Optimal tire size for 2.5 4 cylinder?

[The4bangertj]

Mines a 2.5 with 33s and used to be stock gearing. Have driven across the country 5 times that way. Cruise 70 in 5th for anything but a big hill. On the east coast the fastest speed limit around was 55 or 65 out of state if I can remember and with being at sea level I actually loved it. Got 22mpg frequently and while it’s not fast I never felt like I couldn’t keep up. Out west in Idaho with the elevation and mountains I have to down shift a lot more but any standard interstate is flat enough I normally go 70 in 5th unless is a windy day. Just got new axles with 4.56 gears but haven’t driven enough to say how much better they are. All in all I never had a problem with my 2.5 with 33s even with stock gears but I can see some people who just wouldn’t deal with it. Depends on where you live and what you want to do with it would dictate that more imo.

 

[reddvltj]

Cant say I have researched those sizes but there is more sizes being bantered about. The point I was agreeing too was " weight make all the difference in the world " comment-

Oh definitely. The tire tread pattern, and casing design are also factors. Super Swamper tires for example run pretty close to twice the weight as say Maxxis Buckshot Mudders in the same exact tire size and load rating.

 

[reddvltj]

Mines a 2.5 with 33s and used to be stock gearing. Have driven across the country 5 times that way. Cruise 70 in 5th for anything but a big hill. On the east coast the fastest speed limit around was 55 or 65 out of state if I can remember and with being at sea level I actually loved it. Got 22mpg frequently and while it’s not fast I never felt like I couldn’t keep up. Out west in Idaho with the elevation and mountains I have to down shift a lot more but any standard interstate is flat enough I normally go 70 in 5th unless is a windy day. Just got new axles with 4.56 gears but haven’t driven enough to say how much better they are. All in all I never had a problem with my 2.5 with 33s even with stock gears but I can see some people who just wouldn’t deal with it. Depends on where you live and what you want to do with it would dictate that more imo.

The 4.56 gears make a pretty big difference overall. That's how I started out too '97se with 33s and stock gears, eventually went to 4.56. The 4.56 gears crawl a lot better then the 4.10s... If I had to do it again I'd have gone to the 4.88s for the crawl ratio, but it's not that big of a jump at highway speeds...

 

[The4bangertj]

The 4.56 gears make a pretty big difference overall. That's how I started out too '97se with 33s and stock gears, eventually went to 4.56. The 4.56 gears crawl a lot better then the 4.10s... If I had to do it again I'd have gone to the 4.88s for the crawl ratio, but it's not that big of a jump at highway speeds...

Ya just around town is noticeably better. Even the big hill in town where I normally have to try hard to gain speed up it doesn’t have a problem now. I can walk up it without changing throttle input. First gear grabs and goes and is super short but I love it and can’t wait to see it crawl (the previous owner had installed the clutch backwards and I put one and the same way I pulled it so my clutch has always been very mushy and never grabbed but now it grabs so much better and with the gears it’ll be so much better). Haven’t gone on the highway at all yet to say since that’s normally what people complain the most about.

 

[JustDandee]

Oh definitely. The tire tread pattern, and casing design are also factors. Super Swamper tires for example run pretty close to twice the weight as say Maxxis Buckshot Mudders in the same exact tire size and load rating.

…ironically I had. CJ7 2.5 w/Maxxis Bighorn (32”)- bought that up in the Salmon area -your neck of the woods. Between those tires and the beast of winch That thing struggled to get 55mph when I first got!

 

[reddvltj]

…ironically I had. CJ7 2.5 w/Maxxis Bighorn (32”)- bought that up in the Salmon area -your neck of the woods. Between those tires and the beast of winch That thing struggled to get 55mph when I first got!

I had almost forgot how long that 2.5 has been around...LOL

 

[Wildman]

…ironically I had. CJ7 2.5 w/Maxxis Bighorn (32”)- bought that up in the Salmon area -your neck of the woods. Between those tires and the beast of winch That thing struggled to get 55mph when I first got!

I could get my 4 angry squirrels to do 65-70 MPH even with the heavy 33" TSL Boggers on the Jeep. And I had a Warn 8274 winch on the front too.

Funny story, I found out REALLY fast what NOT having a good ground on your winch does. My brake lines were glowing and the winch wasn't working anymore. Added a GOOD ground between the frame and the battery and Wala the winch worked great.

BTW Boggers are NOT a good snow tire without some sipping. And metal rims don't hold a bead as well as aluminum rims do.