Wheels, tires lift?

[6.2Blazer]

This is a '19 Sport with the top picture all stock and the bottom pic with Rubicon tires, wheels, and suspension that I just did last weekend. If you are satisfied with the looks of a Rubicon it is a pretty good deal. In my opinion it really beefs up the look of the Sport models. There is $1,250 invested in this setup, including 5 wheels and tires. The tires/wheels and suspension were from different sellers but both within 20 miles of my house and there were multiple choices of both setups for sales on Facebook Marketplace.

If you do some searching there are multiple springs used on different models that gain different amounts of lift, but in general "most" Rubicon springs will sit taller than any Sports. But doesn't hurt to check the part numbers between stock and what you may be buying to verify. The good news is that the parts tags seem to be pretty durable as the '19 with over 40k miles in the salt belt still have readable part numbers on the springs.

Just as a side note the Rubicon models have different fender flares that sit up about 2" higher, so even with the exact same suspension and tires a Rubicon will look like it's sitting higher.

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[blnewt]

Follow up question as i've been researching this.

The general consensus is that running 35x12.5rx17 on an unlimited sport is that it'll struggle on highway and quickly eat at mpg's.

Rubi take offs @ 285x70rx17 are the best bang for the buck without regearing.

I've also got bushwacker hyperform fenders on order as i dont care for the stock sport fenders - i was assuming i'd be able to fit the 35's this way without a lift but i didn't consider the loss of power.

My 2dr w/ Rubicon spring and Fox shocks (0 to 1.5" lift set) and Oedro high fender kit has decent room. I have 315/70/17s ready to install, these are a hair smaller than true 35s. If you stick to a lower center of gravity and a lighter 315/70/17s you should be ok. When you lift it higher w/ larger, heavier tires your mpg will take a hit, how much is hard to determine. Adding heavier stuff such as steel bumpers, winch, skids, etc will all hit you at the pump. It really comes down to what you want from your Jeep. A mild lift w/ 34 to 34.5" C or D rated tires should still net decent mpg considering you're driving a railroad boxcar down the road.

As far a struggling down the highway, I have no problem running 80 mph, and with good 6 degree caster it only takes barely a finger on the wheel to keep it tracking straight.

 

[kirianjahiem]

You can find these sets in the member marketplace here in the $100-200 range typically.








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[GrayWolf.Overland]

I went through all the tire sizes from stock to 35s, and can tell you without a doubt that the very best set-up for looks without too big an impact on performance/driving fun is Rubicon take-offs (285/70r17 wich are considered 33 inch tires) with a levelling kit. I recommend the Teraflex levelling kit that consists of 2 inch front and 1.5 inch rear coil spacers. Don't forget that your Sport is 0.75 inch lower than Saharas, and 1.5 inch lower than Rubicons. Keep that in mind when you read other comments, hence why I recommend the Teraflex kit.

As soon as I went to 34 inch tires, I totally fealth the added weight and couldn't ignore the impact on gearing as driving pleasure was replaced by frustration and my transmission kept hunting for gears on the highway. I couldn't justify driving and enduring a vehicle worth that much as if it was a beater with transmission problems. I installed a Hikeit X9 throttle controller, and although I was impressed with its impact on throttle, It didn't change the constant transmission gear hunting.

So after considering going back down to 285/70s, I decided to bite the bullet and have it regeared to 4.56 and install 35s. Now my friend, we are talking My Jeep looks killer AND turns those 35s as easily as it did the stock tinny tires. Kong Happy

1st Pic: 285/70r17 (33s) Rubi take-offs
2nd pic : 305/70r17 (34s) which was too much for stock gearing.
3rd pic: 315/70r17 (35s) with 4.56 gearing.

Thank you for sharing this fantastic comparison @Steph1 . I am at stage 1 on this journey and contemplating to go 285/75/17 (34s).
The tire prices on odd sizes like 34s and skinny 35s are astronomical in Canada. I am seriously contemplating going directly to regular sized 35s. I just have to make sure I wont rub the LCA

Can you share what lift you are running and your wheel spec (size and offset). It looks super tucked in and proportionate ?

 

[Steph1]

Thank you for sharing this fantastic comparison @Steph1 . I am at stage 1 on this journey and contemplating to go 285/75/17 (34s).
The tire prices on odd sizes like 34s and skinny 35s are astronomical in Canada. I am seriously contemplating going directly to regular sized 35s. I just have to make sure I wont rub the LCA

Can you share what lift you are running and your wheel spec (size and offset). It looks super tucked in and proportionate ?

Totally, right now, I am running coil spacers 1 3/4 inch spacers front and rear with Gladiator Rubicon oem shocks. My goal was to get the lift while keeping the Sahara smooth ride.

I initially purchased a take-off Rubicon suspension, but the ride was much harsher than my Sahara and I didn’t want that. So I reinstalled my Sahara coils with spacers and tried to keep the Rubicon shocks. Was still harsher than my liking.

Searches lead me to the Gladiator Rubicon shocks, which are Fox shocks and Super smooth. Now my friend, my Jeep is a Cadillac. Darn it rides good?


Bu the way, I’m in the Ottawa region?

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

? Wooot!

I agree @Steph1 , i installed a diesel rubicon take off and did not like the ride quality. Turns out the rubicon shock tuning has a lot to do with it rather than the springs. I run a much more higher spring rate now (180lb/in) from Clayton but the ride is nice due to the FOX 2.0 Shocks.

