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Wheel and tire questions for 2 new JK's

4K views 29 replies 11 participants last post by  Psaras 
#1 ·
So I just ordered a 2016 2 door Sport and a 2016 Rubicon Unlimited the other day. In preparation of them arriving I am doing some research and shopping. I have a couple of questions related to wheels and tires. I wasn't planning on doing anything to the 2 door. But I am looking to do some work on the Rubicon.

-Will the factory Rubicon wheels and tires fit directly on the 2 door Sport with no modifications and no issues?

-Can anyone tell me what I need to look for in a wheel if I was to get new wheels for the Rubicon but wish to use the factory tires? I know the wheels are 17x7.5. But is there anything special I need to be aware of like offset, backspacing, etc...?

-Finally, let's say I go with all new wheels and tires for the Rubicon. Again, what do I need to look for in a 17" wheel? And what is the largest tire I can go with without any modifications?


Thanks!
 
#2 ·
The tires and wheels from the Rubicon will fit the Sport with no problems and you are good to go :)

The combination of wheels/tires on a "stock" Rubicon can get a little crazy on what you mean by "without modifications" .

You need to figure out what size tire you want and then match the wheels.

Debates on the forum would say you "can" get aways with 35' tires on stock rubicon.
 
#3 ·
First, take a look at this sticky: http://www.wranglerforum.com/f27/largest-tire-on-stock-jk-heres-your-answer-142837.html

If you are planning to get larger tires at some point, I would look for wheels that have around 4.5" backspacing. 17x9 with -12 offset (4.56" bs I believe) or 17x8 with 0 offset, 17x8.5 would be 4.75" bs. 8.5" and 9" would allow up to a 12.50" wide tire, 8" rim you might need to go slightly narrower.

If you are going to wheel the Rubicon, you will need mods to go to a 35" tall tire, such a trimmed or flat flares or lift, or a combo of both. You can avoid mods by going shorter and skinnier. The sticky above has lots of info on that topic.

If you aren't wheeling the Rubicon, you *can* get away without mods with up to a 35" tire and a properly backspaced wheel.

Oh and by the way, Merry Christmas in July to you(and your SO I presume)!!
 
#5 ·
This would happen to me. Get the JKUR all set up the way I wanted it (loads of cash) and look over at the 2dr and say "well $hit... can't have that" and mod like crazy as well. 35s will fit with some trimming to the fenders or flats. You will definitely want 4.5 inches of back spacing on the new wheels. Have 33s on my JKUR and they rubbed at full lock without spacers.
 
#6 ·
Wow, thanks for all the great info everybody! That's why I love these forums. I've owned a 2000 Wrangler Sport for a few years, but it was my first. And I didn't do a lot with it, so I'm still a bit of a newbie...especially with JK's!

So here is my thought process...

-The 2 door is for my 17 year old daughter (not SO RuDawg7890), so I don't plan on doing a lot to that one. That will be her responsibility...and dime! But I am considering "donating" my Rubicon wheels and tires to her if I get all new wheels and tires.
-I think I can safely choose a wheel/tire set up based on all the great info here. I won't be off road at all...just street. So I'd probably go 33" tires at most. Which now that I realize the stock are damn near that, I'm not sure why I'd bother!
-That being said, maybe I'll just swap out the wheels and re-use the stock tires, being they're brand new and all! So I guess I need to look for a 17" wheel (8, 8.5, or 9") with 4.5" backspace? Is that it?


Thanks again all!
 
#24 · (Edited)
-The 2 door is for my 17 year old daughter (not SO RuDawg7890), so I don't plan on doing a lot to that one. That will be her responsibility...and dime! But I am considering "donating" my Rubicon wheels and tires to her if I get all new wheels and tires.
without prejudice to your, your daughter's or anyone else driving skills or interested -- which I do not proport to know -- please do keep in mind that the stock tires that your daughter's Sort came with are objectively safer on road than the rubicon tires you are donating to her. On road the MTs will not corner as well or brake as well, on dry, snow or rain covered pavement than the stock tires.

When I was 17 my friends and I were driving jalopies that cost $100 to $200 that we fixed up and crossed our fingers when going for state inspection, with no ABS, no tested bumpers, , no stability control, bald tires, obviously no airbags, no shoulder belts and quite often no seat belts. So I am not finger wagging. Please don't take this for a "you will poke your eye out" post!

