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33's on 4.5 inch long arm?

dan1977p said:
Can you explain the hostility? The OP claims "Until then i will build it and use it for light duty exploration" and I took that as hunting by accident. I've seen more than a few stock cars with very low clearance (my wife's jetta sportwagen is one of them) performing light duty exploration. I'm responding to the OP, not you.
If the OP is like me, he would like to see the money spent go to full use and limiting suspension travel to me is a waste of money. Something I didn't add in my earlier post was that it becomes quite a pain getting in and out once you go 4.5" and 33's and you start to wonder if that's worth the hassle for the next few years while you DD and most likely run fire roads. If I was in his position, I would stay short arms, run a little over stock tire (the 31's that came with rubbed on OE suspension) and bank my cash until I was ready to wheel it. Going that high opens a lot of possible issues up that I recently had to deal with that just aren't there at lower lifts and smaller tires.
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agreed with a lot of this... 4.5" and 33s is the tipping point i feel from budget friendly to expensive.

yes, you can do it cheap... but hop in someone's jeep the same size who did it right and you will notice a stark difference. my biggest argument against going with 33s would be gearing. stock gearing sucks, plain and simple. its hard on your trans and kills mpg, which means its hard on your wallet.

if the OP cant spring for gears... my suggestion would be to limit himself to 31s, invest in a nice AT, road worthy yet capable offroad, and a budget lift. dont think that will get you where you want to go? install a lunchbox locker in the front and potentially invest in some skids. i think you will be surprised. size isnt everything, especially for the use described.
 
dan1977p said:
Can you explain the hostility? The OP claims "Until then i will build it and use it for light duty exploration" and I took that as hunting by accident. I've seen more than a few stock cars with very low clearance (my wife's jetta sportwagen is one of them) performing light duty exploration. I'm responding to the OP, not you.
If the OP is like me, he would like to see the money spent go to full use and limiting suspension travel to me is a waste of money. Something I didn't add in my earlier post was that it becomes quite a pain getting in and out once you go 4.5" and 33's and you start to wonder if that's worth the hassle for the next few years while you DD and most likely run fire roads. If I was in his position, I would stay short arms, run a little over stock tire (the 31's that came with rubbed on OE suspension) and bank my cash until I was ready to wheel it. Going that high opens a lot of possible issues up that I recently had to deal with that just aren't there at lower lifts and smaller tires.
Click to expand...

I wont be hunting with this xj but I will be doing some exploring with it. I would like to do the ORBDR with it and a lot of camping. I am new to the area so I would like to build this to take me anywhere I can think of. I don't know if I need a 4.5 and 33's for this or if a 3 inch and 31's would do the trick. I don't see my self doing rock gardens very often. I don't like the idea of buying cheap parts now to save money because if I want to change it in 3 years(when I get a new tow vehicle) it will cost me more in the long run. I also have a dualsport that I would like to tow with this so that might play into how I end up building it. I have never been hardcore into wheeling with any truck I have built in the past. I always like the idea of building something to strictly wheel but I never end up doing that with it. This is why I would like to build an adventure rig this time around.

I don't mind the cost of upgrading all the parts that need to be done. I will do it in stages and do it right whatever route I go. If I need to do gearing, SYE, and so on to make the XJ perform better with the 33's and 4.5 inch lift I will. This will be a daily driver for me so I will be taking my time doing it.


I do appreciate the input though and will consider it all from everyone.
 
dan1977p said:
Can you explain the hostility? The OP claims "Until then i will build it and use it for light duty exploration" and I took that as hunting by accident. I've seen more than a few stock cars with very low clearance (my wife's jetta sportwagen is one of them) performing light duty exploration. I'm responding to the OP, not you.
If the OP is like me, he would like to see the money spent go to full use and limiting suspension travel to me is a waste of money. Something I didn't add in my earlier post was that it becomes quite a pain getting in and out once you go 4.5" and 33's and you start to wonder if that's worth the hassle for the next few years while you DD and most likely run fire roads. If I was in his position, I would stay short arms, run a little over stock tire (the 31's that came with rubbed on OE suspension) and bank my cash until I was ready to wheel it. Going that high opens a lot of possible issues up that I recently had to deal with that just aren't there at lower lifts and smaller tires.
Click to expand...

