Unlifted '96 Up Country. Biggest tires on MOAB wheels?

OK, so 5 years ago I needed new tires, and found a set of Moab wheels. Figured that was the time to put them on.

I'd been running 255/70 15s, and they were fine ... no rubbing.

The MOAB wheels had worn-out 275/75 16s on them when I got them. I put them on the old Jeep to see how they looked, and they were awesome! Rubbed, though.

I ended up with 245/70 16s on it. They're a bit taller than the 255/70 15s were, but skinnier. Don't like them.

They're about worn out now, and it's time to put some ManTires on that thing! What are the biggest tires I can fit on there without rubbing, or only needing a little BFH massaging to get them not to rub?

245/75s
WJ arms
will fit inside the fender on a stuff and won't rub the arms.
They'll be an inch taller than your current ones.

That's about as big as you can fit without cutting up fenders.

Thanks for the response.

I'm a little curious about the width, though.

The tire rack comparison tool shows the 255/70 15s I ran for years with no rubbing as being 10.04" wide. It shows both the 245/70 16s that I am currently running, and the 245 75 16 you're recommending as being 9.65" wide.

That is wayyy too skinny for me!

you have to take into account the width and different backspacing of the moab wheels. TJ moabs are 5" of backspacing and an inch wider. Stock 15x7s are 5.5" backspacing. That combines to shove the tire out about 3/4".

there's a factory up country with moabs and 245/75s sitting in my driveway. you're not gonna get anything wider to tuck inside the fenders when you stuff them, unless you want to start cutting.

don't forget longer wheel studs. ZJ ones work.

35" maxxis creepy crawlers.

1" wheel spacer

87manche said:

you have to take into account the width and different backspacing of the moab wheels. TJ moabs are 5" of backspacing and an inch wider. Stock 15x7s are 5.5" backspacing. That combines to shove the tire out about 3/4".

there's a factory up country with moabs and 245/75s sitting in my driveway. you're not gonna get anything wider to tuck inside the fenders when you stuff them, unless you want to start cutting.

don't forget longer wheel studs. ZJ ones work.

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OK, I'm not trying to argue with your experience, but I have some, too.

The 255/70 15s I had on my stock 5 spoke wheels didn't rub, and didn't stick out. They came close to filling the wheelwell. Looked factory. They were 29.06" tall, and 10.04" wide.

The 245/70 16s I have on my Jeep now are 29.5" tall, 9.65" wide. That is 7/10" narrower than what worked perfectly on my Jeep for 55,000 miles. Both tires were the same brand; Bridgestone Dueler ATs. That 7/10" narrower looks horrible. All my pals call them "chick tires", and someone stuck a GLAAD sticker on my window at a poker tournament.

Regardless, from my own experience, i absolutely KNOW you can run at least a 255 tire with absolutely NO problems.

Yes, the stock wheel has 1/2 more backspace, and it's an inch narrower. but I've had 245/70 16s on MY Up Country XJ for 40,000 miles, and the tires come nowhere near the ends of the flares. Maybe there's a difference between manufacturers in width, but there's an inch-and-a-half to 2" more room there.

Here are pics of my XJ with the super-badass 275/75 16s:














Those bad boys SCREAM "I have HUGE huevos!", and they fit PERFECTLY ....... as long as you didn't turn the wheel, or hit a bump.

I wish now I'd looked a little closer. I'd just put them on there for a lark; the tires were worn out, so I had no intention of running them, but I think I might have been able to trim the lower inside edges of the flares and took the BFH to the insides of the rear wheelwells and made the work. Don't they look AWESOME on there?

That 275/75 16 is 32.24" tall, and 10.83" wide. A 265/70 16 is 30.61" tall (more than 1 1/2" shorter, and 10.43" wide, 4/10" narrower. I suspect that might fit. I was just hoping someone on here had experience with it.

The one thing I know for sure is you can get more than a 245/70 16 on there; at least, in a Bridgestone Dueler AT.

I have an Up Country with a .75" spacer and shackle with 245/75R16 Duratracs on stock 16x7 Icon wheels and they rub the flares when flexed. Borrowed my friends Moab wheels with same tires and still rubbed. Good luck.

Ian Christiansen said:

I have an Up Country with a .75" spacer and shackle with 245/75R16 Duratracs on stock 16x7 Icon wheels and they rub the flares when flexed. Borrowed my friends Moab wheels with same tires and still rubbed. Good luck.

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You do bring up an important point.

You said they rub "when flexed".

My XJ is strictly a road vehicle. I run a somewhat aggressively treaded tire strictly because I go out in snow and blizzards and pull people out.

IMG_20150406_185238_705 by nsjames805, on Flickr

IMG_20150406_185258_086 by nsjames805, on Flickr

IMG_20150406_185318_845 by nsjames805, on Flickr

IMG_20150406_185333_279 by nsjames805, on Flickr

the red jeep is moabs
the blue jeep is stock kj steel 16x7s. Both are 245/75
the wooden bumper is not my doing.
The blue jeeps fenders are all cut up and bashed in with a hammer ugliness. Also, not my doing.
Blue jeep has stock lower arms and rubs.
red jeep has WJ arms and doesn't. It didn't with these tires and stock XJ wheels either.

