Max towing and lifts

[ThorJT]

im feeling lazy so I didnt read through the entire thread.

I have a JTMT 2in iron rock off-road spacer kit. My TT is around 5k loaded and towed just fine with lift, but I thought it was a bit squishy on bumps. Ended up putting the airlift bags in and now it rides like a dream. On a long haul, I can almost forget I have the TT behind me.

like papa said, you sacrifice a lot when you lift high as heck and add heavy giant tires. Changing anything from stock will alter the ability of the vehicle. Pick your poison is the best advice I can give. Im very pleased with my setup, with 285/75/17 on, and have no plans to go higher since I tow the TT every month.

This where I'm thinking I'm going to be, between 2 and 3 inches with either 285s or 295s. Though the 315s looked really good.

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[ThorJT]

This right here is the truth. Lifting and deviating from a stock setup will absolutely impact how much you can tow and I have no idea how much or what the limits are as well. Every jeep is going to be different based on what you have done to it. There is another thread on here where the I had the same conversation with another person who said towing some over your specified weight is fine and your not going to get a ticket or anything. Well why that may or may not be true it's definitely your risk to take just not one I'm planning on taking. I know with all I've done to mine i probably shouldn't tow more than 5,000lbs which is a guess at best and even though it's rated for 7600lbs , I'd be comfortable still at around 5,000lbs and I'm good with that because I'm not planning on towing more. I took into consideration tire weight, bumper weight, winch weight and kept the max tow Springs in place to help keep some of the towing capacity in place.

I kinda had rhat in mind, getting a gladiator that can do more than I'll probably need. I was keeping in mind small lift, bigger tires, and bumpers ect. All of this has been really helpful. Also I have to say I absolutely love the old school look of your gladiator!

 

[Gren71]

This where I'm thinking I'm going to be, between 2 and 3 inches with either 285s or 295s. Though the 315s looked really good.

315s do look awesome. and Id be lieing if I said I didnt look at them on discount tire and other sites often! Ive just come to love my set up and how it works with my TT.

Best of luck finding your middle ground.

 

[Mac]

I lifted my max tow a little bit. I have front springs from a Rubicon which were 340 and 343 they raised the front 1”. I also have Daystar 1.5” front spacers and correction pads to prevent spring bow. Rubicon Fox shocks all around with Rubicon Express extensions in the front. Mopar LCAs and Daystar .75” rear spacers. I am happy with the setup, I frequently tow a couple small boats that are both around 3500lbs with around 300lbs of tongue weight and it does fine, also haul stuff in the bed frequently but nothing super heavy usually just bulky. The Fox shocks are okay but could use more dampening. I am running 285/75/17 Toyo ATIII tires LR C on stock wheels.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I lifted my max tow a little bit. I have front springs from a Rubicon which were 340 and 343 they raised the front 1”. I also have Daystar 1.5” front spacers and correction pads to prevent spring bow. Rubicon Fox shocks all around with Rubicon Express extensions in the front. Mopar LCAs and Daystar .75” rear spacers. I am happy with the setup, I frequently tow a couple small boats that are both around 3500lbs with around 300lbs of tongue weight and it does fine, also haul stuff in the bed frequently but nothing super heavy usually just bulky. The Fox shocks are okay but could use more dampening. I am running 285/75/17 Toyo ATIII tires LR C on stock wheels.

Several of us have experienced the loss of dampening on the Rubicon Fox shocks. Mine are almost as if they were 6 year old shocks with 50,000 miles on them already. You get a 2nd or 3rd oscillation instead of just up then back down - it's up, down, up, down.
You started out with more capacity than needed - I bet the 3500-4000 pounds you tow does pretty well.


Raising center of gravity too much will be big trouble for some people who are trying to control a lot of weight behind them - or in the bed. Raising the mass of the truck means that in heavy braking even more weight is transferred to the front - you lose what little traction and braking you had at the rear and are far more likely to lose control.
One has to balance form vs. function. Can't have the best looking (in your opinion) Jeep AND tow or haul at the same time.

 

[Lynn_F]

This where I'm thinking I'm going to be, between 2 and 3 inches with either 285s or 295s. Though the 315s looked really good.

Just to be clear and to help you understand the metric tire size: the 285/295/315 is the width of the tire in mm the 65/70/75 is how tall the sidewall of the tire is as a ratio of the width (295/70 = 295 mm wide and the sidewall is 70% of 295 = 206 mm). Then you multiply the sidewall height times 2 and add the rim diameter.

 

[ThorJT]

Several of us have experienced the loss of dampening on the Rubicon Fox shocks. Mine are almost as if they were 6 year old shocks with 50,000 miles on them already. You get a 2nd or 3rd oscillation instead of just up then back down - it's up, down, up, down.
You started out with more capacity than needed - I bet the 3500-4000 pounds you tow does pretty well.


Raising center of gravity too much will be big trouble for some people who are trying to control a lot of weight behind them - or in the bed. Raising the mass of the truck means that in heavy braking even more weight is transferred to the front - you lose what little traction and braking you had at the rear and are far more likely to lose control.
One has to balance form vs. function. Can't have the best looking (in your opinion) Jeep AND tow or haul at the same time.

