troyboy

Can anyone out there with years of having large tires(say 35") comment on wear and tear on you axles or u-joints etc.?

Is this even a concern or am I just be paranoid?

Jake_Blues

Considering the JK has only been shipping for about a year, there is NO one who has "years" of experience. I've had mine on 35s for about one year, with no serious problems that weren't caused by banging it on rocks.

-E

kidjeep

I think you are referring to general experience with 35s and not specifically the JK. I had 35s on my TJ for several years (>5) with stock Dana 30 front and Dana 44 rear and never broke axle or U-joint. It will increase likelihood of breakage and wear on axle assemblies, but I don't think you need to be paranoid if you don't wheel hard and you are conservative with the skinny pedal.

I just got 35s on the JK so can't tell you about that, but I have no real concerns right now. Alloy shafts in the Dana 30 would make me feel better though.

troyboy

right, i was referring to general experience with 35s. I'm sure there are lots of people with older jeeps and 35" tires that have 100,000 to 200,000 miles on them. How are your experiences?

jeff@zina.com

Option 2.

Jeff

ez__rider

Engineering includes factors of safety. At the same time, the suspension geometry is tested with factory wheels and tires which transfer loads in a certain way. Changing that with exceptionally large and wide tires that are heavier and mounted further outside the designed position can definately alter the durability of parts between the wheel and the "hard points" of the suspension (the frame).

I am also of the belief that a 33" tire (285/75r16) is not a large impact, as the Rubicon comes with 32's. They probably would've gone bigger but CAFE/mpg/etc. Time will tell how the JK stands up to 35+ size tires.

How confident are you the "Trail Rated" badge on the side?

Mine I hope to be a solid DD for a number of years. 33" tires and no lift, or maybe some 1" spacers is about as far as I plan to go.

I love seeing the pics of big JKs though, so all the power to you! ...but, nothing comes for free.

goose244

The axle shafts in the front still use a WEAK c-clip to hold the universal joint caps on/in. If they were smart they should have used something like the old GM style that used a spring clip on top of the cap instead of under it. The c-clip under the cap is known to work itself out causing the u-joint to fail. I have seen 2 fail on 2 of my buddies Rubicon's and I tack welded mine so it wont happen to me. When I need to replace the joint I am going to up grade to the aftermaket shafts. Gives me a reason to tell the honey why I need them.

Piginajeep

screw it.. if it breaks, that gives me a reason to upgrade!

mmcan

Killing the Jeep?

I kind of thought that was part of the fun, bc it can always be rebuilt/reborn.

All for the fun of it.

Blue

After upgrading enough parts you can run the bumper sticker "It Used to Be a Jeep Thing, But ALL That Shit Broke."