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General Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: OldSkull75 on February 01, 2010, 06:50:33 PM

Title: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: OldSkull75 on February 01, 2010, 06:50:33 PM
How much of a Power loss will I take if I go from 30-31"s? My past jeeps have all been 4.0's and tire size wasnt an issue.Im going with BFG AT's...
thanks!
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: chrisfranklin on February 01, 2010, 07:26:01 PM
I'd say 31s and MTs.  On the off chance you go on trail runs with any 4x4 clubs, most of those clubs will want you on 31s minimum.  31s still drive ok with the 4banger, 5th gear is usable on flat highways, you'll just need to gear down on hills. I have 31MTs and its fine.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: OldSkull75 on February 01, 2010, 08:04:20 PM
I was leaning torwards 31's, But Ive heard alot of horror stories about the loss of power on hills and highways with the 4banger. Im keeping it mostly stock. I'd like to at least be able to keep up with the flow of traffic...LOL
thanks again
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: Jeffy on February 01, 2010, 08:07:06 PM
31 AT's will be around 30.5" or so.

Personally, I'd go with 31 MT's and live with the slight power drop.  Has for horror stories, they're a bunch of whiners.  31's and stock gears is downright peppy coming from stock gears and 33's or larger.   :lol:
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: chrisfranklin on February 01, 2010, 08:45:15 PM
I was leaning torwards 31's, But Ive heard alot of horror stories about the loss of power on hills and highways with the 4banger. Im keeping it mostly stock. I'd like to at least be able to keep up with the flow of traffic...LOL
thanks again

If its stock, then yeah the 31s might slow you down a little bit more than with a slightly modified engine.  I remember trying to wind my Jeep out in stock form and it would run out of air at higher rpms even with the stock 27-28" AT tires

For a while, though, I've have a borla exhaust, intake, PD ignition and 62mm TB and these items probably don't hurt to have with 31MTs.   But, even so, I'd still say I'm lucky if my Jeep is making an extra 10hp/10lbft with those parts.  Still looking for somebody to make a chip for the YJ 2.5 5spd.
 
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: Jesse-James on February 01, 2010, 09:38:36 PM
most of those clubs will want you on 31s minimum.

This a false statement. Every club I've been affiliated with or been around welcomes vehicles of any level, including stock.

That said, go for the 31's.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: chrisfranklin on February 01, 2010, 11:10:13 PM
This a false statement. Every club I've been affiliated with or been around welcomes vehicles of any level, including stock.

That said, go for the 31's.

Any clubs in areas worth driving its 31s.  Keep in mind I said "most" not all.

False statement? Dude, why don't you go put another CJ grill on your YJ? Talk about false :lol:
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: radark1 on February 02, 2010, 10:23:30 AM
I don't think you will even feel a difference. My recommendation is to just go to 33's and gear down when needed. Any mid to rough terrain....you will need 33's anyway. The answer really lies in what you plan on doing with the Jeep. You won't get a speeding ticket with 33's.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: ddrongowski on February 02, 2010, 10:30:23 AM
I am running 31's and have no problems. Just make sure to get the right speedo gear, unless you don't care about your speed.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: radark1 on February 02, 2010, 10:44:26 AM
Good point! I didn't have that problem when I went to 4.88 gears with my 33" tires...the gears balanced out the tires with the speed....so my speedo works perfect....as verified with my GPS.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: Jesse-James on February 02, 2010, 02:24:28 PM
Any clubs in areas worth driving its 31s.  Keep in mind I said "most" not all

