New to the group, and have enjoyed reading and seeing the posts. As a new JK owner I would like to know what the pros and cons are of running 33" vs 35" tires. Is there any sidewall issues with running 16-17" rims once you go that large.

Thanks!

 

You might find this thread interesting. https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modified-jk-tech-2/doing-teraflex-2-5-bb-weekend-need-advice-tires-77998/

 

Welcome to the forum. Man, there are tons of threads on this subject. Search the modified forum and get to reading.

For me, I didn't go 35's because I didn't want to loose too much power. Depending on your gears you could be looking at a pretty big power decrease with 35's. I went with a 295/70/17 which is almost a 34" tire. I have 4:10 gears and I feel that it is a good combo.

As far as the side walls, either tire is fine on a 16-17" wheel.

 

Thank. I have been reading as much as I can on the subject .. and that is a lot of reading. There is a local company in Cincinnati that does a lot with Jeep. The owner Roy really knows his sh...t. I have a history with mods on Euro cars, but this is new. He mentioned that with the larger tires, you will need to do some engine upgrades, but overall the car will handle much better by going wider. My main concern is that I want to keep a clean look and do mods that have a value rather than just for appearance. I am really looking forward to getting out on the trails, but it needs to be a car I feel comfortable with on the road and showing up on job sites. I appreciate your time. Cheers!

 

Great quote .. I have the same one framed on my wall in the office. As to the wheel size, it was suggested that a larger side wall can buckle under extreme off road experiences. I wasn't considering a 20" for fear of looking too getto, but would prefer to buy the right wheel the first time. Asside from the trips to the Smoking mountains, or runing along old logger roads, I doubt I am going to need anything to aggressive, but who knows.

Thanks for the time!

 

Actually, the larger side wall is better for off roading. If you have a wheel that is too big (20's) you can't air down enough and you will be more likely to scuff up your rims. The extra side wall will = better traction off road. On road, however, you will find better handling with less side wall on your tires. I've run 35's on 15" wheels before but for me I prefer the 17" wheels that I'm running now.

 

So many innocent Kitten killed needlessly by the wording on this post. ha ha ha

 

I have 33" tires and can't wait for them to wear out. I will have 35's for my next set. I really need the extra height they give for clearance underneath. I go off road as much as possible and the extra bit makes a huge difference.

P.S. We only call our vehicles Jeeps and never a "c" word. The joke is a kitten will die if you do this.

Pics of my 33's in some hard wheelin.

 

Upgrade of the C2 Axle Gussets would be recommended for 35's. I am doign this now because as soon as my rims come in I am moving up to the 35's.
Should have gone to them at first.

 

Point well taken .. it was a newbee mistake! With regard to the engine mods I was refering too, it was along the lines of gear ratios, air intake, exhaust, software and maybe headers at some point. The main suggestion that was given was to get the software help make the adjustments to account for the larger tires regardless of 33" or 35". Besides I got the Jeep for fun in the dirt and not to break any land speed records.