Biggest tires possible for broke student

Natural Ice

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Chardon OH
I have a 2000 xj sport with the 15 inch 5 spoke alloy rims. I want to know if I can fit 30x9.5 mts on with it stock and also how well 31 s will fit with a 2 inch lift. I have heard people say they fit and i've heard others say they rub so I would like to hear from someone who has used this wheel/rim combo. also how wide can I go with 31's if i lift. the reason i am worried is these alloys tuck the tires in so close to the body but im too broke to buy wheels.
 
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I assume you have the 15" in wheels? I own a 99 XJ and before I installed my lift I mounted up 235-75R15 Cooper ST tires. No rubbing but it was close. I looked up the specs for both sized tires and found that the 30x9.5R15 is almost a half inch taller than the 235 when mounted on a 7.5 in rim. Your stock rim if 15" is 7in wide which would increase that to a full half inch. I am positive that you would have some rub with a 30x9.5R15. How much rub is the question? We mounted up he same tire in a 245-75R16 on my 99 WJ (Grand Chrokee) and I compared it along side the 235 on my regular Cherokee and it looked to be too big. A 245-75R16 seems to be right between a 30in and 31in tire. I know this is not exactly what you are looking for but I hope it helps.
Joe
 
Yes they are the stock 15 inch I also pulled up next to a tj with 30's and thought they looked to big but I know people say they run them. I wish jeep had given a little exta space in the wheelwells
 
u just explained yoru problem right there to yourself. If you go wide, your gonna rub plan and simple. Being able to tuck in towards the body is the only way your gonna be able to run 30's or 31's on a lilttle lift otherwise you're gonna have to lift 3 or so inches maybe higher or cut fenders to run aftermarket rims with more backspacing or run a wide 31 say like 31x12.. i dont' even know if they make those, your best bet is 30x9.5 and wheel it
 
Check out Ed Steven's site for great tire size infoEd Steven's web site
Everything he says is spot on. Make sure you read the whole page because there is a section halfway down on fitting 31" tires on an XJ. Generally speaking, for the later models like yours the 29" is about the biggest you can use without a lift. I have a 2" lift on my '85 and run 31x10.50. I had to get the 4.5" offset rims to stop the rubbing on the LCAs.
 
Rufies97XJ said:
Yes.

see link below.
i have trimmed, but thats because I am planning on bigger tires.

looks close. How much did you take off when you trimmed also what 2 inch lift do you have maybe its the trimming but it looks like a FULL 2 inches
 
You can fit 33's with the teraflex budget boost if you really want to. find a local jeep club, and get used parts from there. I'm broke as hell too. but scrounge around and you'll find deals on used parts. Wait, you've got a 2000! sell it, but a 90 and use the extra money to go to town!

check out pics of my rig at

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19758

they're posted by irocjt.

-Blaine
 
Yea its a 2000 its not actually mine its my girlfriends but I give it more attention than she does. I told her the same that she should have bought an older one and could have built a killer rig for the price difference but she already had it when we hooked up. Now she struggles to make the payments and cant afford any upgrades so I'm trying to get the most offroad performance out of a stock/nearly stock setup as possible. any other budget hints would be appreciated as well.
 
go witht he 30s and then iff you can add Buget boost. 31 will start to drag the motor down a little but its livable. I have put a set of 31in dunlop RVs on a 2001 with a BB and as long as you keep the sway bar conected they don't rub much except for the control arms but heck I've had 235 run on them.
 
why wheel your gf's vehicle???? Especially if she is making payments on it? I dunno it just seems crazy you guys are gonna wheel a dependable vehicle go buy a 87-90 for what it's gonna cost u for new tires, and screw that up. 4 years from now you'll be scrappying that 2000 that you beat on and searching for another XJ with low miles cuz you want a DD. I agree with others here, buy a older one and save that one for the road.
 
Natty ice, i feel your pain, I bought my 95 xj at the end of 1998, and drove it all through college, i got a great deal on it about 5 grand less than blue book, kelly, and edmunds said was book value but 200 bucks and change is allot for a college kid. i HAVE TO PIECES OF ADVICE: 1. If she can't afford to modify it she can't afford to wheel it, becuase your guys are going to break stuff, simple as that. Buuuuuuut if you are dead set on doing this sell the stock wheels and then buy some used or cheap steel wheels for 50-70 bucks each and your set. I by the way bought my Xj cause they kick ass i needed a ride to pull a trailer to school and back home every year, and get around in West michigan snow storms. I couldn't afford to do anything to it when i was in school, that sucks, what sucks more though is if you break junk in it, can't afford to repair it, and it sits in her parking space and no one drives it but you still have to make monthly payments on it. :doh: Good luck, go by a beater and wheel that.
 
