Tire/Rim Advice for Stock 2015 JK

[smarshall]

Hi Everyone, beautiful day out today!

I'll try to keep this short and to the point. I have visited many local tire shops recently and NTB Tire & Service in Woburn seemed really knowledgeable and helpful. I am looking to go up to 33" tires and down to 17" rims, but it will be a year until a lift is happening. NTB recommended the size below and said anything larger will most likely rub against my struts. Going down to 17" rims seems logical, although the tire they recommend seems a bit small. I am trying to hit that sweet spot of commuting to work and doing green trails with y'all. My stock wheels struggled quite a bit at the 101

Stock wheels: 255/70/18

NTB's Recommendation 235/80/17

A/T tire recommendation: Nitto Terra Grappler G2. Quiet on roads, okay grip on trails:
https://www.ntb.com/sku/sku4540078/terra-grappler-g2

Rims XD140 RECON:
https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCl ... gJICfD_BwE

Does this size seem accurate without a lift? Will getting rims with an adjusted backspacing help this at all?

Thanks for your time, any advise or questions I should ask the shop will be very helpful.

Steve

[MDSRACING398]

I would think you could get away with 255 75 17. That is stock Rubicon. If your waiting on lift funds you could get a budget lift for like $150. It puts spacers above your stock springs. Would be fine can get one like 1.5 inches. Super easy to install give you a tad more clearance for tires.

[smarshall]

I would think you could get away with 255 75 17. That is stock Rubicon. If your waiting on lift funds you could get a budget lift for like $150. It puts spacers above your stock springs. Would be fine can get one like 1.5 inches. Super easy to install give you a tad more clearance for tires.

Those are really good points you bring up. 255/75/17 should technically work fine. Spacers might be a good option too until we get a good lift. Are spacers kits all created equal or is there one you find pretty sturdy/durable for the price? I'll start looking into tutorials on how to install those, see if they are DIY material.

Thanks for the advice!

[Jonas]

The other thing that really helped me as I started to mess (improve) my jeep was flat fenders. I have an 07 and I have been running 285/75/17 KM2s on wheels with 5.7 in backspacing and flat fenders even before I got a lift. The front had no issus with rubbing (yes, you have to cut or get rid of the air dam), the back did rub a bit on the inner fender offroad. I didn't really care too much, but it could have been fixed with a little bit of a bump stop.

What you will find is that there are a millon combinations of wheels, tires, lifts, spacers, bumpstops, etc. and there is no guarantee that things will work well unless you copy someone else's proven setup exactly. I would just say go slow and plan the mods step by step. Once you start messing with your Jeep there is no going back

Jonas

[smarshall]

Great advice, thank you. I do wish our tires had a bit more life left on them for us to plan the lift and wheels at the same time. Option one is to get some stock sized A/T tires on the stock rims just for now to keep the jeep on the road. That will let us save up and plan for upgrades later on. Option two would probably be a spacer leveling kit that would give us a little room for a small tire upgrade. Definitely a lot to think about!

[JeepAddict]

Do your present tires have enough depth to pass inspection?

[smarshall]

Do your present tires have enough depth to pass inspection?

They passed inspection and they aren't too bad. They are slipping in the rain a bit but that is to be expected with 45k miles on them. I can get some more life out of them on the road without much worry, probably 5k-10k if I stretch it. Another option will be to just chill out and be more active with BSJ after saving up and getting a lift/wheels all in one go. That is probably the responsible thing to do

I'll start pricing out some full lift kits and wheels together and start saving up. The 2" Mopar JK lift is a bit pricey ($1,700 after labor), but then my warranty would cover the lift which would be cool.

[RandyCarol]

If you want 33’s you can get by with a 1.5” leveling kit if you don’t want to spend a bunch on a lift
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/coil ... -kit-1-5in

[smarshall]

If you want 33’s you can get by with a 1.5” leveling kit if you don’t want to spend a bunch on a lift
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/coil ... -kit-1-5in

Okay, thank you for the recommendation. I have seen two types of leveling kits, the one you posted with front springs and back spacers and ones with front and back spacers. I assume the larger/stiffer front springs are probably going to work for me better especially since my front bumper is pretty heavy compared to stock?

[BlackKnight]

I'm currently running 2.25" spacers in my Stock JKU, tires/rims are take-offs that I picked up from a club member, I'm running 315/70r17s (Converts to 34.5"/12.4"x17) with only a 2-inch leveling kit (front only). the spacers keep them off the struts and sway bars. I do rub, but only on fenders. I'm not going to be on a trail however till I put the 2.5-inch lift in (already in the garage) and I want to get Flat fenders ASAP to also give some extra room.

[MDSRACING398]

If your getting new rims get the right backspacing. Don't use wheel spacers if you don't have to! Also fancy aluminum rims are nice but if your going to wheel it steel can be beat back with a BFH if you dent them.

[smarshall]

If your getting new rims get the right backspacing. Don't use wheel spacers if you don't have to! Also fancy aluminum rims are nice but if your going to wheel it steel can be beat back with a BFH if you dent them.

That was one big downside of most of the shops I visited, actually. Most of their rim options were all aluminum and had very little to no steel options. I know steel is heavy and can wreak havoc on mpg, but to your point I would like to be able to fix dents instead of having to replace rims.

Looks like there are some online resources to calculate your offset. I'll play around with this one and see what options are available as I am not very knowledgeable about tire dimensions and clearance in general.
https://www.customwheeloffset.com/tire- ... alculators

[smarshall]

I'm currently running 2.25" spacers in my Stock JKU, tires/rims are take-offs that I picked up from a club member, I'm running 315/70r17s (Converts to 34.5"/12.4"x17) with only a 2-inch leveling kit (front only). the spacers keep them off the struts and sway bars. I do rub, but only on fenders. I'm not going to be on a trail however till I put the 2.5-inch lift in (already in the garage) and I want to get Flat fenders ASAP to also give some extra room.

Hitting up club members for used rims/tires is not a bad idea! I am not very picky about rim style as long as they are black and hold tires on them. Have you re-geared to accommodate the 34.5" tires?

[Hoodoo Man]

If I'm not mistaken I ran Goodyear Duraracks that were the equivalent to 17x33s forget the exact measurement with no lift and aftermarket rims and had no issues. Nice more or less AT that did awesome in snow and good in the mud and rocks.

[Hoodoo Man]

If your getting new rims get the right backspacing. Don't use wheel spacers if you don't have to! Also fancy aluminum rims are nice but if your going to wheel it steel can be beat back with a BFH if you dent them.

That was one big downside of most of the shops I visited, actually. Most of their rim options were all aluminum and had very little to no steel options. I know steel is heavy and can wreak havoc on mpg, but to your point I would like to be able to fix dents instead of having to replace rims.

Looks like there are some online resources to calculate your offset. I'll play around with this one and see what options are available as I am not very knowledgeable about tire dimensions and clearance in general.
https://www.customwheeloffset.com/tire- ... alculators

you should check out Offroad Elements, they are now next to a tire place and can mount/balance what they sell and these guys actually wheel and support local offroad events. Great people and really competitive pricing. I've actually received hand written thank yous for shopping there from the shop! Talk about customer service! They know what does and doesn't work on a Jeep.