Wide Tires on my xj

grisham101 · May 17, 2007

Can I fit a tire wider than a 12.5 on a 89 xj. i plan on going with the full traction 6" long arm 4 link kit. but i have always liked tires wider. just wondering if the swamper ssr's 35x14.5x15 will fit, and if ya'll know what backspacing i might need. I know i am also going with the bushwacker cut out flares.

and if my brother who is on this reads this, yes, i do need a tire that big.

JBweld · May 17, 2007

Hey, welcome to Naxja :wave1: What part of Washington are you from?

Your question about tires is somewhat commom around here, and the modified tech section is the place to ask questions like that. But this site also has a great search feature, and you should get great results looking up topics like yours.

But to answer your question:
Yes, 35's will fit with cut out fender flares and a 6" lift, but just bolting on tires is the easy part. Is your steering, axles, trackbar, and lift up to the task?

John90XJ · May 19, 2007

The only guy I know that ever ran a 14.50" wide tire in the Northwest had to take three shots at every turn because his XJ couldn't fit that much tire when turning. Going around a trail switchback was an exercise in forward, back, forward, back....you get the idea. You don't really need the width in the woods up here and it causes more giref with broken parts due to the wieght and size of the tires as well as the increased leverage on everything. If you're still running stock axles I would consider 12.50 to be about the widest you'd want to go.

mud1059 · May 19, 2007

Those tires suck ass around here. Weakest sidewalls in the universe. That's sayin alot! I wouldn't waste my time.

KarlVP · May 19, 2007

Wider tires are good.

Around here most folks run the widest they can find due to the snow wheeling.

And as for the bushwacker flares. You don't want them. A waste of money. Especially in the PNW. The flares are very rigid and don't hold up well to the type of wheeling we do out here. They are great for a mall rated Jeep, but not for one that goes out on the trails.

CanMan · May 19, 2007

Any kind of flares are a waste in the PNW really. Even cheap TJ flares. Don't get Bushwackers. Or maybe its just my driving.

And I think 12.50" wide tires are good. I would run a wider tire, but no real need for it at this time.

grisham101 · May 19, 2007

Well, as for stock. My brother left a D44 in our folk's backyard, so I'm going to stick that underneath. As for the wheelin I do, I love mud, and know that the wider ones tend not to stick to the 12.5 ruts, well because it's wider, and I know I dont have the power to just sling mud to get out, so it's more of a finese driving. When I had my superduty, I had 38X15.5X16's on it, and I got pulled over alot due to the truck being too tall, bumper wise, mud flaps wern't properlly covering the tire width, and the fender's wern't covering the tread width of the tire. So the cops out her look out for equipment violations, which is the only reason i need the flares.

Oh, I live in thurston county.

PornstaR · May 21, 2007

Yea with the 14.5s your steering is going to hate you. My buddy ran a set of 35 14.5 swampers and it killed all of his ball joints in about a month or so. Not to mention was quite wide to get into spots. The offset alone will kill ya

grisham101 · May 25, 2007

Ok, then it's settled. 35X12.5X15. 6" full traction lift. should be fun.

Brian Strickland · May 25, 2007

KarlVP said:
Wider tires are good.

Around here most folks run the widest they can find due to the snow wheeling.

i was under the impression that a taller skinnier tire was better for the snow.

XJLaredo · May 25, 2007

grisham101 said:
Oh, I live in thurston county.

Wow, there is someone else from my area around here.

2xtreme · May 25, 2007

Brian Strickland said:
KarlVP said:

Wider tires are good.

Around here most folks run the widest they can find due to the snow wheeling.

i was under the impression that a taller skinnier tire was better for the snow.

Click to expand...

In the snow and the sand you want the widest possible tire you can handle to get as much flotation as possible.

Michael

PornstaR · Jun 1, 2007

2xtreme said:
Brian Strickland said:

In the snow and the sand you want the widest possible tire you can handle to get as much flotation as possible.

Michael

Click to expand...

"Flotation" as in larger surface area in contact with ground. Pretty much like snow shoes. Larger area less pressure per square inch, results in less sinkage into terrain you are on. Dirt/mud you will want to be able to penetrate further than the surface because its more solid the further down you go. 10.5s and 12.5s are the standard around these parts.

Wide Tires on my xj

grisham101

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JBweld

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John90XJ

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mud1059

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KarlVP

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CanMan

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grisham101

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PornstaR

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grisham101

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Brian Strickland

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XJLaredo

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2xtreme

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PornstaR

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