Searched but can't find: lift + stock wheels

I've searched but can't find info specific to my question...

I have a 1989 XJ

This was my father in law's Jeep and he had 30 x 9.5's with badly sagging springs and they rubbed like hell up front and a bit in the rear as well.

I am lifting the Jeep this weekend 3". I have the original 15x8 white steel wheels complete with chrome beauty rings and black plastic "Jeep" logo center caps. Call me nuts but I'd like to keep the original wheels if I can. Is there enough stock backspacing to put 31 X 10.5''s without rubbing once I have the lift on?

Thanks

Mark

Yup. You may have to adjust the steering stops out a bit though to keep from hitting the LCAs.

agreed, easily done, i had a 3" on my 93, 31x10.50 MT's and they barely rubbed the lip on the LCA's, only turning at full lock. I'm going to do the same on my 94 now, i like to look of the original wheels as well...Good luck.

Biernuts said:

I've searched but can't find info specific to my question...

I have a 1989 XJ

This was my father in law's Jeep and he had 30 x 9.5's with badly sagging springs and they rubbed like hell up front and a bit in the rear as well.

I am lifting the Jeep this weekend 3". I have the original 15x8 white steel wheels complete with chrome beauty rings and black plastic "Jeep" logo center caps. Call me nuts but I'd like to keep the original wheels if I can. Is there enough stock backspacing to put 31 X 10.5''s without rubbing once I have the lift on?

Thanks

Mark

Click to expand...

I ran 32x11.5's on those same wheels, it rubbed a bit when i turned but was not bad. I would imagine 31x10.5 wouldn't be bad at all.

Biernuts said:

Call me nuts but I'd like to keep the original wheels if I can.

Click to expand...

Actually, I think alot of people like the looks of bigger tires on stock rims. Or at least I do.

also you can consider wheel spacers, but I think thats may be alot of stress of stock axle componets with bigger tires. Of course, I'm not an expert.

wacho4 said:

also you can consider wheel spacers, but I think thats may be alot of stress of stock axle componets with bigger tires. Of course, I'm not an expert.

Click to expand...

It should be no more stress as using wheels with the offset that your spacers put you at. One of the local guys (MJR/Mike Rollins) runs 35" creepy crawlers on Rubicon wheels with a 1.25" spacer to get the right offset, and he wheels it -hard-. It has never caused him a problem.

-Cal

Thanks guys....that saves me worry and $ now that I can keep my wheels...

Mark

Biernuts said:

I've searched but can't find info specific to my question...

I have a 1989 XJ

This was my father in law's Jeep and he had 30 x 9.5's with badly sagging springs and they rubbed like hell up front and a bit in the rear as well.

I am lifting the Jeep this weekend 3". I have the original 15x8 white steel wheels complete with chrome beauty rings and black plastic "Jeep" logo center caps. Call me nuts but I'd like to keep the original wheels if I can. Is there enough stock backspacing to put 31 X 10.5''s without rubbing once I have the lift on?

Thanks

Mark

Click to expand...

Nope.

First, if you have white steel wheels, either they aren't 15x8 or they aren't factory wheels. The factory 6-slot (or 8-slot until 1988) white "wagon wheels" were 15x7, and they never came with beauty rings. The 15x6 9-slot base wheels had beauty rings on the Pioneers, but not on the Base or SE models. These were silver ("argent"), not white.

If your wheels are factory, backspacing is 5-1/4" which is MORE than any available aftermarket wheels. The stock wheels will handle 31x10.50 tires and allow them to stuff inside the fenders. Aftermarket wheels with less backspacing usually won't stuff and require trimming. But on the factory rims 31x10.50s (and even 30x9.50s) rub on the lower control arms at full steering lock. This is a function os steering geometry and is generally not affected by lift.

Eagle said:

Nope.

First, if you have white steel wheels, either they aren't 15x8 or they aren't factory wheels. The factory 6-slot (or 8-slot until 1988) white "wagon wheels" were 15x7, and they never came with beauty rings. The 15x6 9-slot base wheels had beauty rings on the Pioneers, but not on the Base or SE models. These were silver ("argent"), not white.

Click to expand...

My spare when I bought my jeep was a 15x7 white wagon wheel ..with a beauty ring. The tires on my jeep were identicle 15x7 black wagon wheels with beauty rings. 1987 Xj, 4.0 4x4 aw4, no other options at all, very base model.

First, if you have white steel wheels, either they aren't 15x8 or they aren't factory wheels. The factory 6-slot (or 8-slot until 1988) white "wagon wheels" were 15x7, and they never came with beauty rings. The 15x6 9-slot base wheels had beauty rings on the Pioneers, but not on the Base or SE models. These were silver ("argent"), not white.

