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Best 37s for daily driver

Bacon

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37s for a daily driver? I'm thinking the hit to your mileage, gearing (if you haven't already upgraded), reduced braking effectiveness (from the reduced leverage and higher rotating mass) and the sheer amount of sidewall flex (unless you are running 20s) is going to make for an unpleasant daily driving experience. Or maybe those compromises are all OK for you which is great - you do you of course. I daily drive on 35s and honestly I would not go larger. Even with corrected steering hardware, proper tire inflation and quiet tires I feel like my JT on 35s (I also have the Mopar 2in lift) is at the limit of what I consider all weather all road/traffic conditions daily driver that I can still drive through a swampy ditch on an illegal u-turn. But - again - just my $0.02. Interested to hear your experiences after a couple of months. Thanks!
The eight speed transmission fairly easily soaks up the change in tire though you lose 8th unless going downhill. I have a Rubicon with 4.10s. I'm sure 3.73 or less would be a poor experience. Having said that, I'm upgrading to 4.88s, mainly for towing, but also to regain 8th. I'm still getting about 16.5MPG with 37s. I've got them inflated to 30PSI.

Just put BFG KO2 37s on, primarily daily driver. Went with these for weight and reputation. I think my case was rare, would love to hear from others if not, but they were a bear to get balanced, highly recommended buying local and not internet so they will work with you. However, now that they are balanced, the ride awesome. The 37s may be rougher on ball joints for example and I am not aware of it, but it is all in what you want I guess. Heavy 35s may be rough on things like ball joints too. I was hesitant about 37s and almost went 35s, glad I did 37s now.
It's imperative, IMHO, that you get 35"+ tires road force balanced by a reputable shop.
 
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Bedeviler

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So I already stated I will be re-gearing, even if I decided on 35s I will re-gear, so the mileage concern and re-gear cost are a mute point in my situation. So we are down to sidewall flex on 17' wheels and reducing braking as the points being made.

Since we are talking about a total of about 28lbs total on average, depending on brand, between 35s and 37s is braking a real concern? If so, unless I just haven't searched correctly, how come I haven't seen numerous posts about brake issues and upgrading the brake system?

What exactly is the concern with sidewall flex? My understanding is a tire with a little more flex leads to a smoother ride which is what I would like as a daily driver.

Both are legitimate questions that I would like to see feedback on if you have any or can point me in the right direction.
 

Hank_

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I agree with the 35's. I also went with the BFG all terrains. I love the look of the more aggressive treads but after a while they will all make noise. My JT is my every day vehicle. The BFG's were great in snow and almost silent on the street. When I had my JK I felt the need to get larger tires and lift ect ect ect, but in the end I just ended up spending a lot of money on stuff I never used. My Rubicon has 1 1/2" level in front and 3/4" in rear and looks great (to me) on 35's. I also don't feel I will need to regear which saves me a lot. I am getting 18.6 MPG which is a mix of city and highway driving. I am glad I did what I did to my JK just so it reminds me of what not to do to my JT. Best of look what ever way you go.

Hank
 

Silvertruck

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As an owner with about 15k on 37’s on a JTR, my experience does not match up with the projected concerns of others relating to sidewall, wandering, mpg, etc.

I highly recommend going to test drive a jeep on 37s if you can, because by nature, modifications are variables producing subjectivity.

For example, most would lean to an all terrain for daily driving but with the soil composition in my area they would probably not do awesome when wheeling. I have a set of toyo m/t’s and i love them, but others may not. I also like the profile of a mud terrain, so even after these wear out, i will shoe up another set of MT’s even if not toyo.

i run the jeep at speed limit and get about 17mpg highway with 4.88’s. The ride is not harsh. Plenty of power. The strain on ball joints is real. Keep them greased, upgrade them when they wear out. Upgrade your steering stabilizer. Also consider longer control arms if going taller. You’ll want the broader caster adjustment. Take care.
 

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Sidewall flex may smooth things out in a straight line but can get sloppy in turns for the same reason it rides smoother. You can compensate with higher psi but then you may not have as good a contact patch and you have handling issues from that.

Gearing is for certain needed on 37s coming from 3.73 but depending on driving (towing, high speed highway) and hills in your area you can get away with 3.73 on 35s.

Do ball joints too.

37s is just one of those things that's a cool overkill but to do it right you really should be doing more than just slapping on some big tires. I will probably end up with 37s but only after gears, axle shafts front and rear, ball joints, drive shafts front and rear, and a full 3.5" lift from Clayton which from the Overland is going to be worth like 5".
 

HoustonGobi

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I agree with Silvertruck. We have 14k miles on our Gladiator with a 2" lift and 37s. The change has been almost a non-event in my mind. It still shows 17.6 average mpg on the dash. I don't know how accurate that is and don't really care enough to find out. Really it comes down to perspective. Compared to our 1979 International Scout II the Jeep is pure smooth riding luxury. My only complaint is how much this thing gets blown around on a windy day. I realize it is a tall box and I move on with life.

We are running 37x12.50x17 Wildpeak AT3W tires on the Jeep and I run 37x13.50x17 Toyo MTs on my truck. The Scout has 33x10.50x15 BFG KM3. The Wildpeaks are my favorite for a daily driver, but they suck in the mud.
 

Usethis83

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IMO the long proportions of the gladiator need at least a 37. Many on here regret going 35s and look forward to replacing them with 37s, just search. I got 37s and wish I went 39 bfg. If you have over owned a boat, then you know this as two foot-itis.
Jeep Gladiator Best 37s for daily driver 20200630_145427
 

stickshifter

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Another vote for the BFG KO2. They do not specialize in any one condition, but they do everything pretty well - except heavy mud. They are not a mud tire.

