• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Pros and Cons of 30" or 31"

So I am probably going to go 31's now which should I go with....AT's or MT's?? This is my dd also but a lot of the trails around here get pretty muddy so I am not sure what to go with. I like the ways MT's look personally. So thats what I am leaning more towards.
 
AT's are good for daily drivers, but if you don't mind a little road noise and a little faster wear, then the MT's are better... I am using BFG AT's on our Suburban with excellent results, but I have Goodyear MTR's on my XJ and love them, but they are a little pricey... I paid about $170 each for 32's.... They really aren't much louder than the BFG AT's either, but I hear they wont' last as long.... We'lll see, so far I am very happy with them.
 
tcfXJwfo said:
I went with 31" BFG MT with a 3" lift and had no troubles on factory steel spoke rims and I wheeled the snot out of it. Stick with a 10.5" wide tire or narrower. It may rub the lower rear part of the fender flare with 31's at full lock and stuff. It really just depends on how you drive off road.
Click to expand...

Mine rubbed in the back too, Rusty's 3 inch (came out about 4 1/2) with 31's.
I too went with AT's and now wish I'd gote with MT's. I also wish I'd gone to 16 inch rims. After I got adjustable lowers they rubbed a little in front. Seems like no matter what you do you'll need to trim something.

Bumpstops and longer brake lines are both commonly overlooked.

Mine is a 99
 
30's on a 3 inch.
n202300594_30028750_9228.jpg

When I first got them I wished I had gone 31's. But no it has grown on me because of ZERO rubbing. And they look fine on the jeep.
 
I like that shot, here is a pic of a 32" MTR at full stuff... It rubs lightly on the top and rear inner fender well, but not enough to worry. I did have t trim a little in the front, but not major.... Definitely recommend at least 4" of lift for 32's....
p2043790m.jpg
 
kleake, I like the way those rims look with the cast faces painted to match the Jeep!

In January I bought an '88 XJ with a 3.5" RE lift sitting in the cargo area, and running 31x10.5" tires on the 15x7" steel rims. With 186k I'm sure the suspension wasn't sitting at full factory height, either. I swapped the tires onto rims like those above (but dirty as hell) and took this picture (warning, even though it's specced for web viewing, the image is large):

http://seafarer-research-center.com/catamarans/img_0095.jpg

It rubbed the control arms when turning to the left, but could turn full-lock to the right with no rubbing! I cleaned the rims and put this tire/wheel combo on the '93 XJ I bought my girlfriend, then installed the lift kit. It doesn't rub at all now.

Slightly off-topic:
I also have 31x10.5" MTs on my stock '89 YJ. They rub the tops of the fenders and the leaf springs, but it really doesn't bother me. I also run 33x10.5" TSLs on my stock '85 J10, and they dont rub on anything at all.
 
Thanks!!! Eagle 1 all purpose wheel cleaner does wonders for brake dust and grime... Mine looked almost as bad as yours till I cleaned them up a time or two for painting... My 32's do rub the control arms and sway bar at full lock, but I adjusted my stops to compensate... Also helps me from getting them to sharp and in a bind while on the pedal hard... Also they rub a little on the top of the springs as well when fully suffed, but all rubbing is very minor and only when pushed to the extreme.. I sure whish these things were 8 inches wide though.... My 31's I had on the MJ also rubbed a couple of places in the extreme...
 
I originally tried using a rust/paint removal wheel on a cordless drill, and with a lot of work it could clean the machined surfaces but not really get into the cast areas. I went with Eagle 1's self-etching aluminum rim cleaner. It's sulfuric acid, muratic acid, and hydrocloric acid all in one bottle. Between that and some scrubbing pads and bristle brushes the rims can fairly clean. I used Mothers on the machined surfaces but need to do it again, maybe with their Powerball on my drill.
 
kinda changing the subject again, but i ran 30s w/o a lift and currently have 31s with a 3.5 in. lift..gotta say gas mileage went down the tubes a bit with 31s and stock gears, but 31s get me places i never got before with 30s..you can do an awful lot though even with 30s..depends on what you're doing really..hope this helps a bit
 
I currently have 30" tires on my stock Comanche, and I've done trails 1, 4, and 5 in Tellico without any damage. I went with the International Full-Size Jeep Association (in the MJ because my J10 couldn't make the trip) and there were stock GWs on 30s that did the same trails. Parked side-by-side I had 2" more clearance at the rocker panels than they did.

Last year I did Uwharrie in the same Comanche, with the same tires. I did the easy and moderate trails, again with no damage.

I now have a 3" lift and 4.10 geared axles and lockers waiting to be installed on the Comanche, but that is besides the point.

Dirtdogger- your fuel mileage may not be as bad as you think. Since the 31s travel further for each rotation, you are going faster and further than the speedometer and odometer/tripometer show. Switching to 4.10 gears with 31" tires should correct the speedometer and restore stock power levels.
 
Sorry to dig up an old thread....but here's what I want to do.

I've searched through all the threads and got a good idea of whats gonna work.

I'm planning a 3" lift....probably Rough Country. I would LIKE to do 31's, but I do 90% highway travel now and not much in the way of wheelin....for now.

I would like to keep the mpg as best as possible (who wouldn't) but I understand that with a lift, stock gears and bigger tires, it's gonna go down a bit....and i'm cool with that.

I am going to keep the stock ecco's because I just got them and love the look of them over just about any other wheel.

I'm probably going to go the 30x9.5 route.....but i'm debating on muds or a/t's. Pretty much settled on bfg's....especially if I go the a/t route. The highway travel is making me lean towards a/t, but the fact I do little to no rock crawlin it makin me wanna go the muds route.

So if i'm correct, I shouldn't run into any problems with the 3" RC and 30x9.5's on stock ecco's?

Thanks yall for the help. Trying to do this right the first time, and i'm not a big fan in hacking up the fenders on my jeep....especially since almost all of them are new....lol.
 
I have a 2" budget lift on mine (spacers & shackles) I run 30's. I drive anywhere I want to pretty much.

I do know that 31's will fit and clear 85% of the situations I would ever be in, as this is a hunting rig/daily driver type thing. I have a bigger toy for rocks. Found this out cuz the tire shop mistakenly put 1 31" tire on my rims, and I didn't realize it until I had already been wheeling. It was on the pass front.

I have yet to see any signs of the 30's rubbing anywhere, except the layers of mud that it accrues during hunting season.

And 30" mud tires with a locker let me go places in 2wd (@ < 5 mph), that the big trucks have to either use 4wd, or use the loud pedal a lot.

Humbles them a bit when they know I have less than 3 large in mine, and their monthly payment is almost 1/3 of that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Dana 30 arb locker question.
Replies
13
Views
246
Bmfinney
B
C
Tire and Wheel Selection
Replies
2
Views
64
Evan03
E
A
dana 30 low pinion 488 on 33.6 inch tires ?
Replies
6
Views
1K
75SV1
7
R
Which steering box brace? Bearing or not?
Replies
7
Views
393
75SV1
7
A
2000 xj Dana 30 truss
2
Replies
29
Views
1K
Anak
Anak
Back
Top