I need a tire size opinion

L

Laneinator

NAXJA Forum User
Location
San Diego
So I can get a good deal on a pretty close to new RE3.5" superflex lift kit. After looking into it, most people say they get 4.5"+ of lift out of it, which I'm sure you all know.

My question is this, do 31's look small with this much lift? I look at pics and some 31's look a little small with this lift and some look okay. What are your opinions?

Can 33's fit with minimal trimming? I really don't want to hack the jeep up.

The Jeep will see moderate wheeling as I usually go with just my girlfriend and don't want to go too crazy and get myself into trouble.

99 4x4 auto
 
While Emptying Every Pocket over the last six months doing my own lift and some other mods, I went through the same decisions for the same reasons (moderate, not too-risky 4x4/remote camping with the girlfriend).

I didn't buy that exact RE kit, but I did buy the 3.5" leaf packs it uses and paired them up with some Skyjacker coils and takeoff JK Rubicon shocks (junkyard/craigslist builds are so much fun), so my lift height should be right around where you'd end up. I did a lot of pricing/searching/reading on tire sizes trying to decide between 31" and 33", but at the end of the day I realized I was too worried about how it would "look" and that 31 was fine for what I wanted. I also wasn't keen on cutting/removing flares, or the price difference at 33" for that matter. I ended up going with Cooper S/T Maxx 31x10.5x15.

A few things to point out to help in your decision making (assuming your XJ is stock):
  • Wheel backspacing - even at 31x10.5 you'll be rubbing at full turn. For that size you'll want either new wheels backspaced at about 4.5"" (IIRC stock XJ wheels are 5.75"??) or some quality wheel spacers i.e. Spidertrax ( I got a used 1 1/4" set which work great)
  • Axle/Differential Gearing - I'm still running stock 3.55 gears (likely you are too) and I noticed a big loss in throttle response with the 31s, I wouldn't want to do 33 without regearing.
  • On the subject of axles, do you know what kind of rear axle you have? Yours is a later model so hopefully it's the 29spline Chry 8.25 but if it's a Dana 35 you don't want to push larger sizes on that
  • Spare Tire something I never thought about, but since you're trying not to get stuck with the GF you definitely want a full spare, and I don't think you can fit something larger than a 31 in the stock spot of the little ole' XJ. If you have a rear tire carrier that's different. Keep in mind putting it on the roof will poorly affect your MPG.

If you really want 33s, I would try to find some 33x9.5x15 (I think BFG A/T comes in this size?). That would be a pretty good balance.

Those are a few thoughts you might not have considered, so hope they help. I've been very pleased with my lift, I get around 20mpg highway and anywhere from 10-15 street/dirt. It handled a "black-diamond" jeep/ATV trail like cake, and some rocked-out old desert mining roads without any scraping issues so far. Make sure you do your bumpstopping correctly. As far as cosmetic looks go, I'm also quite pleased with it - most XJs I see don't have fenders anymore, and I kind of like the classic look:

OmT7VdIl.jpg

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Thanks for the info! Your tires don't look oddly small compared to some I've seen.

For the wheels I have some stock Wrangler 15's, I'm not sure if the backspacing is any different than an XJ.

I'm trying to keep this budget minded as we are supposed to take the XJ from SD to Canada this summer and I'll need money for that. So gearing or new wheels with tires is probably not going to happen before then. I'm running the stock dana 35 for now.

I do, however, have a rear bumper with tire carrier sitting in the garage waiting to be put on. I bought that because we're planning on sleeping in the back whenever possible and I wanted to free up space.

I'd LIKE to keep my fenders also but if they have to go then they have to go.
Did you see an mpg improvement with the bigger tires? I cant seem to pull 20mpg going 65 on the freeway with stock sized tires.
 
What year? I think the older XJ's have a little bigger wheel arches.

I put the RE 3.5" on my XJ years ago with the intention of running 31's. The tire shop had a set of 33x10.5's on the shelf and sold me. Stock wheels.

I promptly added shackles and coil spacers for a bit more clearance (inchitis). I get some rubbing at full lock on the control arms with the stock wheels. I've had it pretty well flexed, the tires tuck and rub inside the stock flares at full stuff (1988).

I like the stance, clearance and dual purpose of the set up.

FYI. I have swapped in a D44, SYE, D30 shafts and 4:56 gears to help with th 33's
 
If you are on a budget and making a long trip in the near future, you should not be lifting your Jeep today. When you go to big tires you need to re-gear to maintain throttle response and fuel economy. Without re-gearing you should expect worse throttle response and worse fuel economy. For 33" tires, 4.0 auto , 4.10 should be considered the minimum gears and 4.56 the preferred gears. You also need to make sure your driveline angles are correct otherwise you'll have vibrations which can lead to a part failure and breakdown. Over 3.5" you should expect to install a SYE and double cardan rear driveshaft. On my 97XJ I have a 2.5-3" lift with BFG A/T KO 30x9.5x15 and multiple people have told me it looks real clean. I have not regeared and it does fine. My 97 has alloy wheels and I believe the tire/wheel combination is lighter than the 235/75R15 on steelies that I have on my 01XJ.
 