I am only saying the stock Jeep is a lot of fun, its well made and certainly not a death trap. But it does already have lower than average braking and other dynamics compared to a sedan, and and a Sport S standard tires provide better and safer braking and on road dynamics than the Rubi's factory MT tires. I would also not lift a jeep for a 17 year old who is not seriously off roading, that also objectively reduced vehicle dynamics on road

I would consider giving her the wheels and swapping out tires for more A/T than M/T type tires, If those MTs are new a swap will not cost much.

It is entirely possible your daughter is or will be an off roader, in which case for that driving your MT tires will do better, even though in road performance will be less safe. For all I know she could be in combat in a year, so I am not saying I know your circumstance or your daughter.

At least please do consider not immediately getting rid of the sport's cast offs until you get a sense by driving that sport with its stock tires in rain and dry pavement and highway and then with the MT from your rubicon, so you can compare.
 
#7 ·
Well I'd say giving her a new Jeep makes her pretty significant!!

I take it you just don't like any of the stock wheels?

If you have no need/intention of going to a full width tire, such as 12.50" wide one, you can get away with more backspace. Stock wheels have 6.25" BS. You can go up to about 11" wide on the stock size wheels. Any wider than that you need to reduce the backspace. 4.5" BS is the 'safe zone'. I have 4.75" BS with a 10.5" tire and I'm fine on and off road. Same tire was fine on road @ 6.25", but rubbed the sway bar off road.
 
#8 ·
So after looking into this all a bit I think I've decided to just swap out the wheels on my Rubicon and re-use the brand new factory tires. I wasn't really looking to go any bigger anyway. So makes sense!
So I guess I will just look for a black 17" wheel I like that has about 4.5-6.5" of backspace and have my factory tires mounted on those. And am I correct in saying that a backspace closer to 4.5" (rather than 6.5") will have the tires sitting a little further out on the vehicle?

Thanks all!
 
#9 ·
So the longer these Jeeps take to come in, the more trouble I get myself in!

I spend so much time "shopping" online and making plans!

Now I'm back to leaning towards putting the Rubicon wheels/tires on my daughter's Sport and getting a whole new set up for ,y Rubicon. But it is still street only and I still don't want to do any mods. So I am looking mostly at 17x9 wheels with ~33" tires. I attached a screenshot from Tirerack of a set up I'm interested in. Anyone see any glaring issues with these?
 

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#12 ·
I guess I shouldn't say I'll NEVER take it off road! You never know! But for me at this point it is a daily driver. I probably didn't NEED a Rubicon...but I've always loved :banned Rubicons and have always wanted one. And now I'm going to have one...if it ever shows up
 
#13 ·
The Rubi is mine...and I guess my wife's. The 2 door Sport is for my 17 year old daughter though. My wife is already unhappy with my impulse buy of 2 new Wranglers! I don't think I'm getting away with too much aftermarket here!
I really don't like the stock wheels on a bare bones Sport...thus moving the Rubi wheels/tires over. And so for the Rubi I'm just looking to add some black wheels and off road tires that I prefer...something NOT factory I guess.

I could definitely see myself changing my mind a few years down the road and maybe lifting it onto bigger tires then. But for now I better be happy with what I have...or single!
 
#15 ·
yes the back spacing fine, but I would reconsider only getting a 8 or 8.5 inch wide wheel if your going to stick with a 265-70-17 tire. A 9 inch wide wheel would spread the stock tire to wide, which will result in a lower tire height. The minimum tire size I would recommend for a 9 in wide wheel is 285-70-17. Since you say you don't plan on off-roading a lot, I think you would be happy and love the way your jeep looked if you went with 17x8.5 with a 285-70-17 tire and just put a half inch spacer lift in the front.
 
#16 ·
[/QUOTE] yes the back spacing fine, but I would reconsider only getting a 8 or 8.5 inch wide wheel if your going to stick with a 265-70-17 tire. A 9 inch wide wheel would spread the stock tire to wide, which will result in a lower tire height. The minimum tire size I would recommend for a 9 in wide wheel is 285-70-17. Since you say you don't plan on off-roading a lot, I think you would be happy and love the way your jeep looked if you went with 17x8.5 with a 285-70-17 tire and just put a half inch spacer lift in the front.[/QUOTE]

Okay, so if I stick with the 265/70R17 tires you say I should really do a 17x8 or maybe 17x8.5 wheel right?

