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Help with Tire Choice

B

Bleckers3

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Waretown, NJ
I completed phase 1 of my lift last weekend.

NOW THE DILEMMA:

I have a set of 15x8 4" bs rims.

Do I get 31x10.5 or 33x12.50

Disclaimer: I have read a hundred posts and I'm still on the fence.

How bad are 33's on stock gears for a few month? I was going to get 31...but I think I will be bored asap.

I hate to buy 2 sets of tires when from the looks of it 33 with trimming would be perfect. :confused1:

Either way i'm thinking duratracs.

Is 15x8 Enough for 33x12.5

Or do I get 33x10.5 and limit myself to bfg...

Please help!

I live in NJ so more mud and trails than rocks. I do live @ the beach so the potential for beach driving is there...

1998 xj auto 8.25 rear. Factory 3.55 open.

RE 3.5 coils, LCA, Leafs
IRO Track Bar
IRO HnT SYE w front drive shaft (4deg shim)
Zone 4.5 nitro shocks.

to be installed this weekend:
extended brake lines - c1500 and f350
jks disco
 
Looks like we have the same jeep...well kinda...Mines a white 98 also.

I plan to get the flat fender and I'm setting the bump stops. I like the low cog..
 
33's will be fine. I drove on 3.07's for years and didn't know what I was missing.
I do like the 4.10's much better though.

I guess it comes down to how soon you will have the cash to regear.
 
It would be a daily driver for a while. In theory gas mileage may improve on the highway....due to lower RPM...but it will shift more...

I had a ram1500 with the 5.9 with 35's a few years ago. It needed gears, was irritating, but not the end of the world...

If I bought the tires in the next 3 months, i'd be looking at a 6-8 month window before I would re-gear, barring any other catastrophic failure ie: engine....
 
shoud be fine with 33's, however gas mileage will suffer.
i dont think they'll clear a 3" lift without a ton of trimming unless you only go to the store and get milk.
mine was at 3" with 33's for a short period and it rubbed with a MAJOR trim.
 
I run 33x12.50s on mine right now with stock gearing, 3.55s. It does fine but I do want to upgrade to 4.56s. Mine is not a daily driver though. Only reason is that I drive 100 miles round trip.

Go with Kevlar MTRs. Great is sand and mud. Also have good road manners.

Matt
 
Just trying to help:

31 Duratracs with 3" lift:

2012-04-07_16-19-12_111.jpg


You think you'd get bored with 31s? HAHAHA!!

13_img_8_1.jpg
 
I realize you can have tons of fun with 31's. My 3.5 lift netted way over 3". The RE 3.5 seems tall to be honest.

Thus 33 with fender trim and bump stop may work. I also can grow to 4.5 long arm very easily...

1.jpg


I'm also noticing, I have fixed lower control arms, i feel like they are short....
 
You certainly can do it and it may be something I do in the future. However, gearing on the road and traction off the road are my biggest concerns. 1 locker and 31s was the choice I made rather than raiding the bank for a regear along with 33s.

For the record: stock gears, 31s, and a locker is better at daily driving AND wheeling than 33s, geared and open (if that is the choice you have to make). If you plan on driving around for a year or so on stock gears, I'd certainly choose 31s.
 
I vote for 33's and trimming for now. For the price of a set of 31's you could re-gear. You are already thinking 33's so you might as well go bigger. In my Grand I wasn't happy with 31's so I moved up to long arms and 35's.
 
Why not split the difference and go 32's? That's what I have been looking at. You can Goodyear MTRs for $620 for 4 at Tire Rack after the rebate.
 
My goal is to shackle rear to 4.5 add bds long arms and new coils. I want to stop at trimmed 4.5 range. I already have quotes out to gear and add tru-trac and e locker. I just hate to buy 2 sets of tires. Meh.... I'm still torn. Maybe I'll get craptastic 31's....
 
Go with the 33's

I have a RE 3.5" I have Pieced together over the past few months to replace my Jeeps P.O.'s wonderful lift kit he decided on (3" Tuff country with blocks) I also got a insane deal on a set of 33" Toyo OC M/T's.
 
If your already having thoughts of 33s get them now.

Only thing I enjoyed about 31s was- somewhat better mpg vs 33s (on stock 3.55s), easier on suspension and steering (ball joints, hubs, and steering), easier on the body itself, and I also learned how to pick lines much better running 31s for a while.

Once you get 33s though its all down hill from there!! I eventually after 2 years regeared to 4.88s, locked my axles one at a time, went to a long arm lift.... and ya you know the story. 33s are more capable though even if you just plan on running with stock gears and no lockers, the wider tire def is a big advantage if you wheel in the rocks. I live in NJ but wheel at Rausch Creek and have put my xj through A LOT there on 33s.. most importantly is get skids and recovery.

Your jeep looks good so far though!! Good height for a set of 33s if you ask me lol :)
 
One big tip if your gona run 33s on stock gears for a bit, on the highway use 3rd instead of OD. I overheated my trans by running it in OD during a hot summer day, If you can I would install a nice trans cooler to hold you over til you get the gears (try getting one off a pickup at a junkyard)

Make sure you have fresh trans fluid too, your 33s will def heat those trans temps up regardless so make sure you have nice clean fluid in there to begin with. Old trans fluid, big tires, and stock gears don't go together to well.
 
x2 run 3rd gear and a tranny cooler. i ran 35s with stocks gears for about 2 years and only used 3rd and i have a stock tranny cooler and got about 15mpg running a 4.0ho auto with a 8 inch lift
 
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