Devils advocate of upping tire size.

[Willpower1]

And when they decided to put a 392 in a Jeep!

AMEN Haha!! Dammit though, now I want one of those too!

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[RCKLNDR]

Here's my 2-cents;

On my JK I went the path of lifting and 35s. On my Gladiator I'm staying stock with my Rubicon.

Personally I don't think the effort, cost, and hassle is worth it - and why I'm not going that route again. For the type of off-roading I do 35s vs 33s doesn't make a bit of difference. What does make a HUGE difference is road manners.

No matter how nice of a kit you get, big tires are big tires, and lifted Jeeps have a higher center of gravity. Unless you're really going for intense off-road stuff, I simply don't think it's worth the compromised road manners, more limited selection of shops willing (or knowledgeable) to work on things, or the warranty hassles (and uncertainty) that comes with it

Just my 2-cents.

I'm surprised by this.

You're running 37s on stock gears, and you're all in this for less than $3K USD?

No offense, but I guess you Jeep is mainly used on-road, and flat roads and no towing at that? Totally fine if so, but otherwise, I'm puzzled. I don't see how you're running a matching spare at this price, I also don't see how the stock gearing would work for anything else, not to mention what are you doing for wheels? The pictures look stock, so I assume you're running spacers, but you mention nothing of this in the price.

Additionally, I'm assuming in addition to having an undersized spare, you have no way of changing that spare on the side of the road? The stock jack won't do with anything that high off the ground.

I actually keep a details list of all the mods I did for my 2008 JK, and for comparison here is a list of mods I did that are directly the result of lifting and running 35s and keeping it capable off-road as well as on-road:

• 16" pro-comp rims w/ center caps - $631.87
• AEV Pro-Cal- $149.00
• Crown extended brake lines - $129.95
• RC 3.25" lift kit - $424.90
• Gear install - $997.81
• 5.13 gears & aussie locker - $874.90
• JKS front trackbar- $144.00
• TF axle sleeve and gusset kit - $140.00
• OR-Fab tire carrier - $489.99
• OR-Fab 3rd brake light kit - $89.98
• AEV Jack stand base - $49.99
• JKS adjustable bump stops - $99.94
• JKS rear trackbar - $144.95
• 5 x 35" Goodyear DuraTrac Tires - $1250

Total $5,617.28

This isn't apple-to-apples, as some of this isn't applicable to the Gladiator, plus it is omitting some things (like install and balancing of those tires, and wear items like improved brake pads, shocks, & clutch), but still... this is nearly double the price you're at, and this was not in 2022 dollars (more like 2011 dollars).

In short...

Man, I guess your mind would be really blown knowing that I towed a 3500# camper on 37s w/ 3.73s with one of my JKs.

 

[u-joint]

Man, I guess your mind would be really blown knowing that I towed a 3500# camper on 37s w/ 3.73s with one of my JKs.

Nope, I know/knew a lot of guys too cheap to properly mod their rigs

No, seriously, it's your Jeep. You're welcome to cut whatever corners you want. Having driven 35s with 3.21s while I was waiting on parts to arrive for my gear swap, I can personally tell you there's a BIG difference between "drive-able" and "right".

If you had an auto it probably also masked the issue. You put a lot of stress on the transmission to make up for the poor gearing in the differentials.

Your Jeep, your call.

 

[Mvitch]

We have all been there. If you could do it over again. Would you have upgraded? Sell me!

After upgrading what did you learn? We’re you declined warranties on items? Faster wear of stock components?

talk me out of buying these 37 ridge grapplers

“Just say no!”

 

[RCKLNDR]

Nope, I know/knew a lot of guys too cheap to properly mod their rigs

No, seriously, it's your Jeep. You're welcome to cut whatever corners you want. Having driven 35s with 3.23s while I was waiting on parts to arrive for my gear swap, I can personally tell you there's a BIG difference between "drive-able" and "right".

If you had an auto it properly also masked the issue. You put a lot of stress on the transmission to make up for the poor gearing in the differentials.

Your Jeep, your call.

3.21s

Nope, I know/knew a lot of guys too cheap to properly mod their rigs

No, seriously, it's your Jeep. You're welcome to cut whatever corners you want. Having driven 35s with 3.23s while I was waiting on parts to arrive for my gear swap, I can personally tell you there's a BIG difference between "drive-able" and "right".

