Another tire sizing question

[gaabbee]

So, I've searched and tried to avoid making another thread but...here we are. Completely stock LJR. Need tires. I'm not ready for a lift yet but my goals would be the 4 inch Currie lift and 33's.

I've read 265/75/16's are fine on stock suspension with adjustments to the steering. (31.6x10.4) If I go up to a 285/75/16 (32.8x11.2) which is 1.2 inches taller and .8 wider would a 1.25' body lift and 1.25' wheel spacer give me similar fit and clearance?

Writing this out made me think of also doing a 33x12.5 on new 15s with proper back spacing but I kinda like the stock moabs.

I know these are not ideal without a proper lift but this is not my daily driver and for the winter months won't see much if any off roading.

 

[pagrey]

I know these are not ideal without a proper lift but this is not my daily driver and for the winter months won't see much if any off roading.

Big tires on a stock Jeep are no fun. Every bump you hit the flares. It really sucks. I'd really try to do it all at once. Maybe you can find some used tires to hold you over until you are ready to do the whole thing.

 

[gaabbee]

Big tires on a stock Jeep are no fun. Every bump you hit the flares. It really sucks. I'd really try to do it all at once. Maybe you can find some used tires to hold you over until you are ready to do the whole thing.

Here is my question though. If you put a 1.2 inch taller tire and 1.25 inch body lift, how does that tire hit the fender? Just trying to understand it better. Thanks!

 

[pagrey]

Here is my question though. If you put a 1.2 inch taller tire and 1.25 inch body lift, how does that tire hit the fender? Just trying to understand it better. Thanks!

What you're saying makes sense. I've seen 31" tires work fine on stock suspension but 32s are a bit much even with steering stop adjustments so you've kinda cheated an extra inch in there. I've driven a Jeep with a 2" boost on 33" tires and it was miserable. It might work fine for you though depending on how you drive. At some point adding 3/4" here and 1/2" extra there gets you in trouble. 33" tires don't work on a 1.25" body lift, that's pretty much how I see it.

 

[Plumber1]

Yep you pretty much need a 4" lift to run 33's, or a combination of a BL and a smaller lift kit

 

[gaabbee]

Yep you pretty much need a 4" lift to run 33's, or a combination of a BL and a smaller lift kit

This is the answer that I see everyone regurgitating here but the math isn't adding up. I know that in the idea of it being ideal to have 4 inches for 33's which is my end goal but if you can have a 31.6 inch tire work why can't a 32.8 inch tire work with 1.25 inch BL?

31.6 plus 1.25 is 32.85...the clearances should be similar no? Again, I'm not disconnecting sway bars and would also add the 1.25 inch wheel spacer to account for increased tire width and add the steering stops. Just trying to see what the actual contact points would be.

 

[89grand]

Just put the tires on and see what happens. I'm sure you'll at least be able to drive it on the street. I put 31" tires on my old Grand Wagoneer before I put the 4" lift on it, and it was fine on the street. The first time I tried to take it off road, the rear tire went straight into the real wheel well.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

This is the answer that I see everyone regurgitating here but the math isn't adding up.

Maybe the math isn't adding up for you but the collective experience backs up that you need at or close to 4" of additional clearance to successfully run tires categorized as 33x12.50. 33" tires are not only taller, they are wider. And when taking tires offroad, the axle moves around move both up-down and side-to-side as well.

Trust us when we say for 33" tires that 4" of additional clearance is what you want if you do anything more strenuous with your Jeep than drive it around town. A 3" suspension lift plus a 1" or 1.25" is a good alternative to a 4" suspension lift.

But if you want to run 33" tires with just a small body lift go for it. If your Jeep is not a mall crawler I doubt it'll take long for you to confirm that a small body lift is not adequate and figure out why we're collectively making the recommendations we do here.

 

[gaabbee]

Maybe the math isn't adding up for you but the collective experience backs up that you need at or close to 4" of additional clearance to successfully run tires categorized as 33x12.50. 33" tires are not only taller, they are wider. And when taking tires offroad, the axle moves around move both up-down and side-to-side as well.

Trust us when we say for 33" tires that 4" of additional clearance is what you want if you do anything more strenuous with your Jeep than drive it around town. A 3" suspension lift plus a 1" or 1.25" is a good alternative to a 4" suspension lift.

But if you want to run 33" tires with just a small body lift go for it. If your Jeep is not a mall crawler I doubt it'll take long for you to confirm that a small body lift is not adequate and figure out why we're collectively making the recommendations we do here.

Thanks. I'm not disagreeing that 4 inches is ideal for 33's. It is my end goal to get there. I don't want to buy tires or parts twice and just need a stop gap until spring time when i plan on lifting it. I saw that 265's work but are not ideal so my idea was seeing if 285's could have similar fit with a small tweak. I think I saw Chris mention something but cant find it now.

Appreciate all the knowledge here. You guys have one of the best forums I have been on.

 

[LONGJP2]

The Rubicon came stock with 31s. So yes, you should be fine with 32s and a body lift. Especially with limited offroad wheeling. Obviously, there are other things that should be addressed when lifting and increasing tire size, but many times they're ignored without consequence.

Having said that; 285s are considered 33s, so 1" of BL will probably not be enough.

 

[Plumber1]

I know you want to run 33's this picture is mine with a 4" lift with 35's. Now I know that 35's are a step up from 33's but just to give you an idea how much more than a 4" kit it requires to run 35's. This 4" lift would have been perfect for 33's. Also since mine is a Rubicon it comes standard with wider fender flares than other TJ's

 

[LONGJP2]

If you're dead set on 33s. You could run a 2" body lift temporarily. It's not the worst thing you can do to your jeep, they're fairly cheap so you can replace it later, and it could possibly be cut down and reused. It would still be a tight fit with limited travel.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

2" body lifts are a PITA to install and they cause problems for the tcase and transmission shifters. Even a 1" body lift occasionally causes problems for the shifters.