[cjcraig7]

Since the majority of the questions from noobies involve tire size and gear ratios, I need to get something off of my chest. I believe there is an outbreak of bad advice given to these people that are seeking answers about their future build plans.

I keep seeing guys telling answer seekers to, "go with the 35's no matter what gears you have, you can regear later, I've been running 37's on my 3.21's with no issues" blah, blah, blah. Well BULL SHITissed: The JK was designed to run a specified size tire with a specified gear and specified bumpers and specified tuning, etc. The bigger you go in tire size without changes in other facets of your suspension, body, and drivetrain, the more problems you will have. I mean I feel like I have pushed the limits of my stock JK by putting 33's on it with 3.73 gears. I believe if one is serious about upgrading to 35" tires and above, they need to be ready to 1) regear. 2) new wheels or spacers with correct backspacing. 3) suspension lift. 4) spare tire carrier (tailgate is not made to carry the extra weight). 5) steering box upgrade. 6) reprogram vehicles computer to all of the above changes.
These changes are not only needed for driveability and durability, but also safety.

It is all of our responsibility to be real with fellow jeepers asking questions. A JK with 35"+ tires might look good but if all of the mods that go along with it are not completed at the same time then the Jeep will be no more capable (probably less capable) than stock.

Rant over

Link to the thread(s) that twisted you.....or it didn't happen.

On another note, the answers in the Modified Section will only get better, if the questions get better. Newbs should seek quality answers by utilizing the search button and the appropriate forum. My rant is now over.

 

[d'sjk]

Overall I think you are pretty spot on with people giving bad advice I have also watched many of people unwilling to admit that they bought a bad parts tell others to buy the same pieces of shit just to laugh at them later.

Man I will have to say if you have had the 4.1 gear ratio and 35's is absolutley fine but any gear below that is pretty worthless

steering box upgrade I do not really agree with either but everything else is pretty spot on especially since I am running 35's with no steering stabilizer and it has worked out pretty well for me.

I think that a lot of newbies including myself at one time jumped the gun on upgrade then find themselves not able to upgrade other parts as needed.

On my first build I went through so many parts swapping them out to get the combination I wanted.

Luckily this go around I saved until I was able tto do almost all the upgrade I wanted the first time round...but that is not to say I will not be upgrading a few things on once funds build back up though.

 

[GOWREVER]

Well I'm bound to piss off a few people w/ this comment and whatever it's a rant. I got some pretty good advice from the other place we all came from. No I'm not talking about dads dick... I agree with the OP though, if you don't know what you're talking about then Shut the F**K UP!!!!!!! And for the Noobs reading this, don't be afraid to talk to the vendors too, some of the are pretty smart. The owner of Poison Spyder knows his shit I talked to him for a while at the Pomona Expo a couple years back.

 

[08 Jk]

for one im definetly a noob but...I researched everything I have like crazyy (33's and a 2.5in lift) and I dont regrett my decision at all. Would I like 35s? Of course! but like you guys have said money is a huge issue, being a college student I especially know this. When I would read about people having any type of problems with 35s I got way to scared and went to 33s. I wheel alot but if anything breaks, my jeep will be in the driveway a few weeks before I have enough money to fix it. My point I guess is that all the information and experience that you get from this site is great, but you have to remember that the bigger you go, the more things you will need and the more things you will break. I feel like my jeeps a money pit and I only have 33s!

 

[austinjeepr]

My favorite is everyone that thinks when you hydro lock your engine its ruined.......water doesn't compress sooooo pull your damn spark plugs out crank over your engine to blow the water out, reinstall your plugs and keep driving!!

I feel i have a great deal of knowledge in the world of wheelin but i definetly don't know everything and if i'm not 100% sure i wont post my uninformed opinion.
YOU SHOULD DO THE SAME.

 

[.7834]

If you don't search and read everything you can before making a decision on your Jeep, you've done more damage than listening to someone's advice.

 

[outdoors]

"The JK was designed to run a specified size tire with a specified gear and specified bumpers and specified tuning, etc."

Realistically you could throw the auto transmission factory gearing design right out the window. They should have came with 4.88's period. They could have saved money by only offering one gear ratio for it as well. EPA mileage probably wouldn't suffer on 32's either.

 

[MSUJeep]

Most of what I have seen is the basic "I want to upgrade tire size, but can't afford to do gears at the same time".

At least with this scenario, I see a trend when debating between a 33" or a 35".....

#1) Overwhelming suggestions are to go to the 35", because in many cases (Rubicon owners and Unlimited owners) it can be a waste of money to only go to a 33", since you aren't gaining much performance advantage.

#2) If someone is on the fence (between a 33" or a 35"), many people that have "been there/ done that" don't want to see somebody go to a 33", just to soon after regret not going to a 35". A lot of us regret wasting the money on the in-between size.

