Okay guys so I’m new to this jeep thing and I’m looking to get new tires for my 2014 jeep JKU rubicon. I will be light to mild wheeling. Won’t be doing any rock climbing, mainly just trail riding about every other weekend, so most of this jeeps life will be spend on pavement, possibly a daily driver. What would be needed to confidently (not worrying about breaking anything) run 40, 38, and 37s. I’m a noob so a list of parts for each tire size would be awesome. As for tire I’ll probably run a interco m16 or maybe a Toyo mt or nitto trail grapplers. My biggest thing is whatever tire size I run I want it to be reliable, I’m not going to be cheap and cut corners but at the same time I don’t want to waste money. Thanks a lot for the help guys!

 

if you look a couple posts down there is a pretty comprehensive post that talks about this very subject. to safely run 37's and up, you're looking at $10k+ in upgrades... 38's, add body work... 40's, add another $10k+ in axle upgrades.

 

[QUOTE=YNOWGN;4360441]if you look a couple posts down there is a pretty comprehensive post that talks about this very subject. to safely run 37's and up, you're looking at $10k+ in upgrades... 38's, add body work... 40's, add another $10k+ in axle upgrade.

thanks man

 

Yup, you're asking for a hella lot more work than you think to run 37s+. I mean, can you literally throw 37s on and drive with it? Sure.....but it will be a ticking time bomb, and once those ball joints crap out on the first few pot holes, you could end up triggering a DW going 75mph down the highway and have next to no control. So, take that list to heart. In all honesty, 35s are about perfect for the JK and you can get by with less headache. I think most people feel like they need look of a 37 cuz they lift it too high to start with, then they try to fill the wheel wells with more tire, and the thing just snowballs. In the end, "looks" ends up emptying your wallet. I'm 7 years in to my jeep, I've done all my work, and I learned just about everything the hard way. I throw this one out there from time to time, but there is so much truth in this single graphic (merely reposting someone's genius art):



Your original question above sets you on the black, modified path.

 

okay but like I said I want to do it the RIGHT way regardless of price. If that price just so happens to be more than I want to spend then I’ll do something different

 

The right way regardless of price? For 40's? Start with about $50K for axles, wheels, tires, suspension, drivelines, installation, and other incidentals. That will get you close. You might come in a little under, but that's a good start.

 

If you already have 40's in your head then you might as well build for them even if you only go with 37's don't pay twice. But why stop at 40's? Just a question. Mikey Thompson makes a bad ass 54"x19.5" tire. Money is no object? Are you doing the building or will you be paying a shop?

Full width tons would be the starting point. Jump all in and get 72" WMS 5.38 gears and the locker of your choice. I would check with Fusion 4x4 they have a nice selection of axles and use common parts you can typically get at about any parts store.
Hydraulic steering assist. Go with the PSC big bore kit. You will need it to turn the wheel on 40's when off road and aired down.
Wheels Method forged bead locks. very light and really strong wheel on a 72" WMS axle you can run a 40x13.5 tire. Minimum of 17" diameter to clear the massive brakes on the axles.
Suspension, there are a million ways to go but look into at least 4" with high steer and I would add flat fenders to give you more tire clearance and keep the suspension low for better performance. You might as well go 2.5" coil overs to fine tune the height and ride. 12"-14" travel and with 40's. Short arm kits are fine and I would point you towards Metal Cloak or Synergy, if you have to have a long arm look into the Genright Elite kit or find a shop to do a custom build. You can drop your jeep off at Genright and they will do it all for you for around $55k Off Road Evolution will too and they are in that $50k range.
Front and rear driveshafts 1350 or 1410. Pick your poison driveshafts are all the same built with the same parts you just need to decide on yokes or flanges.
Most people add armor as well. I am not a big fan of throwing a bunch of armor on due to the added weight. Aluminum is a good choice for flares, bumpers, and corners. Same with a tire carrier I recommend to delete the tire carrier and carry a plug kit and on board air. If you are going to travel far or do extreme crawling where the rocks are sharp you can always throw the spare in the rear.
You will need some kind of programmer to correct wheel size and shift points.
At least a 12,000 winch and some good recovery gear.

Good luck.

 

I have my own off road shop and just to let you know a front and rear suspension + axle swap takes around 120 hours. Shops typically charge 495-$130 per hour. I will let you do the math.

 

Great info Dirtman! Mine was a ballpark without getting too far into the details, although I do have a full spreadsheet for mine for insurance. Glad to see we are close in numbers.

 

thanks a lot man, I came in here clueless as to how much it would cost me and I think you talked me out of 40s lol. I don’t wanna drop that much 40s, especially because they’re not needed for the type of riding I’ll be doing.