I was hell bent on buying 35's and I sure as heck did. Since I bought my tires before I knew my gear ratio, I bought the rig preowned, I was afraid to look it up (1st time jeep owner just looking to spend $$$ on the new rig, I know rookie idiot mistake) Anyway my rig was ordered with 3.73's. It's fine once it gets rolling, and I will leave it as is for now, but I sure do wish I had AT LEAST 4.10s. I deal with it, but a larger ratio would be nice to have. I cannot imagine what 35s would be like with 3.23s, glad I didnt have to find out.
With stock 3.21 gearing and a daily driver get 33", especially since you have the low power 3.8L V-6. Buying 35" based on aesthetics (looks) is the wrong reason. You'll get all the off-road performace you need from 33", and you'll save money on brakes, suspension bits, wear and tear, etc. Plan on wheeling hard in the future and plan on dumping big bucks into gearing, drive shafts, etc, then go all out and get 35".
Oh, and the tires on my Jeep in the little picture to the left are 33".
When looking for 33" I recommend you look to LT285/70R17 or if you're on 16" wheels then look to LT285/75R16, both are a smidge taller than 33/12.50's and a little narrower.
Regret what exactly the first time, and doing what? Rock crawling? The OP is in Florida, unlikely he'll be running up John Bull, Gold Mountain, Miller Jeep Trail, or Lockwood, all of which myself and several others have managed on 32's. 35"s are great if your Jeep is a dedicated crawler, or if you wheel more than any other type of driving but without re-gearing, especially with the 3.8l. 35" tires are not a panacea for every situation. Setting up a Jeep is about compromises. Balancing the needs of off-roading versus the needs of daily driving if the Jeep is used for that, in this case this Jeep is a daily driver first. Setting up a Jeep half-way for wheeling by installing 35" tires without re-gearing hobbles it for a large portion of the other usages. It may get by but mileage and acceleration suffer (again, we're talking a 3.8 here). I'm running the 3.6 and 3.73s and put on 33" tires instead of 35", after looking hard at my intended usage and I do not regret a thing.
I was on the same boat, I ended up with 35s and I bought a smittybilt tire carrier which only cost me about 120 bucks. I'm planning on doing a regear some time in the future. But I don't regret getting 35s, 33s would've looked way to small. Sometimes I look at my 35s and I feel they're not big enough! Lol, and you that you have a 4 door, the 33s would look even smaller.
Your right, the carrier doesent release stress, I'm still putting weight on the stock hinges which is what really gets messed up in this Case, that's why people either buy the teraflex kit or just a back bumper with tire carrier... But the smittybilt I have keeps the tire very close and helps the tire put some weight on the back bumper. The stock tire carrier doesn't fit a 35 unless you put a spacer which leaves the tire more out with no support, so as an alternative the smittybilt wouldn't be a bad option if you don't plan on wheeling with a tire on it.
Oh, and OP, I too am torn between tire sizes. Or at least I was. Once I began realizing the impact of increased tire weight and size I quickly decided that 35s were not for me.
I zeroed in on 33's. Then I began to consider the advantages of 33's over stock 32's and am no longer convinced that it is worth going to 32's. Yea, pretty sad, isn't.
I'll probably end up with 33's and a small lift eventually but I plan to wheel the Jeep first to be sure the costly upgrades will bring enough benefit to justify the cost.
If you don't want to regear or get a new carrier, 33's are the answer. 35's aren't a huge step up, but 3.73's are pushing it, especially with the 3.8l engine, and the stock carrier isn't up to it unless you are willing to go as light as possible on the wheel and tire.
I agree, 35's do look good. But 33's don't look bad at all.
YMMV. IMHO, do what you can do and do it right. There's no prize for 35's. Mine's fun as heck to drive and I don't miss the extra two inches (more like 1.5 or less) of rubber. Best of all, I'm not worried about my carrier and it's got tons of power.
Proper gearing is everything. With your gear ratio you will be much happier with 33s. Don't try to keep with the Jones'. Looks are subjective but 35" tires with just a 2.5" lift and without flat fenders looked stuffed and don't have enough room to work off road.
When in doubt play it safe, specially with off road tires. They don't last that long so you will be able to go bigger soon enough if you want.
I was also in this dilemma back in October ---> Go 35's .. I went the way of the 315/70 -17 Duratracs and while my jeep looks great and I really dont feel no loss of power - I wish I had went true 35's or a 3.5" lift...
I love my jeep and get compliments daily - but when I look at it --- I want bigger
Funny - how we think.
As the saying goes - If you get the 35's you'll never think - wonder what 33's would have been like - get 33's and your gonna be envying those 35's.
33s all day long. 33s are plenty capable with a skilled driver. Do not let folks tell you 35s are necessary to wheel or to do them because they just look better - horsepuckey.
I have a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 2 dr, been debating the size tires for a while. Some say 33 others say 35, etc etc. I don't want to sacrifice ride quality just for looks but I would like to change my stock 18 wheels to more of an aggressive look. Also, I am not interested in lifts, etc. So what size tires would you recommend? Meaning 33 that is.. Tire Rack recommened this size 285/65/19 so I am confused about the 33 size?? :facepalm:
So what will be the size in 33 that I need so that I could do some further research and hopefully not need a lift but if I do a lift it would be a minimal lift such as 1.50 or so... But if I don't need it why bother?
Looks like LT285/75R16 Duratracs are in your future. If a more aggressive tread is desired, the Kelly TSR and the Fierce Attitude tires are built on the same casing and average almost 15% per tire less in comparable sizes.
Same back and forth with mine. I get the need to 'fit in' and 'the look', but I don't have the disposable income to go that route (with big tires, big lifts, etc). I've had too many days of reading forums, and looking at photos, and talking in person with other Jeepers. 33's will suit my needs just fine for a daily driver and occasional trail rider.
The problem is all you will get here are biased opinions!! Everyone recommends the tire size they have so how is it up to them to decide the right size for you? I would say it is up to YOU. What fits your budget, usage, and looks the best in your own opinion. I have had both sizes for different reasons and I was happy with both. I am trying to stay unbiased finding my brother tires and I suggested to him between a 33 and 34 because it is what fits his rig best regarding the three inputs to a decision like that. I'll be interested to know what you choose!
35s look more gooder. But like he said, my opinion is biased. Get what YOU like
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