Need some education on wheels/tires/lifts

[surge101]

Bare with me, I'm new to Jeeps and offroading in general. I have a Sport S Max Tow.. My first question is, can I fit 33s-35s on there without a lift?

My second question is, if I can, do I need a lift anyway? I live in Florida, I don't think we really have rock crawling like the mountain regions do... From what I understand, we have mud, swamp and sand. I don't really think any of our terrain would need a lift anyway, right?

What size tires should I expect to be able to handle the mud/sand/swamp, should I even bother trying with the stockers?

Also, would I need to remove the air dams? What is the negative of removing these? I can't imagine there is a significant loss in gas efficiency, and I'd imagine they'd have to go when I upgrade the bumper anyway?

Will bigger tires/lift significantly hinder the ride quality on the street? Is there any way to get a nice balance, this is my daily driver.

How badly will towing capacity be affected by bigger tires and a lift?

What do I factor in when picking my size specifications for my wheels/tires? I know I want 17-18 inch wheels, and 33-35 tires, but that's all I know for sure.

Recommendations? The off-road wheel world is completely different to the race wheel world, so I'm not familiar with most of the brands.

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[Incommando]

Bare with me, I'm new to Jeeps and offroading in general. I have a Sport S Max Tow.. My first question is, can I fit 33s-35s on there without a lift?

My second question is, if I can, do I need a lift anyway? I live in Florida, I don't think we really have rock crawling like the mountain regions do... From what I understand, we have mud, swamp and sand. I don't really think any of our terrain would need a lift anyway, right?

What size tires should I expect to be able to handle the mud/sand/swamp, should I even bother trying with the stockers?

Also, would I need to remove the air dams? What is the negative of removing these? I can't imagine there is a significant loss in gas efficiency, and I'd imagine they'd have to go when I upgrade the bumper anyway?

Will bigger tires/lift significantly hinder the ride quality on the street? Is there any way to get a nice balance, this is my daily driver.

How badly will towing capacity be affected by bigger tires and a lift?

What do I factor in when picking my size specifications for my wheels/tires? I know I want 17-18 inch wheels, and 33-35 tires, but that's all I know for sure.

Recommendations? The off-road wheel world is completely different to the race wheel world, so I'm not familiar with most of the brands.

You can fit 33-35” tire without a lift and even on factory rims if you wish. Those sizes will handle the terrain you mention except for super deep mud, of course.

Removing the air dams gives more tire clearance and IMHO looks better. Neither Overland nor Rubicons have them.

Bigger tires are generally e or d rated and have stiffer sidewalls. This will effect ride. Carefully selecting tires for a c rating will help.

The effect on towing is the subject of much debate. There will be some drop due to the taller tire lowering the gear ratio numerically. I think it is negligible.

Lift kits rarely mention the effect that their springs have on towing. Spacer lifts avoid this. A good option is a front leveling kit like the Teraflex and leaving the rear alone

 

[TheNewWampsCat]

I’m not sure if the 35’s will fit without a leveling kit. On my sport s max tow I did a BDS leveling kit which is taller springs in the front. My tires are supposed to be 34.6 tall but really are 34, I had to trim the air dams and would still rub a bit! I changed bumpers and air dams are gone! There’s very little change in ride quality/drive ability! Any tire bigger I would be doing a gear change also.

 

[TheNewWampsCat]

As far as wheel size pay attention to backspacing. Somebody will chime in on what you need. I’d tell ya but I’m an old hillbilly that can’t remember....

 

[Matstock4]

Honestly I would find some rubicon take offs. Don’t be afraid to grab some JL Rubicon take offs either. The BF Goody K02s are excellent and you can do a 5 tire rotation. JT/JL take offs can be a lot cheaper than new tires. This will get you out exploring the trails faster too. Then you can really assess what you are looking for with your JT. If you want to keep the same ride quality with a lift then costs start escalating. So make sure it’s your thing! Just adding more aggressive 33s makes a big difference in the looks department. Hope that helps!

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