Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

The rubber is just shy of 34". A lot of people prefer 17" or smaller rims. I don't mind the 18's but I do wish they made the rockstars in a 17" so I'd have a bit more sidewall. No issues with rubbing, in fact nothing comes close to rubbing. After installing the AEV bumpers the front dropped down approx .5" as well as the rear. I also installed the front geo kit. I installed the lift myself which took just under 7 hours. The passenger side front shock is a real pain to install. Torquing everything to spec while it is sitting on the ground is not that easy either due to the size of the torque wrench and some of the tight spots you need to get into.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

34"?? I'm soooo confused about the wheel sizes lol I realize the inches are American of course . . . but I'm not sure what I need/want and some places work with inches and the others with cm. Is the '65' the width? would you go any wider? I was looking to go 35" tires and I believe 70's. . .? would those still fit with the aev lift you have? Sooooo many options :S

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

All tires vary slightly in height and width depending on the width of the rim so ya, it can be confusing. 305 is the height, 65 is the width and R18 is rim size. The BFG AT the 305/65R18 are 12.2" wide on a 9" rim which results in them being 33.7" tall. The 325/70R18 are 13" wide on a 9.5" rim and 34.6" tall. The rockstar rims are 10" wide. Will the 35's fit without rubbing. Yes they will. I went with the 305's because everyone kept saying the c-gussets would need to be beefed up to handle the 35's, different transmission gears needed, etc. I didn't want to get that involved, however if you are using it as a daily driver and not rock crawling 35's might be fine. I'll probably go with 35's after I wear these down which at this rate will take me years.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

for starters thanks for all your help and input, this is very helpful :)
Ok, so 315's would be somewhere in the middle then? A lot of the tires I have been looking at are advertised at 315 or 305 and 12.5 . . . I am definitely not going to be hard core rock crawling, but would like the capability of going and doing some fun trails and mudding with minor rocks once or twice every summer . . . so would I be looking for 315/70R18's? You think 325/70R18 would work well with the 2.5" aev lift too? I'm pretty sure my buddy went with 305 and I wanted to go a bit bigger than that . . . The aev lift says it is rated for 33 - 35" tires . . . So you are completely satisfied with the aev lift though? it's good for some minor offroading and still good for street? do you find your gas mileage changed much with what you have now from stock?

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

Some 315's might measure around the same as 305's. I don't think you will see too much of a difference in size. With me everything always comes down to personal preference. I like the lift. Great on the highway, city streets, country roads but I haven't done any serious off roading. So ya, it is a mall crawler right now but that is because I don't want to trash something I invested this much in, at least not yet :)

I'd say AEV is better than for some minor offroading. These guys make some serious equipment. I am averaging around 19MPG but I am not light on the gas pedal. My other car is a mustang so I tend to drive the Jeep the same way.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

Hahahaha, that's funny, my other car is a mustang too! Well technically if you count my drag car it's 2 mustangs lol clearly we have similar tastes :) drag car is a '73 . . . started with a 429 cobra jet but now we (my dad and I) have moved up to a 514 big block (bored out 460) . . . doing low 10's . . . mostly due to the excessive weight . . . we need to put on fibreglass doors asap lol street car is a 2006 GT, white with blue racing stripes (my baby).
Ya, i've heard aev is good stuff. . . . ok, so it sounds like i'm looking for 325/70R18 . . .
what does 19mpg work out to in L/100km approx? And ya, i completely agree, I'll only be doing light mudding and light trails for the first couple years :) but want to be ready to go when i decide to test out a bit tougher terrain

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

Mustangs and Jeeps. Both are fun to drive. Jeep shot is before the major mods. Had TF pucks for a 2 inch lift in this pic. Hated those things.

No it's an AEV Premium. Mopar does use this bumper without the grille hoop on the COD MW3 but they are not marketed as Regular Mopar part.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

17" wheels will give you a much better variety of tires for a lot less money. You can prob pick up a full set of tires and rims in 17" for the cost of the 18" tires alone. Who knows what prices will be like by spring, but Currently 18" tires are not as popular hence a little more costly.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

nice I like it

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

Just wanted to correct you on the metric tire sizes. 305 is the width in mm, 65 is the aspect ratio as in the sidewall height is 65% of the width.

The AEV bumper is my favorite front bumper next to the WURX stubby ( no longer available). I also like the AEV rear bumper which has a lot of cool features. Well thought out products and well built.
Only downside is it is designed to perfectly match the body lines of the JK with factory fenders so it may look a little weird if you choose to run flat fenders.
The winch mount also sits low in the bumper so the winch is out of sight for the most part.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

You're absolutely correct. Odd part is, I knew that but didn't type that. Multi-tasking while having a migraine is not a good idea.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

If I do mainly highway driving and not very spirited, I get around 12.1 L/100km (approx 19MPG). If I am heavy footed, then I average 15.6 L/100 (15MPG). Ouch!

