Upgrade 35" tires, need to lift on 2013 2DR Rubicon?

From what I have read it depends on the type of driving (i.e. primarily pavement, gravel/forest service roads, etc) you are planning to do and your Jeep's current configuration. It depends a bit on the width of the tires (35x10.5 vs 35x12.5) where the narrower tires are less prone to rubbing and on the actual diameter of the tire as some 35's are closer to 34". I have seen at least one youtube video (look for old jarhead) of 35's on a 2013 2dr. He had some rubbing on the factory fenders when hitting bumps/off roading. Most of the rubbing appears to be at the top of the shock front tower (at wheel lock), fenders, and fender pinch seam. If you dont want to lift, you could put on flat fenders and/or possibly wheel spacers to limit the rubbing. A lower cost alternative to a full lift would be a budget lift but there are trade offs. Typically, the recommendation is a 2 1/2" lift is required to run 35's on most JKs. As @cranbiz mentioned, you should consider gearing when going to larger tires especially if towing or driving through mountains, at higher elevations or areas with a lot of steep long grades.

Welcome back to the Forum!
You can run 285/70/17's, with out a lift. You will have to trim your air dam. You will also need different wheels, with 5.2 to 4.5 Back Spacing, OR wheel 1.5' wheel adapters, better known as spacers.

I also have a 2013 2 door JKR. The PIC's below, is what it looks like with that size tires on it:

Here’s what’s 33’s on stock suspension look like

As you can see from all the responses there are many ways you can go. 35s without a lift can be accomplished with fender swap to flat fenders or trimming your factory flares into flat fenders, but if you wheel it will rub A LOT. Also, I’m not sure if the Rubicons trim the pinch seam from the factory in 2013 or this was just a 10A thing. As to gearing, odds are you are 3.73 unless the PO ordered it with 4.10. It is my experience that most auto rubicons are 3.73, but you may have gotten lucky.

If cost is a factor you could do the following:

• Leveling Kit
• Trim factory flares
• Add longer bump stops
• Run 35x10.50x17 pizza cutters
• In-board your rear sway bar links.
• Remove the front brake hose bracket to free up the brake hose
• Add rear brake line drop brackets to the rear hard lines to account for the added droop there.

Most of the above is you doing work with minimal items to purchase.

A simple, but expensive approach, is lift it 2.5” and get new wheels with proper offset. You can save here, by doing the lift yourself.

Everything is a trade-off, and everyone makes different decisions to get there.

Enjoy your Jeep and remember a Rubicon off the show-room floor is very capable. It is never a bad thing to learn to wheel in a stock Jeep; it teaches you how to pick a line and tire placement. These skills serve you will no matter how big your tires are.

Good luck.