Optimum rim offset/b.s. for 33x12,5 & possibly WJ arms?

Hello,

My XJ has been riding on 31's for too long, and I want to go bigger. 33" is the aim, at as little lift as possible. Currently I'm on 2" OME, will be BB'ing it to about 3,5", maybe 4". So I want the tires to tuck inside the fenderwells, especially in the rear where they are narrower in the opening (i have cut the sheetmetal behind my stock flares and attached them at the outer edge). Also I don't want to lose too much turning radius in front. Have been thinking of getting WJ arms, if they help the turning any, or will 33" be too big to hit the arc of the WJ arms? Are there other lower control arms that swing away from the tire and can be bought separately?

So I wonder what wheel offset I should be looking at. I think I have decided on 8" wide rims. Any experience, ideas, tips etc?

I want Outlaw 2's, but they only come in -19mm offset, I've been thinking that's too far out, but I'm not sure anymore as I currently rub the control arms with 31x10,5 and 7" stock rims on 20mm offset. Rocky-road sells rims with selectable backspacing in 1/2 inch increments.

Thanks for all help! :viking:

With such little lift, 33" tires, and 15x8 rims, I would think 4.5" backspaced rims would be the least amount of backspacing that will allow the tire to stuff in the wheel wells without too much modification. Some people use 4.75" backspaced rims that appear to tuck in nicely, but you might lose some turning radius if the front tires hit the lower control arms....I'm not sure if they do though.

What width 33?

I have 4.5" of lift and YJ flares and 33x12.5's on 15x8 with 3.75 BS. They stick out to the outside lip of a stock flare and would not stuff well with so little lift. However, they do not rub the lower control arms much either (only at full lock). Personally I think that the 4 to 4.25" BS is optimum

Michael

you'll prolly need to go higher than 3.5-4" to cycle the suspension without rubbing anywhere to fit 33x12's. Either that or really start cutting. Make sure you adjust yer bumpstops. With 4" BS, my 33's still just barely rubbed the LCA's (and inner wheelwell for that matter) at full lock.

I have been really cutting. There is nothing (okay, very little) sheet metal below the inner wheelwells. I am talking about 33x12,5.

I have a question with backspacing. Backspacing is measured with the rim lying on the ground, then with a tape measure from the ground up to the mounting surface, right? Well, the problem is that nobody knows how wide the outer lip of the rim really is, so there's no way to accurately calculate the offset? I used to believe 4" BS on an 8" rim equals 0 offset, but now I'm not so sure... does anyone of you know? Here they are usually only listed in mm offset.

But thanks for your replies, they made me a little wiser! :viking:

I think it all depends on tthe jeep. I have 4.5" backspacing with 15x8 wheels and about 5" of lift on 33x1250 BFG AT's. I did have to limit my steering stops with 2 small washers on each side but I'm not complaining. Actually I don't feel the limitation really cause I old only a small fraction. Lastly sawzall and metal shears are your friends

taken from http://www.yuccaman.com/

hope this helps you