1. They have a higher speed rating than most other AT tires, and all the MT tires I checked out, so they are a good highway tire - and they are also pretty quiet for a tire in this class.

2. They are excellent on dirt roads and can handle them at speed.

3. They have the snowflake, so they are better in winter than a lot of other AT tires and MT tires. (If you do a lot of real winter driving nothing beats a true snow tire.)

4. The D and E-rated versions have burly sidewalls - not as thick as MT tires, but very confidence inspiring for daily use and for most off-road driving. You've already indicated that you are not looking for a rock-crawling tire, so you don't need an MT tire, which would have thicker side-walls, but all the disadvantages of a more specialized tire.

5. The KO2 is not a particularly heavy tire, which is a huge plus as a daily driver. The KO2 in 37x12.5x17 (load range D) weighs 71 pounds. For comparison, the Nitto Ridge Grappler in the same size and load range weighs 81 pounds. The Ridge Grappler is Nitto's AT that compares to the KO2 in this size. Again, just for comparison, if you opt for Nitto's MT (the Trail Grappler) it weighs 85 pounds in 37x12.5x17.

Source: https://tiresize.com/tires/BFGoodrich/

There are a lot of good tires out there. If you want something more aggressive, but still a great all-around tire (and made in America), check out the Cooper ST MAXX. It weighs 76 pounds, so you are paying in weight (5 pounds more than the KO2) for a slightly burlier tire, but its a beast for an AT. It tilts more to off-roading than the KO2, which is one of the best on-road, fairly aggressive, AT tires available.

That's my 3-cents (cuz inflation).
 

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BEERviper

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Running my second set of BFG KO2's. First set was 35's on my JK, never regretted not going with 37's on the JK. For the JT I went with 37's and so so glad I didn't go 35's because they are just perfect for the JT!

As for gearing, my JT is a diesel so I'm still running stock 3.73:1 gears (and still get 25+ mpg on the highway). I have the Mopar 2" diesel lift and have zero regrets. Absolutely LOVE my JT setup (just with they had the 2020 color options for 2021 :mad:)
 

syreeves

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All good points and that is why I'm asking questions. I've been going back and forth between 35s and 37s. Thanks for the input.
Just to be clear I did not mean any disrespect. I love that everyone gets to do whatever they want with their own rig - your wallet is your only limit. I just see a lot of pics on here of 37s and 40s and it makes it seem like "most" folks are running that kind of gear but on the road almost all JTs I see are running factory rims on what look like factory tires. Maybe they go for more aggressive tread patterns or move from their sport/overland wheels to rubis or something (OEM+ vibe) so I just wanted to put in my $0.02. I think it's a good idea that you are seeking opinions too but you'll be happy with whatever you choose. Best of luck!

PS - I admit that if I had a diesel and an automatic I'd feel a lot different. The low end torque and the even gear spacing gives you much more flexibility so your only compromises are high speed behavior and braking. But if you have the 3.6 I'd suggest you drive it first...
 

syreeves

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So I already stated I will be re-gearing, even if I decided on 35s I will re-gear, so the mileage concern and re-gear cost are a mute point in my situation. So we are down to sidewall flex on 17' wheels and reducing braking as the points being made.

Since we are talking about a total of about 28lbs total on average, depending on brand, between 35s and 37s is braking a real concern? If so, unless I just haven't searched correctly, how come I haven't seen numerous posts about brake issues and upgrading the brake system?

What exactly is the concern with sidewall flex? My understanding is a tire with a little more flex leads to a smoother ride which is what I would like as a daily driver.

Both are legitimate questions that I would like to see feedback on if you have any or can point me in the right direction.
Just following on 2 things:

Tire mass differences may be small between 33s, 35s and 37s but that mass is rotating and moves with the suspension so small differences can be significant.

Braking is just a matter of physics. 37s move the contact patch farther away from the friction surface so you reduce leverage - that means you need more clamping force to achieve the same braking effect all other variables being equal. For daily driving this is fine but it also means you reach your max clamping force earlier which results in reduced max braking limits. Also - because larger (presumably heavier) tires have more rotating mass the brakes have more work to do (energy to absorb) along with the truck. I suppose one could argue that because you are higher up there is more wind resistance too all things being equal and that helps with braking and this is where all this goes round and round.

All I can tell you is that these are things to think about because the engineers that designed our JTs thought a lot about that already. I haven't heard any actual anecdotal evidence that insurance companies and plaintiffs take this kind of stuff into account but I suspect that at least one plaintiff's lawyer has argued that a lifted modded truck was unsafe and outside the manufacturer's limits and therefore ... no coverage ... their client is dead because of your unsafe modifications ... blah blah blah insert the endless parade of horribles.

I need to work but this is way more interesting...
 
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Bedeviler

Bedeviler

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Just to be clear I did not mean any disrespect. I love that everyone gets to do whatever they want with their own rig - your wallet is your only limit. I just see a lot of pics on here of 37s and 40s and it makes it seem like "most" folks are running that kind of gear but on the road almost all JTs I see are running factory rims on what look like factory tires. Maybe they go for more aggressive tread patterns or move from their sport/overland wheels to rubis or something (OEM+ vibe) so I just wanted to put in my $0.02. I think it's a good idea that you are seeking opinions too but you'll be happy with whatever you choose. Best of luck!

PS - I admit that if I had a diesel and an automatic I'd feel a lot different. The low end torque and the even gear spacing gives you much more flexibility so your only compromises are high speed behavior and braking. But if you have the 3.6 I'd suggest you drive it first...
Be assured that I didn't take it as anything but things to consider. If I didn't want to hear what everyone thought I damn sure wouldn't post anything on these boards!!!:CWL:
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