Sorry to make yet another "how big of tires can I run" thread, but mostly what I see on other forums refers to either JKs, or a Dana 35 rear. So, might as well ask. And I apologize; I write a lot.
I've got an '05 LJ that is relatively stock, and I'm hoping to modify it in a few months. Dana 30/44 limited slip, 3.73 gears and 6 speed manual. I do not plan on upgrading the axles at all, because I'm hoping to swap them out in a few years, when the new tires wear out. Hopefully. Which is why, as much as I'd like 35s, I'm planning on going with the 33s for now. I won't be doing very hard wheeling, either. It's my DD, and I'm more into overlanding and mild trails. So I'm hoping that the 33s, which are usually 32.5" to 32.7" will work.
The only other consideration for tire size is if I run 17" rims. The reason I'm considering those is because I was stuck deciding between 10.5" and 12.5" tires. Being in the PNW, I'm leaning heavy on the 10.5" for the rain, snow, and being my DD. But, I thought maybe split the difference and go 11.5" or so. The only 11.5" on a 15" rim I can find is a 32", which is okay, I suppose... Until I looked at the metrics on 17" rims. Tires that're 285/75 17 are actually 33.9" tall, and 295/75 17 are 33.5" tall. I'm worried that those will be a bit too big for my axles.
I like the TJ specs thread, as well as the "so you wanna run 35s" thread, I found them to be very helpful. This might be a bit too much to ask for, but what might be good to prevent future threads (like mine) is maybe something explaining which axles can handle what, between the stock axle options and common replacement ones. And, what they can handle in stock configuration vs being modified further. Kinda like how much lift/tire, but instead how much axle/tire. Just a suggestion. Thanks.
I've got an '05 LJ that is relatively stock, and I'm hoping to modify it in a few months. Dana 30/44 limited slip, 3.73 gears and 6 speed manual. I do not plan on upgrading the axles at all, because I'm hoping to swap them out in a few years, when the new tires wear out. Hopefully. Which is why, as much as I'd like 35s, I'm planning on going with the 33s for now. I won't be doing very hard wheeling, either. It's my DD, and I'm more into overlanding and mild trails. So I'm hoping that the 33s, which are usually 32.5" to 32.7" will work.
The only other consideration for tire size is if I run 17" rims. The reason I'm considering those is because I was stuck deciding between 10.5" and 12.5" tires. Being in the PNW, I'm leaning heavy on the 10.5" for the rain, snow, and being my DD. But, I thought maybe split the difference and go 11.5" or so. The only 11.5" on a 15" rim I can find is a 32", which is okay, I suppose... Until I looked at the metrics on 17" rims. Tires that're 285/75 17 are actually 33.9" tall, and 295/75 17 are 33.5" tall. I'm worried that those will be a bit too big for my axles.
I like the TJ specs thread, as well as the "so you wanna run 35s" thread, I found them to be very helpful. This might be a bit too much to ask for, but what might be good to prevent future threads (like mine) is maybe something explaining which axles can handle what, between the stock axle options and common replacement ones. And, what they can handle in stock configuration vs being modified further. Kinda like how much lift/tire, but instead how much axle/tire. Just a suggestion. Thanks.
