We put together a little
reference guide for those of you wondering what size tires will fit under your
Jeep. These are general guidelines, your vehicle may be different.
We are only going to cover what we most commonly see on the trail and
we are only
going to cover Jeeps lifted via a spring suspension lift, body lift, extended
shackles or some combination of all. We have never been a big fan of a
large body lifts and big shackles. Body Lifts may have an undesirable
effect on the Jeep (ex. fan clearance, shifter clearance, linkage problems,
etc..) usually we would only recommend a 1" body lift. Extended
shackles (bigger than 1") can cause steering problems on Jeeps due to
changes in position of the front axle. |
Jeep JK
Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited 2007-
This Jeep, new
to the fold is probably the easiest Jeep to fit larger
rubber with a limited amount of lifting. The JK in
stock form will easily fit 32" tires with no rubbing as long
as backspacing is checked. A 2"-2.5" lift will allow
33"-35" tires with little or no rubbing. 3"-4" lifts
will accomadate 35"-37" tires more comfortably. A
wheel backspacing of 4.5" or less may be needed on 35" and
larger tires to avoid rubbing the frame and other chassis
components.
Jeep
Liberty 2002-2007
The liberty is
limited without radical modification to about 32"-33" tires.
32" are a better idea and can be fit on a Liberty with a
2.5" lift with minor trimming/adjustment.
Jeep TJ 97 -
06
No lift. 31"
tires fit well but may rub slightly during suspension flex.
2" Lift. 32" tires fit well.
33" tires will rub during flex.
2.5"-3" Lift.
33" tires fit very well and usually do not rub. Wider fender flares
may be needed for tires wider than 11"
4" Lift. 33"
tires fit excellent and rarely rub on the fenders. 35" tires fit well
depending on the lift and usually do not rub on the fenders when wider flares
are used.
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Jeep CJ 76 - 86
No Lift. Usually a CJ
with no lift will take a 31" tire the best. I have seen 33"
tires stuffed under though, I would no want to take the Jeep off road this way.
I think you will hear a lot of fender rubbing during suspension flex.
2.5" Lift. Seems
that this is most common. 33" tires fit good and usually don't hit
except with very soft springs. The 82 to 86 CJ-7 may be a little more
prone to fender rubbing due to the wide-track axles.
4" Lift. The most
common size I usually see is 33" to 35" tires. 4" lifts
seem to vary in overall lift, so your maximum size tire will depend on your
situation.
76 to 83 CJ-5's and 76 to 81
CJ-7's may experience some tire rub on the rear inner wheel wells and also
rubbing in the front on the springs during hard cornering. 10" rims
usually seem to make this problem better and also using the standard 3 5/8
backspacing helps. Most of these guidelines will work on CJ's earlier than
76 also.
Jeep YJ 87 - 95
No Lift. 30"
tires are about as big as I would feel comfortable with. YJ Jeeps have
wider axles and tires wider than 10" start to stick out of the wheel wells.
This may be illegal where you live and also make a mess in the mud/snow/rain
because the tires throw road debris all around. Also during suspension
flex the tires may hit the flares and damage them.
2.5" Lift. I have
seen a big variation on 2.5" lifts for YJ's. Some could fit 33"
while some will only fit 31", again you will have to decide by examining
your Jeep.
4" Lift. Usually
you see 33" to 35" tires.
Many YJ owners will use
extended fender flares to keep tires wider than 10" inside the wheel wells.
There are several companies that make these, some are nicer than others.
Jeep Cherokee Classic
84 - 01
No lift. 235 is most
comfortable but too small for anything serious. 30" fit but will rub.
3" Lift. 31"
fit best. 32" fit but will rub unless the wheel wells are trimmed a
bit.
Cherokee's have small wheel
wells and require trimming to go comfortably above 32" It's a shame
that Jeep never made a production Cherokee with larger wheel wells, because
these Jeeps are such fine off-roaders. |