Or if I stick with the 17x9 wheel I should step up to a 285/70R17 tire? And if I do that I would need a 1/2" spacer lift up front only?

Thanks! Bit of a newbie here in case it wasn't obvious!
 
#17 ·
yes the back spacing fine, but I would reconsider only getting a 8 or 8.5 inch wide wheel if your going to stick with a 265-70-17 tire. A 9 inch wide wheel would spread the stock tire to wide, which will result in a lower tire height. The minimum tire size I would recommend for a 9 in wide wheel is 285-70-17. Since you say you don't plan on off-roading a lot, I think you would be happy and love the way your jeep looked if you went with 17x8.5 with a 285-70-17 tire and just put a half inch spacer lift in the front.[/QUOTE]

Okay, so if I stick with the 265/70R17 tires you say I should really do a 17x8 or maybe 17x8.5 wheel right?

Or if I stick with the 17x9 wheel I should step up to a 285/70R17 tire? And if I do that I would need a 1/2" spacer lift up front only?

Thanks! Bit of a newbie here in case it wasn't obvious![/QUOTE]
No worries, we were all newbies at one time.

Yes a 17x8 would be ideal for 265/70R17 with a 17x8.5 max for that tire size.

17x8.5 would be ideal for a 285/70R17 but a 17x9 would work just as well.

Some jeepers have put a 285/70R17 on with no rubbing and some have which is why I recommend the 1/2 spacers lift. The nice thing about only putting on a 1/2 spacers is no other suspension modifications are needed.
 
#20 ·
Wouldn't a 285/75R17 be closer to 34"?? And wouldn't a 285/70R17 be more like a 33"? I'm a little nervous to go to a 34" tire with no mods!

User Cjs jk suggested using a 285/70R17 on a 17x8.8 rim. But he suggested using 1/2" spacers in the front to ensure no rubbing. Right now that is my 2nd choice I guess.
 
#21 ·
Just about all tires run smaller than their advertised height. N2racn is correct in that the factory tire which is advertised as being a 32 inch tire is actually only 30.5 inches tall when mounted on a 7.5 inch wide wheel. Going with a wider wheel will decrease the tire height. Half in wider wouldn't be as noticeable as an inch wider. As an example on my daughters 2dr Jeep I put 17x8 wheels with 285/70r17 Duratracs and the measured height on the vehicle at 30psi is 32.25 inches tall. On my 4dr Jeep I have 17x8.5 wheels with 315/70r17 Duratracs and they measure 33.5 inches tall at 30psi. Here's a couple of pics to give you an idea of what they look like. The 2dr has the factory rubicon springs giving it a little lift and the 4dr has a 2.5in lift. Hope this helped and didn't add any more confusion. Check with Discount Tire Direct with wheel and tire pricing, they are a vender on here and have great package deals for wrangler forum members! Cheers
 

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#22 ·
Thanks Cjs jk...that was very helpful! Seeing your daughter's set up has me leaning toward using 285/70R17 tires on the 17x9 Pro Comp Series 89 rims now. I think it seems a bit silly to go with new 265/70R17 to replace my already new factory tires the same size! Do you think I'm safe with that set up on a factory Unlimited Rubi with no mods? I think maybe you had suggested 1/2" body spacers? I'd like to try to get away without those...although that wouldn't be the end of the world I guess.
 
#23 ·
Your very welcome!! Like I said, every jeep is a little different but you shouldn't have any rubbing while driving on the street. Although youll probably have some rubbing if you disconnect the swaybar when off-roading. The 1/2 spacer lift i recommended is for the suspension. The spacer actually goes between the top of the coil springs and the "bucket" that it sits in. Also you will need to reprogram your Jeep for the new tire size so that the speedo will read the correct mph, either the AEV Procal or Superchips Flashcal will work. Enjoy!!
 
#25 ·
The stock Rubicon tires do suck if you spend the majority of your time driving on the street. They pick up rocks and sling them on the fenders and hinges even with the splash guards on a 4 door. I've got the rock chips and gouges to prove it. You may not have that problem if you stay off gravel roads. They are also horrible in the rain, my traction control gets a workout it doesn't take much to break them loose. I think the gearing has something to do with that. The 2 door Willys I had was not nearly as bad.

