Jeep Wrangler TJ Performance PCM Tuning

Cut off for well mannered, street-able TJ?

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Bowhunter

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One thing I’ve been disappointed with my past TJs has been any kind of highway/freeway driving.less than confidence inspiring

Granted, I’ve purchased my TJs “modified” that both had some sort of cheaper lift setup. 03 rubicon with stock control arms, 2.5” spacer lift, skid plate drop, 33” tires. 06 TJ, 4” coil lift, 1.5” body lift, 33” tires, fixed aftermarket control arms.

Now I’m wondering what/where is the cut off for lift/tires for acceptable hwy speed (65-70mph)?

Is it stock TJ? Stock LJ? Is it a small lift with quality parts? Larger lift with quality parts? Tires size?

So where do you think the cut off for lift/tires is that still allows for an acceptable highway speed for a decent amount of time (say 1-2 hours)?
 
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Well-mannered is going to be subjective.

I have two opinions on this subject.

First, if you don’t want to spend tens of thousands I think the perfect setup is 31s and a 1-2” lift with some lighter weight A/T tires. Any armor would have to be aluminum. The goal is to keep it as lightweight as possible.

If you have money to spend and want to have a TJ that will absolutely blow you away in regard to how well it drives on 35s, have Blaine build you one with outboard custom tuned shocks, a SwayLOC, PSC Hydro Assist, etc. Blaine built my old TJ for me and all I can tell you is how blown away I was by the way it drove. It handled like it was on rails and that was with 35” M/T tires. It can be done but it requires a lot of money and the right knowledge / parts.
 
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You will get a lot of opinions on that question and @Chris has a good one. I’ll add that with a well done 35s build (mid-arms, tuned shocks, proper attention paid to steering geometry and appropriate gearing) you can end up with something BETTER than stock road manners. Just make sure you stick with AT tires. The noise of more aggressive tires is a major hit to livability at freeway speeds.
 
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While definitely subjective, I believe just about any build (within reason) can be streetable and well-mannered. But only if you know what you're doing, use quality components that compliment each other in the build you're going for, and don't have too high of expectations. It'll never be a Cadillac.

But I've ridden in/driven mild build (2" lift on 31s) that rode horrible, and ridden in jeeps on 35s with 5" overall lift that rode better than most other vehicles I've owned. But just throwing parts at it to get a desired look/height/function will rarely if ever result in a good, comfortable build.

Both of our jeeps ride better than the jeeps our friends own. All are modded similarly, but, for example, one bought a RC kit as opposed to my (same height) piece by piece lift. They ride night & day different. Our JKU actually rides better than any other jk I've been in, stock or otherwise. Not saying I'm smarter than anyone, but I did homework to find what works well together to achieve the results I wanted, and it worked.
 
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Chris said:
Well-mannered is going to be subjective.

For me it’s 31s and a 1-2” lift with some lighter weight A/T tires. Any armor would have to be aluminum. The goal is to keep it as lightweight as possible.
Click to expand...

Rest of the suspension setup (control arms, track bar, etc) left stock?
 
Bowhunter said:
Rest of the suspension setup (control arms, track bar, etc) left stock?
Click to expand...

Yep! With the bigger builds you really find out that the 4.0 begins to feel severely underpowered. With 31s and a lightweight build—and especially a manual transmission—it feels lively and peppy. That’s the only time I’ve ever liked the 4.0 and felt that it had enough power.
 
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Bowhunter said:
One thing I’ve been disappointed with my past TJs has been any kind of highway/freeway driving.less than confidence inspiring

Granted, I’ve purchased my TJs “modified” that both had some sort of cheaper lift setup. 03 rubicon with stock control arms, 2.5” spacer lift, skid plate drop, 33” tires. 06 TJ, 4” coil lift, 1.5” body lift, 33” tires, fixed aftermarket control arms.

Now I’m wondering what/where is the cut off for lift/tires for acceptable hwy speed (65-70mph)?

Is it stock TJ? Stock LJ? Is it a small lift with quality parts? Larger lift with quality parts? Tires size?

So where do you think the cut off for lift/tires is that still allows for an acceptable highway speed for a decent amount of time (say 1-2 hours)?
Click to expand...

Mine on 35s handles like a sports car and will comfortably hold highway speeds for hours at a time.
IMG_20250509_120317~2.webp
 
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Chris said:
Yep! With the bigger builds you really find out that the 4.0 begins to feel severely underpowered. With 31s and a lightweight build—and especially a manual transmission—it feels lively and peppy. That’s the only time I’ve ever liked the 4.0 and felt that it had enough power.
Click to expand...

Yep. While my stroker is no LT or hemi it helps.
 
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Woodrow said:
Yep. While my stroker is no LT or hemi it helps.
Click to expand...

For sure, that extra power is really what's needed for the larger tires and more weight. It makes a big difference in what I consider to on-road manners.

Driving something that is gutless on the road is a pain in the butt, especially when trying to pass on the highway.
 
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It's all a spectrum. A well thought out 35" build can be much better than another 35" build but it's always going to feel less refined and controlled than a good 31" build. Some things are just physics (center of gravity vs roll center, angular momentum, etc).

Having had everywhere between 30" and 35", I think the 31" felt the best, and 33" still had a pretty decent compromise. I'd take my 35 back down to 33 if it wouldn't bring my drive line vibes back down into speeds that I regularly drive in. I'm going back to ATs for my next set of tires.
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
It's all a spectrum. A well thought out 35" build can be much better than another 35" build but it's always going to feel less refined and controlled than a good 31" build.
...
Click to expand...

One significant reason I beg to differ is that any reasonable build on 31s will not have the shocks I have on mine with a 4" spring lift and an 1.25 body lift. Shocks have an overarching impact on the handling, steering and braking. And being able to fit those shocks effectively is more than a few steps away from a build for 31s.
 
The question is way to vague for a specific answer. Budget, intended use and even if you are talking about an mb or a trackhawk.

I'd have to agree with freedom in 4 low. Big tires means big on road compromise.no matter how much you spend.
 
Get C load rated tires, makes a big difference than E load rated
I had 265/75r16 KO3 MT E load
Went to 265/75r16 bfg K03 AT load range C
Big difference to me
The C load are special order, almost nobody carries them
 
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Chris said:
For sure, that extra power is really what's needed for the larger tires and more weight. It makes a big difference in what I consider to on-road manners.

Driving something that is gutless on the road is a pain in the butt, especially when trying to pass on the highway.
Click to expand...

Every thing is a tradeoff. There are certainly downsides to big power as well.
 
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Bowhunter said:
No… I’m just asking questions. No where did I say 33”s are the answer or limit. I’ve only owned TJ’s with 33”s is what I was saying
Click to expand...

Told ya you’d get a lot of responses😃
To the small build (31s max) discussion: A 1.25” body lift, tuned stock length shocks and the largest tires that would fully articulate (30s?) would be interesting. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it.
 
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I have a 35" "build". I'd say it was poorly done. Rough country 4" short arm lift, RC shocks etc. some parts were well done, like the steering (rock jock currectlync), the axles (e lockers f/r), and the gearing which is 4.56, but I would rather have 5.13s. Since I've owned it, I've done a rock jock/Currie track bar, and spicer ball joints. I'm about to switch to core 4x4 double adjustable control arms and different shocks. A major part of the build that makes it streetable is the PSC steering system which uses some hydraulic magic (not hydraulic assist) to make it wayyy easier to steer.

Bottom line, a TJ with 35" tires can be very well mannered on the street. It just has to be done right.

Edit: I've had a couple beers and I'm typing this on my phone, so sorry if it doesn't make sense lol.
 
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