33 vs 35

BB98xj

BB98xj

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I am sure someone has asked this before but I can't find a thread. XJ at 5.5" with cut and rolled fenders, 4.56 gears.. Looking for input on reliability / capability with the difference between the two size tires. Thoughts / opinions?
 
Stock axles?
 
You gonna wheel it or cruise to the mall?
 
I will preface this w/ I don't know much on Jeeps. However, with what I do know...I'd say you could do 35s depending on your driving style (if you're gonna beat on it hard I would reconsider). If it were me though, and I were going to be driving to and from the trails (i.e., not trailering) then I'd have 33s on it personally. Last thing you want is to break shit and to worry about getting yourself and rig back home. Just my $0.02
 
What tires? A 33" ltb and a 35" a/t are two very different birds.
 
RHSCTJ said:
What tires? A 33" ltb and a 35" a/t are two very different birds.
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And to that point, unless deep water crossings and height is the main concern - a HP30 on a 33” tire prob has the same ground clearance as a D60 on a 37-38” tire. These 33s I picked up a couple weeks ago are pretty dern tall for a 33; prob the same height as a 35 AT.

If you intend on using the throttle heavily, I’d recommend 33s. Street queen or no chromos/300M joints then a 35 is more ideal.

Also I’m running 4.88s on my 33s and don’t feel like my gearing is too low from the 20ish road miles I’ve driven it so far with the new gears and tires.

I’ve seen plenty of nearly stock XJs get beaten through obstacles that bigger rigs had problems with.

This being said - I successfully ran a 35” tire on my last HP30 that was geared and locked, but it was trussed with chromo shafts, 300M joints, and the steering stops were limited so the u-joint could never get to a really extreme angle.
 
BB98xj said:
Just wheel. It will need to cruise from a to b, no trailering.
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No Trailer: 35" MT's (MTR/k, Nitto's, ETC.)
Trailer: 36" TSL's

I like to think I baby my HP30 on 35's but honestly I don't and @77GreenMachine and a few other can attest to that. As long as you have Chromo's, good Spicer joints with full circle clips and a full case locker you'll be fine.
 
Thank you for all the input. I have some homework to do. My trouble comes from never wheeling before so to answer what my intentions are/what tire I want to run, well lm not sure. Always had street queens with a BFG A/T.

A capable rig for trail riding, camping, having a good time and drinking a few beers is what I’m after. I suppose I won’t know until I get my feet wet and see what I enjoy.
 
BB98xj said:
Thank you for all the input. I have some homework to do. My trouble comes from never wheeling before so to answer what my intentions are/what tire I want to run, well lm not sure. Always had street queens with a BFG A/T.

A capable rig for trail riding, camping, having a good time and drinking a few beers is what I’m after. I suppose I won’t know until I get my feet wet and see what I enjoy.
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Get a good 33" m/t tire.
 
Some of best wheeling memories I’ve had was on 33 and 34ltb, but then I threw some 35”s on the ole zj and obviously had more clearance and felt better about myself off-road, also broke some spiders and ujoints with my false sense of capabilities with bigger tires tho. It really depends on your driving/ mechanical skills imo and how much you want to pay to upgrade/ fix parts, but I’ve seen a 01 xj with 5.5 lift on 33s do some awesome shit and drive 3hrs home w/o damage on the other hand I’ve taken my 96zj on 33s up waterfall, the rut, welder trail in mtn city and lower rock garden, grapevine and up part of the stadium in Harlan...lol but I trash my junk like it’s a tank, back when I actually wheeled! :/ either way ya go it’s gonna be more expensive and more work to keep it streetable instead of hauling it from what I’ve found!
 
I am running 35s and 4.88s I like the road manners.

Chromosome front and Yukon rears locked front and rear.

Haven't wheeled it yet, still a little suspension work to do.
 
I pulled this from what I posted in your build thread:

Those axles have seen 31s, 33s, 34s, 35s, and 37s under my XJ. Like others have mentioned a 33" tire is going to be very effective. 35" and over and everyone knows you are just trying to compensate for something

Personally I would run a high quality 33” mud terrain tire. I’m not convinced a 35” tire is worth the added mass over a 33” tire (especially on an xj that has a good wheelbase) unless you just can't live without having 35s. I think some 33” cooper stt would do you well. That keeps your 4.56 gears happy and keeps your axle shafts and ring and pinions safe unless you shake and bake and bounce your XJ on a ledge WOT.

To see real off road benefits of a larger tire a jump from 33” to 37” seems more realistic. 33” to 35” is just splitting hairs especially after you air down.
 
If you buy 33s you'll kick yourself for not going 35s

If you buy 35s you will break stuff and wish you'd just run 33s so you could be harder on your stuff.

There IS no right or wrong answer here.
BB98xj said:
My trouble comes from never wheeling before
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Sounds like you need to ride in an open seat on some club rides and see what you really WANT before you dive in not having experienced it.
 
I’m always open to ride, I’ll bring the beverages. I think I am convinced to start with a 33. Get a feel for how the Jeep functions and figure out wtf I’m doing. Lack of experience alone will put me at a higher risk to break stuff.

Speaking of coopers, theirs some 33s in the FS section but doesn’t want to split from the wheels. Maybe a buyer will come up for the wheels...

Anyone run falken MTs? Seem cheap, but really good reviews on the interwebz.
 
I have been down this road with both xjs, and for that matter every jeep I have owned.

My first xj had 35s when I bought it. It broke stuff very often. My current jeep has jk rubicon takeoffs on it , which are around a 32. I need new tires and really want a skinny 34. Only problem is the only ones I know of are swampers, and I have not had good experiences with them on the road.

So, I am currently still looking at tire sizes. The closest radial mud tire I can find , to what I want , is a 285/75 - 17. Depending on brand, roughly a 34×11 inch tire.

Maybe a good comprise for you also?
 
Get some meaty ass 33s if you go that route, you won’t regret getting an aggressive tire. Look for the tread depth when tire shopping. Just get something reputable and you’ll likely be happy with it
 
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KM2? Maxxis bighorn? Maxxis Razr? What else do you guys recommend looking into?
 
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