Wheel / tire question - Saharizing a Rubicon?

[LocalGhost]

Hi guys! Thank you for accepting me to the group. I'm new to Jeep life and community, although not completely new to off-road, having extensively driven various weird vehicles in the wild, including an UAZ 469

We will be ordering our first Jeep in the next few months and I am seriously considering making it the only car and a daily driver. We really don't need two cars at this point - there's only two of us, no kids and we both work from home (so no daily commute at all) and we spend 80% of our time out, vacation etc. together anyway. For the remaining 20%, arrangements can be made and schedules easily adjusted. I'd rather sell the other car and use the savings for the Jeep stuff .

Before you point me to the Sahara - we have decided on a Rubicon . The wife has no objections whatsoever, quite contrary (I'm a lucky man). We did so many test drives that we're now being frowned upon at every dealer in 50 mile radius. We both love it.

It will serve various purposes:
1. Daily driving: approx. 100-150 miles in town weekly
2. 2-3 weekends a month: easy to moderate forest / mud trails in the midwest, year-round.
3. 2-3 times a year - more serious, 7-10 days "expeditions" to Utah, Arizona, Colorado etc.
4. I'd like to get into mild rock crawling, whatever the stock Rubi allows without modifications first...
5. ... and then eventually modify it for more ambitious stuff. Not in the next 1.5-2 years, though.

With that said, our Jeep will still be spending 75%+ of its time on pavement / highways.

Under the circumstances, would it make sense to get a second set of wheels with on/off-road or even all-season tires, to save the OEM ones / increase everyday driving comfort / increase mpg a bit (not that I'm complaining)?

- Would Sahara 31'' wheels+tires work (I know, it would look stupid) - relatively cheap and plenty on the market
- Alternatively, use 33''-ish all-season highway tires? Like Michelin Defender LTX 285/70R17?

Please share your opinion. Has anyone tried something like that? Or is it an incredibly stupid idea altogether?


Thanks,

Konrad

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[Shooting or Jeeping]

I mean, I’ll take your Ruby wheels off you hands...

Joking aside- no, you don’t need two. The KO2s were my daily drivers on my JK. They aren’t too loud and are very solid tires. They are heavier, but buying new wheels and tires will cost more than the gas savings.

 

[Sean L]

Hi guys! Thank you for accepting me to the group. I'm new to Jeep life and community, although not completely new to off-road, having extensively driven various weird vehicles in the wild, including an UAZ 469

We will be ordering our first Jeep in the next few months and I am seriously considering making it the only car and a daily driver. We really don't need two cars at this point - there's only two of us, no kids and we both work from home (so no daily commute at all) and we spend 80% of our time out, vacation etc. together anyway. For the remaining 20%, arrangements can be made and schedules easily adjusted. I'd rather sell the other car and use the savings for the Jeep stuff .

Before you point me to the Sahara - we have decided on a Rubicon . The wife has no objections whatsoever, quite contrary (I'm a lucky man). We did so many test drives that we're now being frowned upon at every dealer in 50 mile radius. We both love it.

It will serve various purposes:
1. Daily driving: approx. 100-150 miles in town weekly
2. 2-3 weekends a month: easy to moderate forest / mud trails in the midwest, year-round.
3. 2-3 times a year - more serious, 7-10 days "expeditions" to Utah, Arizona, Colorado etc.
4. I'd like to get into mild rock crawling, whatever the stock Rubi allows without modifications first...
5. ... and then eventually modify it for more ambitious stuff. Not in the next 1.5-2 years, though.

With that said, our Jeep will still be spending 75%+ of its time on pavement / highways.

Under the circumstances, would it make sense to get a second set of wheels with on/off-road or even all-season tires, to save the OEM ones / increase everyday driving comfort / increase mpg a bit (not that I'm complaining)?

- Would Sahara 31'' wheels+tires work (I know, it would look stupid) - relatively cheap and plenty on the market
- Alternatively, use 33''-ish all-season highway tires? Like Michelin Defender LTX 285/70R17?

Please share your opinion. Has anyone tried something like that? Or is it an incredibly stupid idea altogether?


Thanks,

Konrad

If you were to have multiple sets of wheels/tires I'd keep them the same size to avoid having to recalibrate your speedometer each time you swap. I don't recommend downsizing to the Sahara wheels, you'll already have 4.10 axles and going down 2 inches in tire diameter will drive your RPMs up a little more. The factory tires for a Rubicon should be good for even a daily driver and competently handle all but the most extreme offroad situations.

I'd say keep the factory tires for your daily use, and a good set of Mud Terrains for when your weekend plans call for it.

 

[Krondor]

I mean, I’ll take your Ruby wheels off you hands...

Joking aside- no, you don’t need two. The KO2s were my daily drivers on my JK. They aren’t too loud and are very solid tires. They are heavier, but buying new wheels and tires will cost more than the gas savings.

This.


I thought about it myself honestly. I have no problem swapping tires for seasons or daily driving vs adventuring. With much thought and reading reviews, there doesn't appear to be an upside to going to a more street friendly tire. You'd actually loose if ever you found a need to head off the beaten path or hit snow. IMHO

That said, you might find a second set of offroading wheels and tires to be more advantageous.

 

[RockAltered]

With that said, our Jeep will still be spending 75%+ of its time on pavement / highways.

My bet is more than 95% of your miles will be on road. My advice is keep your Rubicon stock. Moab is a long drive from Chicago.

 

[LocalGhost]

My bet is more than 95% of your miles will be on road. My advice is keep your Rubicon stock. Moab is a long drive from Chicago.

In all honesty, you might be perfectly right about that 95%, Mike . But that's exactly why I asked the question - should I try to make the Rubi more roadworthy than the stock?

Like I said, I don't particularly care for noise reduction or mpg increase, but I like my things "optimized" as much as possible to serve their purposes.

Thank you all for the valuable input, guys.

 

[RockAltered]

In all honesty, you might be perfectly right about that 95%, Mike . But that's exactly why I asked the question - should I try to make the Rubi more roadworthy than the stock?

Like I said, I don't particularly care for noise reduction or mpg increase, but I like my things "optimized" as much as possible to serve their purposes.

Thank you all for the valuable input, guys.

Guessing your order is for a JLUR. It comes optimized for your use. Keep it stock save money and headaches.

 

[FranklinFlyer]

And don't worry about AT tires. They are pretty comfortable. Very different to MT tires.

 

[Mos.Jeep]

My Rubicon has AT tires and is so far bone stock. Rides super smooth on my daily 90+ commute to Chicago and back. Love it.

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