I'm glad we have all your experience to rely on here, Chris. Now BTT

31's are about the limit you want to go without regearing.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: OldSkull75 on February 02, 2010, 02:47:02 PM
Its a Daily Driver,Im keeping this one mostly stock.I'll do some light off roading,Camp jeep with my kid, and fun in the snow. .I wasnt sure what power loss to expect going up to 31"s. Im more concerned about bieng able to cruise along at 70 mph and stay with the flow of traffic on hills. This is my 5th wrangler. My first was a 4cyl but never went bigger than 30"s. My last 3 were 6cyls so I didnt have to worry about tire size much. Is there a noticable loss of power between 30s and 31s?
thanks again for the replies!
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: Jeffy on February 02, 2010, 03:15:00 PM
I am running 31's and have no problems. Just make sure to get the right speedo gear, unless you don't care about your speed.
That's not the only consideration.  If the engine is MPFI then you'll need the signal to be correct for the PCM.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: stan98tj on February 02, 2010, 05:19:29 PM
Its a Daily Driver,Im keeping this one mostly stock.I'll do some light off roading,Camp jeep with my kid, and fun in the snow. .I wasnt sure what power loss to expect going up to 31"s. Im more concerned about bieng able to cruise along at 70 mph and stay with the flow of traffic on hills. This is my 5th wrangler. My first was a 4cyl but never went bigger than 30"s. My last 3 were 6cyls so I didnt have to worry about tire size much. Is there a noticable loss of power between 30s and 31s?
thanks again for the replies!
31 MTs are your best all around tire if ya dont want to go bigger. they will fit just fine under the stock conditions, depending on how aggressive the tread is, they may rub when the wheel is put hard over right/left. this can be corrected via spacers (pretty cheap) or a different wheel. You won't feel a power loss that will make you wish you hadnt switched. THey are excellent for light to medium trail levels. I run a Pepboy brand tire-(31 MTs) Dakota Destiny. apparently they arent too expensive (cant give ya an estimate cause they were sold with my jeep) but ive heard they arent too expensive. They have a great tread pattern, look great, do pretty well in the mud, great in the snow, cant complain about the ride on pavement, be it wet, dry or snowy. I ran a snowy/muddy trail with my buddy the other day. he has a 6cyl wrangler with 31s BFGs all terrain tread. he bogged down twice in the mud and snow due to the lack of grip...i went through without a hitch....and i got to yank him out twice :)
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: oldjeep on February 02, 2010, 05:23:05 PM
31's are about the limit you want to go without regearing.
Meh - 35's and stock gearing works, you just never use high gear

That's not the only consideration.  If the engine is MPFI then you'll need the signal to be correct for the PCM.

The PCM doesn't care.  I'm still running the original speedo gear with my 35's
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: Sine Deviance on February 02, 2010, 05:35:08 PM
Its a Daily Driver,Im keeping this one mostly stock.I'll do some light off roading,Camp jeep with my kid, and fun in the snow. .I wasnt sure what power loss to expect going up to 31"s. Im more concerned about bieng able to cruise along at 70 mph and stay with the flow of traffic on hills. This is my 5th wrangler. My first was a 4cyl but never went bigger than 30"s. My last 3 were 6cyls so I didnt have to worry about tire size much. Is there a noticable loss of power between 30s and 31s?
thanks again for the replies!

If you're really that concerned about keeping 70mph on the hills then you will want to look into bolt-on engine upgrades. Swapping to a 4.0L throttle body from a junkyard helps alot and it's a direct bolt-on. It's also extremely cheap. A good intake also helps and you don't even need to buy one of the expensive ones. Just get a conical filter and some 3" pipe and build your own. I did both these mods and I'm out $60 altogether.

Otherwise you can basically kiss 70mph in 5th goodbye. You might be able to hang 65mph on a good flat with no headwind. On hills you WILL have to go down to 4th to maintain speed. Still, the 31s are totally worth it. I have 31 BFGs and they kick ass!
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: Jeffy on February 03, 2010, 12:22:36 AM
Meh - 35's and stock gearing works, you just never use high gear

The PCM doesn't care.  I'm still running the original speedo gear with my 35's
And the world is flat, huh? ;)
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: neale_rs on February 03, 2010, 11:35:03 AM
For a TJ, I would say 31s.  For a YJ you may need to lift a bit or install TJ flares to fit 31s properly.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: Sine Deviance on February 03, 2010, 11:58:26 AM
For a TJ, I would say 31s.  For a YJ you may need to lift a bit or install TJ flares to fit 31s properly.

