Rubicon stock rims with 35x12.50R17LT

[bgenlvtex]

Not sure if it is better to wake up this thread or start a new one, but I appreciate the analytical, if divergent views expressed above and figure you guys may be following this thread and hence will see my questions. First of all, to stay relevant to the thread, I note that Mopar has a number of 8.5 inch wide wheels available. Why can’t they just offer 35s with 8.5 wheels as a factory option? (End rant.) I am struggling with what tire diameter I want on my hopefully soon to be available eco diesel JTR. I have 33s on my LJ, but sold the 35s that were on it when I bought it because I thought they were too heavy and too much for the Jeep. So, what do I get from a bigger diameter tire? An inch of axle and overall clearance for every two inches of tire diameter. Is there something else positive I am missing, because everything else seem negative to me? More weight, potential to rub when at maximum flex, poorer braking, messing up gear ratios, etc. I am less concerned about looking cool than true performance. My use case is 99% on highway just like almost everybody else. To drive to anyplace fun to wheel from Houston takes 10 hours on a highway, so road manners are a must. I do volunteer search and rescue work, so I want serious off road ability the few times important stuff like lives might depend on it, but most of my overland driving does not require hairy rock crawling. I tried it and am not a fan. I need height to get through Houston floods, where every inch can count. My proposed solution is maybe 35s and a modest lift. Maybe the 2 inch lift and keep the 33s. I am thinking the ultimate solution to the departure and break over angles is belly armor and a winch rather than bigger tires and more lift. Thoughts?

Why not offer 35`s OE?

Because the it would require a different gear set to accomplish this and maintain the power /fuel economy of the existing set up.

Changing circumference of the tire is changing the final drive ratio, and everything in the vehicle that is using ground speed as a data point is affected.

Personally, I think a Rubicon should come only with the steel bumper, 2" lift, 4.88`s and 35" tires on 8.5" wheels as stock. I think that would be much closer to delivering what Rubicon buyers actually want.

But, between my opinion and Jeeps opinion only one counts and it isn't mine.

I installed the 2" Mopar lift with the predisposition that I was going to hate the 33" tire. Reality is, I don't. Which is good.

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[spazzyfry123]

...
Personally, I think a Rubicon should come only with the steel bumper, 2" lift, 4.88`s and 35" tires on 8.5" wheels as stock. I think that would be much closer to delivering what Rubicon buyers actually want.
...

Agreed! I actually like the look of the OEM wheel, but I'm a bit bummed on its width, and to a small degree its backspacing. I'll be running the 33s until they're deemed unsafe, with a bump to 35s and 8.5 wide ET0 BS 4.75 wheels when the time comes.

 

[Raton Pass]

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/buy-tires/bfgoodrich-all-terrain-t-a-ko2/p/29037

I will argue with 100% certainty that the steel belts in fact do limit the overall tire diameter regardless of rim width and inflation pressure. Please read through the citation above and you will see that the author of that article agrees with me. The steel belt plies are installed in a manner where the steel belts run at a 45 degree angle to the direction of travel. Each of the two plies are installed so that the steel belts run perpendicular to each other so what you end up with is multiple steel wires arranged at a 90 degree angle to one another across the tread. The cited article spells this out very clear. The tire will perform as engineered outside of the designated parameters BUT it will NOT conform to the advertised dimensions.
https://www.discounttiredirect.com/buy-tires/bfgoodrich-all-terrain-t-a-ko2/p/29037
Here is Discount Tire's opinion on the matter. Wouldn't it stand to reason that a company as big and as smart as DTD would ask a lawyer or two to review that before they put it out there for the world? If you are correct I can go crash my JT on my way to work and then I can sue them for selling me those tires and telling me it is OK to put them on my truck. Problem is that it is OK to put them on my truck so...Oh, guess what? She is retired now but my mom worked for a little company called Bridgestone just south of Nashville in the town of Smyrna, TN. I am in healthcare now but before deciding to get into medicine I was a senior in mechanical engineering. Granted I did not graduate as an engineer but I was one semester away from it. I have had the materials science classes and the statics classes that engineers use to design these things. You are free to have your thoughts on the issue. I will let the articles cited along with my experience, logic and knowledge be measured against your experience, logic and knowledge and whoever reads this can decide for themselves. I really do love to learn about all things science so if you can cite and provide evidence for your opinion I would love to read through it and compare to what I have cited. This is not an argument here, this is an attempt to gain knowledge.

Thank you for your service.
Thank you for your input.

 

[WMWHV]

I ended up with the JTR EcoDiesel and the 2 inch Mopar lift. I have seen no reason to change the OEM tires. I actually kind of like being able to drive my Jeep without having my tires screaming at me. I can even listen to the radio. On the freeway. Granted, the noise is based on tread pattern rather than diameter. While it would look fine with bigger tires and I have no concern about my diesel turning them without effort, I am staying with what I have for now.

 

[CerOf]

Here ya go. Run a 35x12.5 Duratrac on the stock rim. It’s what I’m running.

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