MiRustyjeep

Rob5589 said:
Issues with 17's; cost is quite a bit more compared to the equivalent 15" tire; that short of tire on that large of a rim gives less sidewall protection and flex off road. The other issue is you will need adapters to run the 5.5" wheel pattern on the 4.5" TJ. Good ones are expensive so take that into account when pricing JK wheels. The other other issue, 17's just look out of place on a TJ.
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I haven't found Tire cost to be that dramatically different. I'm afraid 15" tires are going the way of the dodo bird...there isn't ANYTHING being built right now that is coming with a 15" wheel. Well...Maybe those Korean econoboxes, but nothing truck related. I get the wheel spacer thing, even taking that into account, its still cheaper to buy take-offs. I'm already at a 16" wheel. If I put the 17" JK version of the MOAB...I don't know if anyone will really be able to tell the difference. There is a slight difference in the amount of dish in the wheel, but that is it. PLUS the tire availability increases dramatically for 17" wheels.

The sidewall flex is valid, but I'm only at 7.2" of sidewall. 255/75 will give 7.5" so it actually increases...but you're correct about it being less than what I was planning on. (285/75 is 8.4" of sidewall)
 
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15" tires aren't going anywhere. "Plus" sized wheels have been around for 30 years or more and yet thousands of tires are still made in 15" wheel size.
 
UPDATE: 7-1-18 - What was I thinking? These are the random thoughts of a guy who sometimes does so much "research" he ends up with Analysis Paralysis. I did NOT follow this plan.

So, slight modification in my build plans. I am getting a killer deal on 32" mud terrains. They are JK take offs, with maybe 5000 miles on them. I'll be doing a 1.25" body lift for starters, and then a tummy tuck this winter. I also have some wheels lined up for cheap, and adapters are only 100 bucks. Should have new tires for under 900 dollars...which is cheaper than I can get replacements for what I have currently.

I want to do Full savvy underbelly skids, and maybe genright gas tank skid, if I can swing it. Should be able to build a very nice rig. Plus, if I need to, I can always add a suspension lift later.
 
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Tires are home...500 dollars for 5 BFG mud terrains with 15/32 tread left. They start at 19, so pretty new. Date code says 27th week of 2015, so good there too
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Now, I gotta get some 17" wheels. Should pick those up soon. I do have a call into my local tire guy, to see if any of his distributors have anything they wanna offload cheap. Otherwise, I will go with JK wheels.
 
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Picked up some wheels today. They are in good shape, but dirty. I'll clean them up and give em a coat of paint. 125 bucks for 5 of them!

Also have some 3/4" spring spacers on the way. Still need to order the spacers. That should hold me over until I'm willing to take the old girl out of commission for a couple weeks and install a body lift.
 
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I think I have all the parts necessary for this phase...The upgrade corner of my shop is filling up! Wheel adapters came today, 3/4" coil spacers yesterday. Gotta clean and paint the wheels first though.

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Whats the holdup? Well, I have a small project in the way. Trying to get the shop cleaned up and this NEEDS to get finished.

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Its a 1964 Simplicity Broadmoor Lawn Tractor. Cute thing when its all together. Had a 32" Deep deck with three blades. It cuts my grass so nicely and WAY better than anything being produced now. I tore it all apart, sandblasted everything, and am re-assembling now. I'm close to getting the frame done, so I can start the body work. It has some modern upgrades too. Stock, it came with a 6 HP engine. That lump on the table is a 12 HP. I'm also adding a mulch kit ( which is why I also need the extra HP).
 
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Your latest images aren't working for some reason.

You know you can upload the images directly to the forum (very easily too), that way you can avoid potential pitfalls of linking to third part sites.
 
Chris said:
Your latest images aren't working for some reason.

You know you can upload the images directly to the forum (very easily too), that way you can avoid potential pitfalls of linking to third part sites.
Click to expand...
Ok, thanks....its weird. I've uploaded to the site (usually do) but most of the time, google photos works, and saves me the extra step of downloading to my computer. I like composing from my laptop, but all my photos are on my phone. It should be fixed soon.
 
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Got my bargain basement wheels mounted to my bargain basement tires today! Should be able to get them on the jeep this weekend, assuming it comes apart like it should...

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Installed the tires tonight. To make some extra room for the bigger tires, I installed 3/4" coil spacers. It went very easily...which is something. I didn't break any bolts, bust any knuckles or feel the need to curse. For those of us in the rust belt, you know that means something. I love the new look. Say what you want about 17" wheels on a TJ, but I think it looks great. I'll have to adjust my passenger side steering stop, as the tire is getting into the control arm pretty good.



Front height at the Flare before...
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Front height after...

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Picked up 1.75" in front, similar in rear.

The overall stance...
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As an aside...how do you guys measure your axle centering. I was thinking about the tire rub I'm experiencing, and its only when turned full lock to the right. I can go full lock left, and clear fine. Makes me think something is out of alignment, I have a tweaked control arm or my axle is shifted. I got it with my stock, worn down tires too...
 
I usually just sight down the sidewall of the tire, and when the outside edge of the top and bottom sidewall line up visually, I compare the distance from the edge of the fender flare to a point on the tire that is the same on each side, i.e. the same tread block. Not scientific, but seems to work for me.

I used those same 3/4" spring spacers on my Rubicon for a bit more lift.

Looking good.
 
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I just eyeball it. You can measure from inside the fender well to the edge of the tire/disc/drum if you want to be more precise. The flare isn't a great spot to measure since they can get tweaked and/or uneven.
 
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Spent a couple days designing a bumper...I'm an engineer even though I don't do any engineering at work anymore. I also like "making" stuff. So, I thought I'd build my own bumper. I really like the design of the dirtworx one, but don't like the 2 x 4 tube just bolted on to the frame. I like the JCR DIY bumper, but it looks a little too DIY for me. This design is kind of a cross between the two.

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Next up will be patterning it out of cardboard. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to try to cut all the plate myself (I don't have a plasma cutter) or send it to a fab shop. My Uncle runs one, so I can probably get a pretty good deal. Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the design. It may change slightly as I get better measurements on the frame for the mounting points, but the overall intent should be the same. I may add a couple of square holes outboard of the shackle hooks too, for mounting some LED fog lights.
 
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