The op's initial question was a simple one, which was whether you CAN (emphasis mine) run 33s on a four and a half inch long arm lift without trimming the fenders. His second post reiterated that he was somewhat adamant about not trimming. And he didn't ask anyone's opinion on whether it would look dumb. I replied that you could run 33s and described how I did it..... successfully. And I am the one who uses the vehicle for hunting. On nasty, gnarly trails in the Rockies (and stuffing tires, Van). Then, most everyone discouraged the guy with wouldn't, couldn't, shouldn't be done. I stated in my first post that I was running 9.5s and then people want to argue that I couldn't do it with 12.5s! Of course not. The wheels and tires I'm running is WHY it works.
Anyway, the op pm'd me for pictures which I emailed to him. He said he might post them. I am not smart enough to do that.
There is good advice on this thread regarding expenses that may not have been considered such as gearing, etc.
 
planewrench said:
The op's initial question was a simple one, which was whether you CAN (emphasis mine) run 33s on a four and a half inch long arm lift without trimming the fenders. His second post reiterated that he was somewhat adamant about not trimming. And he didn't ask anyone's opinion on whether it would look dumb. I replied that you could run 33s and described how I did it..... successfully. And I am the one who uses the vehicle for hunting. On nasty, gnarly trails in the Rockies (and stuffing tires, Van). Then, most everyone discouraged the guy with wouldn't, couldn't, shouldn't be done. I stated in my first post that I was running 9.5s and then people want to argue that I couldn't do it with 12.5s! Of course not. The wheels and tires I'm running is WHY it works.
Anyway, the op pm'd me for pictures which I emailed to him. He said he might post them. I am not smart enough to do that.
There is good advice on this thread regarding expenses that may not have been considered such as gearing, etc.
Click to expand...

You are correct in that you did answer my question and you did let me know you are running skinner tires then normal 33's. As I told you in the emails here are the pictures you sent me.




 
planewrench said:
Rough Country 4.5" long arm with BFG 33x9.50x15 All Terrains on a '92. No rubbing and no bumpstops yet. I don't do any rock crawling, but it's my Rocky Mountain hunting vehicle so it sees some rugged terrain. Running Ford Ranger wheels which tuck in pretty close... that helps. One day I'll probably be reminded I need bumpstops the hard way. Hope not, it's a clean vehicle.
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33x9.50x15? I didn't realize BFG made that size. I've heard of 32x9.50x15 and 33x10.50x15, which I run. In the picture I can't quite make out the 33. Do you know if BFG still makes this size, and whether it is available in the Mud Terrain?

David Bricker / SYR
 
David_Bricker said:
33x9.50x15? I didn't realize BFG made that size. I've heard of 32x9.50x15 and 33x10.50x15, which I run. In the picture I can't quite make out the 33. Do you know if BFG still makes this size, and whether it is available in the Mud Terrain?

David Bricker / SYR
Click to expand...

These were almost new take-offs from a friend's Jeep and they're (more than) several years old. I've tried to find a source for new ones, but you're right, they don't seem to be available. If you Google them a place called TireSize.com comes up with a picture and full description. They're good in the snow and slop around here.
I don't know about Mud Terrain availability.
I'm curious now, think I'll check the date of manufacture tomorrow.
 
planewrench said:
"blah, blah, blah" Sounds more like your build thread. Good fab skills by the way, but sixty some pages of your life story and every nut and bolt? Come on.
Click to expand...
Jesus Christ, go smoke a bowl and walk away from this; stop instigating.
 
Here's the reason I'm suggesting an honest evaluation of what will actually be done with the OP's rig and maybe come up with a better solution for the next couple years until you can build it for more hardcore stuff as described initially.
Imagine two rigs.
Mine is 4.5" LA w/ 33x12.50x15 tires, extended shocks, drop pitman arm, new track bar 3.54 gears (now upgraded to 4.88's since the 3.54's were unbearable on the road), SYE, new rear driveshaft, rear axle shimmed, front axle rotated due to upgraded adjustable long arms, extended soft brake lines, stock brakes but YJ master cylinder and booster. $3200 in the hole with $1200 of it being 5 brand new big ass tires and alignment. I still need new shackles, relocation brackets, better shocks and upgraded steering because my ride sucks on road because I cheaped out on those parts to try to maintain a budget.
Hers is 2" pucks up front and 2" lift shackles in the rear, 5100's shocks and some used 235x75x15's. $200 for the lift, $250 for way better shocks than I got and $250 for tires.
She got this stuff installed and went wheeling and keeps wheeling. I installed everything, wheeled, tuned suspension/steering, wheeled, tuned, etc. and am still trying to work out issues caused by going up to a 4.5" LA. Some of that tuning is because I enjoy working on cars but most is necessary because of the route I took.
We both went to our local rock gardens where our 4x4 club was adamant we all needed lockers and the two of us didn't. Both got through fine with me taking only a slightly more difficult route because I wanted to see what the limits are on my rig and she just wants to get out and drive off road.
All that to say, those rock gardens went beyond anything I would call light duty exploration and were passable by rigs with less lift and smaller tires than what you are looking at. Knowing what I know now, I would have gone the less time and cost intensive route so I could have a reliable SAR rig and collected all the extra fun stuff over time instead of forcing myself to dump a bunch of money at once because I needed a 4.5" lift. Just something to ponder.
 
