I know I’m going to catch grief for this question. Why go larger wheels and tires

[cafecito]

I feel like I’m the only person here that has not gone to larger wheels and tires. Now I get those of you doing hardcore anything off road. Larger tires along with a lift give you more traction, better break over, and more ground clearance. However if you are not doing the Rubicon all the time what is the point? Adding lifts, tires, wheels , and gears costs thousands and hurts what little fuel economy we have. So I guess I want someone to tell me why this is a must have mod.

You're not alone. I love my Mojave exactly the way it is. I love the wheels it came with, I love how the tires look, and I really don't feel like spending thousands to add a few inches and probably fuck up the main draw of the Mojave in the first place (big bouncy shocks).

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[Wyofuy069]

You're not alone. I love my Mojave exactly the way it is. I love the wheels it came with, I love how the tires look, and I really don't feel like spending thousands to add a few inches and probably fuck up the main draw of the Mojave in the first place (big bouncy shocks).

Cafecito I couldn’t agree more. I think the Mojave wheels are actually better looking than most of the aftermarket. I have been spending money on lights, steps, headliners, skid plates, and eventually I’ll get to a soft top option and maybe some better fenders. Just ordered mudflaps today as well. My rig will be primarily used in snow, so studded Hakkapeliitta LT3 will be on in a couple of months. I also have the Crystal Granite Metallic and with the grey leather it is one good looking Jeep.

 

[brianinca]

Tires are the fastest way to better off-road performance, especially if you have all-seasons from the factory. Not all JT's have AT's and MOST 4x4's in general do not.

IMO, JT owners that will go off road frequently would be best served by spending their money on skid plates before lifts/tires. But nobody notices skid plates they do notice lifts/tires.

 

[Trippin01]

larger tires yes. Larger wheels, no.

37" tires are not recommended for 7.5" (stock) wheels, and you will need the appropriate offset to run 37" and larger tires, not to mention gearing. I tried to go cheap, and no worky. Trails are way more approachable and fun now. I love your trail shot, where is that?

 

[kdfhuey]

So this is a trolling post. All this person is trying to do is get a reaction. If you dont like the big tire look then dont get it. If you like the stock look then keep it stock.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

37" tires are not recommended for 7.5" (stock) wheels, and you will need the appropriate offset to run 37" and larger tires, not to mention gearing. I tried to go cheap, and no worky. Trails are way more approachable and fun now. I love your trail shot, where is that?

They are not common, but there are skinny 37"+ tires. Interco makes a 38.5x11 Bogger.

My stock wheels are 8" wide.

 

[cafecito]

So this is a trolling post. All this person is trying to do is get a reaction. If you dont like the big tire look then dont get it. If you like the stock look then keep it stock.

How is asking a question about why people feel a certain way a troll post? Trolling would be saying that aftermarket tires and lifts are stupid and then leaving.

 

[TheFatPanther]

I feel like I’m the only person here that has not gone to larger wheels and tires. Now I get those of you doing hardcore anything off road. Larger tires along with a lift give you more traction, better break over, and more ground clearance. However if you are not doing the Rubicon all the time what is the point? Adding lifts, tires, wheels , and gears costs thousands and hurts what little fuel economy we have. So I guess I want someone to tell me why this is a must have mod.

I still run stock wheels/tires and have no interest in going bigger. I _might_ change out the wheels, but only for a different look, and honestly I like the stock Rubi wheels.

 

[kdfhuey]

How is asking a question about why people feel a certain way a troll post? Trolling would be saying that aftermarket tires and lifts are stupid and then leaving.

Its a trolling post because they're making judgments on something that is purely a matter of perspective. Like saying i hate the color purple, why do people like purple? Its a ridiculous notion to state that you dont understand why people like purple. Its trolling because its stating that he doesnt understand why people like bigger tires. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[B2TB]

It’s only a “must have” if you need or want it. Many people do it just for looks. Many do it because they want more ground clearance.

I’ve owned a Liberty, 3 JK Rubicons, and now my JTM, and I only put larger tires on the Liberty and the JTM.

The Liberty came with 29s, so a lift and 32s gave it a huge increase in capability, which I definitely used.

My current JTM, like all JTs is very long compared to all my previous Jeeps, and thus has a worse break over angle than any of them. It was easy to fit 35s without any other modifications and it not only gave me an inch more clearance, but also gave a lot larger contact patch for increased traction, and the larger rolling diameter helps to smooth out bumps. Since I spend a lot of time out in the backcountry (25% of the miles on my Jeep have been off-road) it was a simple change to help out. …And I won’t lie, I think it looks better with 35s than 33s.

It's like a Swiss Army knife. It's there when you need it. My Mojave is stock except for my bronze wheels that look similar to a 392 Rubicon wheel. My last truck was an 8" solid spring lift for the last 15 years. Done playing, now time to relax and treat my baby like a world class customized sports car that car fanatics only drive on a sunny day. It's a princess queen. My JT has not seen rain, snow, mud, rocks, boulders, gravel, sand, and water. I'm happy with it. Do what you want, treat it the way you want to - it's your money, no one else.