How long did it take your fox shocks to wear out? I've got some still in the box and I've been seeing a lot of posts about wearing out quickly and getting bouncy

 

[ThorJT]

Just to be clear and to help you understand the metric tire size: the 285/295/315 is the width of the tire in mm the 65/70/75 is how tall the sidewall of the tire is as a ratio of the width (295/70 = 295 mm wide and the sidewall is 70% of 295 = 206 mm). Then you multiply the sidewall height times 2 and add the rim diameter.

I usually just check the manufacturers specs since that math will only get you a ball park size.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Just to be clear and to help you understand the metric tire size: the 285/295/315 is the width of the tire in mm the 65/70/75 is how tall the sidewall of the tire is as a ratio of the width (295/70 = 295 mm wide and the sidewall is 70% of 295 = 206 mm). Then you multiply the sidewall height times 2 and add the rim diameter.

Yeah, that's how it's SUPPOSED to be - but my stock tires and other tires I had on my truck weren't what the numbers said. And even going by tire sales web sites - the TRUE diameter and width wasn't what places like tirerack and similar sites said. Further, I found 3 of the major tires sites listed different dimensions for the exact same tire.
Those numbers can be used for comparison, but don't expect one that is supposed to be 295mm wide to actually measure that wide. Falken A/T tires that came on the Rubicon are supposed to math out to 32.8" according to one site - another had them at 32.7, and still another had a different number.

 

[ThorJT]

I lifted my max tow a little bit. I have front springs from a Rubicon which were 340 and 343 they raised the front 1”. I also have Daystar 1.5” front spacers and correction pads to prevent spring bow. Rubicon Fox shocks all around with Rubicon Express extensions in the front. Mopar LCAs and Daystar .75” rear spacers. I am happy with the setup, I frequently tow a couple small boats that are both around 3500lbs with around 300lbs of tongue weight and it does fine, also haul stuff in the bed frequently but nothing super heavy usually just bulky. The Fox shocks are okay but could use more dampening. I am running 285/75/17 Toyo ATIII tires LR C on stock wheels.

This is the set up I have on the way for the time being except for the Rubicon springs which I might look into adding those to it. A lot of guys seem to be pretty happy with it.

 

[ThorJT]

Yeah, that's how it's SUPPOSED to be - but my stock tires and other tires I had on my truck weren't what the numbers said. And even going by tire sales web sites - the TRUE diameter and width wasn't what places like tirerack and similar sites said. Further, I found 3 of the major tires sites listed different dimensions for the exact same tire.
Those numbers can be used for comparison, but don't expect one that is supposed to be 295mm wide to actually measure that wide. Falken A/T tires that came on the Rubicon are supposed to math out to 32.8" according to one site - another had them at 32.7, and still another had a different number.

Helps knowing which companies run big and which run small too. One brand that barely fits another will rub a little

 

[aai]

here's one, there's a larger one on JL forums and also the other( banned) website
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/actual-tire-size-spreadsheet.33276/
https://www.[Banned Site]/threads/the-ultimate-true-tire-size-database.35075/

 

[DAVECS1]

Changing from the factory setup is not for faint of heart. It is a calculated risk I am willing to take as I like to tinker. I went with Mopar lift as my dealer will warranty it and suspension compnents as long as my warranty is valid, not all dealerships seem to do this. With that being said, the Mopar lift did not come with track bars, so I replaced those to center up my axles which seem to really help handling. I have put the Mopar lift to work multiple times towing and hauling. This is a single data point, but so far ot has met my needs well. I do have a weight distribution hitch. Also I have had 1100 lbs in the bed and it sagged quite a bit but still handled well. At 800 lbs it has been perfectly fine and have gone on hours long trips.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Changing from the factory setup is not for faint of heart. It is a calculated risk I am willing to take as I like to tinker. I went with Mopar lift as my dealer will warranty it and suspension compnents as long as my warranty is valid, not all dealerships seem to do this. With that being said, the Mopar lift did not come with track bars, so I replaced those to center up my axles which seem to really help handling. I have put the Mopar lift to work multiple times towing and hauling. This is a single data point, but so far ot has met my needs well. I do have a weight distribution hitch. Also I have had 1100 lbs in the bed and it sagged quite a bit but still handled well. At 800 lbs it has been perfectly fine and have gone on hours long trips.

My dealership said if it's a genuine MOPAR part sold as an accessory for that particular vehicle - like a lift that is sold for anything that includes the JT, or even the trailer brake controller, it becomes part of that vehicle and is covered for the remainder of the truck's warranty or the two years that MOPAR parts are covered for if there was less than 2 years left on the truck - I think that's how they said it.
Anyway, they clearly said the brake controller was now part of my truck and as such would be covered under the truck's warranty and any issues that it was involved with would be covered.

 

[Lynn_F]

Yeah, that's how it's SUPPOSED to be - but my stock tires and other tires I had on my truck weren't what the numbers said. And even going by tire sales web sites - the TRUE diameter and width wasn't what places like tirerack and similar sites said. Further, I found 3 of the major tires sites listed different dimensions for the exact same tire.
Those numbers can be used for comparison, but don't expect one that is supposed to be 295mm wide to actually measure that wide. Falken A/T tires that came on the Rubicon are supposed to math out to 32.8" according to one site - another had them at 32.7, and still another had a different number.

Yea...most advertised tire sizes aren't exact, some aren't close. I had a set of 40x14.5r17 BFG KM2's on my JK that barely measured out to 38". My point was that when someone is talking about the height of their tires by referring to 285/295/315 they are actually talking about the width.

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