What tires can stock gears handle.

[jsouz50]

I want to know what tire size a stock XJ can handle. I'm currently looking to buy one, and the person I might buy from uses 35's. But he has stock 3.55 gearing. Its a 98 Cherokee sport with a 4.0. From what I have researched, 35's will be too much for a stock XJ. I dont have the money to get new gears, so I am going to get smaller tires instead. I dont plan to do extreme off roading like rock climbing, at the most i will probably be on dirt trails. I also plan on using the XJ as a daily driver and not solely for off roading. With this in mind, I want to know what would be the limit so that I dont wear out my transmission and differential gears. I'm also very new to this, so I'd also like to know if tire/rim width matters as well and plays a role in putting wear on the gearing. The screenshot shows everything he has modified on the XJ

 

[Tim_MN]

How much lift is installed, or how much sheet metal is trimmed/needs to be trimmed, will also factor into your tire size choice.

31's or 32's will be livable, 33's and beyond will be a pain in the behind on pavement. The transmission is what may not be happy with the larger tires.

 

[Bent]

I have ran 31" and 235s on stock gears. 31s rubbed w/ 4.5" lift when flexed. 325s rub with 3' lift when flexed. However, both were on stock rims.
As for gearing, 31s on a late model; no bigger than 235s on a RENIX.
All were ATs FWIW.

 

[75SV1]

I have run 31's on stock gears. Mine was at 4.5 lift. I mainly had to deal with the pinon angle. I did a Hack-n-Tap or SYE. It was OK as I remember. I am running a metric '31', on 3.73s. It does OK. I like 31's on 4.10s for some of the roads I drive. I remember the 31's I had were 10 or 10.5 wide. The Metrics are 9 or 9.5. Also, my Metrics are 'E's or 10 ply. A 'C' or 6 ply might run better. Also, if on flatlands, I think you'll be OK.
Another aspect is HP and torque. I had/have headers, 2.5 CAT back and the 99+ intake. Also, on one of my XJs, boring the Throttle body out to 60mm seemed to help. Not a lot of feel of improvement. But on inclines it did. I didn't have to downshift.
Also, 4.10's can be found 'stock'. Rears are around $200. Fronts, I think are about $600 though.

 

[Goose_XJ88]

For reference: My main wheeler is an 88 with 4.56 gears and a reman or rebuilt motor from Jesco or something like that on 33s. I bought and ahve been wheeling it since 2011.
I have a new to me rig on same 33s as above, and stock gears. I have only taken it on 2 trips and only drive to and from the trail. Flat ground and all hwy I averaged 20mpg for the first half tank. My other rig, I usually average 13mpg; 15 if I am lucky. I really didnt notice the slow speed crawl difference, I was still able to crawl control with minimal issue.

Take this info with a grain of salt.

 

[Bent]

@jsouz50,
You didn't mention what you have for the rear axle. It "can" come into play with tire size. The noteworthy variable being the driver.