Hi all.... Im a newbie here so take it easy on me!!! Im getting a black unlimited sahara and looking to upgrade wheels and tires. Im new to Jeeps so Im havent been able to get too much into off roadin'... With that said I live in Iowa so I drive in the snow. I want to buy some 20'' XD rockstar wheels and put some decent tires on them... can I get some info on what rim spec should I ask for and what tire would be nice. I like the meaty look of the nitto mud gapplers Ive seen online but I wonder if those are good for snow. If not any suggestions?

Also would I have to lift my stock suspension or add spacers in order to have these not rub?

Also for someone who is not that much into off roading, what is the case for getting the rubi vs. the sahara. I like the look of the sahara but if performance is that much better im willing to sacrife. Could those same bumpers be painted to replicate that same look of the sahara?

This is the look Im going for and with some other original things I have in mind:
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/2958/3561/32394280014_large.jpg

Thanks!

 

Welcome to the forum and wow, lot of questions. First I would start here for a good base of knowledge.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modified-jk-tech-2/modified-tech-faq-answers-questions-every-newbie-has-18617/

Read through there and if you have more questions please ask (or search)

 

Take your time and slow down, and figure out how much off roading you want to do.

First 20 inch rims will not off road well, you wont have enough sidewall.

Painted fenders are not nice for off roading as you get custom pin stripes and you can gouge the fenders. Black plastic looks good when you put turtle wax ice on them even when scratched and gouged.

Performance, there is no comparison between a Rubi and a Sahara. All Wranglers are capable off road, but the Rubi is a factory built monster right out of the box.

All I can say is buy what you want, but jeeps are not o-ring tire kinda of vehicles if you want to go off road.

So like I said you only go into debt every few years so dont jump without understanding what you are buying and why.

 

x2 on taking your time and making wise decisions.

Every mod has pros and cons, but the only pros I can find for dubs is appearance (if you like that look) and reduced tire sidewall flex for road handling.

Cons:

- Road rash (curbs are your enemy)
- Off-road rash (nothing is friendly)
- Tall rims require wide tires to look proportional (depth clearance issues)
- There are limited tire models and sizes in 20"
- 20" Tires and wheels are more pricey
- Tall wheels push more mass towards the perimeter of the wheel increasing moment of inertia which affects MPG and braking
- The short tire sidewalls create a harsh ride

I understand appearance is important, but that is a lot negative factors to ignore.

Check out the Show Off Tread in Show and Tell section. There is no thread for Dubs (although if you don' mind fireworks you could start one ) but there are a few sprinkled throughout the different JK color threads particularly Black.

For snow you should stick with a lower void ratio tire than the Mud Grapplers. The Terra Grapplers are probably a better choice and you augment them with siping.
Where there is snow there is water, and many wide tires tend to hydroplane.

There are a number of recent threads discussing snow tires, but many of those tires are not offered in 20".

Freedom of choice. Choose wisely!

 

The Rubi offers more offroad capability from the start so that you don't have to purchase it later...like lockers, swaybar disconnect, beefier suspension, and better offroad tires. The Sahara has some more creature comforts like electric locks & windows, softer ride, , sidesteps, less road noise (from the all terrain tires), and maybe better handling from less sidewall flex on the tires.

I went with the Sahara because I was going to be hauling kids all the time and the electric windows, locks, and sidesteps helped out a lot. However, now that I'm doing more offroading, I've replaced the sidesteps with rock sliders. I am buying manual swaybar disconnects. I'm replacing the 18" wheels...both to get less backspacing and because tires for 18" rims average about $100 more per tire than 16" rims (unless you go to really huge tires that require a massive lift).

So, if I had it to do over, I would probably get a Rubi, though when I got my Jeep the Rubi's had a 3-6 month waiting time and my Sahara was 6wks, so I can't say that definitively. With the Sahara, I'm adding that capability slowly and exactly the way I want to, so that approach works too.

As to the silver on the bumpers...if that's your main reason to get a Sahara, those are available on the "for sale" page all the time...in fact most people will give them to you. because they don't like them with any color except silver. Also, the stock bumpers aren't really trail worthy so they get beaten up pretty easily. People take their stock bumpers off all the time and the silver insert just screws on to any of the stock bumpers.

 

Rather stick to 17".. There's lots of really awesome ones out there.
20" takes up too much space on wheels under 37". It's not good for offroading as someone upthere already said.
Take a look at Eddie's JK to see what 20's look like. He has 20" wheels with 40" tires.. It's huge!

And as everyone said, take your time.

My suggestion for getting a nice bigish look without doing to much modding is to get a 2.5" BB (Budget Boost).. I've heard Teraflex makes a really nice one.
Also I'd start by getting a nice set of bumpers first. They are vital.
Lifts you really need to take your time to find out what your needs are and which lift will work best for you. Doing a proper lift can be a very expensive exercise if it's done right.
So take your time and do your research.. This website and project-jk.com is a warehouse of knowledge that will really get you on track soon. Just keep asking stacks of questions. Everyone on here is real friendly and is always willing to help another Jeeper!

But welcome to the wonderful world of Jeep and enjoy it!

(ps - never call your Jeep a car. God kills a kitten everytime someone does )

Estian

 

"(ps - never call your Jeep a car. God kills a kitten everytime someone does )"

LMFAO!

 

I hit a deer with my Sahara and ripped both fenders on the left side off. Insurance paid to fix it and have them repainted. Two weeks later I hit another deer this time it did not rip off the fenders but it smacked into the front one and chipped the paint off. I think I am going to change to black ones. If you like the look of the painted ones though, just remember you can paint just about anything.

 

I had the mud grapplers and they r so loud on the road...goodyear with kevlar r great

 

I have the Sahara and Love it..It will go anywhere I need to go and then some.
I'm in the dirt several times a week during the summer and now snow and and mud in the winter.

A see alot of Rubies around where I live on the street but I haven't see one off road yet..its a status symbol for some to have a Rubicon just like some folks drive a Land Rover in NewPort beach or Orange County.

The reason I have a Sahara is I was at the right place at the right time and fell into a deal I couldn't pass up..And I was on my way to look a two Rubicons.

Big tires look cool......I would say most guys buy'em for the look and the Jeep never see's the dirt."Mall crawlers"

20" rock stars are really nice looking but would, and do suck offroad..And would also ride like crap on the road with no sidewall flex.

If your going to be offroad alot and can afford to get the Rubicon..Do it.

If not the Sahara with the extra bells and whistles is really nice and will get you anywhere you need to go..Just minus the Dana 44 up frt with the push botton locker and the auto sway bar disconnects.