So there's photos, go from there.

and yes, I like no rubbing ever. So if you're good with some then run something bigger. I figured it was more trail oriented.

With the Moabs it also rubbed making 90 degree turns at speed in the front at the bottom of the plastic end cap. And I have trimmed a few inches off the bottom of them. If you never use it, then run the 265's, you'll be fine.

87manche said:

the red jeep is moabs
the blue jeep is stock kj steel 16x7s. Both are 245/75
the wooden bumper is not my doing.
The blue jeeps fenders are all cut up and bashed in with a hammer ugliness. Also, not my doing.
Blue jeep has stock lower arms and rubs.
red jeep has WJ arms and doesn't. It didn't with these tires and stock XJ wheels either.

So there's photos, go from there.

Click to expand...

a) Clearly, there is a difference between brands. My 245 70 16 Bridgestone Duelers are skinnier than those tires. It's in the shop right now, I'll post pics when I can.

b) I LIKE the wood bumper.

c) Those 275s looked really cool on my Jeep, right?

the all terrains are hankooks, the highway tires are bridgestones.

I prefer function over form, so no, tires that don't fit aren't cool for me. I like to be able to turn and go over things at the same time.

Do whatever you want man. I'm telling you what fits without rubbing on the body or suspension parts. Anything larger is going to rub at full lock or when the suspension works. As I already mentioned, even at 245/75 you need to change to WJ arms or it will rub the LCA at full lock.

and the hankooks looked like the bridgestones when they were on stock 16x7 icons.
The wheel makes all the difference.

I have Rusty's adjustable lower arms and they rub a little bit at full lock.

seanof30306@yahoo. said:

I go out in snow and blizzards and pull people out.

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LOL, The snowpocalypse of Atlanta!

I have factory Rubicon MOABs and 245/75/16 MTRs and guess what?

They rub on my LCA at full turn. They will also pop off my front flares at full flex.

my other junk has 30x9.5r15 falkens on it.

They're just a smidge narrower, so they don't rub.
I've also ran 31x10.5r15s on stock suspension. Rubs all over. Requires fender trimming.

87manche said:

I'm telling you what fits without rubbing on the body or suspension parts. Anything larger is going to rub at full lock or when the suspension works. As I already mentioned, even at 245/75 you need to change to WJ arms or it will rub the LCA at full lock.

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That is not correct.

I've had 245/70 16s on my Jeep since September of 2005, and they have never, not one single time, rubbed at full lock. The 245/70 is the exact same width as the 275/75.

I had 255/70 15s, which are over half-an-inch wider than than than the 245/70 16, and the 245/75 16, and they not once, in over 55,000 miles of use rubbed at full lock.

shelbyluvv said:

LOL, The snowpocalypse of Atlanta!

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Been back in Tulsa for over 10 years. I've changed my location half a dozen times, but it always goes back to "Atlanta".

Been through half a dozen blizzards here since I moved back.

seanof30306@yahoo. said:

That is not correct.

I've had 245/70 16s on my Jeep since September of 2005, and they have never, not one single time, rubbed at full lock. The 245/70 is the exact same width as the 275/75.

I had 255/70 15s, which are over half-an-inch wider than than than the 245/70 16, and the 245/75 16, and they not once, in over 55,000 miles of use rubbed at full lock.

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yeah, because diameter doesn't have anything to do with hitting the control arm when you turn the tire..

whatever man, why did you even bother coming to ask if you weren't going to listen to anyone?
A number of people have told you that 245/75s rub. I can go make the one parked out in front that I drive everyday do it right now if you want video.

I don't really care what you do with your junk, so go ahead and put some useless tires that will rub all over the body and suspension, make your effective gear ratio crap and generally ruin the driveability of your vehicle so that you can look like you've got "huge huevos".

Just stop asking for advice if you're unwilling to even consider it and proceed with what you want to do anyway.
You wasted all of our time with this thread.

87manche said:

yeah, because diameter doesn't have anything to do with hitting the control arm when you turn the tire..

whatever man, why did you even bother coming to ask if you weren't going to listen to anyone?
A number of people have told you that 245/75s rub. I can go make the one parked out in front that I drive everyday do it right now if you want video.

I don't really care what you do with your junk, so go ahead and put some useless tires that will rub all over the body and suspension, make your effective gear ratio crap and generally ruin the driveability of your vehicle so that you can look like you've got "huge huevos".

Just stop asking for advice if you're unwilling to even consider it and proceed with what you want to do anyway.
You wasted all of our time with this thread.

Click to expand...

And now we get to the heart of the matter. You don't like what I want to do with my Jeep. so you do everything you can do to quash it, including manufacturing your own "facts".

You are free to ignore my posts about what I want to do with my vehicle at any time, sir.