Stuffing 38's with inner fender delete?

[Overland Utah]

I need some input from fellow 392 XR owners. I have an XR on order that should be in transit soon, assuming it doesn’t get stuck somewhere. I’ve had 3 Jeeps in the past (two 2.0 and my current eco diesel) and I have always ran Teraflex lifts with their adjustable shocks which I have liked. For the XR I have read that they ride great, so I would prefer to keep the suspension stock unless I decide to upgrade down the road.

My plan is to go with some 17" beadlock wheels and I am debating between 37" vs 38" tires. I currently have patagonia MT's in 38" and love the size and capability offroad, but I don't like how noisy they are. For the 392 I plan on going with the ridge grappler, the 37" is D rated and 38" is a C rating.

My question is, would a spacer lift and inner fender flare delete help fit the 38" tires without needing a lift? I plan on taking this Jeep to the Rubicon trail at the end of July, so I am just trying to order things in advance. If anyone has any inner fender deletes with 37's or 38's I would appreciate your feedback!

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[RELBUS]

Also interested to see if this will work.

 

[Themistocles]

I do not run the 392 XR, but have a Rubicon diesel, with similarities in weight and some suspension dynamics, and I did pull my inner fenders and fender liners to gain clearance.

I have a 2.5 inch Clayton lift that netted about 3.25 and have 35" Toyos on 17 inch Method wheels. Before stripping the inner fenders and liners I needed two-inches of bumpstop to keep the 35s from contacting. With the inner fenders and liners pulled I need no bumpstop (I have one inch to keep shocks from topping out). By measurement it looks like I could clear 37s with a 2.5 lift and stripped fenders with 0-1 inch of added bump. So, were you to put on a two-inch spacer and 2 - 3 inches of added bump you could most likely clear 38s at full compression. The downside of that set-up would be very limited up-travel.

If you go that way, I would recommend at least putting on adjustable lower control arms to allow you to correct suspension geometry a bit. You would also either need new longer shocks or to put shock extensions on to fit your OEM shocks.

 

[moodywizard]

If you are ordering the XR and gut your fender liners you most likely wont need a lift. Removing them gains a few inches of clearance and going from 35 to 38 is only 1.5" height difference. I am running the RG 38's and have stock rear bump stops at the moment with no bump pad extension and the tire clears the rear tub with gutted liners and aftermarket rear bumper at full stuff. If running stock bumpers definitely have to remove end caps. The front should be okay as well, can't comment too much on the front except to say I am running king bumps for max uptravel and I still have and inch or so of fender clearance at front full stuff but had to stop there for draglink/tierod/trackbar clearance. Both front and rear rubi fenders gutted with aftermarket liners.

Edit, full stuff testing was done when vehicle was level. Real world when articulating the tire will be closer to the fender somewhat haha

 

[AnnDee4444]

You'll likely have more input if this was posted in the suspension forum.

 

[XtremeRetard]

XR here, zero problems with a 37 with no lift on the front. Zero rub etc. Going to highline fenders and liners so I can fit the KM3 39s. I doubt I will have any problem. Especially as I also did a spacer lift. Im expecting to not need to touch the bump stop either..

 

[2020 Rubi Diesel]

I do not run the 392 XR, but have a Rubicon diesel, with similarities in weight and some suspension dynamics, and I did pull my inner fenders and fender liners to gain clearance.

I have a 2.5 inch Clayton lift that netted about 3.25 and have 35" Toyos on 17 inch Method wheels. Before stripping the inner fenders and liners I needed two-inches of bumpstop to keep the 35s from contacting. With the inner fenders and liners pulled I need no bumpstop (I have one inch to keep shocks from topping out). By measurement it looks like I could clear 37s with a 2.5 lift and stripped fenders with 0-1 inch of added bump. So, were you to put on a two-inch spacer and 2 - 3 inches of added bump you could most likely clear 38s at full compression. The downside of that set-up would be very limited up-travel.

Did you go with aftermarket fender liners? Do you have any issue with the fenders flopping at highway speeds with the inner fender delete?

I just order some quake led lights and debating if I should rip everything out and get some liners or just trim to keep the stock stuff.

 

[Themistocles]

Did you go with aftermarket fender liners? Do you have any issue with the fenders flopping at highway speeds with the inner fender delete?

I just order some quake led lights and debating if I should rip everything out and get some liners or just trim to keep the stock stuff.

Yes, I have Metal Cloak front fender liners...I am running the back without fender liners. I also put in the Metal Cloak front fender brace and lights.

The brace keeps the stock fenders rock solid...even in high winds at highway speeds. I don't notice any difference in rigidity.

Clearly choice is yours. To me the aftermarket inner fenders (AAL is my favorite...but when I needed them they were on back order, so went with MC) and stripped fender liners looks amazing and more importantly significantly improves the capability of the vehicle. Were I to do my build again, I would not even think about leaving factory inners and liners in. On my current build I made the choice to do it because I was not willing to add in extra bumpstop...and thus reduce my up travel. The choice was either go higher...which has lots of drawbacks IMHO, or allow the tires to stuff further without contacting...thus the pulled inner fenders and liners. The combo worked perfectly at Moab this summer...not one time did I either rub a tire on anything (even at full compression full turn) or bottom out on big bumps.

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