Tire size on stock Gladiator Rubicon

[Hsracing]

Hi there. What’s the largest tire I can use on stock rubicon rims ? I do lots of hwy driving so would need a quality tire .

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[AstroZombie]

People tend to be very sensitive about certain topics here. this is a very common question so there are probably quite a few threads here about it. There is a search bar and an entire forum page dedicated to tires and wheels.
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/forums/tires-wheels-brakes.24/

 

[Rahkmalla]

if you do lots of highway driving the best tire is a 31.46" street tire or smaller. If you want to look "cool" on the highway you can fit 35s. If you never intend to leave the road surface, you can look even "cooler" with 37s that fit as long as you don't attempt to use your truck as intended.

 

[Hsracing]

. Ouch !Never been on a forum. Certainly not what expected out of the gate from the Jeep club.
My apologies. First jeep and know nothing about this stuff.

 

[wchevron]

You can mount 35's with no rubbing on/off road. I'm pretty sure you can mount 37's with no rubbing on road but you'll get rubbing off road.

With no lift, the 35's fill the wheel wells nicely. I just upgraded to 35's with no lift and it looks good. I went with the Falken Wildpeaks but everyone will have their preference.

And the 35's will fit on the stock wheels, in case you were wondering.

 

[THE SANDALORIAN]

Some tire stores won't mount a tire larger than an 11.50" wide tire on the stock Rubicon wheels. A set of 35x11.50s could look nice though.

 

[Jefe1018]

. Ouch !Never been on a forum. Certainly not what expected out of the gate from the Jeep club.
My apologies. First jeep and know nothing about this stuff.

Welcome to the forum.

The initial reaction is not a representation of the group as a whole, this is just a very commonly asked question.

What is your intended use for your truck and what is your budget for tires? Tires are expensive and so is your truck. Maybe you save some extra pennies and put together a small spacer lift to be able to use that extra ground clearance off-road?

To directly answer your question: On stock wheels with no lift you can get away with a 35x11.5 inch Nitto Grappler. They are the only 35 inch tire I am aware of that advertise fitting a stock wheel. Can you do a 12.5 inch tire on an OEM wheel? Many say they've gotten away with it but it comes down to you what feel comfortable doing and finding a shop that is willing to go outside of the manufacturer's recommended specs.

The reason I bring up the lift is that at roughly $400 a tire you are still getting a 35, which will look nicer, but for the long Gladiator wheel base and any sort of real off-roading, you'll run into departure angle issues. $400 a tire (what the 35x11.5R17 Nitto roughly retails for) is just about 37 inch tire territory and if you are anything like most of us, you'll have wished you had just done the extra work to clear the 37. Hell, discount tire has the Milestar Patagonia (some like some don't) for $338 a tire and it's a 37.

Personally, I went the route or buy once cry once and have 0 regrets. The Gladi just eats on any trail I've taken it.

 

[HorneyBadger]

Well, the question is biggest tire on stock rims. Jefe touched on this. You need a narrow tire as "most" places wont mount 12.5's on the stock rim. I know plenty of people who run them tho. There are a few 34" tires 11.5 or less (and I said few...). Probably get away with a 35" BFG KO2 C rating or I have a buddy running 35" Falken Wildpeak MT's on his stock rims.

 

[ShaunTOR]

You can mount 35's with no rubbing on/off road. I'm pretty sure you can mount 37's with no rubbing on road but you'll get rubbing off road.

With no lift, the 35's fill the wheel wells nicely. I just upgraded to 35's with no lift and it looks good. I went with the Falken Wildpeaks but everyone will have their preference.

And the 35's will fit on the stock wheels, in case you were wondering.

My neighbor is looking to get either 35 or 37 next. He likes the Ridge grappler nitto tires and 37's are available. We'll check Wildpeaks.

 

[Rahkmalla]

You can mount 35's with no rubbing on/off road.

I know this is the common sentiment, however i'm here to tell you my metric 35s on stock mojave suspension (315/70r17 @+6) definitely rub the inner fender liners at full articulation offroad. The rub is very minor, but to say there is none just isn't true.

Then again, as some would say: "if you're not rubbing a little bit then you should have fit bigger tires"

 

[guntrust]

Are 37's available that are only 11.5 inches wide, that can fit on stock Rubicon 17-inch wheels?

 

[HorneyBadger]

Yes, there are a few out there Nitto Grapplers for one but.... More than likely anything you come across is backorder and months down the road. Thats why most for with 12.5 and squeeze them on the stock rims. only drawback is to find someone that will mount them. Most major brand tire stores wont mount them. You will have to find an Indie. Drawback, they may wear unevenly.

 

[guntrust]

Yes, there are a few out there Nitto Grapplers for one but.... More than likely anything you come across is backorder and months down the road. Thats why most for with 12.5 and squeeze them on the stock rims. only drawback is to find someone that will mount them. Most major brand tire stores wont mount them. You will have to find an Indie. Drawback, they may wear unevenly.

Thank you. I read the "problem" with Nittos (in the 37 context) is that they are "true to size" so a 37 Nitto may not fit in the spare well which I think is 36.5 max.

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