MrJamesKlein

I'm new to buying tires and I'm ready to upgrade. I drive an 07 Rubicon and put KMC XD Rockstar 17x9 rims on it a few months ago. Right now I believe i have the stock Rubicon off Road tires and believe they're 32'' or 33" but honestly not sure. What I'm looking at right now are 37" Wrangler M/T by Good Year, because they're the upgraded ones I have now. The Tire ratio is this; 37X12.50R17. Will they fit the rims I have now? If not, I'll take any recommendations. Thanks!

FoxRacingJMC

Hey Bud - a little more goes into it than just bumping up to a tire size that big. What are some details of your jeep? Do you wheel? Plan on wheeling? Again, it's not just as simple as running 37's without other upgrades. Yea, you can run big tires like that - however, it won't be long until you break something that'll end up costing you more $$$ in the long run as supposed to doing it right up front...

MrJamesKlein

Yeah, thats what my dad was saying. I want to start wheeling, but living in Mass, it's somewhat difficult. I've been thinking of investing into all that goes into it like a lift. Right now, it's a bare boned Rubicon, my grandmother drove it until I got my license. Like every Jeep owner, I love the thing and want to soup up the exterior, and performance, but also get the full effect of owning a Jeep. I've put a lot of money into it already, mostly interior and some minor exterior things like wheels, doors and tops, but nothing with the performance yet which is next on the list. but I'm mostly interested in the tires.

FoxRacingJMC

If you are going to listen to anything people say on these forums, listen to what a handful of people say (which is the right approach in my opinion) - take your current jeep out, as is with no new tires/mods/etc, and see what it can and can't do. Then go from there. Don't go throwing this and that into the mix and then find out later you shouldn't have, or should have done it differently, etc....

kh202

If you aren't going to get the chance to wheel it much, my advice would be maybe going with 35's instead of 37's. Still would be a good looking jeep that is PLENTY capable. And if you have the 4.10's, 35's would be a little more livable than 37's for now. But it's your your Jeep

MrJamesKlein

What are 4.10's? I was thinking 35s too. I like the look of the 37s because when I get the chance I know ill be able to handle, I also like the look of the big tires, but would 35s give me around the same look and capability?

kh202

4.10's refer to the gears. You can go on Jeep.com and register under owners section and get your build sheet which will tell you what you have. Do you have a 2 door or 4 door? If you are fairly new to wheeling, a Rubicon on 35's is capable enough to do way more than you can probably imagine or are willing to do with your Jeep Here are some pics of my 2 door and my friends 4 door.

Mine has 2.5" lift and his has 3", both on 35x12.5x15 KM2's. Also a pic of mine vs a stock jeep to show the difference. My personal opinion, if you want your tires to look as big as possible, sell the 17" rockstars and pick up some 15 or 16" wheels (some 15's don’t fit the JK's tho). Also, tires for 15's are significantly cheaper and will give you more sidewall, thus more tire to look at if that makes sense. Certainly nothing wrong with 17's tho, as that is propably the most popular wheel size for JK's.

MrJamesKlein

I have a 2 door. Both of those are amazing! Is yours the orange one? I've also been looking for that grill, either doing it myself or buying it. How did you do get it? I'll definitely take the 15s into consideration even though I love the rockstars.

kh202

Yup mine is the orange one. 15's are nice, but keep in mind, some aftermarket parts such as tie rods and big brake kits won't work with the 15's. Go browse around at tire prices for both and see what you think. Another option to save some cash is to keep the 17's and go with Treadwright Guard Dogs. Search around, plenty of info on them but long story short (sorry I'm at work) they are retreads but lots of great reviews on them. You would need wheel spacers tho with those to accommodate the wider wheel. They run around $160 for 315/70/17 (aka 35").

It's hard to go cheap with 37's without paying for it in the long run. But you can build up to 35's without spending thousands. My whole build is under $3000 and that includes a rubicon transfercase swap.

As for the grill I just took it off and used Duplicolor spray can bed liner. Pretty easy to do. If i would do it again tho, I'd use the Rustoluem bedliner instead. Used that on my hinges and i like the finish better. Both have held up great tho.

MrJamesKlein

You've done a great job with her! As for the logo did you spray that too? or buy the black replacement one? and with the treadwright's I would need spacers? Because i was looking into 1.5's anyway. I'm thinking of getting a 2.5 lift thrown on it too...