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33's on 3.5RE lift?

price650

NAXJA Forum User
Location
mannington, WV
Ok guys I realy hate to make my first thread on here a newbie :doh: "are these here tires gonna fit" one.... but i need suggestions im fairly new to lifting/tire set ups.
what i have
rubicon express 3.5 sets about 4 i came across a good deal on a set of cooper ST 33x12.50r15s. I am currently running, 235/75r15 cooper STT's

so will they fit without many problems on a set of soft 8's and Rusty's Offroad flares are definately in the future.
i realy want a set of 32x11.5 but dont have the cash right now
also please recommend a backspacing on the wheels.

thank you in advance
 
I am not sure on the backspacing. I think you need something like 4.75", but I can't remember for sure. As far as tire dia. with that lift, it will fit with some trimming. I have the RE 3.5 with a bastard leaf pack and MJ shackles. The tires are 33x10.50x15 BFGs and they rub at full stuff.
 
You will have to bumpstop quite a bit front and rear, or bumpstop a bit and trim a bit. I have re 4.5 33x12.5x15 coop stt's I bumpstopped the rear until about a 1/2 inch of the rear flares at full stuff, and trimmed to the body line in the front, re installed the stock flares higher up and bump stopped the front to the flares. IIRC I have 3.5 backspaced steelies
 
I bought my Soft 8's from SummitRacing.com and they came in two days after ordering, and were the cheapest price I found. Only 11 bucks for handling, and no shipping.

I have a 3.5" RE lift with 31"s and had to go with 4.5" of backspace to prevent rubbing my LCA and springs at flex. I'm not sure if 33"s would fit, as that is my future upgrade and will need rear shackles, ACOS, and adjustable track bar.

Here's a pic for reference:

2666735_57_full.jpg
 
rocknxj said:
I have a 3.5" RE lift with 31"s and had to go with 4.5" of backspace to prevent rubbing my LCA and springs at flex. I'm not sure if 33"s would fit, as that is my future upgrade and will need rear shackles, ACOS, and adjustable track bar.

33s will fit fine if youre not a pansy and trim a little. I run 33x10.5s on 3" of lift (smaller than the re3.5) and its awesome. a friend runs 33x12.5s on a re 3.5 and it also is equally awesome.

trim, bumpstop, backspace, win.
 
Yeah, I have the 3.5" RE Superflex kit on my 98 XJ Classic, running 31's right now with good clearance. Seriously considering going up to 33's. Will definitely need to trim the fenders, though. Unless you're just running it as a daily driver, you may be able to stuff them in without trimming. Any flex though will make them rub.
 
hehe
Yeah you'll be ok. You'll rub in various places but not much and only off-road.
I was going to say though, my last XJ had 36" tires on the same lift! ahahaha It didn't rub too bad either believe it or not. Granted I trimmed EVERYthing off you possibly could but whatever :)
 
Trim trim and trim somemore. Then bumpstop should be good to roll.

Good Luck Nick
 
Not sure if you can get PM's or not, but I'm trying to unload a set of 32" BFG A/T's on nice steel wheels that are almost new. Email me at [email protected] if you are interested. I have them on a 3" lift and they fit just fine, so a RE 3.5" should be no problem with clearance.

n5719488_39241390_8232.jpg
 
I have a Rusty's 3" kit and my 32's fit fine. If you look in my pic above, you can see just in front of the front tire is a small spot on the inside of the fender that had to be trimmed, but that was it. It rubbed when I flexed, but not too too bad. I wanted to get rid of it completely, so I pulled the flares and hacked up the fenders.
 
My 33" BigHorns fit fine with RE3.5 coils and rear pack then added rear TJ flares all around with as much triming as I could do and hide . I also added RE SF uppers and Lowers in case I needed to move the axle forward at all and for later if I decided to do a drop control arm bracket I could keep my same arms . 15x8 AR atlas wheels ,I can remember what the BS was . I don't care for the chopped fender look , looks unfinished so I pretty much did the chopping thing and covered it with flares and trimmed them to fit. I have since removed the spring isolator and added a 1.75 spacer mainly for looks . It sat more like a hot rod from the late 60s to early 70s now it looks proud .
 
sunburned said:
I have a Rusty's 3" kit and my 32's fit fine. If you look in my pic above, you can see just in front of the front tire is a small spot on the inside of the fender that had to be trimmed, but that was it. It rubbed when I flexed, but not too too bad. I wanted to get rid of it completely, so I pulled the flares and hacked up the fenders.
lol i hacked that part of the fender and the trim below the bumper loooong ago anyway
I aint scurred of the ol' sawzall... I just get carried away sometimes.

Thanks for not flaming the hell out of me guys. Info has been very useful
I think I am going to go ahead and pull the trigger on the 33's.
 
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Well today I'm getting my 15x8" wheels with 4" backspacing and putting on 32x11.5" tires. I have the fenders all trimmed up so I can take pics and show you how they look with that BS. It'll also give you an idea of how much room you'll have for 33's. Besides, the RE lifts usually ride half to a full inch higher than they claim, so you should have quite a bit of room.

Oh yeah, and my current setup sticks outside the trimmed fenders (no flares) at least an inch or two when on flat ground, but when I'm fully flexed, the rear tires tuck in the fender and the front tires come up just short of the fender.
 
DSC00614.jpg
DSC00612.jpg

a little trimming and they fit perfect, i'll admit.. I was scared they wouldnt. rears still need trimmed but not bad. fronts dont catch fender unless i turn them when they are stuffed
 
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