31's vs 33's
- Thread starter Tjosh97
- Start date
i would probably stick with the 31's. my 97 with 4.0 5sp and 3.07 had new 32's on it when i bought it with no lift, well it scrubbed the front flares so I added a 2 in spacer lift. the 32's were a dog with my 3.07 axles, constantly downshifting to keep the rpm's up here in the mountains and even on the highway. i went down to 31's and it's a hell of alot better now. I see your 21yrs old and I know when I was 21 I wanted to GO, even if your 2.5 has 4.10 axle it will be a slug unless you regear it to 4.88 or lower which aint cheap to do. now if your last name is Gates, Musk or Zuckerberg and you have deep pockets, then hell why stop at 33's go big ! I know others will probably say BULLSHIT, but trust me if you put 33's on it without regearing it, it wont be long before you sell it because of lack of performance. I know thats what I did when I was 21, had many trucks with big H.P. running everything from 35's to 40's and after lifting and big tires the performance dropped considerably. it aint worth for 1 extra in of ground clearance, the only one who will think 1in. extra is a big deal will be your girlfriend ! 
EDIT: or boyfriend (not that there's anything wrong with that, to stay politically correct) !
EDIT: or boyfriend (not that there's anything wrong with that, to stay politically correct) !
Thanks for the advice, I appreciate iti would probably stick with the 31's. my 97 with 4.0 5sp and 3.07 had new 32's on it when i bought it with no lift, well it scrubbed the front flares so I added a 2 in spacer lift. the 32's were a dog with my 3.07 axles, constantly downshifting to keep the rpm's up here in the mountains and even on the highway. i went down to 31's and it's a hell of alot better now. I see your 21yrs old and I know when I was 21 I wanted to GO, even if your 2.5 has 4.10 axle it will be a slug unless you regear it to 4.88 or lower which aint cheap to do. now if your last name is Gates, Musk or Zuckerberg and you have deep pockets, then hell why stop at 33's go big ! I know others will probably say BULLSHIT, but trust me if you put 33's on it without regearing it, it wont be long before you sell it because of lack of performance. I know thats what I did when I was 21, had many trucks with big H.P. running everything from 35's to 40's and after lifting and big tires the performance dropped considerably. it aint worth for 1 extra in of ground clearance, the only one who will think 1in. extra is a big deal will be your girlfriend !
EDIT: or boyfriend (not that there's anything wrong with that, to stay politically correct) !
I just would like to change the look, the previous owner put on bolt pattern adapter so they could put newer rims on Wich I don’t like a whole lot. I want to put a set of all terrains on and have it a bit more aggressive
Unless you plan to spend $1500 to regear to 4.88s and add a BL or more lift, stick with 31s. 2.5L Jeeps don't handle 33s well with stock gearing.
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I would begin by measuring your lift so you know rather than believing you know what it is. Second, 33s will fit, but I'm assuming you mean will they fit without causing issues. That depends on several factors besides your lift, including the wheels & shocks. That said, I'm in your camp, I like the look of 33s on a TJ so its something worth shooting for, I think its the sweet spot aesthetically. If you are correct that you have at most a 2.5 inch lift then most here will tell you that is insufficient to properly run 33s, and that you will need to up that lift to 4 inches. I don't follow that advice myself, but I am a TJ dummy.
Gearing, that's a whole different kettle of fish.
Edit: my 'hybrid' lift, 2 inch rear 3 inch front on 33 inch KM3s
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My LJ came stock height with 32’s and 3.73 gears no lift at all and zero rub when turning. It did have wheel spacers however.
It did bottom out the fenders when I had slight articulation but having spent a lot of time in Florida and knowing how flat it is, if you aren’t off-roading it I’d imagine you would be fine with 32’s especially since you have a slight lift.
Being that I didn’t have a lift I would bottom out the fenders if I had 4 people and gear in the Jeep just hitting a bump on the highway but again, this was also without any lift and 32’s
Tires 32x11.5x15 bfg all terrains on factory ravines
I have since put an old man emu 2.5 inch lift on it still having the 32’s and feel like it’s a perfect setup. Still running the wheel spacer
It did bottom out the fenders when I had slight articulation but having spent a lot of time in Florida and knowing how flat it is, if you aren’t off-roading it I’d imagine you would be fine with 32’s especially since you have a slight lift.
Being that I didn’t have a lift I would bottom out the fenders if I had 4 people and gear in the Jeep just hitting a bump on the highway but again, this was also without any lift and 32’s
Tires 32x11.5x15 bfg all terrains on factory ravines
I have since put an old man emu 2.5 inch lift on it still having the 32’s and feel like it’s a perfect setup. Still running the wheel spacer
honestly, if your looking for something that will go damn near anywhere put on a aggressive mud tire. my last TJ was a 2.5 5sp. and with a set of Hankook dynapro MT's would go anywhere I had business going. that little engine didn't have enough power to spin the tires and it would just keep chugging along and we have that GA. red clay that is slicker than snot on a doorknob when wet !
Do you have the 4 or 6 Cylinder 31s you can get away with not regear 33s you’re going to want to Regear
Head Lice
TJ Addict
33" K02's . . . . . 2" BDS suspension, i.25" SpiderTrax wheel spacers, OEM Rubicon flares.
WestCoastDan
TJ Addict
Head Lice
TJ Addict
Agree! I only got the 33" because the 32" wouldn't be available at the time.
now here's something for you to think about Josh. your driving down the road with your girl or boyfriends "head in your lap" 
and there's a slight hill coming up. now your just about "done" when you go from 65mph, 55mph, 45mph your oh so close and know if you downshift your going to knock her/his head into the steering wheel. 35mph the engine is about to die, the cars behind you are honking and flashing their lights for you to get the fuck out of the way ! you go ahead and downshift not 1 gear but 2 and bang her head into the wheel, she raises up, but you aint finished yet. wa,wa,wa she/he bitches 
. so you get no "happy ending" and she is bitching up a storm and wont shut up 
and every time after that she'll bitch when you try to pull her head to your lap while driving your jeep ! if you goto 33's or even 32's i'll bet you within 6 months you'll either be getiing it regeared or sell it !
and there's a slight hill coming up. now your just about "done" when you go from 65mph, 55mph, 45mph your oh so close and know if you downshift your going to knock her/his head into the steering wheel. 35mph the engine is about to die, the cars behind you are honking and flashing their lights for you to get the fuck out of the way ! you go ahead and downshift not 1 gear but 2 and bang her head into the wheel, she raises up, but you aint finished yet. wa,wa,wa she/he bitches . so you get no "happy ending" and she is bitching up a storm and wont shut up and every time after that she'll bitch when you try to pull her head to your lap while driving your jeep ! if you goto 33's or even 32's i'll bet you within 6 months you'll either be getiing it regeared or sell it !
With all due respect, give me the keys and I’ll take it from here.no it's 33's and NO BJ's !
Not sure of the brand name of the lift my TJ has, but the guy I bought it from said it is a 4, and these are 33" tires on stock 8" wide wheels.
Notednow here's something for you to think about Josh. your driving down the road with your girl or boyfriends "head in your lap"
So to sump up. To be able to get BJs in a TJ on 33s you need gearing (well apart from a girlfriend/boyfriend. 
It all makes sense now! If only this wisdom had been passed on my at a younger age...
It all makes sense now! If only this wisdom had been passed on my at a younger age...
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