JK Moab 17" Wheel Advice

[Mr. Roboto]

Hi everyone, looking for some advice on this build. Not new to XJs, owned a 98 for 6 years that I have regretted selling ever since. While I did do a lot of work to my old one, I never lifted it. I just picked up this 99. I bought a set of 17" JK Moab wheels for the new one, because I always loved the look back in the day when I had my old one. I ordered 1.25" hub centric wheel adapter/spacers to mount them. I am planning on doing the 3" rough country lift with full leaf springs and lower control arms, but I am having some issues deciding on tire size. The RC lift specs state it is designed for 31x10.5 tires and requires 3.75" of backspacing. I measured the JK wheels to have 6" of backspacing, and the spacer will reduce this to 4.75". As I understand it, the factory alloy wheels on it now currently have 5.25" of backspacing.

The goal is to not do any cutting. If I pick up a set of 245/70R17 (30.5" diameter, 9.6" width) do you think I will be OK? Could I go wider? This build is going to be more of a camping/overlanding build, so the jeep will not see any true wheeling.

I know these "will I rub" posts get old, but I have googled this to death and have found so much conflicting information from people who have done this swap with regards what lift/tire size they used and if they rubbed. Any first hand experience anyone has with 17" JK wheels and a 3" lift would be much appreciated, thank you!

 

[Mr. Roboto]

For what it's worth, this is the look I am going for. Nothing crazy:

 

[Black1990jeep]

With those 17 inch rims and low profile rubber, you got more rim than tire. Even for mild camping trips id want more tire, less rim. Try a 15 inch rim or 16 inch rim at least, with the biggest diameter tire you can fit for best off highway use.*

for off road ability, the larger diameter tire gives you added axle clearance that all the lift in the world will never gain you. Added lift however can allow for a larger diameter tire for a given fender clearance, with correct bump stops of course.
*Pay attention to final drive ratio and the tire diameter changes. Go too big, and you run into the desirability of a differential gear change.

Id recommend you get the lift done as planned, then select tire to fit the fender opening, and get extended bump stops as needed to prevent rubbing on the upstroke, as you dont want to trim fenders any or maybe only a little bit. ( I run 33x12.5 on 15 inch rim, 5.5 lift, extended bump stop, stock flares with minor trim done on fender metal) I am also regeared.

Now you can do some moderate fender trim, hidden by the stock fender flares, that will prevent tire rubbing ( more like tire slicing) You can cut off an inch or so of metal in a few spots, not visible unless you peer under the flares, thus retaining the stock look

Dont forget you will want different shocks to go with the lift.

Street, All Terrain, or Offroad tires? many options !

 

[techno1154]

I have been using those same wheels on my XJ for a few years wrapped in the original JK 255X75X17 tires which are 32 inch diameter and 10 inch wide with no problems. however, my XJ have 4 inches of lift and 2 inch spacers for a wider stand. Most everyone uses 1.5 inch spacers.

1) You could go to a 245 X 75 which is 31 inches or 245 X 70 which is 30 inches.
2) Use the larger (JK) tires and bump stop them out of the sheet metal.
3) Cut some sheet metal.

My XJ fenders are not cut but I extend the bump stops. The front tires tuck up nicely in the fender. The rear tires rub the pinch seam. I need to remove the OEM flairs and bend the pinch seam a bit. I only off road trails, noting hard core.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Thank you both for the replies. Part of the reason I jumped on the JK 17s was because I was given a set of brand new 225/65R17 tires for free. The diameter of these match the stock jeep tire size. The tires that came on this thing are severely dry rotted and will not pass inspection. My plan is to get the jeep up to par to pass inspection, and chip away at fixing all of the issues it has before I actually do the lift, so the free tires + 1.25 spacers + JK rims should get me by for now (even though it will probably look silly). Once I actually get around to lifting it, it sounds like I will have to re-assess my wheel/spacer choice accordingly.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

Keep an eye on your steering stops too - when I went to 30x9.50s on my 92, they were getting into the LCAs at full steering lock. Couple washers under each stop fixed it.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Just to follow up on this, I ended up with 1.5” hub centric spacers. I installed them and mounted my freebie 225 tires on them. Ended up with a little more poke than stock, but that’s ok, I’ll need the extra space when I lift/get wider tires eventually. This also required new longer wheel studs.

Before/during/after.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

The lugs required for the rear, for reference, in case anyone comes across this in the future:

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...-1-2-20-inch-thread-wheel-stud/610449/4181346

 

[Mr. Roboto]

I meant studs, not lugs.... I hate that you can't edit posts on this forum!

 

[Agreen]

I honestly haven't ever measured my backspacing but with a 3" spring lift and 31x15 tires, I rubbed a little on the inner fender. It would mostly rub when I pulled into my driveway, so a tiny little bump during a turn would make it crunch. It rubbed the inside of the shoulder against the inside of the inner fender plastic. It eventually rubbed a hole. When I recently installed a DIY winch bumper, I had to trim about 6" or so off the front of the fender liner. The rub is completely gone now.

Again, I don't know the backspacing of the wheels. They're American Racing bullet holes, and there's at least an inch or 2 outside the fender flares when viewed from the top.

 

[Crazyray48]

QUESTION ON LARGEST WHEELS AND TIRES FOR ET OFF SET ?

Great looking New Jeep XJ, looks a brill find!!!

When you had your old XJ Jeep using the stand suspension set up what
were the largest wheels and Tires that you could fit?

I need to keep to a Tire Center to Tire Center measurement to a maximum
of 58 inches on the same axle because my Jeep XJ 2000 model has been
shipped to Ibiza Spain and now I need to keep to the New EU Vehicle
ITV/MOT Test Centers Regulations of the Tire Center to Tire Center size of
58 inches (1470mm) for both the front wheels and back wheels.

I want to fit 9 inch wide wheels to keep that chunky Jeep look but now I
need to have the New Wheels Flush fitted with the Standard Fender with no
poke and throw as much of the 9 inches under the Jeep to keep the
maximum size of 58 inches or less to Pass the Annual ITV / MOT Road Test
Rules.

Any advise you can offer on the (ET Off Set) and (Max Tire size) would be
great?

Thanks.

 

[backyard engineer]

thanks to Mr roboto for providing the link to the wheels studs, that was a big help!

 

[75SV1]

I used WK's hub bearings up front. Near same height as 2000-01 XJ hub bearings. I did use spacer adapters in the rear. I for get the metric designations, but a 32" WildPeak on a 4-1/2 lift. I also have a Ford 8.8, so, thats 3/4 shorter each side.