If you had an auto it properly also masked the issue. You put a lot of stress on the transmission to make up for the poor gearing in the differentials.

Your Jeep, your call.

3.21s but you know best

 

[u-joint]

3.21s but you know best

Thank you, I do. I also fixed my post, so I appreciate you pointing that out.

 

[BAT]

Sometimes I still wonder how there can be such a difference in gas mileage. I went from stock sport s to adding some Rubi Take offs, no lift, etc. In the city I cannot get any better than 16 mpg and that is driving very mildly. On the Highway I get 19-20. Yet I am constantly seeing people here posting that with big lifts and big tires they are seeing 17-18 or more in the city and higher on the highway. When my brother used to be into big lifts and such on his trucks every time he lifted higher or went bigger on tires he lost more and more mpg. I had really been pondering going to 35's but just can't take the hit in mpg more than I have. I can live with what I have now and on next tire change may look at some different tires but that will be a bit

 

[RMFSJT]

Actually, I’m not missing your point, as it wasn’t a difficult concept to follow, and I’m not upset in the least. CLEARLY, I gave MY own opinion about this question. I bought the trim I wanted, that will do everything and then some, that I need it to do. Leaving it stock, I don’t have to concern myself with warranty issues, or with methodically going through the chassis and drivetrain with each “upgrade” to be sure that the rest of the components will hold up to my mod. Just offered that opinion to the OP. I mentioned that the factory engineers of my truck know more than I do because, well, they do. Just like they’d likely not know as much as I do about rotator cuff pathology, torn ACLs, neurodegenerative disorders, etc., because that’s what I do for a living. I’ve been driving high performance cars and trucks for some 40 years now, so this ain’t my first rodeo. In that time I’ve had some pretty cool stuff, and still do. I’ve spent many thousands on mods in the past, some good, some not so good, but nearly all had trade-offs, and many were a double edged sword. So, I merely gave my quick opinion about what works for me. Just like with my Hellcat. It’s a sweet street car, and an extraordinary GT cruiser, which is exactly what I wanted. I had the funds to do any level of Challenger I would have liked, and the 485hp Scat Packs had most of what I wanted, but not all. On the other end, The Redeye and Super Stock cars had 10% more horsepower than my Hellcat, but I couldn’t get adaptive cruise or frontal collision warning on either, so that ruled them out, as I wanted those options. The 717hp car was the sweet spot for me, and I ordered one exactly as I wanted it. I won’t touch it, it will remain bone stock, as it’s an animal of a street car that way. To make that beast a true corner carver, you’d spend a fortune and still not have it handing anywhere close to my 2002 S2000, also stock, with 27k miles. So, when I want to burn some corners, the S2000 it is. Like I said, I absolutely love high performance cars and trucks and have my whole life. Right tool for the right job, and there are some FANTASTIC stock tools out there right now for the right job. So, MY point was simply what works for me, and offering that. I would also wager that a STOCK JTR or JTM will do ANYTHING that 99% of buyers need or want to do. Mods are a rabbit hole where one can spend a fortune quickly and then have something less than reliable too. So, most of the time it isn’t as simple as throwing on bigger tires, rather one needs to have an overall plan involving a detailed dive into all potentially effected components, and a budget to match the plans, if one wants a pleasant experience, and close to OEM reliability. But, I ramble. Is that a bit clearer though?
My response to you was made in the way it was because I judged your response as a snarky one, and of absolutely no value to the subject matter. So I threw some snark back. Also, I’m a big Wolverine fan, and was watching Logan. So, BUB, I picked up what you were trying to put down, there just wasn’t much to it You’re an engineer, I’m sure you can come up with something substantive to add here, other than ”hey bro, you’re not driving what the Jeep engineers wanted you to”. Maybe not, but again I’M driving what I WANT TO, and on all counts. And it’s glorious

No man wasn’t being snarky, it’s just one of those things that I hear a lot, and it’s not quite true engineers would love to give you an even better product it’s just usually not possible due to others. I’m sure there are lots of things like that though.

Funny you bring up Logan I spent 20 years in the Navy (didn’t always have a boring job) and that was my call sign well Wolverine was. Anyway what was meant to be just a simple comment has gone way beyond glad you’re not upset.

