I'll definitely defer to you're knowledge on that, I've never been through something like that. But i Imagine with only 31s, there would be clearance and other issues holding the jeep up at the same time? If the clay is that bad and can break shafts with only 31s I'd say chromos wouldn't even be a question?
Yeah, but that build plan is an outlier. I’d highlife and run 35’s on that set up.
No one should wheel without lockers. If you’re running lockers, chromos should go with them.
I think what he meant to say is there is always a weakest link, and if it's the shafts, then you upgrade them, the next weakest link will present itself; Not necessarily that you put a weak part in there on purpose.
Irun, I've been running around Moab this week attempting increasingly difficult trails, and I hunted this thread down again to say that I think you're really on to something here. I've found myself pretty close to what we were talking about, a light and nimble build on 31's. 31.7" tires, full savvy under armor tuck, all aluminum raised skids, and mostly light and nimble - soft top, no back seat, half doors or no doors when offroad. The only other thing is a heavy tire carrier bumper I'll be replacing soon.
Nailed it! Having run everything from 29" - 35" tires, 31s are my favorite. If you address the issues of a low hanging belly and gas tank, lock the front and rear, don't build a bloated pig, and sharpen your driving skills, even stock springs and arms will perform admirably. Years ago I had some buddies that gave me crap because I brought my TJ on 31" tires out with them, who were all running 35" tires. I went everywhere they did, with the exception of a couple obstacles, which I knew would result in serious damage. In some cases I went places they couldn't/wouldn't go. When we finished, they weren't giving me crap anymore!
Oh, one more thing I didn’t mention, I’m at 3” of spring lift and 1.25 body lift. I have not cycled my suspension, my bump stops are not set (too much in rear and none in front), and I’m not sure if my clapped out ranchos are even the correct length. That is the next area of my TJ I’ll be focusing on heavily, after lightening up and debulking the rear. I’m excited to see how much better it does after fine tuning with shock choice and correct bump stops.Nailed it! Having run everything from 29" - 35" tires, 31s are my favorite. If you address the issues of a low hanging belly and gas tank, lock the front and rear, don't build a bloated pig, and sharpen your driving skills, even stock springs and arms will perform admirably. Years ago I had some buddies that gave me crap because I brought my TJ on 31" tires out with them, who were all running 35" tires. I went everywhere they did, with the exception of a couple obstacles, which I knew would result in serious damage. In some cases I went places they couldn't/wouldn't go. When we finished, they weren't giving me crap anymore!
In this case a lot had to do with the driver. I know this because a buddy asked to drive my Jeep and he didn't fair well. He drove it like he was driving a rig on 35s and got hung up several times. This is also another one of the things I like about running smaller tires, you have to pay attention, be more in tune with the vehicle, and know where to position both the rig and the tires.
If your rig is working well, stay focused on weight reduction and making the improvements you need to keep that light and nimble feel, but have the confidence to tackle tough obstacles. Bigger tires aren't always a good thing. When I had a couple Jeeps on 33s, I really wasn't happy.
On my current build, my struggle is the springs. Finding a 2" and under spring with a decent free length is problematic. This also creates an issue when trying to get more suspension travel. My target is a 10" shock travel, but I'm not sure if I'm going to get there.
Bottom line to a post that's too long, it's encouraging to hear honest feedback, so thanks for sharing! I've said this before and it should mean something. We won a war with Jeeps on tires that were 28" tall, so we're kind of spoiled now!
Excatly! Makes me want to do a true high pinion 44 build with 31’s or a trail gear rock assualt fab 9 inch housings build on 31’s with a 2-4 inch stretch in the front.
Diffs are still only 1 inch higher than 29,s both aired down or up the same!To make up for the airing down
