Wheel - Tire Question

[Trevor DeLew]

Hey- Just bought a 94 Wrangler SE yesterday. It was a bit of a compulsive purchase as a third family car, but hey - I just turned 40...We'll probably put less than 5,000 miles/year.

Anyways, it has nice 15" aluminum wheels with Dunlop RV LT 235/75R15's.

It also has a 2.5" lift.

I don't plan on doing a ton of off road riding but really like the look of bigger & wider wheels/tires.

My question is, what is the biggest/safest tire I could fit on the 15" wheels? Also, what are some reasonably priced brands that wont break the bank.

Also, what is a good combo wheel / tire size if I was going to go to 16" or 17" wheels.

Thanks for helping...

Trevor

 

[superj]

i, personally, like the stock jeep aluminum wheels that are shaped like a star and have jeep on one arm. if it wasn't those, i would get some black steel wheels and run some bfg all-terrains or some type of good year wranglers all terrain.

do you have a 4 cylinder? that will be a big decider on what you run

 

[Trevor DeLew]

i, personally, like the stock jeep aluminum wheels that are shaped like a star and have jeep on one arm. if it wasn't those, i would get some black steel wheels and run some bfg all-terrains or some type of good year wranglers all terrain.

do you have a 4 cylinder? that will be a big decider on what you run

Its the 6 cyl...Thanks-

 

[jps4jeep]

I agree, stock aluminum YJ wheels look good, but I prefer the even stocker steel rims (not the 5 spoke, the super skinny 15x6). regardless, stick with a 15" rim. with 2.5" of lift and not really wheeling, I would toss a set of BFG All terrain 33x10.5r15 on there, they measure closer to 32" mounted and will clear the springs lock to lock on aftermarket wheels. might rub a little on factory wheels, but I personally wouldn't worry about it.

 

[jfrabat]

If you dont offroad, 33" should be fine. I used to run 31's on no lift on my YJ (no cutting either). Those would rub on speed bumps (especially the rear). I now have 33's and 4" lift, but now I do off road it (33's still rub at max flex on the rear).

 

[JPNinPA]

When you change tire height you will notice a loss of power and your MPG will suffer. What gears are you running and what transmission?

 

[Phantom]

What kind of axles? I'm assuming d30 front and d35 rear? If so- 33s will most likely be your limit. Throw a 2 inch body lift on since you're mainly going for the looks and not the performance offroad so that 33s will fit. Maybe a 1 and 1/4 inch body lift if you can fit 33s under that.

 

[Trevor DeLew]

What kind of axles? I'm assuming d30 front and d35 rear? If so- 33s will most likely be your limit. Throw a 2 inch body lift on since you're mainly going for the looks and not the performance offroad so that 33s will fit. Maybe a 1 and 1/4 inch body lift if you can fit 33s under that.

It currently has a 2.5" lift. I have no clue about which axles it has but they are stock.

Thanks, I'll look at the 33's

 

[jfrabat]

When you change tire height you will notice a loss of power and your MPG will suffer. What gears are you running and what transmission?

I started with 31's and 4.10. I then regeared to 4.88 with the 31's still on, and the Jeep ROCKED! I could hold 70mph with a head wind in 5th gear no problem! It also had a lot of torque off the line, which made it feel much stronger. Then I went to 33's, and I lost most of that (basically, it felt close to what it was before with 31's and 4.10). What I do now is I dont use 5th all that much (I typically cruise in 4th), and it gives me better MPG's (about 16).

What kind of axles? I'm assuming d30 front and d35 rear? If so- 33s will most likely be your limit. Throw a 2 inch body lift on since you're mainly going for the looks and not the performance offroad so that 33s will fit. Maybe a 1 and 1/4 inch body lift if you can fit 33s under that.

I think for on-road use only, 33's should fit under a 2.5" lift. If I could roll with 31's, no lift, and sagging springs (a bit of rubbing on speed bumps and such, but still it worked), with 2.5" he should have 1.5" more clearance than I did (33's are only 1" taller from the center of the axle to the top of the wheel; the other 1" goes to ground clearance). Oh, and if you do some creative trimming of the wheel wells (think TJ flares), I think you could even do some light wheeling with 2.5" of lift without rubbing... For hard wheeling, I still get some rub with 4" of lift (even without the tire chains on, but only at MAX flex).

Here's how my Jeep looked when I bought it with no lift and 31's (note the springs are arching UP, so they are sagging; they are suppossed to be flat in stock form):

Of course, this is how it looks now... (could not post a pic of the Jeep looking so crappy without showing off how it looks now!)

 

[superj]

both of the jeeps the wife and i have had 31s on stock suspension when we bought them. no trouble with it and it looks good plus, it gets decent mileage for a daily driver

 

[Trevor DeLew]

Great pix...and great advice....Thanks-

Appreciate all of the help-