 

[montechie]

Sometimes I still wonder how there can be such a difference in gas mileage. I went from stock sport s to adding some Rubi Take offs, no lift, etc. In the city I cannot get any better than 16 mpg and that is driving very mildly. On the Highway I get 19-20. Yet I am constantly seeing people here posting that with big lifts and big tires they are seeing 17-18 or more in the city and higher on the highway. When my brother used to be into big lifts and such on his trucks every time he lifted higher or went bigger on tires he lost more and more mpg. I had really been pondering going to 35's but just can't take the hit in mpg more than I have. I can live with what I have now and on next tire change may look at some different tires but that will be a bit

Some of that is bad data, some is incomplete data. Did they regear? How many people are reporting MPG based on the trip computer without having done a reprogram for the different tire size and/or regear? Are there other mods that weigh the vehicle down? How heavy and fast rolling are the tire/wheel combo? What JT package with each having different gearing, weights, and aerodynamics? And one of the biggest ones is location, although you being in TX should have an advantage here. Living and driving roads at 4000'-8000' with lots of inclines here in MT I never get the EPA mpg tested at sea level or wherever.

 

[Gren71]

Sometimes I still wonder how there can be such a difference in gas mileage. I went from stock sport s to adding some Rubi Take offs, no lift, etc. In the city I cannot get any better than 16 mpg and that is driving very mildly. On the Highway I get 19-20. Yet I am constantly seeing people here posting that with big lifts and big tires they are seeing 17-18 or more in the city and higher on the highway. When my brother used to be into big lifts and such on his trucks every time he lifted higher or went bigger on tires he lost more and more mpg. I had really been pondering going to 35's but just can't take the hit in mpg more than I have. I can live with what I have now and on next tire change may look at some different tires but that will be a bit

Take a look at thread I linked in the first page of this thread. I also noticed what you did and stuck more stock. Tread pattern also makes a difference. MT are worse than AT which are worse than HT. Ive found the dueler at to be the beat combo for my needs

 

[BAT]

Take a look at thread I linked in the first page of this thread. I also noticed what you did and stuck more stock. Tread pattern also makes a difference. MT are worse than AT which are worse than HT. Ive found the dueler at to be the beat combo for my needs

Yea I had been following that thread. I've still got a good tread for a bit.

 

[Willpower1]

No man wasn’t being snarky, it’s just one of those things that I hear a lot, and it’s not quite true engineers would love to give you an even better product it’s just usually not possible due to others. I’m sure there are lots of things like that though.

Funny you bring up Logan I spent 20 years in the Navy (didn’t always have a boring job) and that was my call sign well Wolverine was. Anyway what was meant to be just a simple comment has gone way beyond glad you’re not upset.

No worries brother. Sorry if I came off too harsh! Long week! Enjoy the forum, there are a lot of great people here and it’s a fantastic source of info as well.

 

[Snowcavemike]

We have all been there. If you could do it over again. Would you have upgraded? Sell me!

After upgrading what did you learn? We’re you declined warranties on items? Faster wear of stock components?

talk me out of buying these 37 ridge grapplers

drove stock 33" for 4 months, hated them off road, 37 Nitos, love them, off roading is a dream. trails I thought were hard are now a breeze. would never go back. the Nitos do fine in the rain.

 

[guntrust]

I'm dealing with this choice now. I got the mopar 2 inch lift to accomodate larger tires. My original plan was 37s. I'm currently on the stock 33s Wildpeaks.

My choices. 35s vs 37s. Going to 35s seems like a waste of money for a couple of inches. But my wife is already having issues getting into the jeep now. Not to mention my dogs.

To please everyone else ... I should just keep the 33's for now. To please ME .... I want to go with the 37's.

Decisions.

I have pretty much the same vehicle. White, too. Not going to upgrade until treads worn. My plan is to go for one of the smaller 37's (actually about 36) that will fit into the spare tire well. Then i will probably need to regear to 4.88 or maybe 5.13. (Mine is manual.)

 

[COwens]

With the Jeep being extremely capable from the factory, even in the Sport trim, I personally see no need to spend well north of a thousand dollars for an unnecessary, "Upgrade."

Kevin

A $1000 bucks try $10,000+. And as the buyer of a 2021 decked JT Rubi I can tell you lift and 37s makes a HUGE difference performance and …. If you don’t and haven’t had to use a winch you’re not wheeling. Just sayin

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