Narrow tires?

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Ted05Rubi

TJ Enthusiast
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May 12, 2018
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MI, USA
Hello, Just joined minutes ago.
Here's may situation, recently bought a 2005 Rubicon with 82K. Had it checked over and is mechanically pretty sound, I retired from the collision industry so I checked it over for rust and it's not perfect but close. the frame has true "surface" rust and the typical fender top issues. It has not been lifted.
What I'm looking to do is keep tall tires but narrower than the LT285/75R16 that are on it now. Maybe even go down to a 15 inch steel wheel to get a 9.0 or 10 inch tire? Has anyone done this? Also along those lines any suggestions for a complete suspension "lift" kit that is only one or two inches?
All this may sound strange but we're just old enough that it's getting difficult to get in and out of our F350 and we don't want to have that with the Jeep. Thank to all & sorry so long winded, Ted
 
Welcome aboard! The 285/75 is a bit too big on a stock Jeep. The 265/75 would be a better fit. Or you can go to a 15" wheel like many have and run a 31x10.50 sized tire. If getting in and out is, or getting difficult, just run it at stock height and enjoy. A stock Rubicon is pretty damn capable.
 
OME has a very nice 2" suspension lift, that's what I'd go for if that's all the height you need. A 15x7 wheel would be ideal for a narrower tire like you're asking about. A 32" diameter tire is as tall as you an go with with a 2" suspension lift.
 
Jerry Bransford said:
OME has a very nice 2" suspension lift, that's what I'd go for if that's all the height you need. A 15x7 wheel would be ideal for a narrower tire like you're asking about. A 32" diameter tire is as tall as you an go with with a 2" suspension lift.
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Thank you Jerry, I was thinking 31 or 32" at most. do you think I'd sacrifice much in suspension travel doing that? Hope I replied in the correct place!
 
Jerry Bransford said:
OME has a very nice 2" suspension lift, that's what I'd go for if that's all the height you need. A 15x7 wheel would be ideal for a narrower tire like you're asking about. A 32" diameter tire is as tall as you an go with with a 2" suspension lift.
Click to expand...
Also do I need to be concerned about offset when getting wheels? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
 
Ted05Rubi said:
Thank you Jerry, I was thinking 31 or 32" at most. do you think I'd sacrifice much in suspension travel doing that? Hope I replied in the correct place!
Click to expand...
You would have no issues with travel, as long as you bump stop correctly. For wheel backspacing, anywhere from 3.75 to 4.5 for that combo will work great. Just depends on how much tire you want sticking out from the flare. With a 10.5" wide tire you can run stock wheels/backspacing with a washer or two behind the steering stop to prevent rubbing. Same with a 11.5" wide tire but you may still get a bit of rubbing.
 
Ted05Rubi said:
Also do I need to be concerned about offset when getting wheels? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
Forget you ever heard the term "offset" where Jeep and truck wheels are concerned. That's a measurement that is more useful for car wheels. The measurement most used with Jeep wheels is backspacing, which is the distance between the wheel's mounting surface and the wheel's inner-most edge.

For backspacing, anywhere from 3.75" to 5.25" is fine for a 31x10.50 tire. For a 32x11.50 tire the wheel needs to be positioned a little further to prevent sidewall rub out so you want no more than 4.5" of backspacing. The more backspacing a wheel has, the more into the wheelwell the tire is positioned. So a tire on a wheel with 3.75" of backspacing would stick out 1" more than the same size tire on a wheel with 4.75" of backspacing. I try to keep my tire tucked in as possible so I go with the most backspacing that works with my tires. Like I'm running 4" of backspacing with my 35x12.50 tires.

The yellow tape measure in the photo below is measuring the below wheel's backspacing. Offset is a different measurement which is the distance from the middle of the tire's mounting surface to the wheel's mounting surface. Backspace distance is more useful for trucks & Jeeps since it gives an absolute distance to the wheel's furthest-inside edge which is helpful for setting how close to the suspension the tire's inside sidewall can be.

Too much backspacing will cause the tire's inside sidewall to rub on various parts of the suspension like the control arms. Insufficient backspacing positions the tire out further than it needs to be. :)

wheel backspacing.jpg
 
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I have 265/75-16 tires on factory Moabs, they are 31.6" tall, 10.43" wide, compared to 31 x 10.5-15, so a bit taller, a bit narrower. They work great for me. There might be a tiny bit of rubbing on the control arm at full steering lock, but hardly noticeable. A single washer on the steering stop would prevent any possible rubbing. They are maybe 1/4" outside the Rubi flares.

2" OME suspension.

My wife and I are no longer spring chickens, so this is about the highest suspension we feel comfortable with, for entering and exiting the TJ.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Forget you ever heard the term "offset" where Jeep and truck wheels are concerned. That's a measurement that is more useful for car wheels. The measurement most used with Jeep wheels is backspacing, which is the distance between the wheel's mounting surface and the wheel's inner-most edge.

For backspacing, anywhere from 3.75" to 5.25" is fine for a 31x10.50 tire. For a 32x11.50 tire the wheel needs to be positioned a little further to prevent sidewall rub out so you want no more than 4.5" of backspacing. The more backspacing a wheel has, the more into the wheelwell the tire is positioned. So a tire on a wheel with 3.75" of backspacing would stick out 1" more than the same size tire on a wheel with 4.75" of backspacing. I try to keep my tire tucked in as possible so I go with the most backspacing that works with my tires. Like I'm running 4" of backspacing with my 35x12.50 tires.

The yellow tape measure in the photo below is measuring the below wheel's backspacing. Offset is a different measurement which is the distance from the middle of the tire's mounting surface to the wheel's mounting surface. Backspace distance is more useful for trucks & Jeeps since it gives an absolute distance to the wheel's furthest-inside edge which is helpful for setting how close to the suspension the tire's inside sidewall can be.

Too much backspacing will cause the tire's inside sidewall to rub on various parts of the suspension like the control arms. Insufficient backspacing positions the tire out further than it needs to be. :)

View attachment 41078
Click to expand...
That makes sense, Thanks again!
 
glwood said:
I have 265/75-16 tires on factory Moabs, they are 31.6" tall, 10.43" wide, compared to 31 x 10.5-15, so a bit taller, a bit narrower. They work great for me. There might be a tiny bit of rubbing on the control arm at full steering lock, but hardly noticeable. A single washer on the steering stop would prevent any possible rubbing. They are maybe 1/4" outside the Rubi flares.

2" OME suspension.

My wife and I are no longer spring chickens, so this is about the highest suspension we feel comfortable with, for entering and exiting the TJ.
Click to expand...
Good to know! When you list 2inch OEM suspension are you saying you made no changes to it from factory? Thanks in advance!
 
Jerry Bransford said:
OME has a very nice 2" suspension lift, that's what I'd go for if that's all the height you need. A 15x7 wheel would be ideal for a narrower tire like you're asking about. A 32" diameter tire is as tall as you an go with with a 2" suspension lift.
Click to expand...
Jerry, After 34 years in the collision business, my dyslexic brain automatically picked up "O.E.M. Ha Ha! glwood and I both got a chuckle out of it too!
 
I run 265/75r16 tires on the factory Moab rims as well, on 2 inches of lift. I did have to add on washer on my steering stops to stop the rubbing of my tires on my control arms. Though I've lost negligible amounts of turning radius, so no big deal there. I think they're the perfect small tire size for most applications. I prefer a skinnier tire.
 
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