If your wheels are factory, backspacing is 5-1/4" which is MORE than any available aftermarket wheels. The stock wheels will handle 31x10.50 tires and allow them to stuff inside the fenders. Aftermarket wheels with less backspacing usually won't stuff and require trimming. But on the factory rims 31x10.50s (and even 30x9.50s) rub on the lower control arms at full steering lock. This is a function os steering geometry and is generally not affected by lift.
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Well I know that they are the wheels that came with the car the day it was bought and they have "Jeep" center caps. Maybe they aren't 15 x 8 though.
And my mistake, the full size spare is a white wheel, the others are "argent".

I know these are the wheels that it came with because I have a Polaroid from 1989 of the Jeep on the day my father in law brought it home for my wife.
It's a base model 1989, no AC, 5 sp, I still have all the dealer paperwork, window sticker, etc....

Thanks for the info though!

Biernuts said:

Well I know that they are the wheels that came with the car the day it was bought and they have "Jeep" center caps. Maybe they aren't 15 x 8 though.
And my mistake, the full size spare is a white wheel, the others are "argent".

I know these are the wheels that it came with because I have a Polaroid from 1989 of the Jeep on the day my father in law brought it home for my wife.
It's a base model 1989, no AC, 5 sp, I still have all the dealer paperwork, window sticker, etc....

Thanks for the info though!

Click to expand...

Base models came with "mini" (donut) spares, so likely the spare was added later and that's why the mis-match. If the road wheels are "argent," do they have six triangular slots ("wagon wheels") or nine rectagular slots out near the outer portion of the center section? I'm guessing that what you have is the base wheel with nine rectangular slots (same as what came on my '88 Pioneer), and those are 15x6. The white spare (if it's a Jeep wheel) is 15x7.

Eagle said:

Base models came with "mini" (donut) spares, so likely the spare was added later and that's why the mis-match. If the road wheels are "argent," do they have six triangular slots ("wagon wheels") or nine rectagular slots out near the outer portion of the center section? I'm guessing that what you have is the base wheel with nine rectangular slots (same as what came on my '88 Pioneer), and those are 15x6. The white spare (if it's a Jeep wheel) is 15x7.

Click to expand...

My wife (who the car was for) swears the wheels were mis-matched at the time the car was bought. Maybe the dealer threw it in at sale time? Her dad was pretty ornery...might not of wanted his little girl going off to college in Colorado with a mini-spare.

Anyhow....
I need to go home now and check the number of slots on the wheel because now I'm thinking a 10.5 tire won't do well on a 15x6 wheel...

THanks again...

Biernuts said:

My wife (who the car was for) swears the wheels were mis-matched at the time the car was bought. Maybe the dealer threw it in at sale time? Her dad was pretty ornery...might not of wanted his little girl going off to college in Colorado with a mini-spare.

Anyhow....
I need to go home now and check the number of slots on the wheel because now I'm thinking a 10.5 tire won't do well on a 15x6 wheel...

Click to expand...

I'd be inclined to agree. I lucked out and got a full-size spare courtesy of having ordered mine with Trac-Lok, but I didn't realize just how street-oriented the stock tires were going to be. If I had been smart enough to order the outline white letter tires, I would have gotten HUGE 215/75R15 Wranglers and the 15x7 rims instead of P205/75 Vectors on 15x6 rims.

31x10.50s will work on a 6" rim. The wheelers' rule of thumb is rim width plus 4 inches, but people stretch that by an inch or two and get away with it. You'' only be stretching it by half an inch. It'll work fine off-road because you'll have to try very hard to pop a bead. On pavement, you might find that the narrow rim pulls the shoulders up and causes the tread to wear a bit faster toward the center, but it won't be unsafe.

http://www.midwestoffroad.com/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10011/normal_connies camera 011.jpg

look like these? These are on my 89' Pioneer

Littlewhitexj said:

http://www.midwestoffroad.com/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10011/normal_connies camera 011.jpg

look like these? These are on my 89' Pioneer

Click to expand...

Yep, but mine are white.

those were orogionally silver colored.. .but I burp-canned them black

Those are the factory 15x6 rims that were standard on the Base and Pioneer models. On the Base model the centers were all black and beauty rings were optional, and on the Pioneer the centers had "chrome" highlights (like in the photo) and the beauty rings were standard.

Both were silver/grey/"argent" in color. I don't think the factory ever issued those wheels in white, either on the XJ, MJ, or YJ.

how do you adjust the steering stops?