For those who consider the appearance a major factor in the purchasing decision, here's a comparison of my stock JK a couple years ago to what it looks like after buying less offset wheels and wider, 33" tires:

BEFORE (29s and no lift):







AFTER (33s and 2.5" RC BB):







Would 35s look a little better and more proportional? I think so. But, I think it's premature to move to 35s if you're not doing it as part of an entire package--proper gearing and, in my case because I have a D30, proper mods to stengthen the axel. Oh, and I apologize to anyone who thinks a JK with less than 35s shouldn't be wheeled.

 

Im trying to figure out what I want as far as a tire myself. Really its going to come down to the lift initially.,

If I put an AEV on as planned (3.5) it would look like a shopping cart if I put 33s on it.

How big of a tire will the stock tire carrier hold? Anybody know?

 

Cmon scoot tell em about the stock steelies. and 29s and no lift he went everywhere we went! only needed pulled out a couple times. stock jks even the cheapest packages with the smallest tires are VERY capable on the trail.

 

I thought school buses were yellow?

Seriously though, hats off to Scott for knowing that it's more about having fun than the gear that you brought to the trail. I'm sure most of us know that guy with the really tricked out rig that can't seem to muster a smile unless their rig is outperforming the group. It's not the Olympics and there isn't winners nor losers no matter what size tires they're rolling on.

 

Was in same boat, went with 35s and dont regret it. I guess I did it the wrong way according to some since I just did the BB lift and tires. I thought stock gearing was gonna kill me (im an auto with 3.73) but its really not that bad. I drove down to florida and back, 11 hours hwy each way, and was fine. MPG is good around 55-60mph (19/20 mpg) and drops when I move above 70 mph. Ill do gears eventually.

I am leaving my 35" spare off the back gate though, just too worried about pulling welds and bending it. Maybe im being too cautious but it just dosnt feel right when shutting the gate. So I now have an added cost of a rear bumper/carrier that moved up to the top of my list, which wasnt there when I planned the 35s. I know there are lots of guys running the 35 on the stock gate with no problem. Just something to consider.

 

Scooter how do you feel the duratracs perform in the mud? I just got a set, but haven't hit anything serious with them. Your jeep looks great!

 

Not sure what I will do, but my 2.5 lift kit, adjustable track bars, and wheel spacers just arrived on brown today, so I need to make a decision soon.

Wife wants me to keep the Stock Aluminum 17 x 7.5 wheels that are on it. But she said yes to the look of the 35's. I've not seen any that show fitting on less than an 8 inch wide wheel though.

I think I might go for the BFG KM2 285/70r17 on my stock wheels. But I don't know yet.

 

You can use a 12.50 wide tire on the stock 17x7.5 rim. Tire Manufactures recommend a 8 or 8.5 wide for 12.50 wheels, there are several JK owners on this forum that run 12.50 wide tire on the stock wheels. I have even run 12.50 tire on my stock 17x7 dodge ram tires with no issues. Also, the narrower rim will help hold a bead during low pressure off-roading situations.

 

I have to agree here...why can the d30 not stand up to 35's? Has ANYONE here snapped a d30 in a way that it would have been fine if it were 33's I have 33's on mine........(pre-snorkel pic btw)

Now I have thought that I might not get the 35's b/c regear costs so much. But, I think that 35's are just fine on a d30. This is a great thread for me, b/c I NEED tires within 3-4 months. My Dick Cepeks are great, and I want the 35's. I almost never drive on the highway, I can just take my girlfriends Audi and give her the JEEP anytime. My daily commute is 7 miles round trip (only way to go.) So who has 35's on 3.21's that just wheels and drives around town??? I feel that the main issue would be power loss, but I can just drive it a little higher in the rpm range. I just can't see how my d30 axle would just snap b/c my rubber is slightly bigger.

 

That's a hard thing to quantify. Well, that's exactly what a mechanical
engineer does for a living, is quantify and analyze such things. Perhaps
a better, and more pertinent question for JK-Forum is, who's been
running 33s and who's been running 35s and has damaged their D30?
I think you'll find there is anecdotal evidence of 35s damaging front
axles, but there are a lot of us running 33s, too. At least, that's been
my impression. Maybe you should start a poll.