Laneinator said:
Thanks for the info! Your tires don't look oddly small compared to some I've seen.

For the wheels I have some stock Wrangler 15's, I'm not sure if the backspacing is any different than an XJ.

I'm trying to keep this budget minded as we are supposed to take the XJ from SD to Canada this summer and I'll need money for that. So gearing or new wheels with tires is probably not going to happen before then. I'm running the stock dana 35 for now.

I do, however, have a rear bumper with tire carrier sitting in the garage waiting to be put on. I bought that because we're planning on sleeping in the back whenever possible and I wanted to free up space.

I'd LIKE to keep my fenders also but if they have to go then they have to go.
Did you see an mpg improvement with the bigger tires? I cant seem to pull 20mpg going 65 on the freeway with stock sized tires.
Click to expand...

I don't know about the Wrangler backspacing.

If you're doing a road trip, then I agree you should keep your existing tires assuming they are in good condition and you're staying on pavement 90% - if you're planning on taking any good offroad bypasses you can find, that's another story depending on your tires. When I bought my XJ it had newish Goodyear Wrangler 235s on it and those took me on plenty of mild dirt trails with no issues aside from wheelspin up against rocks and in sand. I'm still kind of new to the deeper aspects of Jeep tech, but it seems wheelspin is what likes to kill the Dana35s - I did a few trips on my factory 186,000m D35 and swapped it for a $125 2001 Chrysler 8.25 when I did the lift.

I'm too tall to sleep comfortably in the back and it kind of sucks to unload everything so I go the tent route.

I highly doubt I saw an MPG increase with my larger tires; I was essentially overhauling almost everything aside from the block around the time I got them mounted - new tps/iac/cps/cts/o2/fuel pump/filter/neon 703 injectors + remove head for hot-tank/valve job/deck/HG/etc. I also got nervous about desert heat and put in a new radiator/HESCO high-flow waterpump & thermostat housing. All that along with doing a bunch of the appropriate Cruiser54 RENIX-era adjustments. If I had just done the lift my milage probably would be worse. Still, with a properly-running Jeep the lift is good.

mine was a budget build too once upon a time :wow:
 
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I successfully ran 33"s on that lift for several years.

(33x1050 BFG ATs on 15x8s with 4.5" backspace)











4.56 gears are perfect for 33"s. they suck for 35s, ask me how I know.
 
31s will look great with flares on and no trimming. as you can tell, there's a lot involved with going higher and/or bigger tires. 3-4"lift with 31s is the sweet spot when you're starting out. wait on gears, you won't need them yet. spend a little money on tires, their worth 10x more when you need them.
 
I run a 3.5 and 31 maxis. If your armored you can hit everything. I run the Rubicon a lot and have no problems. Its a great lift and tire size for fuel economy (21mpg at 70mph) and it flexes like crazy on the trail. 31's are good size but 32's might look alittle better. 33's will make you hack your fenders more then u want. DO NOT FORGET TO BUMP STOP with hockey pucks in the front. Sounds like u know what you want anyways!
 
Awesome guys, thanks.

I know I 'shouldn't buy a lift kit' with the trip coming up but we are going for three weeks, loaded up. The rear is sagging pretty bad right now after taking it on a handful of desert trips and a couple shocks are blown.
I want to refresh the suspension before to trip so it's a little more stable and the GF won't be afraid of driving it when I get tired. I'm looking into the lift now because new rear leaf packs and shocks would be just about the same price as this RE3.5 I'm looking at.
I don't think I want to go through the hassle of gearing and other odds and ends associated with running 33's right this second so I'll probably stick with 31's and keep my flares. The bumper with tire carrier I have is 200+ lbs so that'll squat the rear down a bit also.
 
Put a set of Dorman 929-301 leafs in the back. They are about $100/ea from Amazon. Get new shocks. Go on your trip. Lift when you get back.

It doesn't matter if you keep the same tires you have on there now. By lifting you are changing your suspension geometry, driveline angles, ... Your u-joints might even have a little vibe to them just by restoring the original ride height because they worn into the old sagged height.

If I didn't want to take my vehicle as is, I would rent something I did want to take, or postpone the trip. I get your interest in saving money by doing it only once, but I see it as putting yourself at unnecessary risk unless you get everything right, right away. I would be more concerned about making sure your fluids are changed/ topped off than putting a lift on with 3 weeks and ticking.
 
Cut as much as you can and run 37's. You won't regret it! :D
 
I run 35s on a Rubicon express coil I cut 1.5 coils out of so im about 2.5 up front and out back I have a sagged out bastardized pack with boomerang shackles so roughly 3.5 inches of lift.
 
Rod Knee said:
The short answer to this question is: yes. The more appropriate and practical answer is: no, probably not, and you shouldn't try it without learning more about what all is involved in getting them to fit.
Click to expand...
Bumpstop will save your fenders
 
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