dan1977p said:
Here's the reason I'm suggesting an honest evaluation of what will actually be done with the OP's rig and maybe come up with a better solution for the next couple years until you can build it for more hardcore stuff as described initially.
Imagine two rigs.
Mine is 4.5" LA w/ 33x12.50x15 tires, extended shocks, drop pitman arm, new track bar 3.54 gears (now upgraded to 4.88's since the 3.54's were unbearable on the road), SYE, new rear driveshaft, rear axle shimmed, front axle rotated due to upgraded adjustable long arms, extended soft brake lines, stock brakes but YJ master cylinder and booster. $3200 in the hole with $1200 of it being 5 brand new big ass tires and alignment. I still need new shackles, relocation brackets, better shocks and upgraded steering because my ride sucks on road because I cheaped out on those parts to try to maintain a budget.
Hers is 2" pucks up front and 2" lift shackles in the rear, 5100's shocks and some used 235x75x15's. $200 for the lift, $250 for way better shocks than I got and $250 for tires.
She got this stuff installed and went wheeling and keeps wheeling. I installed everything, wheeled, tuned suspension/steering, wheeled, tuned, etc. and am still trying to work out issues caused by going up to a 4.5" LA. Some of that tuning is because I enjoy working on cars but most is necessary because of the route I took.
We both went to our local rock gardens where our 4x4 club was adamant we all needed lockers and the two of us didn't. Both got through fine with me taking only a slightly more difficult route because I wanted to see what the limits are on my rig and she just wants to get out and drive off road.
All that to say, those rock gardens went beyond anything I would call light duty exploration and were passable by rigs with less lift and smaller tires than what you are looking at. Knowing what I know now, I would have gone the less time and cost intensive route so I could have a reliable SAR rig and collected all the extra fun stuff over time instead of forcing myself to dump a bunch of money at once because I needed a 4.5" lift. Just something to ponder.
Click to expand...

Very good points and thank you for them. I might go with a3 inch after reading all of the info and stock with 31's for the time being. Would you suggest a short arm or long arm 3 inch lift m
 
I won't get into the short arm vs long arm debate since I still don't know enough. I'll only mention two things. In order for 'Her' to keep the cost down, she used the stock arms, coils and leafs and only replaced the parts I wrote above. The bulk of the cost of the long arm kits I saw was coming from most of the components you have listed so if you want to save money, you don't need all that stuff in the kit and if you do go up to 4.5" or higher, you will be replacing almost everything in there unless you can adjust those arms out for a 4.5" lift, want to puck your coils and get shackles or add a leaf for your leaves.
The last thing I want to do is push someone away from what they want. I just want to make sure folks have as much information as they can have before dumping a bunch of money and regreting it later.
 
planewrench said:
"blah, blah, blah" Sounds more like your build thread. Good fab skills by the way, but sixty some pages of your life story and every nut and bolt? Come on.
Click to expand...

5bd.jpg
 
I had a set of 33x9.50s I scored while in Germany. Surprised me as well as I hadn't heard of that skinny a 33 before either. I liked em and the BFG at did great in the snow even with only 2wd available to me. You'd probably have to contact BFG directly to see if they still make em. I won't be surprised if they dont, tire market is based on demand.
a23c7b5d8c054fdcaa262709af40d9e7.jpg
 
You can also go to a 16" or 17" wheel and a metric tire. 285/75-16 is about an 11" wide 33.
 
I have 4" of lift with 33 x 10.5 BFG's. While out rock crawling the first time, I rubbed really hard. I installed cut out fender flares and STILL rubbed on some of the really hard core stuff. I ended up extending the bump stops, and that resolved it.
 
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