Tires v. Fit v. Lift

Wranglerangel06

New member
I hesitate to post this because it's likely a question that's been asked 1000 times on the forum. Lol. I just am not seeing a search option, so here I am.

I have a 2005 TJ - Rocky Mountain edition. I believe it came stock with 30" tires and I currently am running 31" - or an equivalent Cooper tire size (no, I'm a not a Jeep expert, but I do have some common sense ;) )

In the market for new tires... Plan to maintain stock wheels, which I believe are 15" (forgive me - not driving it at the moment...).

Saw a General Grabber X3 tire that I really like, but to get the colored side wall, I'd have to jump to a 33" tire.

Currently have a 2" spring spacer lift. Wasn't really thinking about a suspension lift, but you know how those thoughts snowball after you see your "dream tire..."

My assumption is a 33" tire would not fit and/or might look goofy with just a 2" lift. If my assumption is correct, I assume a 3-3.5 lift would be move than enough to accommodate. If I go that route, 2 more questions,

1) Best bang for buck lift (I want something that will last but isn't vanity-priced)

2) What other mod's, if any, will I need to make to drivetrain to make a 3-3.5" lift work (I've heard over years that depending on lift size, alterations to the driveshafts, etc. are needed.

I also know to expect a significant decrease in MPG moving from 31 to 33" tires. But, my Jeep is now moving into the world of second-car instead of daily driver.

Apologies in advance for the redundancies. Thanks!
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
You are correct in your assumption that you really need a 3"-3.5" lift to clear 33's well. In order to do that right, you really need to budget in the cost of an SYE or slip yoke eliminator, new double cardan drive shaft and adjustable rear upper control arms to set your pinion angle.
 

Wranglerangel06

New member
You are correct in your assumption that you really need a 3"-3.5" lift to clear 33's well. In order to do that right, you really need to budget in the cost of an SYE or slip yoke eliminator, new double cardan drive shaft and adjustable rear upper control arms to set your pinion angle.

Thank you! Exactly what I needed to know. I don't want to half-ass this.
 

Bear_JT

Hooked
You might also want to consider re-gearing your axles. Depending what ratio you have now, 33’s on a TJ can make a big difference in your highway speeds for daily driving.


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Wranglerangel06

New member
You might also want to consider re-gearing your axles. Depending what ratio you have now, 33’s on a TJ can make a big difference in your highway speeds for daily driving.


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Thanks! I don't know the front axel off top of my head (35, maybe?), but I know the Rocky Mountain (mine) has the Dana 44 rear axel.
 

Bear_JT

Hooked
Thanks! I don't know the front axel off top of my head (35, maybe?), but I know the Rocky Mountain (mine) has the Dana 44 rear axel.

I always thought that the TJ’s had a Dana 30 front with a Dana 35 rear, unless it is the Rubicon in which case would have front and rear 44s.


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wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I always thought that the TJ’s had a Dana 30 front with a Dana 35 rear, unless it is the Rubicon in which case would have front and rear 44s.


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TJ's came with Dana 30's up front and 35's in the rear but in 2000, Sports came with a Dana 44 in the rear. Gears were 3.73 on that setup.
 

Wranglerangel06

New member
For the sake of cost, I think I may put the suspension lift on back-burner and just continue to run with the 2" spring spacer lift and scratch this idea that I have to have 33" tires simply because they are colorful. Lol.

However, now I'm contemplating whether to keep running a 31" tire or bump to 32".

I do have Dana 44 in rear and Dana 30 in front and 3.73 gearing.

I think this is a long shot, but anyone know anyone who ran 32" tires on a 2" lift? What research I'm doing, seems like they would be fine with no rubbing. I though maybe this would be a good compromise to get a little larger tire without compromising gearing while also having a bit larger tire if, in the next 50k miles, I decide to lift it another inch total with a 3"-3.5" suspension lift. With it being several grand to do a suspension lift RIGHT, just seems unattainable right now...though it does need new shocks...

Thanks for all of the input previously!
 
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