Tire options

S

shrivamTJ

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Tampa
Hello, I am new here.

I have 98 TJ (95k miles) lifted (body and suspension), probably 4-6" (not sure. it has 35x12.5x15 wheels/BF A/T tires. I have steering shimmy issue around 45mph. Checked everything no play. still need to figure that out. I am replacing tires so wondering should I stick to 35s and all terrain as i plan to ride on roads mostly or switch to 33s. If switch, do i need get rid of some of the lift and how. I wan tot be bale to drive without any shimmy.

Thank you all
 
You should also consider what your axle gear ratio is. It's possible the axles were never geared for 35s. If that were the case, going down in tire size would be a plus in multiple ways.
 
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shrivamTJ said:
Hello, I am new here.

I have 98 TJ (95k miles) lifted (body and suspension), probably 4-6" (not sure. it has 35x12.5x15 wheels/BF A/T tires. I have steering shimmy issue around 45mph. Checked everything no play. still need to figure that out. I am replacing tires so wondering should I stick to 35s and all terrain as i plan to ride on roads mostly or switch to 33s. If switch, do i need get rid of some of the lift and how. I wan tot be bale to drive without any shimmy.

Thank you all
Click to expand...
10 Figure out your true amount of lift.

Measure the front coils. Stock measure of coils is 12", also measure any spacer, but do not include the rubber coil spring isolator at the top. Anything over 12" is the amount of lift. (e.g. 15" is 15-12 = 3" true lift)
Measure the rear coils. Stock measure of coils is 8". Follow same procedure for measuring as the front. If 11", then 11-8 = 3" lift

If your final lift is
5" = 35's
4" = 33's
3" = 32's
1-2" 31's
 
Thank you everyone for your responses.

looks like it has 5 inch suspension lift and 3 inch body.

i need new tires as existing ones have dry rots and one is completely gone.
I am thinking if any of the below is easy and doesn’t require much change. I plan to drive couple of times a month mostly local roads and may be 30 miles to airport, once in a while.
1 - get 35s, balance and alignment done. Should I get A/T or hybrid? I like the look of hybrid and not worried about wear. A/T tires are hard to find in current size - 35x12.5x15
2 - if I go with 33s, what kind of tires( hybrid?) and do I only need to replace coil springs so gap between tire and fender is minimized? Do I need to replace any other suspension components? I would like to keep it to minimal change possible

some pics attached. I think previous owner did everything right for lift, including gears

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EB243B06-446C-4147-9EE3-0F06478F9902.jpeg


5D1618FE-5B2F-456C-84C4-1DB0D956803E.jpeg


94F8F125-60E7-4847-812D-8597853757AA.jpeg


6AC4A15A-6980-4DAC-AFEA-82535C3B7AD7.jpeg


DFDF692F-6D62-4A07-9F85-FB73B1A54F78.jpeg
 
Last edited:
shrivamTJ said:
Thank you everyone for your responses.

looks like it has 5 inch suspension lift and 3 inch body.

i need new tires as existing ones have dry rots and one is completely gone.
I am thinking if any of the below is easy and doesn’t require much change. I plan to drive couple of times a month mostly local roads and may be 30 miles to airport, once in a while.
1 - get 35s, balance and alignment done. Should I get A/T or hybrid? I like the look of hybrid and not worried about wear. A/T tires are hard to find in current size - 35x12.5x15
2 - if I go with 33s, what kind of tires( hybrid?) and do I only need to replace coil springs so gap between tire and fender is minimized? Do I need to replace any other suspension components? I would like to keep it to minimal change possible

some pics attached. I think previous owner did everything right for lift, including gears

View attachment 251734

View attachment 251735

View attachment 251736

View attachment 251737

View attachment 251738

View attachment 251739

View attachment 251740

View attachment 251741

View attachment 251742
Click to expand...


does anybody have recommendation on which option to go with?
 
Stick with 35’s. You might not like the smaller, lowered look and would have to do suspension lowering to make it ‘look’ right.
Possibly get rid of that body lift. I don’t think its needed for your application and personally I don’t like the gap it creates.
 
Kid Mechanic said:
Stick with 35’s. You might not like the smaller, lowered look and would have to do suspension lowering to make it ‘look’ right.
Possibly get rid of that body lift. I don’t think its needed for your application and personally I don’t like the gap it creates.
Click to expand...
Thanks Kid. Would you recommend off road tires when mostly i will be driving on local roads?
 
Stick to all terrains. I would just replace your old BFGs with some newer ones (same tire). Based off of the fact that the previous owner kept the stock control arms and put a large body lift on, It is probably safe to assume they didn’t really know what they were doing. If the Jeep isn’t going to see much off-road time, and you’re happy with the way it drives/performs, don’t get too concerned with the gearing.
 
Gollywomper said:
Is it possible that shimmy is just drive line vibes? That rear pinion angle look to be off. That much lift with stock control arms would be a challenge to get vibration free.
Click to expand...
That was my first thought also when the OP mentioned 5" spring lift on short arms... o_O
 
shrivamTJ said:
Thanks Kid. Would you recommend off road tires when mostly i will be driving on local roads?
Click to expand...
With the limited amount of driving you stated, I would go with a tire that has an aggressive looking sidewall. If you could find an A/T that has aggressive side-bites it will keep that mean look that everyone expects from a lifted Jeep.
 
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