Wheel Spacers or Not?

[tshaw2009]

I have a 2023 Willys Sport 2-Door and I am just about ready to be in need of tires at almost 36k miles. The stock 32" BFG KM2 tires have been great, but now that the need is there to replace, I'm wanting to step up to 315/70R17s. I found 315/70R17 Goodyear Territory MTs for $207 per tire at Walmart, which to me sounds like a steal for 35s. I'm planning on going with the AEV 2" Spacer lift with the Pro-Cal SNAP for speedo recalibration. I am wanting to keep the stock Willys MOAB wheels because I really like the look of them. Here are my three questions:

1.) Will I need wheel spacers to keep from rubbing the lower control arms? If so, what size do you think I will need to clear?

2.) Since 315/70R17s are technically wide 34s, will I need to reinforce the spare tire carrier and swing gate hinges immediately, or can I get by without that for a while?

3.) Will 315s clear the stock plastic bumper without a spare tire relocation bracket?

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[Grayhound]

I went with 315/70 on my Rubicon and I found I was rubbing the lower control arm and sway bar at full lock and stuff.

I opted for a new wheel instead of spacers. I just didn't trust torqued lugs x 2.

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

1. yes - esp post the 2" spacer lift which will slightly offset the axle center and you rub more on one side. Since you are on narrow track axles you need to add about 1.5 inches each side in the min (0.7 deficit to rubicon axle + 0.7 i.e. 1/2 of tire width increase). If you are running stock wheels which has clearance pockets inside, you can run 1.5" bolt on spacer.. if you dont wan't to go that precise and need some more breathing room - get the standard 1.75" JL bolt on spacers from spidertrax, synergy or teraflex.

2. This answer is 2-parts. Reinforcement of hinge is needed if the weight of the tire and wheel combo is going to be more than 85lb (stock spec). Mopar hinge reinforcement increases that to about 90-95lb.. anything more than that you need to get a hinge based reinforcement like teraflex alpha or the rugged ridge spartacus carriers.

3. second part of the above answer is height. Stock willys use the lower hung tire carrier which wont fit 35s - it will rub on the bumper. you can either solve by getting after market bumper that has a larger cut out for tire or get a cheap tire relocation bracket.

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

aaaand if you love that wheel (cant blame you I love that wheel too) and dont want to deal with spacers

Quadratec sells a replica with better specs - 17x8.5 +10
https://www.quadratec.com/p/quadratec/morphic-wheel-wrangler-jl-jk/black

 

[Cips]

3. second part of the above answer is height. Stock willys use the lower hung tire carrier which wont fit 35s - it will rub on the bumper. you can either solve by getting after market bumper that has a larger cut out for tire or get a cheap tire relocation bracket.

I had 35" tires that fit the spare tire carrier, however they were mounted on 17x9 wheels with 4.5" of backspace... not sure how that affects anything, and they were a snug fit (rubbed the plastic bumper a smidge).

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

I had 35" tires that fit the spare tire carrier, however they were mounted on 17x9 wheels with 4.5" of backspace... not sure how that affects anything, and they were a snug fit (rubbed the plastic bumper a smidge).

tire dependent too.. some run taller and mine rubbed a lot before i ponied up for a relocation bracket from teraflex.. some $150 bucks thing.

 

[tshaw2009]

1. yes - esp post the 2" spacer lift which will slightly offset the axle center and you rub more on one side. Since you are on narrow track axles you need to add about 1.5 inches each side in the min (0.7 deficit to rubicon axle + 0.7 i.e. 1/2 of tire width increase). If you are running stock wheels which has clearance pockets inside, you can run 1.5" bolt on spacer.. if you dont wan't to go that precise and need some more breathing room - get the standard 1.75" JL bolt on spacers from spidertrax, synergy or teraflex.

2. This answer is 2-parts. Reinforcement of hinge is needed if the weight of the tire and wheel combo is going to be more than 85lb (stock spec). Mopar hinge reinforcement increases that to about 90-95lb.. anything more than that you need to get a hinge based reinforcement like teraflex alpha or the rugged ridge spartacus carriers.

3. second part of the above answer is height. Stock willys use the lower hung tire carrier which wont fit 35s - it will rub on the bumper. you can either solve by getting after market bumper that has a larger cut out for tire or get a cheap tire relocation bracket.

Thanks for your reply. So, 1.5-1.75" spacers will be needed to use stock wheels. Check.

Since the stock Willys wheels are 21Lbs, and the tire weight is 54.3Lbs, for a total of 75.3Lbs, then I won't need the tailgate reinforcement, but I will need a spare tire relocation bracket. Correct me if I'm wrong on anything. I want to do this right so I'm not tearing things up prematurely.

 

[Cips]

tire dependent too.. some run taller and mine rubbed a lot before i ponied up for a relocation bracket from teraflex.. some $150 bucks thing.

