rkwfxd

I am looking to order a 09 X. I am going to mod it but on a daily basis I go from 33's and a 1 inch BL to 37's and a 4 inch long arm lift with drive shafts to 35's with a combination of suspension lift and BL. How did you decide how big and how high to go? What kept you on 33's or pushed you to 37's? Ego? Terrain? $$$? Center of Gravity? Ground clearance? On road manners? Warrant? Why did you choose what you chose?

Thanks

Ryno

I think it really depends on two factors... 1) How often you go off-roading and what kind of terrain you encounter, and 2) How thick your wallet is.

People run TJs with 33s on the Rubicon Trail and have little to no clearance problems. Once you start getting into the 35" and 37" sizes you would mainly be doing it for looks. However, if you're getting an Unlimited then you could justify larger tires in order to gain some breakover angle.

As far as looks go, I don't think you can go wrong with a good set of 35s. The JK was practically made for them. 35s will also be significantly cheaper to run than 37s.

But at the end of the day, it's your decision. Good luck!

Jeepin Dad

I decided on a BB and 33's because it is my daily driver and I did not want to totally ruin my gas milage plus I have 2 young boys and a wife that have a hard enough time getting in at this height. I am happy with the trail capability right now, eventually when it is no longer my daily driver I will upgrade the suspention and go up to either 35's or 37's but that won't be for a while.

FunWagon

I used to have a TJ Rubicon with 33s on a long arm, which I had great fun with and was my daily driver, and for a while wanted to move up to 35s and didn't even need any mods to do so but never made the move. Recently got a JK and wanted to go all the way to 37s, but quickly realized the cost goes up very quickly to do it right beyond what I expected to be reasonable, so I am going with 35s, which is not cheap either but a lot more reasonable. This will be my daily driver as well. I would say if you have a budget of $4,000 to $6,000 then go with 35". I am sure some would say you can do it for less, but I think you would be compromising something. If your budget is much less then think of 33s, but what is one extra inch of tire above stock (1/2 an inch lift to axles)? With my ever growing "must have" wish list I could spend more than $10,000 easily. I just have to contain myself. These decisions can drive you crazy . So many possibilities, so little money .

SaharaBlackNo1

33s are definitely the easiest and most budget friendly of the mods. I just went in for 4.5" of lift, 37s and several other goodies (hood and bumpers) and I can't wait.

If you're doing it on a tight budget, I'd say 33s really do have a nice impact on the aesthetics of the Jeep, but I'm not sure how much more functional they'd be off-roading than the stock Rubicon tires, unless you went down in rim size.

What I want to know is if there's a dramatic visual difference between having 33s and having 37s on an Unlimited. It's hard to believe that 4 extra inches will make a huge difference, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

scouter4life

For me, it's look, performance and need (not necessarily in that order). I'll go to 33's when my 32's need to be replaced, reson being, this is still my daily driver, so don;t want to add too much weight, but at teh same tme, want a little bigger tire with the 2.5bb.

Ryno

I think the difference is pretty significant.

jim07x's JK on 33s...


gooseau's JK on 37s...


Here's a JK on 37s parked in front of a stocker (photo courtesy of Camp Crocker):


The big one looks like it could eat the little one for lunch! How inadequate would you feel if you rolled up next to that monster at a stoplight?

AZ Bulldog

My wife told me when we bought the JK that I was to "Go Big" or don't bother, with the amount of wheeling I do and having an Unlimited 37's were a must for me. When I do the D60's I'll step up to 40's and that's where it'll stay.

scouter4life

Are you kidding Bulldog, you want to go bigger. I take it you want to do The Step without stacking rocks?

RedneckJeep

Money. I'm goin with 33s. 33s won't cost an arm and a leg. I don't have to worry about new driveshafts. I spent a little over a hun on my bb lift kit. The dealer can reprogram my speedometer and it'll be close enough to retain my factory warranty. I don't plan on bein a monster truck, just do a little wheelin with the family every now and then. That's how I made my decision.