#3) Most of the suggestions to go to a 35" tire without changing gears, is just their personal experience that "Yes this will work".....not that stock gears and larger tires are going to be ideal, but that it can be done.

There is a general assumption that we all want bigger tires on the JK, but can only afford to modify in steps. In a perfect world, we would all do the tires, wheels, lift, and gears at the same time.....but honestly, that's rarely the feasible solution.......so recommendations are made that will simply suffice.

JMO

I think my 33" tires and 3" lift make my jeep perfrom much better offroad than stock, Definitely not a waste of money. The whole money thing is exactly my point. Going to 35's or larger before the rest of your jeep is ready for them is the waste of money. Building in stages is exactly what I'm doing.

Stage 1 is 33" tires, wheels, lift, and front/rear bumpers, ~$3500.
Stage 2 will be gears, 35" tires, programmer, heavy duty steering box (I dont like slop in my steering, or anything else :) ~$3000
Stage 3 will be the expensive one... Hemi and all that goes with that ~$10k
Stage 4 Long arm lift ~$3000

I realize that everyone has different ideas and goals in mind with their rigs, but I think it is everyone's desire to have the best JK they can and spend the least amount of money. Some guys aren't as good as others in deciphering through all of the advice given on the internet. I consider myself to be well educated and informed and experience in the mechanical world since I've owned a lot of different vehicles, which I did all of my own work on. I also worked in the auto industry for 7 years at the manufacturing level and now work in the Aerospace industry. Just saying that I'm not just some jack ass with another uneducated opinion

*By the way Stub, this wasn't all directed toward you. You were just the first one that disagreed

 

[outdoors]

I think my 33" tires and 3" lift make my jeep perfrom much better offroad than stock, Definitely not a waste of money. The whole money thing is exactly my point. Going to 35's or larger before the rest of your jeep is ready for them is the waste of money. Building in stages is exactly what I'm doing.

Stage 1 is 33" tires, wheels, lift, and front/rear bumpers, ~$3500.
Stage 2 will be gears, 35" tires, programmer, heavy duty steering box (I dont like slop in my steering, or anything else :) ~$3000
Stage 3 will be the expensive one... Hemi and all that goes with that ~$10k
Stage 4 Long arm lift ~$3000

I realize that everyone has different ideas and goals in mind with their rigs, but I think it is everyone's desire to have the best JK they can and spend the least amount of money. Some guys aren't as good as others in deciphering through all of the advice given on the internet. I consider myself to be well educated and informed and experience in the mechanical world since I've owned a lot of different vehicles, which I did all of my own work on. I also worked in the auto industry for 7 years at the manufacturing level and now work in the Aerospace industry. Just saying that I'm not just some jack ass with another uneducated opinion

*By the way Stub, this wasn't all directed toward you. You were just the first one that disagreed

I think you got a great set up there.. Some people would just wait until they could afford the exact stuff they wanted, so as they would not have to buy a second time or wait. But like you I want to enjoy my JK now, and a lift is required where I go.. And for me personally, I feel with the Rubi pkg I'm "ok for now"
It's my compromise to play now 35's and stock gears 4:1/4:1 auto..
I usually keep OD off.. Gears are in my next mod.
As JG Wentworth says "It's your money.."
I only have so much to put in to my JK though.. Stages for me as well.
later..

 

[BenFoo]

I think my 33" tires and 3" lift make my jeep perfrom much better offroad than stock, Definitely not a waste of money. The whole money thing is exactly my point. Going to 35's or larger before the rest of your jeep is ready for them is the waste of money. Building in stages is exactly what I'm doing.

Stage 1 is 33" tires, wheels, lift, and front/rear bumpers, ~$3500.
Stage 2 will be gears, 35" tires, programmer, heavy duty steering box (I dont like slop in my steering, or anything else :) ~$3000
Stage 3 will be the expensive one... Hemi and all that goes with that ~$10k
Stage 4 Long arm lift ~$3000

I realize that everyone has different ideas and goals in mind with their rigs, but I think it is everyone's desire to have the best JK they can and spend the least amount of money. Some guys aren't as good as others in deciphering through all of the advice given on the internet. I consider myself to be well educated and informed and experience in the mechanical world since I've owned a lot of different vehicles, which I did all of my own work on. I also worked in the auto industry for 7 years at the manufacturing level and now work in the Aerospace industry. Just saying that I'm not just some jack ass with another uneducated opinion

*By the way Stub, this wasn't all directed toward you. You were just the first one that disagreed

I don't see any mention of armor for your oil pan in there. For such a smart guy how do you plan to drive home with a hole in your oil pan?

Heavy Duty Steering box? The only place that makes a replacement is PSC and its pretty much the stock one..... The upgrade you should be looking for is hydro-assisted steering. That takes a lot of stress off the steering components.

