. I know I can go 35” ‘tires without a lift, but I’m not sure which tires to go with....Nitto, Toyo, BFG. I know they say they are 35”, but some are closer to 34”....some are exactly 35”....does it really matter?

2. I want 18” Gray wheels....my rig is sting gray. I want not suspension work for the time being, so what is a good offset. I saw a video on YouTube and the guy put 35” on wheels with a -12 offset and I liked the way it looked.

3. The tire carrier. I know size and offset can be the difference from fitting and not. Will 35”s on 18” wheels with a -12 offset require any mods to the tire carrier?

Thanks for any help....I wanna do it this way for a while and I don’t plan on rock crawling or hitting any major rails until it’s out of,warranty and paid off.

If you want retain the factory ride and handling characteristics, you should watch for two things:

1. Keep an eye on the weight of the new tires. The stock Rubicon tires weigh 50 lbs each. The heavier the new tires, the more the added unsprung weight is going to impact how the Jeep drives. MT tires are tougher but also significantly heavier and ride harsher than AT tires.
2. Keep an eye on the width of the contact patch. Your stock Rubicon tires are 285/70R17. If you want to go to 18” rims and retain how your JL Rubicon drives, I would refrain from going much wider than that. A 285/75R18 tire is 34.8 inches...or a “35-inch” tire.

Good luck.

Sponsored