Yeah I suppose there are a few variables. I also got the Teraflex Alpha HD spare relocation to pull the new wheels closer to the Wrangler. I thought it was interesting how their instruction manual says that no hinge reinforcement is needed unless the spare is over 100 pounds.

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

Thanks for your reply. So, 1.5-1.75" spacers will be needed to use stock wheels. Check.

Since the stock Willys wheels are 21Lbs, and the tire weight is 54.3Lbs, for a total of 75.3Lbs, then I won't need the tailgate reinforcement, but I will need a spare tire relocation bracket. Correct me if I'm wrong on anything. I want to do this right so I'm not tearing things up prematurely.

yeah you wont need reinforcement. I'd say put it on as is.. if it doesnt fit at all OR if it rubs so much that its not a forever solution - then get one of these
https://teraflex.com/jl-spare-tire-relocation-bracket-kit.html

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

Yeah I suppose there are a few variables. I also got the Teraflex Alpha HD spare relocation to pull the new wheels closer to the Wrangler. I thought it was interesting how their instruction manual says that no hinge reinforcement is needed unless the spare is over 100 pounds.

I was only talking about the cheaper relocation bracket..
https://teraflex.com/jl-spare-tire-relocation-bracket-kit.html
Teraflex Alpha is super expensive and not needed at all for a 70lb combo from OP

 

[munkeymike]

1. yes - esp post the 2" spacer lift which will slightly offset the axle center and you rub more on one side. Since you are on narrow track axles you need to add about 1.5 inches each side in the min (0.7 deficit to rubicon axle + 0.7 i.e. 1/2 of tire width increase). If you are running stock wheels which has clearance pockets inside, you can run 1.5" bolt on spacer.. if you dont wan't to go that precise and need some more breathing room - get the standard 1.75" JL bolt on spacers from spidertrax, synergy or teraflex.

2. This answer is 2-parts. Reinforcement of hinge is needed if the weight of the tire and wheel combo is going to be more than 85lb (stock spec). Mopar hinge reinforcement increases that to about 90-95lb.. anything more than that you need to get a hinge based reinforcement like teraflex alpha or the rugged ridge spartacus carriers.

3. second part of the above answer is height. Stock willys use the lower hung tire carrier which wont fit 35s - it will rub on the bumper. you can either solve by getting after market bumper that has a larger cut out for tire or get a cheap tire relocation bracket.

You can get a generic version of the Mopar tailgate reinforcement for super cheap. It's not quite as good (bad hardware, rough edges), but the price difference is significant.

There are 3 Mopar tire carriers, one is short, one is tall, and one is tall with long camera nose. Not sure which one the Willy's comes with, but you might need the taller one.

Don't forget about bump stops.

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

You can get a generic version of the Mopar tailgate reinforcement for super cheap. It's not quite as good (bad hardware, rough edges), but the price difference is significant.

There are 3 Mopar tire carriers, one is short, one is tall, and one is tall with long camera nose. Not sure which one the Willy's comes with, but you might need the taller one.

Don't forget about bump stops.

I had those .. they are so poor in quality and their studs rust out super bad. They arent cheap either plus they ask you to cut off some of the plastic surrounding that vent in the tailgate.

 

[munkeymike]

Thanks for your reply. So, 1.5-1.75" spacers will be needed to use stock wheels. Check.

Since the stock Willys wheels are 21Lbs, and the tire weight is 54.3Lbs, for a total of 75.3Lbs, then I won't need the tailgate reinforcement, but I will need a spare tire relocation bracket. Correct me if I'm wrong on anything. I want to do this right so I'm not tearing things up prematurely.

I had those .. they are so poor in quality and their studs rust out super bad. They arent cheap either plus they ask you to cut off some of the plastic surrounding that vent in the tailgate.

We might be talking about different things. The tailgate reinforcement clones are almost the exact same part (I had both side by side) and made out of aluminum. You definitely need to buy new hardware though. I think ~$120 is very cheap compared to the Mopar one at ~$680.

The only thing I've seen that requires cutting vents is the relocation brackets, but that applies to the Mopar ones as well.

 

[b22wheeler]

1. You might need wheel spacers to avoid rubbing, especially with the stock wheels. A 1.5" spacer should do the trick to clear the control arms.
2. With 35s, it's a good idea to reinforce the spare tire carrier and swing gate sooner rather than later. The extra weight can stress the hinges and carrier over time.
3. 315s should fit the stock plastic bumper without needing a relocation bracket, but it’s always a good idea to check for any slight rubbing or contact when flexing the suspension.

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

We might be talking about different things. The tailgate reinforcement clones are almost the exact same part (I had both side by side) and made out of aluminum. You definitely need to buy new hardware though. I think ~$120 is very cheap compared to the Mopar one at ~$680.

The only thing I've seen that requires cutting vents is the relocation brackets, but that applies to the Mopar ones as well.

ah the reinforcement - yes those are aluminum. the hardware that comes with those strip easily but yeah I was referring to the relocation brackets that go with them.. like these

those studs rusted out faster than an unpainted nail buried in soil :D

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