My lift:
Clayton 1.5" springs + 0.5" Teraflex coil spacers (Gave me about 2.5" of lift)
My sway bar links and LCA are from the mopar 2" lift
Adjustable front and rear trackbars from metalcloack.

My tires are 17x8 +30 - Black Rhino Warlord, wrapped in 285/70/17 General Grabber ATx
I have enough clearance to LCA at full lock but was worried if I am going to rub if I go to 315/70/17s

 

[aldo98229]

Speaking of Saharas...I think I’m going to swap out the 17” Quadratec wheels with the 35x12.5 ATs, and put the Sahara rims back on with a set of 285/75R18 ATs. That’s 35x11.2 inches.

I’m just not sold on the fat 35s sticking past my fenders. At the same time I’ll see if the narrower tires help with my fuel consumption. The Cooper Discoverer AT3 in that size weighs 8 lbs less than the General ATs I have on. And the OE wheels are about 2-3 lbs lighter. So that’s 10-11 lbs less of unsprung weight on each corner.

Wish me luck.

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

Speaking of Saharas...I think I’m going to swap out the 17” Quadratec wheels with the 35x12.5 ATs, and put the Sahara rims back on with a set of 285/75R18 ATs. That’s 35x11.2 inches.

I’m just not sold on the fat 35s sticking past my fenders. At the same time I’ll see if the narrower tires help with my fuel consumption. The Cooper Discoverer AT3 in that size weighs 8 lbs less than the General ATs I have on. And the OE wheels are about 2-3 lbs lighter. So that’s 10-11 lbs less of unsprung weight on each corner.

Wish me luck.

@Arterius2 stance with that setup is so awesome. Often i have regrets that I didn't pick 18x8 warlord instead of 17x8.. they both are +30 offset and i would have been super happy with the pizza cutter 35s.

@aldo98229 - how good are the cooper at3s offroad. I couldn't get a lot of review articles on this compared to general grabber or open country at3

 

[aldo98229]

@Arterius2 stance with that setup is so awesome. Often i have regrets that I didn't pick 18x8 warlord instead of 17x8.. they both are +30 offset and i would have been super happy with the pizza cutter 35s.

@aldo98229 - how good are the cooper at3s offroad. I couldn't get a lot of review articles on this compared to general grabber or open country at3

According to the ratings on TireRack, in off-road conditions General Grabber ATX is 9/10; Cooper Discoverer AT3 is 8.7/10.

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

According to the ratings on TireRack, off-road General Grabber ATX is 9/10; Cooper Discoverer AT3 is 8.7/10.

Those are from their test results or an aggregate of customer reviews rated on each category?

 

[aldo98229]

Those are from their test results or an aggregate of customer reviews rated on each category?

From customer reviews.

The Cooper is more on-road focus. It outscores the Generals in wet and in dry conditions, and in overall comfort. The Generals rank higher in snow and off-road.

 

[Willys_Wonka]

? Wooot!

I agree @Steph1 , i installed a diesel rubicon take off and did not like the ride quality. Turns out the rubicon shock tuning has a lot to do with it rather than the springs. I run a much more higher spring rate now (180lb/in) from Clayton but the ride is nice due to the FOX 2.0 Shocks.

My lift:
Clayton 1.5" springs + 0.5" Teraflex coil spacers (Gave me about 2.5" of lift)
My sway bar links and LCA are from the mopar 2" lift
Adjustable front and rear trackbars from metalcloack.

My tires are 17x8 +30 - Black Rhino Warlord, wrapped in 285/70/17 General Grabber ATx
I have enough clearance to LCA at full lock but was worried if I am going to rub if I go to 315/70/17s

I’m also running ATx Grabbers in 285/70/17, just clocked 14k miles. Also, I installed rubicon springs and the ride height is perfect. Once the tires are worn out I might upgrade to 285/75/17 and possibly add a small coil spacer lift, .5”-.75”. Any pictures to share?

 

[Willys_Wonka]

@Arterius2 stance with that setup is so awesome. Often i have regrets that I didn't pick 18x8 warlord instead of 17x8.. they both are +30 offset and i would have been super happy with the pizza cutter 35s.

@aldo98229 - how good are the cooper at3s offroad. I couldn't get a lot of review articles on this compared to general grabber or open country at3

Two tires in 285/75/17 I’m seriously considering are toyo open county and Nitto ridge grapplers. Both are offered in load range “C” over “E”, which will help in ride quality with a lesser side wall stiffness.

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

I’m also running ATx Grabbers in 285/70/17, just clocked 14k miles. Also, I installed rubicon springs and the ride height is perfect. Once the tires are worn out I might upgrade to 285/75/17 and possibly add a small coil spacer lift, .5”-.75”. Any pictures to share?

There is a lot of pictures in my build thread. The dp on profile is how it looks right now.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/gray-wolf-🐺-2020-jlu-sahara-overlanding-build/

I placed order for Toyo Open country AT3 35x11.5R17 C rated. It will take 7 weeks to arrive, looking at a September 10th install.

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

Two tires in 285/75/17 I’m seriously considering are toyo open county and Nitto ridge grapplers. Both are offered in load range “C” over “E”, which will help in ride quality with a lesser side wall stiffness.

My grabber ATX is E rated, and the ride is decent. I have hard felt harsher ride on other E tires on Tacoma's from buddies. It really depends on the manufacturer.

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