I'm going with Bfg ko2 in 34x10.5r17 or cooper 255x80r17. They only measure around 32.5" mounted and about 1/2 inch wider but that's quite a bit taller than stock. Any taller and I would want to regear. 4:10 gears are just about perfect stock, maybe not at 75, but around town I like them.
I wish someone made a 285x75r17 or 18 in in something other than a heavy ass E load rating.
I want taller also, but not a 3/4 to 1 ton truck tire.
 
#26 ·
The stock Rubicon tires do suck if you spend the majority of your time driving on the street. They pick up rocks and sling them on the fenders and hinges even with the splash guards on a 4 door. I've got the rock chips and gouges to prove it. You may not have that problem if you stay off gravel roads. They are also horrible in the rain, my traction control gets a workout it doesn't take much to break them loose. I think the gearing has something to do with that. The 2 door Willys I had was not nearly as bad. I'm going with Bfg ko2 in 34x10.5r17 or cooper 255x80r17. They only measure around 32.5" mounted and about 1/2 inch wider but that's quite a bit taller than stock. Any taller and I would want to regear. 4:10 gears are just about perfect stock, maybe not at 75, but around town I like them. I wish someone made a 285x75r17 or 18 in in something other than a heavy ass E load rating. I want taller also, but not a 3/4 to 1 ton truck tire.
Im running 295/70r17s on 5.2", 4.10 gears, super nice look, no rub, hardly any powerloss. Mine measure 33 1/8" mounted. I'd check them out. Check out my build thread for pictures.

To the OP Stock Rubicon tires are fine in dry, and moderate snow to heavy snow. They suck, absolutely suck, in Rain, and light snow. Don't get your daughter Rubicon tires. At 17 a stock Jeep should be enough of a blessing. However if you are hellbent on getting MTs my Cooper STT pros are AMAZING. Quite, and just super grippy on and off road, in any condition. I wouldn't even consider an AT or ST after running these tires, there just wouldn't be enough on road performance gain to justify the major loss of offroad performance.
 
#27 ·
All of this great info and advice is exactly why I love these forums!

Like a bonehead, I never really thought about the safety issue of putting those Rubicon tires on my daughter's Sport. I do like the idea of moving the wheels over but with a safer AT tire.

With that in mind I'm thinking I'll just keep my stock Rubicon tires for myself (at least for now) and just get some black wheels that I like. I'm thinking I'll go with the 17x8 Pro Comp Series 89 rims in flat black. The stock Rubicon tires (265/70R17) should work on those right? I think the back spacing is about 4.5" and the 8" wide rim should work well with that tire right? The stock Rubicon wheels are 7.5" wide right?

So if I keep my stock tires the speedo should be fine. But I guess my daughter's will need recalibration right? I know nothing about that!


Thanks all!
 
#29 ·
All of this great info and advice is exactly why I love these forums!

Like a bonehead, I never really thought about the safety issue of putting those Rubicon tires on my daughter's Sport. I do like the idea of moving the wheels over but with a safer AT tire.

With that in mind I'm thinking I'll just keep my stock Rubicon tires for myself (at least for now) and just get some black wheels that I like. I'm thinking I'll go with the 17x8 Pro Comp Series 89 rims in flat black. The stock Rubicon tires (265/70R17) should work on those right? I think the back spacing is about 4.5" and the 8" wide rim should work well with that tire right? The stock Rubicon wheels are 7.5" wide right?

So if I keep my stock tires the speedo should be fine. But I guess my daughter's will need recalibration right? I know nothing about that!

Thanks all!
Yes your stock tires will work just fine on the 17x8 wheel and yes your Speedo will be fine if all your changing is just the rims. It will be a little off but not enough to worry about. The factory wheels have a 6.25 backspace so putting on a wheel with a 4.5 backspace will bring the edge of the rim out away from the center of the Jeep. So if you look at your Jeep and see how the tire sits in from the edge of the flare, with the new rim the tire will actually sit flush with the edge of the flare. Which will give you a little more stability and in my opinion makes a Jeep look a whole lot better.
 
#28 ·
I have no idea why, but all this time I thought the stock Rubcion tires were 265/70R17. But I was just on the website and realized they are only 255/75R17. I have no idea where my confusion came from! Anyway, I'm still leaning toward using those stock tires on Pro Comp 17x8 Series 89 wheels.
 
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