Welcome to the forum

 

With the stock wheels, you can easily go 255/75R17s, which was the stock tire size on the JK Sport S. Some have gone to 275/70R17 tires, you gain some width but no real height. (The 255s are 32" tall, the 275/70R17 tires are 32.2" tall).

I have gone with 285/70R17 tires, but not on stock wheels. Stock wheels for the JL generally have 6" of backspace but some have 6.2" BS. Backspace is a measurement from the mounting surface of the wheel to the inside edge of the wheel. It determines how close the inside of the tire will be to suspension parts. Some have successfully installed 285/70R17 tires on stock wheels by adjusting the stops on the axle which determines the maximum angle the front wheels will turn. But, that also increases the turning radius of the Jeep.

I went with new wheels. I wanted the wheels because of the look, going with the retro styling of the Chief (a special edition based on the Sahara trim line), they also have slightly less backspace (5.2") which means I did not have to adjust my stops. I have no lift. If I was going off road in an area that required a lot of axle articulation, I would probably have gone with a modest lift (1/2" or 1" pucks would do it and are inexpensive, as you are using the stock springs and suspension setup.

 

Thanks! I was also told by Off Road Warehouse that I could go with the 285/70/R17 and not need to make any adjustments. But I hear you saying that I might have to adjust the stops.

 

You only live once and it's a Jeep, put a 2.5 inch lift on there and add some 33 inch or 35 inch tires.

I had a 2.5 inch Superlift added to my 2015 JK. Price was reasonable coming in around $500 for the kit and $400 for the install.

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My 2015 JK with 285/70R17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss MT tires (left). SO's pavement princess 2021 JL Sport with stock 245/75R17 Bridgestone Dueller Highway Tires (right).

 

If you put the 33s (285/70R17s) on and find you need the extra flex on the trails you drive, you can add the lift later.

Keep in mind that to do even a mild lift such as a 2", you will need either new track bars (F/R) that are either longer or adjustable or have relocation brackets (not as good as longer bars) to keep the axles centered under the Jeep. It is simple trigonometry - you have a triangle - the axles is the base, the spring is the vertical and the track bar is the hypotenuse. If you add longer springs (and thus increase the vertical) then either the hypotenuse needs to be longer or the horizontal needs to be shorter. With the stock track bar in front, increasing the spring height alone will move the front axle over to the drivers side and the rear axle over to the passenger side. While it most likely won't change the handling of the Jeep, it will look strange when looking down the side.

And if you decide that you need just a little more vertical clearance in the front, the least expensive way is the 3/4" leveling pucks in the front for about $30 a set. For that you only get two 3/4" pucks that take the nose down attitude out of your Jeep.

 

I thought the JL axles were slightly wider than the JK axles, and that you could put 285/70 without an issue on the stock wheels. But a JL expert would need to confirm.

 

Check out these two videos. They will explain a lot about the tire sizes without a lift if you are inclined to upsize. According to them, you can go as big as 35's without a lift, but you'll get less "wiggle room" when off roading than you would with 33's.

Putting 33x11" Tires (285/70R17) on a JL Wrangler with no Lift

Putting 35x12.50" Tires (315/70R17) on a JL Wrangler with no Lift

* this is not an advertisement or endorsement for Extreme Terrain Off Road Outfitters, just information for the thread starter *