kodiak bear

And re-gearing? I take it that's not something I should take on myself? I don't plan on wheeling hard. I just want to be solid driving uneven, dirt roads in the mountains.

Rob 12B1P

I didnt like the way my Jeep drove with 37's and rubi wheels. Much better with a 9" wide wheel. From the wheeling your describing I would just stick with 33's. No reason for 37's unless your playing on big rocks or in deep mudholes unless you just want them for the look.

nthinuf

Many professional mechanics take their vehicles to the experts for gears. Then again, some people with minimal/no experience have tackled it. Read through this writeup and see what you think.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-w...gearing-82262/

I see that you are north of Denver? You might contact the Northridge4x4 shop that is up that way somewhere. They were offering a $999 special not all that long ago, might still be available.

Invest2m4

Gussets are cheap, but require welding. A shop will do it for probably $200 all in.

Gearing is definitely something you pay to have done. Depends where you live, but $1500 is an average.

A truss would get really pricey if you can't weld. But you probably don't need one.

Matthewd5

Maybe consider 35's?

37's is a big load on your Jeep and far more than they planned

mine is a cross between a tank and a go kart and I'm constantly amazed at what it can overcome on tough trails, but I definitely skipped the idea of sleeves and gussets etc

i am glad that the Jeep dealer didn't have a Rubicon with dual tops and manual shift as I have replaced everything but the transfer case and the brake calipers

but it all depends how hard you want to go with it on the trails

matthew

NJKURPat

Going 37's is really a tough job to tackle and can require a lot of $$ and time to do properly. If you are really sticking to moderate wheeling then I would stay with 35s or even 33s. Both require a lot less work. When I move to 35s I'll be trussing and gusseting the front axle and I have a 44. Some guys can wheel the crap out of a 30 on 35/37 and not break, some will be driving to pick up kids from school on 35/37 and snap a housing or shaft on a 44 or 60. Breaking jeep parts is really a luck of the draw thing, but I personally always prepare for the break. 37s can also put a crazy amount of wear on the C's, BJ's, and all your steering components. JK505's steering box just blew up and hes on 35's.

Really just know that if you have your heart set on 37's set up an emergency fund with a couple k ready for when/if you break something. Even if it is on a fire road or driving around town, that much rubber and weight requires a lot more strength and force to withstand the momentum created. The best part about jeepin' is doing what you want with it that makes you happy. Not what anyone on the internet or trail tells different.

Every time I think about a mod, I also think about the new parts it'll require or break. I installed my lift, and am ready for when my DS goes. I'll be moving to 35's and trussing/gusseting the front axle, and putting a sector shaft brace in. Even with all that, I'll be thinking about when I need new shafts, steering box, tie rod, drag link, or axle housing.

Matthewd5

Yeah what he said...

my wife has an entry in our yearly travel/leisure budget for Jeep carnage

i can't imagine breaking my 60

matthew

kodiak bear

This is all really interesting. So, there's a big difference between 35s and 37s? I upgraded to 33x12.5x17 before putting on my lift. It rubbed a bit, but I installed spacers when I did my lift and it's all good now.

I have three reasons for going up in tires:
1) I got my 33s DIRT CHEAP. They're Falken tires and not suited to winter driving, or so I've read. And so I don't want to rely on them as my only tires when Colorado winter comes. The tread left on them is fine and I don't plan to throw them out.
2) I've got a spare set of 5 Rubicon wheels that I traded my front panels for when I took them off to install my Smittbilt front armor fenders (still need to buy/install the rears). So, I like the idea of having two options.
3) Between the high-profile fenders and lift, my 33s look tiny. I know, I know, that's vanity. But they do. So I'd like to go bigger. Plus, in my mind, the more ground clearance, the better.

If 35s will likely give me significantly less trouble than 37s, I'm cool with that. I guess I've seen enough threads on here about people running 37s that the number started bouncing around in my head.

Matthewd5

Look at at it this way, measure the square inches on a 42" TV and then a 50" TV

there is a big difference, far more than you'd think of an 8" difference

so everything you do put that much more force and weight on everything

my tires are 87 pounds without rims

i got to take one off the other day and then put it back on a few days later, and just for comparison their almost $400 each x 5

but it's a blast off and on road

matthew

Wrangeler X

Interesting thread! I have 35's. I have the following setup: RK 3.5 lift with arms Rubi front and rear axles with stock lockers 5:13 gears Rear Adams driveshaft Front coast driveshaft Rear 10 factory shaft Rear truss Front sleeves C gussets Synergy trackbar, draglink, tierod, and ball joints Synergy trackbar frame brace and sector shaft brace ARTEC raised front and rear trackbar brackets Draglink is flipped Proper back spacing with steel wheels Trimmed rear pinch seam Am I ready for 37's? I think so although the I want CM front axle shafts first