38's are the Goldilocks of tires (owner review)

[RodRecket]

I just mounted up a set of 38/13.5r17 Falken Wildpeak RT01 on my AEV Borah beadlocks and am very happy with the new tires so far. I had a JK on a few different lifts and tires and now two JT's with multiple sets of tires and lift heights. On the JT's I've run 285/75r17 KO2s, 35/11.5r17 Toyo ATIII, 37/12.5r17 KM3s, 37/12.5r17 KO2s, and now the 38" Falken RTs.

The Falken RT mounted on the truck comes in at 37.1 inches. My notoriously small 37 KO2s measured at 35.7 inches. It's a noticeable difference and one I think will make a difference on the trail. Additionally, my perspective on width has changed the more I hit the rocks. At 11.5" wide I was rubbing my wheels on every rock I tried going around. Even a 12.5 mounted on a beadlock would rub the hell out of the ring. The extra width is going to come in handy while crawling over obstacles.

I've always been a fan of AT tires since I spend most of my time on the road, but after a but of research I'm giving these RT's a try. I'll report back after I spend a Minnesota winter on them. So far the road manners are great, slightly louder than the KO2s (which were very quiet).

The other thing I kept hearing when considering jumping to a 38 was to just go 40's. This is a no go for me for a few reasons.
1. I'm already regeared to 4.56 and that will work for 38s but not 40s. If I could do it again I'd choose 4.88 or maybe 5.13 but I can get by at 4.56. I think 40s would force a regear.

2. When I decided on 38s I knew I would want to beef up my brakes (powerstop rotors and pads) and axles shafts (RVC up front, dana chromoly rear). This is a considerable expesne at $3k but I would be looking at 6X the cost for new axles if I went 40s.

3. I'd need a taller lift to fit 40s. At 38" I can keep my current lift (AEV 2.5") and retain a ride I really like. I did gut the fender liners and still need to check clearance at full lock/full stuff but I had quite a bit of room when I was running the 37s with the full fender liner. 40s and a 4.5" lift would mean I would no longer fit in my garage, another demerit.

Overall, it's just my opinion, but 38's are the Goldilocks of tires for these trucks. Not too small, but not too big.

Here are the quick specs on my JT for those curious:
2021 JTR AEV JT370 (4.56 gear package) auto transmission
AEV 2.5 lift
Metalcloak CAs (all 8)
Currylink steering (tie rod/draglink)
Teraflex rear upper control arm extended travel kit
Rancho adj trackbar
38/13.5r17 Falken Wildpeak RT01 on Borah Beadlock wheels (+25mm offset)

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[Warped]

THanks for the information on the tires and congrats on the JT370. I absolutely love my JL370 and was debating on going with 38s or not.

 

[Discount Tire]

@RodRecket Lots of great information and stats! Thanks for sharing. Rig looks great too!

 

[tobyw]

Agreed, I think this is the sweet spot for stock-ish axles in a Gladiator... I went with 39" KO2's because they run small and compare more directly with the 38's from most other tire manufacturers, but the KO2 is significantly lighter in weight and that helps with nearly all aspects of performance. That said, they are also significantly more expensive that anything else out there so it'll be a toss up with it's time to replace them

 

[Mbryson]

I just mounted up a set of 38/13.5r17 Falken Wildpeak RT01 on my AEV Borah beadlocks and am very happy with the new tires so far. I had a JK on a few different lifts and tires and now two JT's with multiple sets of tires and lift heights. On the JT's I've run 285/75r17 KO2s, 35/11.5r17 Toyo ATIII, 37/12.5r17 KM3s, 37/12.5r17 KO2s, and now the 38" Falken RTs.

The Falken RT mounted on the truck comes in at 37.1 inches. My notoriously small 37 KO2s measured at 35.7 inches. It's a noticeable difference and one I think will make a difference on the trail. Additionally, my perspective on width has changed the more I hit the rocks. At 11.5" wide I was rubbing my wheels on every rock I tried going around. Even a 12.5 mounted on a beadlock would rub the hell out of the ring. The extra width is going to come in handy while crawling over obstacles.

I've always been a fan of AT tires since I spend most of my time on the road, but after a but of research I'm giving these RT's a try. I'll report back after I spend a Minnesota winter on them. So far the road manners are great, slightly louder than the KO2s (which were very quiet).