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

Here's the easy way (click here)>>> Tire calculator

Don't forget that some of the metric sizes are 8 and 10 ply tires and that combined with the thinner (aspect ratio) affect the "ride quality" as well..

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

That means that the smaller the number (ie. 65 compared to 70) the wider the tire, correct???

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

When it comes to tire sizes, it seems there are conflicting answers here.

So, if you want a wonderful concise answer to "what do all the numbers on a tire mean FOR REAL" have a look here How to Read A Sidewall - Tires - Coast Tire & Auto Service

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

Ya, check out the link that PJF4X4 posted above. That should answer all your questions regarding what the numbers on a tire mean.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

Ok, so I think I've determined the best size for me is going to be an 18" rim . . . and tires that are 35/12.5/R18 . . . And although I really like the Mickey Thompson MTZ's, I think they may be too aggressive and wear too fast for what I need/want . . . right now I'm leaning towards the Toyo Open Country tires . . . they seem to get a lot of great reviews for the 'Street' category but also great reviews for offroading . . . any comments for or against the Toyo's?? Other option I like the looks of are ---- Cepek's Mud Country, but some people question their lenght of life when driven a bunch on the street. All opinions are appreciated! :D

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

Cepek's Mud Country's are also aggressive when you compare them to the Toyo's you mentioned.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

So many tires to choose from and so many reasons to choose/not choose a certain tire.
Mileage will vary by driver so Choose a tire you like the look of. If you want a decent ride on a 35" and mostly DD onroad go with Duratracs. Good allround tire that looks ok too. Personally I don't care about the ride and run Pitbull Rockers all year round on my DD.
One thing to remember is M/Ts have deeper tread and have the potential to last longer if rotated every 5000klm and proper air pressure is maintained.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

I haven't seen the Toyo's in person . . . do they not look aggressive?? My buddy got Nitto Trail Grapplers and I'd like whatever I get to look at least that aggressive (his are 33's though. . .). And looks are very important to me as well as the lenght of life . . . I don't mind some noise and a rough ride though. I will only be running these for approximately 6 months of the year . . . and for most of that time I have a second vehicle to drive (for long distance trips for example). I am keeping the stock bridgestone Dueller's for winter and when I don't have my summer car out . . .

You may change your mind rather quickly the first time you hit a snowstorm with the Duellers. First thing to get changed on our three Jeeps was getting the Duellers off. I ran them for a month in snowy conditions and that was enough. Good luck and be safe out there.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

Oh no! Really??? I thought they (stock bridgestone dueller's) were pretty good in the snow?
My buddy uses them from his 2009 for winter . . . :S

Where I live out in the country, we get a fair bit of snow. If you get light snowfalls 2-3" you'll prob do ok with Duellers it's when you start to get 4-6" and more and drifting that you really loose it. They are not great on icey roads either, snow pack not so bad. Driving carefully you will be ok. I just need good tires that will break trail through deep snow. I've been know to break trail through a foot of snow for 50klm before the plow trucks get on the road.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

That's definitely not an issue for me in the winter . . . I won't see deep snow too often and if by chance I do I'll throw it in 4x4 and take her slow. Thanks for the heads up though!

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

I have ran the stock Bridgestones for the last two winters and have them on now. Sounds like JTPhoto JK lives outside of the city, in which case there are better alternatives. I live in Ottawa and find they work great. I know they are better than 35" KM2's!

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

Breaking trail for 50KM with a foot of snow....NICE!! I think I'd pay money to run that trail!! Cool.

Any of you guys running 12.5" wide tires notice if they 'track' the road due to their width...or is it something you just get use to?

Great thread everyone

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

Anyone else try out the Hercules Trail Diggers? I got a set of 35s on my JK and they have been awesome so far and I have got alot of compliments on them. They are cheaper in price but as far as I can tell keep up with the Toyos and Nittos. Tons of room for the 35s with my 4" lift but had some rub when 4X4ing So I have flat fender flares now to give me some extra room.

Re: Lifts and Wheels (Tires & Rims) - Suggestions?
 

I'm new to the forum and I just got my first Jeep on Saturday, so I can't offer much advice for your lift, but I can tell you what I like in offroad tires. I had an old 4Runner years back and installed some BFG AT's....they were good in moderate mudding and have awesome wear. My buddy I used to go mudding with had a 4 dr Rubicon and had the BFG mud and snow terrains and they could really throw the mud and also great tread wear.