 

[tcass]

I feel like I’m the only person here that has not gone to larger wheels and tires. Now I get those of you doing hardcore anything off road. Larger tires along with a lift give you more traction, better break over, and more ground clearance. However if you are not doing the Rubicon all the time what is the point? Adding lifts, tires, wheels , and gears costs thousands and hurts what little fuel economy we have. So I guess I want someone to tell me why this is a must have mod.

i went with 33 in KO2's and aftermarket steel rims on my Wrangler JL but since i traded it for my Gladiator High Altitude, i have no real desire to increase the tire size and lose the mileage.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

I’ll put myself squarely in the contingent of folks that want to have their cake (a pickup) and eat it too (off road like a wrangler). I suspect that there are a lot of people here, who like me, have owned Wranglers. I was surprised at just how much my JTRD got hung up on one of my old stand-by trails which is nothing close to the difficulty of the Rubicon. And I not comparing it to the Wrangler, but rather to my long since gone 91’ Nissan D21 on 32’s. The Gladiator’s break over isn’t good for a pickup, let alone a Wrangler. The ride height is simply too low for the wheelbase with too much low hanging, and expensive bits dangling beneath it. Obviously you’re not going to get close to the breakover of a JL without something like 42’s but the stock 33’s are way below my comfort level for even mild to moderate Jeep trails. So that’s tires. Wheels are just a function of tire fitment or clearance unless you’re buying them for beadlocks.

The stock suspension is rubbish, not Rubicon. I couldn't imagine wheeling a stock JT on the Rubicon trail or in Moab. I’ve always looked at lifts and tires for myself as adding a margin of safety and allowing me to explore farther with less risk. The lift, even without bigger tires is basically a requisite for carrying more heavy gear, like winches, racks and camping equipment. A truck might be able to easily carry much more weight than what I put in it to go overlanding, but off road, all of that cargo weight has a deleterious effect on performance. The lift brings the truck back to something approaching stock performance off road while laden with equipment.

In the case of the JTRD, I was surprised to find another issue. I‘ve never been in the camp of “lift kits improve on road performance“ universally. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they make a vehicle dangerous. In general, they add weight, they strain steering components and increase wear, they raise the center of gravity and in my experience aftermarket parts are not made as well and don’t last as long as OE. That all being said, the stock suspension on road is scary. I’ve never had a vehicle modified or stock, even a wrangler with a loose track bar, that had worse on road handling. The truck is both radically under sprung and radically under damped.

People say “that’s just Jeeps“. No. I’ve had 4 Jeeps and I’ve never had one that I had to fight to keep in its lane on the interstate. It’s awful. There’s a fairly large body of at least anecdotal evidence that most of the mild lift kits in the 2-3” range, that replace the springs and shocks greatly improve the on-road handling and correct for FCA’s terrible stock tuning. Even if I had no intention of running bigger tires or off roading, I’d replace the stock suspension. I suspect that driving the JT turns off a lot of folks cross-shopping it to other trucks like the Colorado or Tacoma especially in Rubicon trim.

I’ll also add myself to the “it looks better“ camp. While not a reason to do all of this modification on its own, in my opinion, bigger tires do make the truck look better. I think the JT is oddly proportioned. I call mine the “ugly truckling”. I don’t mind the rake (on the JK it drove me nuts) but this is a truck, The bed looks weird as well as the space behind the rear doors. It looks like it’s sitting too low on its suspension. The Brute looked good and in many ways this is similar but there is something about this truck that is odd or cheap looking to me. With about 2-3” of lift and 37/38’s I think the truck looks just right. It seems to fix whatever it is. 40s+ is approaching Tonka Truck territory, although who doesn’t love Tonka Trucks?

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

This isn’t meant to be trolly (troly?, trollie?, troll-ee?) but one of the reasons I bought the diesel is so that bigger tires wouldn’t have a major negative effect on MPGs. Obviously “shoulda boughta diesel” isn’t a legit answer to the legit concern about how any mod affects mileage. Lots of people don’t get the diesel for lots of good reasons. That said, I spec’d my JTRD out with a specific intent in mind and bigger tires factored into my choices. Anecdotally, the ecodiesel doesn’t seem to be fazed much by big tires. I’ll know for myself once my 37inch KM3s get off of back order sometime this month.

The point is, mileage might not be that much of a concern for a lot of folks, particularly the diesel crowd.

 

[Big John]

I put a Dodge Demon 840hp motor in my JT. I have 40" tires and a 3" to 10" Airock lift.
I have a very small penis.

 

[Davekayc]

The trucks look VERY homely without tires. Slap some 35s on a stock everything makes a huge improvement.
a stock rubicon going through deactivations folds the chain tabs up on the hitch. Basically plows through the hard ground. Its the biggest flaw of the jt . The hitch hits everthing. Mine with the 37s and a mopar didnt hit any so long as I went through diagonally. For moab I’m gonna have to make a steel wheel to go in the hitch or youl never be able to back out of a tough spot once the hitch digs into the rock.

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