Planning on doing the HEMI swap yourself? Otherwise id budget more than 10K for that.

You have a lot of redundant costs in your build plan.....just sayin. I also dont see 'Stage2' happening for 3K if you are going to go with hydro-assist. Dont forget driveshafts, ball joints, various cooling upgrades, winches, lights, ....etc. Its good you have a plan though.

 

[StubEXrube]

[*]6739]

*By the way Stub, this wasn't all directed toward you. You were just the first one that disagreed

All good. I'm really not disagreeing. Was just pointing out the typical scenario that I've seen many times.....again, not that it's ideal, just that generally when people are on the fence between going to X size or X size.....that most tend to recommend going bigger. Some are just dead-set on doing as little as possible to get those big shoes.

I personally, don't give out advice that will either compromise someone's safety or greatly diminish performance. Appropriate gearing should always be considered in conjunction with larger tires.

Sounds like you have a good plan ahead of you. Looking fwd to pics.

 

[Boris]

Bad advice to me is assuming everyone is better off with 35s right away. It just does not fit all situations.

I started out with the 29" roller skates, and when I did my lift could not afford a tire carrier upgrade so I went with 33s. They are working out fine for me.

Thowring the spare in the back of my JKU is not an option. I drove down with three passengers (and their luggage) to Hot Springs last weekend to the JK Jamboree. They went to the spas, I went wheeling.

So I have upgraded to 33s, 2.5" lift, superchips, control arms, track bar, front bumper, winch, and rock rails.

Putting in an ARB compressor this weekend so I can air up.

In the queue is a regear, rear lockers, full skids, rear bumper, tire carrier, tube doors, front axle upgrade with lockers, a rubicrawler, and flat fenders. At some point in there I will get 35s.

I also live in the Ozarks - nothing is flat. People IMO are too quick to advise 35s without taking in the whole picture.

 

[BenFoo]

So I have upgraded to 33s, 2.5" lift, superchips, control arms, track bar, front bumper, winch, and rock rails.

Thats a decent build for a 2dr.

4drs have a lot more belly....kinda need the bigger lift and tires to make the same break over angles.


I think a lot of people forget there are 2dr and 4dr jeeps now......4drs need more tire....

 

[desert dog]

Its very good advise to properly build for bigger tires IMHO. With all the rigs running 37-40-42" tires and weighing close to 6K# on the trail nowadays, digging huge holes and moving around boulders, 35s are barely adequate now on trails a stock Jeep was able to do 5 years ago. As an example - look at the Rubicon trail. Some of my local trails were passable by stock 4x4 SUVs 5 years ago, now guys with 35s are getting pulled through the holes and exposed boulders. This doesn't apply to everyone and everywhere, but it does indicate that bigger is often better (but you have to build for it). Even look at this forum; when it started, 35s were huge and 40s were considered almost impossible to run and dangerous to drive, but now this forum seems to be going that route. People are doing things with full-body street legal rigs today that buggies wouldn't even run 10 years ago.

I don't think 35" tires are too extreme for a mildly modded JK - its when you go bigger than 35s that performance takes a dive and shit starts falling apart.

 

[MSUJeep]

I don't see any mention of armor for your oil pan in there. For such a smart guy how do you plan to drive home with a hole in your oil pan?

Armor is a given... I do most of my own welding, so underbody protection will be done with very little $$

Heavy Duty Steering box? The only place that makes a replacement is PSC and its pretty much the stock one..... The upgrade you should be looking for is hydro-assisted steering. That takes a lot of stress off the steering components.

Haven't done too much research on what's out there yet, but you're probably right.

Planning on doing the HEMI swap yourself? Otherwise id budget more than 10K for that.

Yes. This stage will include driveshafts, axles, and brake upgrades.

You have a lot of redundant costs in your build plan.....just sayin. I also dont see 'Stage2' happening for 3K if you are going to go with hydro-assist. Dont forget driveshafts, ball joints, various cooling upgrades, winches, lights, ....etc. Its good you have a plan though.

What's redundant? I'll wear my current tires out, and by the time I go to a long arm I'll need new suspension anyway.

 

[MSUJeep]

Bad advice to me is assuming everyone is better off with 35s right away. It just does not fit all situations.

I started out with the 29" roller skates, and when I did my lift could not afford a tire carrier upgrade so I went with 33s. They are working out fine for me.

Thowring the spare in the back of my JKU is not an option. I drove down with three passengers (and their luggage) to Hot Springs last weekend to the JK Jamboree. They went to the spas, I went wheeling.

So I have upgraded to 33s, 2.5" lift, superchips, control arms, track bar, front bumper, winch, and rock rails.

Putting in an ARB compressor this weekend so I can air up.

