Hi all,

First post on the jk-forum website!
U guys have a good thing going here, so much relevant info.

Will be purchasing a JK unlimited X in the next month or so and will be making a few changes from the get go.

Will be off roading it quite a bit, but mostly for expedition type stuff, and to get to remote locations, no rock crawling. Will be the daily driver so alot of road miles will be put on it as well.

I would like a small increase in clearance and also a much more aggressive tire tread pattern than stock.
Esthetically i want the tires to fill in the wheel wells as much as possible, while still being fully functional (no rubbing at full flex).

Will be ordering the jk with the front disco, so am trying to keep that in mind as far as clearance goes.

Anyway, from spending alot of time on this forum in the past little bit, and seeing everybody's sweet jk's, i've gotten an idea of what i would like for my JK.

Would like to run this by you guys before putting the orders in.


Maxxis Big Horn 255/85/16 (33.3x10.3x16) --wanted tall tire for rim protection, clearance and ride characteristics, but sub 10.5" width for better mpgs and fit.

Cragar Soft 8 16x8 with 5" backspacing. -- simple and cheap, not need for wheel spacers i believe.

3/4" Daystar or pro comp spring spacer front and rear


If i've been doing my research properly, this should all go together properly (thanx 2k2wranglerx for all the good posts).

I figured if 2k2wranglerx's bro's JK fit tight with 285/75/16 and a 3/4" spacer up front and stock rims -- taller but thinner tires, with 3/4" fr and back and rims with less backspacing everything would leave good clearance??


Can anyone confirm that this would go together nicely and not cause any rubbing?

Thanks a bunch!

 

I think that size tire will look too skinny for that height. I have 265/75/16 right now with 285/75/16 on order. The clearance shoudn't be a problem with the new wheels, I am running the daystar 1 3/4 inch kit and have plenty of room for a 33 inch tire. The 1 3/4 inch kit with shipping is just fifty or sixty bucks more than the 3/4 inch spacers, but looks so much better. I don't think one inch of width will affect your gas mileage that much, maybe if you switch to an A/T tire instead of an M/T you will have more comfort on the road.

 

I am getting the 255/85/16 Maxxis Bighorns put on the stock 16" alloy rims this Tuesday. I have no lift or spacers....yet. As soon as I get the tires on I will try to flex the suspension, with sway bar disconnected, and check for any rubbing. I'll take some pics too so you can see what they look like. Tire width is always heavily debated. I think the tall skinny will be good for my daily driver but still provide great off road performance. Here is an article of a Tacoma using the tire (size) and rim you are looking at. His truck is setup as a light expedition vehicle too.

http://www.expeditionswest.com/equip...bfg_mt_km.html


I have Spidertrax spacers on order that will be here Wednesday. I haven't ordered a lift yet. If I get the lift it will be to try and get the belly up a bit. I don't think I will need it for the tires. As others have said the 3/4" front spacer would be the most you need to clear most 33" tires.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Armycop:

I actually like the look and function behind a 255/85/16 tire. As Dante indicated it does have its advantages for an on road / off road set up and imo is a good way to have the performance of a good MT tire off road while not having a pig on road...
As far as the 1 3/4" lift goes, i'm really trying to keep the height to an acceptable medium (barely more than stock. The bigger tires and 3/4" lift already come out to 2-2.5" more clearance, which i believe is enough for my needs.


2k2wranglerx

According to the maxxis website, the bighorns measure 33.3x10.3x16 on an 7.5" wide rim.
the BFG MT which dante indicated come in that size also (thnx!) come to 33.3x10x16 (on a 7" rim) according to the BFG website. These would be my pick between the two actually.

the 285/75/16 maxxis BH measure to 33x11.6x16 according to maxxis. It seems like the thinner section with a 3/4" spacer front and rear would be no problem... Maybe even like you said two 3/4" spacers on the front...


Dante

Good link, that tacoma is very much along the lines of the type of vehicle i am trying to build my future JK into.

As far as the 33's not rubbing with only a front 3/4" spacer, it seems like this guy has had it happen :

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...hlight=rubbing

Which is why i was thinking the 3/4" spacer front and rear (if not two on the front) just for piece of mind.

In the various "rubbing threads" it seems like the problem is from the width of the tire more than the vertical clearance... so i'm thinking with a rim with less backspacing (instead of a wheel spacer: i like the industrial, super simple black cragars) as well as an inch thinner tires than 285/75/16 (which it seems most are using), a 255/85/16 would be ideal...

Looking forward to seeing the pics of your set up. Especially since you have the disco's also. Thanks alot for the input.

Anybody else have experience with the topic?

Cheers

 

Well I finally got my tires mounted. They look great. I am really happy with them so far. I have only driven 1.5 miles, from the tire shop to my house, so I can't comment on the ride yet. I can tell you these tires are heavy though. They must weigh 25lbs more than my stock P245/75R16 wranglers.

My Spidertrax wheel spacers showed up today too. I haven't put them on yet because I wanted to throughly test these tires on a stock Jeep. I am going to try to max out the suspension and see if rubs anywhere.

Here are few picks for now...until Phase 1.5

 

I like it
i was going to do that same size but was not sure if it would rub or not so please keep us updated on rub issues

 

I took the Jeep out on a power line trail during lunch today. Sorry no pics. I had the front sway bar disconnected and there was no rubbing and full flex. This Jeep rocks!! The tires are great too.

With the stock tires (P245/75R16) I would start out in 2nd gear most of the time because 1st was just too much with the 4.10 gears. Now with the larger/heavier tires 1st gear is perfect. My neighbor has Interco TrXas MT in the 255/85/16 on his FJ Cruiser and he loves them too.

The ride is nice, more Jeep like. These tires have a D load rating so the side walls are much stiffer than the stock tires and my old 31x10.5R15 Bridgestone Dueler MTs. The fell real solid. It is still 80 times better that my old YJ. There is a noticeable hum from the tires but I been driving my YJ with mud tires for the last 3 years so I'm used to it (and like it).

The tires tuck in nicely so the mud stays, mostly, in the wheel wells.

I think I am still going to install the Spidertrax spacers. It's more of a vanity thing. This should make the outside of the tread flush with the edge of the fender flares. I'll take more pics once the spacers are on.

 

Looks great!

No rub, full flex fr and back ? nice, perfect actually, even with the disco's.... good stuff

Keep us updated if you do feel any rub off road when you get more time with them.

Thanks for the pics,

Cheers

 

I installed the Spidertrax spacers today. It really fills out the look of the tires.

 

That looks fantastic, I am a beleiver that those are perfectly sized tires for 99% of the time. The majority of folks that go much larger are doing so for reasons other than actual performance.