37s and drivetrain reliability - is it worth it?

[Mac]

I completely agree, a larger tire will increase your stopping distance.

Larger caliper/rotors/“big brake kit” won’t decrease it any. That’s my only point.

Towing heavy and experiencing brake fade? Sure, upgraded will help. Regular mountain driving where you ride your brakes? Sure, it will help. (But should be using the transmission/engine braking)

panic stops abs regular driving? Not really.

The same physics principals that cause the braking distance to increase with larger tires are the same physics principles that allow larger rotors and more powerful calipers to reduce the braking distance.

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[Mac]

You know, a lot of times, Subaru owners and jeep owners are the same people. Both are all weather vehicles with 4 wheel (or all wheel) drive. I've had my share of WRXs and STIs, and a few jeeps too. I think there's a lot of WRX owners on here. I've had 4 jeeps, and 4 Subarus, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who likes both. Lifted WRXs and lifted Crosstreks are awesome. Stock Subies are fun too though. An STI in the snow on a dirt road is a blast. Considering that many WRXs and STIs are built for the track, it's a good place to get info on brakes.

Most of the Subarus I see in my area have fart can exhausts and rally armor mud in contrasting colors, no thanks.

 

[Mac]

Also most Subarus are not adding tires that are 4” or 5” larger in diameter and 50 lbs heavier which is what this thread is about.

 

[NachoRuby]

Also most Subarus are not adding tires that are 4” or 5” larger in diameter and 50 lbs heavier which is what this thread is about.

I guess to each his own, but WRXs have enough horsepower and torque to wear that "fart can"with pride. It's also necessary for stage 2 and above (full turboback required). The flat-4 boxer rumble is sexy. And so is that whoosh when you take your foot off the pedal and the turbo dumps boost. It's a blast.
But back to the subject... Subarus often upgrade brakes for track performance. They also come with high performance brembo brakes and bbs wheels. You've never driven an STI, have you? It's not a civic dx. Civic Rs and SIs have bonified chops too, though, so I'm not picking on civics. Same rule applies. They upgrade power, so need better brakes. We update tires or tow, so need better brakes (if the stock ones won't lock with added weight).
First time I test drove an STI, I was hooked. They're pretty naturally loud too, so it's not always a fart can. STIs and WRXs are loud from the factory. Unfortunately, STIs also get the same mpg as our jeeps or slightly worse, plus they require premium unleaded. So like us, they are vehicles purchased for performance, not economy, and modified accordingly by gearheads, whether for rally, drag, street or circuit use. No matter now much they look like Imprezas, they are not economy cars, and the suspension, brakes, engine, and exhaust are tuned to maximize driver engagement and performance. I grew up in the 90s, so I was raised on playstation and Gran Turismo. STis have always been a dream car of mine. So have jeeps. The "fart can" you see on a stock 90s civic dx cannot be compared to a performance car that runs very low 13s (stock STI) to high 12s (stock STI s204) from the factory out of a four banger. Also, unlike my jeep, on a Subaru, the hood scoops are real lol.

 

[CerOf]

Agreed. @NachoRuby

what @Mac is failing to understand is that stock brakes will lock up 37s.

6pot with 18”rotors won’t stop you any faster. Lock up is lock up.

the brakes, stock or otherwise, can’t tell the difference.

 

[TxSmitty]

The answer is yes. Worth it. My Jeep had 40s with half of a teraflex lift on it with blown out RK shocks. Replaced everything with quality parts and went to 37s. I pray something breaks so I can upgrade. Lol. I was so excited when my reverse light was out…. Time for new taillights. I even knew that the reason it was out was because I removed them the day before messing around with vinyl wrap… booo hahaha.

 

[cdyoung9799]

Maybe someone already brought this up and I missed it but wheel offset matters as well (at least for ball joints, which is one of the top issues). A crazy negative offset creates a much larger moment at the hub vs a tucked in +25. Higher moment = higher reaction forces for the ball joints to counteract. This isn’t 35 vs 37 info but could be useful for someone concerned about durability.

This is exactly why I'm upgrading my factory ball joints as my very next mod. No problems now. Just being proactive.

 

[Mtpisgah]

This is exactly why I'm upgrading my factory ball joints as my very next mod. No problems now. Just being proactive.

What ball joints are you going with?

 

[cdyoung9799]

What ball joints are you going with?

Probably Dana Spicer. They're more expensive than Terraflex or Synergy, but I have a buddy who installed a set on his JLUR and he loves them. He offroads the crap out of his rig and they've performed flawlessly. Great build quality compared to stock.

 

[Mac]

Probably Dana Spicer. They're more expensive than Terraflex or Synergy, but I have a buddy who installed a set on his JLUR and he loves them. He offroads the crap out of his rig and they've performed flawlessly. Great build quality compared to stock.

I watched this video
Pretty involved install, are you doing it yourself?

 

[cdyoung9799]

I watched this video
Pretty involved install, are you doing it yourself?

I actualky watched the same video. That guy puts out some good videos. I probably will do it myself. I'm a glutton for punishment, but I love turning my own wrenches when I can. I've installed my last 2 lift kits. This doesn't look too much harder than that. I just need to do it on a week that I'm off work so I can take my time.

 

[Phishs]

As someone above mentioned, the big wear item will be ball joints, but on heavy 35's those are gonna get worn probably just as quick as 37's. The rest of it should be fine, you're literally talking 1 inch of height difference between 35's and 37's and the factory says 35's are direct bolt on (and offered with the xtreme recon). Cheap insurance is to truss and gusset for about 250 in parts and the cost of a welder.

What is the truss and gusset you speak of?
I have a welder on retainer. lol

 

[bleda2002]

What is the truss and gusset you speak of?
I have a welder on retainer. lol

Here are the parts:
https://www.barnes4wd.com/Jeep-JT-Axle-Upgrades_c_293.html
You can check out a video by jk gear and gadgets where they weld them on to the axle. Not a whole lot to it.

 

[Phishs]

Here are the parts:
https://www.barnes4wd.com/Jeep-JT-Axle-Upgrades_c_293.html
You can check out a video by jk gear and gadgets where they weld them on to the axle. Not a whole lot to it.

Thanks man

 

[Mtpisgah]

Probably Dana Spicer. They're more expensive than Terraflex or Synergy, but I have a buddy who installed a set on his JLUR and he loves them. He offroads the crap out of his rig and they've performed flawlessly. Great build quality compared to stock.

Thanks. If they fix my issues, I would pay double that.

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