In the queue is a regear, rear lockers, full skids, rear bumper, tire carrier, tube doors, front axle upgrade with lockers, a rubicrawler, and flat fenders. At some point in there I will get 35s.

I also live in the Ozarks - nothing is flat. People IMO are too quick to advise 35s without taking in the whole picture.

Sounds like we are on the same page. Well said.

 

[Jagrmaister]

If I was to do it over again I'd have put on 37s instead of 35s. Sure, the gearing would need to be addressed eventually, but I'd now be looking at getting a gear swap instead of getting 37s. :bawling:

 

[BenFoo]

Armor is a given... I do most of my own welding, so underbody protection will be done with very little $$



Haven't done too much research on what's out there yet, but you're probably right.



Yes. This stage will include driveshafts, axles, and brake upgrades.



What's redundant? I'll wear my current tires out, and by the time I go to a long arm I'll need new suspension anyway.

You better account for more than 10K at that HEMI stage then if you want to accomplish all that and do it properly. Depending on how you replace the axles you could spend 10K or more on just that.


If you can run those 33s till they need replaced, all the best to you. Most people find it extremely difficult. I went from stock rubi -> 35s -> 38s -> 40s in the span of about a year. 35s and 4.10 gears with the rubi transfer case and manual transmission werent bad at all on or offroad. 38s were a different story. I regeared once to 5.38s, but not with 35s. Starting with the right platform for your build is a good starting point that can save money too.

My point is your advise (or lack there of) is no better than anyone else's. Same goes for mine. Opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one. Its the buyer's responsibility to ultimately figure that out and has no one to blame but themselves. There are some forums that have worse advise (in general) than others....due to censorship or whatnot...but Id say over all the advise from this forum is at least open. Which means, people can debate and pontificate (up to the P's in the thesaurus) about their builds and dreams.

If I had a stock jeep and all the money back, would I do things different? Sure. That is ultimately where the advise comes from. Experience.

 

[MSUJeep]

You better account for more than 10K at that HEMI stage then if you want to accomplish all that and do it properly. Depending on how you replace the axles you could spend 10K or more on just that.


If you can run those 33s till they need replaced, all the best to you. Most people find it extremely difficult. I went from stock rubi -> 35s -> 38s -> 40s in the span of about a year. 35s and 4.10 gears with the rubi transfer case and manual transmission werent bad at all on or offroad. 38s were a different story. I regeared once to 5.38s, but not with 35s. Starting with the right platform for your build is a good starting point that can save money too.

My point is your advise (or lack there of) is no better than anyone else's. Same goes for mine. Opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one. Its the buyer's responsibility to ultimately figure that out and has no one to blame but themselves. There are some forums that have worse advise (in general) than others....due to censorship or whatnot...but Id say over all the advise from this forum is at least open. Which means, people can debate and pontificate (up to the P's in the thesaurus) about their builds and dreams.

If I had a stock jeep and all the money back, would I do things different? Sure. That is ultimately where the advise comes from. Experience.

Agreed. Wasn't really trying to give any advice in this thread. Just pointing out that there seemed to be a rash of bad advice. I think this is a great forum, obviously. I just want the guys asking questions to really know what the out come is when they go bigger than 33's, with no sugar coating or BS. We all wheel differently on different terrain, so ultimately everything depends on the individual and use of the Jeep.

As far as the Hemi goes.... I am really going to have all of my ducks in a row when the time comes. At this point I really think I can do it right for around $10k. Of course, there are always hidden obstacles that I will budget for as well.

 

[SONIC]

Since the majority of the questions from noobies involve tire size and gear ratios, I need to get something off of my chest. I believe there is an outbreak of bad advice given to these people that are seeking answers about their future build plans.

I keep seeing guys telling answer seekers to, "go with the 35's no matter what gears you have, you can regear later, I've been running 37's on my 3.21's with no issues" blah, blah, blah. Well BULL SHITissed: The JK was designed to run a specified size tire with a specified gear and specified bumpers and specified tuning, etc. The bigger you go in tire size without changes in other facets of your suspension, body, and drivetrain, the more problems you will have. I mean I feel like I have pushed the limits of my stock JK by putting 33's on it with 3.73 gears. I believe if one is serious about upgrading to 35" tires and above, they need to be ready to 1) regear. 2) new wheels or spacers with correct backspacing. 3) suspension lift. 4) spare tire carrier (tailgate is not made to carry the extra weight). 5) steering box upgrade. 6) reprogram vehicles computer to all of the above changes.
These changes are not only needed for driveability and durability, but also safety.

It is all of our responsibility to be real with fellow jeepers asking questions. A JK with 35"+ tires might look good but if all of the mods that go along with it are not completed at the same time then the Jeep will be no more capable (probably less capable) than stock.

Rant over

Yeah well I'm running HEAVY 37's on stock 4.10's and im plenty happy

Its not a sports car and im fine with it