The other thing I kept hearing when considering jumping to a 38 was to just go 40's. This is a no go for me for a few reasons.
1. I'm already regeared to 4.56 and that will work for 38s but not 40s. If I could do it again I'd choose 4.88 or maybe 5.13 but I can get by at 4.56. I think 40s would force a regear.

2. When I decided on 38s I knew I would want to beef up my brakes (powerstop rotors and pads) and axles shafts (RVC up front, dana chromoly rear). This is a considerable expesne at $3k but I would be looking at 6X the cost for new axles if I went 40s.

3. I'd need a taller lift to fit 40s. At 38" I can keep my current lift (AEV 2.5") and retain a ride I really like. I did gut the fender liners and still need to check clearance at full lock/full stuff but I had quite a bit of room when I was running the 37s with the full fender liner. 40s and a 4.5" lift would mean I would no longer fit in my garage, another demerit.

Overall, it's just my opinion, but 38's are the Goldilocks of tires for these trucks. Not too small, but not too big.

Here are the quick specs on my JT for those curious:
2021 JTR AEV JT370 (4.56 gear package) auto transmission
AEV 2.5 lift
Metalcloak CAs (all 8)
Currylink steering (tie rod/draglink)
Teraflex rear upper control arm extended travel kit
Rancho adj trackbar
38/13.5r17 Falken Wildpeak RT01 on Borah Beadlock wheels (+25mm offset)

Looks great!

 

[Jteakus]

Are you doing anything for steering assist?
Jeep looks fantastic.

 

[RodRecket]

Are you doing anything for steering assist?
Jeep looks fantastic.

Thank you

Not yet. It's not an issue on the street but I think I will run into hard steering when I lock the front end and try turning flexed out.

I've been eyeing the apex steering boost kit. It's affordable but a pretty involved install. I dont think I'll go PSC.

 

[RodRecket]

THanks for the information on the tires and congrats on the JT370. I absolutely love my JL370 and was debating on going with 38s or not.

After 2 sets of 37s I have no regrets moving up to a 38. It's pretty much a true to size 37.

 

[RodRecket]

Agreed, I think this is the sweet spot for stock-ish axles in a Gladiator... I went with 39" KO2's because they run small and compare more directly with the 38's from most other tire manufacturers, but the KO2 is significantly lighter in weight and that helps with nearly all aspects of performance. That said, they are also significantly more expensive that anything else out there so it'll be a toss up with it's time to replace them

The 39/13.5r17 KO2 was one of my top options because of their weight and recognizing they would measure more like a "38," but I could not justify the price! Interestingly enough, the 38 Falken RT01s took less than half the weight to balance compared to the 37 KO2s. That was a nice surprise. The new wheel/tire package definitely weighs more but I'm a big proponent of crawling over an obstacle vs throttling out. My driving style combined with stronger axle shafts I think I'll be able to wheel without issue (for the most part).

 

[Jefe1018]

Sweet rig, I might do 38’s next or maybe even a small 39.

A man of the fire service?

 

[RodRecket]

Sweet rig, I might do 38’s next or maybe even a small 39.

A man of the fire service?

Thank you. I spent months agonizing what to go with because it's such a financial investment but in the end I'm really happy with my choice.

I am, career dept. in MN.

 

[Gizmo]

38s has always looked good on trucks . Do you have any up travel to speak of ?

 

[RodRecket]

38s has always looked good on trucks . Do you have any up travel to speak of ?

I'm just running the bumpstop that came in the AEV kit.

 

[Elff]

After 2 sets of 37s I have no regrets moving up to a 38. It's pretty much a true to size 37.

Well, you never really had a set of 37s in the past.
Now you do.
This is why my Rock Crawler has Maxxis Brand tires.
Not only do they kick ass, but they are very true to size. Their 38 is a 38, not a 37.
37s are 37s.

I do think your current setup looks great and your logic on going bigger compared to your current axle components, IE Strength of parts and gearing, is solid.

 

[RodRecket]

Well, you never really had a set of 37s in the past.
Now you do.
This is why my Rock Crawler has Maxxis Brand tires.
Not only do they kick ass, but they are very true to size. Their 38 is a 38, not a 37.
37s are 37s.

I do think your current setup looks great and your logic on going bigger compared to your current axle components, IE Strength of parts and gearing, is solid.

Yea, very few tires actually measure up true to size aired up and on the vehicle. Especially tires geared towards street and offroad use.

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