Natural Ice said:
Now she struggles to make the payments and cant afford any upgrades

if you're not going to marry her, don't put your money into her truck. save up your $$$ and buy something that both of you can enjoy off-road, but you'll end up owning. Otherwise, when the two of you part, you're also parting with all your hard work and hard earned $$$. just my $.02
 
xjblaine said:
You can fit 33's with the teraflex budget boost if you really want to. find a local jeep club, and get used parts from there. I'm broke as hell too. but scrounge around and you'll find deals on used parts. Wait, you've got a 2000! sell it, but a 90 and use the extra money to go to town!

Man I don't know how much you're cutting but for a guy with no money and a 2000 I wouldn't want to cut that much. You do have the good idea of getting the older one.
 
Personally, I would feel very uncomfortable modifying a GF's almost new and not-yet-paid-for vehicle. As someone else already posted, if you wheel it, you're going to break it. You're also going to scratch the paint, dent the sheet metal, and generally reduce the value of the vehicle exponentially. That may be fine if you end up marrying the girl, but if you break up she'll be stuck with a beat-up Jeep because you wanted to go wheeling.

Completely aside from the issue of whether or not you "should" put your money into her ride, morally I don't think you have a right to beat up her vehicle.

But ... I'm an olde pharte, as those who have been here for awhile will attest.

Back to the original question -- Ed Steven's web site has EXCELLENT data on tire fitment on a stock XJ -- for the older body style. The 97 and newer seem to be slightly different in the rear. I suspect that they may have moved the axle back a fraction of an inch on the springs, or they changed the profile of the rear flares a bit. I can run 30x9.50s on my '88 with no rubbing in the rear, but on the newer body style the tire choice is critical. An AT tire will probably work, but an MT (mud) tire with aggressive tread lugs probably will not work. This is on stock rims, BTW. Aftermarket rims all have less backspacing (stick out farther) than factory rims, and will not allow you to run 30s or 31s with no lift.

I'd suggest watching your local newspaper, especially if you have a shoppers' newspaper. Wrangler guys are always going huge on tires and selling stcok rims dirt cheap. Rather than mess up the GF's nice alloys on rocks, pick up a set of used rims and put the trail tires on those. If you're good, you'll get tires with the rims. I once picked up a set of five 30x9.50s on factory alloys with about 50% tread, all for $150. All mounted and ready to bolt onto the Jeep.
 
before i lifted, i was running 30x9.5 (still am) and they rubbed a bit on my 98, but only when wheeled hard. they measured out at 28"x8.5". just my $.02.
 
Eagle said:
As someone else already posted, if you wheel it, you're going to break it. You're also going to scratch the paint, dent the sheet metal, and generally reduce the value of the vehicle exponentially. That may be fine if you end up marrying the girl, but if you break up she'll be stuck with a beat-up Jeep because you wanted to go wheeling.

I totally see where you guys are coming from and would have tried to make the same argument if I had gotten to her sooner. However she if she is going to destroy a brand new jeep anyway, with or without me, I might as well go along for the ride. The spotless 2000 cherokee she bought last year for $12000 with 30000 miles never having seen a speck of dirt is already almost a complete loss. I've been told maybe 2-3 grand. This isn't trail damage either she just crashes it once a month. The engine knocks, the T-case makes funny rubbing noises and there isnt a straight panel on the whole vehicle. We dont even wheel that much, maybe once a month a light trails. I do drive it when we go but I don't just take her jeep wheeling and leave her at home. In the case that I did break something I do have the ability to pay for it and most definately would. I just dont have the money to support another vehicle of my own that I know i couldn't help but pour all of my money into. I dont really plan to put that much into hers but when holidays and special occasions come around forget chocolates she wants stuff for her jeep and we do both enjoy it.
 
Ice-

Do you have a particular tire size in mind? You threw out two tire sizes so I assume you would be happier with 31's? If you only wheel once a month maybe you could put up with stock for a while until you can afford a larger lift and tires or be content with some trimming. I have seen too many buy a slight lift and 30's but really want 32's or bigger. This ends up with newer parts to sell and playing part of the month club. As for wheeling a newer vehicle, people are buying new Rubicons and "trashing" the hell out of them. How much a vehicle costs or it's year is of no concern as long as you know what you are going to have in the end. This totally depends on how you drive. I know guys who granny around in old stuff and guys who run new vehicles on the pin, WFO. I say set your goal for what you really want and go from there.

Brad
 
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