Well, that's subjective. If you're building a mall-crawler and you're not planning to go offroading or otherwise put the Jeep in a high-flex situation, 31's will fit okay.

Otherwise, yeah, a 2" lift will leave you plenty of room.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: neale_rs on February 03, 2010, 12:31:04 PM
Well, that's subjective. If you're building a mall-crawler and you're not planning to go offroading or otherwise put the Jeep in a high-flex situation, 31's will fit okay.

Otherwise, yeah, a 2" lift will leave you plenty of room.

Mine used to rub a lot with MT 30s (with AT 30s it was OK).  I'm talking about the rear plastic fenders getting worn down noticeably (forward part) each time it was used on even the easiest dirt roads or even just a rough paved road. It depends on the backspacing and how sagged the springs are.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: sharpxmen on February 03, 2010, 01:14:10 PM
Well, that's subjective. If you're building a mall-crawler and you're not planning to go offroading or otherwise put the Jeep in a high-flex situation, 31's will fit okay.

Otherwise, yeah, a 2" lift will leave you plenty of room.

31s won't fit with stock everything under a YJ (no b/l, no shackles or springs), they will rub the flares. The stock leafs are pretty soft so going over bumps might hit in the fenders/tub as well. I had them with 2.5'' and would still rub in a few spots from what i remember
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: Jeffy on February 03, 2010, 01:20:03 PM
31s won't fit with stock everything under a YJ (no b/l, no shackles or springs), they will rub the flares. The stock leafs are pretty soft so going over bumps might hit in the fenders/tub as well. I had them with 2.5'' and would still rub in a few spots from what i remember
Rubbing the flares would be because of your wheel offset.  Same goes for rubbing the tub.  You can fix it by adjusting your steering and bump stops.

Like neale_rs also said, it will also depend on how saggy your leafs are.  Keep in mind that the newest YJ is 14 years old while the oldest is 23 years old.  That's a lot of miles.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: chardrc on February 03, 2010, 02:44:27 PM
bds 2.5 inch lift and .75 inch lift (or was it .5) with stock Rubicon tires(31's) rub the front fender flares in realy flexy areas. with sawybar and track bars removed.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: sharpxmen on February 03, 2010, 03:14:23 PM
Rubbing the flares would be because of your wheel offset.  Same goes for rubbing the tub.  You can fix it by adjusting your steering and bump stops.

Like neale_rs also said, it will also depend on how saggy your leafs are.  Keep in mind that the newest YJ is 14 years old while the oldest is 23 years old.  That's a lot of miles.

my point was that with stock suspension would rub the flares at a minimum (i had 10.5s so that's what i am thinking about) and also i don't think there's enough room to adjust the bumpstops (would hurt the travel quite a bit). i agree  about the backspacing (if that's what you meant by offset) and the steering bumps.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: Jeffy on February 03, 2010, 03:35:03 PM
my point was that with stock suspension would rub the flares at a minimum (i had 10.5s so that's what i am thinking about) and also i don't think there's enough room to adjust the bumpstops (would hurt the travel quite a bit). i agree  about the backspacing (if that's what you meant by offset) and the steering bumps.
On stock wheels?  The tires should be well under the flares.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: sharpxmen on February 03, 2010, 04:59:45 PM
On stock wheels?  The tires should be well under the flares.
i never had stock wheels, maybe in that case it won't rub
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: Jeffy on February 03, 2010, 05:00:47 PM
i never had stock wheels, maybe in that case it won't rub
Stock 15x6's tuck the tires way under the flares.  You can probably run flareless and still be OK with a smidge sticking out.
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: FourbangerYJ on February 03, 2010, 05:02:55 PM
And the world is flat, huh? ;)

Just in Minn.  :roflol:
Title: Re: Time for tires...30 or 31's?
Post by: oldjeep on February 03, 2010, 05:16:14 PM
Just in Minn.  :roflol:

You've never heard of the great MN mountains?  (OK - even our ski areas tend to be in ravines, not on hills)