Tires, Wheels, Gears, here's the plan.

[cjdirtbiker]

Twice what Brian said about onroad with 35's. I just posted the results of my upgrade on the axle upgrade thread:
http://www.myjeeprocks.com/forums/sh...9756#post39756

They definetely take some steam to get them rolling. Mine is a 3spd auto with 4.10's. And I spent a fortune in other upgrades to handle the bigger tire.

I'm running 3.5" BS with the Eagle Alloys. Yes they stick out quite a bit, about an inch more than the Brians.

I like everything about the way it's setup but I got a lot of mud INSIDE my rig on the first trail ride (yestereday!) I can see some wider fenders are probably going to be necessary.

4.88's with a 5spd is pretty low gearing. Yeah, I would try and drive one, if you can find one. I think it puts your rpms at about 3grand on the freeway.

[NAILER341]

with my 4.88 gears and 35" mt/r's i am right at 3000 rpm going 75 mph.
so you'll be there at about 65 mph
unless the tires you choose are actually 33" tall. in which case, you might do a little bit better.
i would steer clear of a 16" wheel unless you have brakes, or something else that requires the larger diameter wheel.
it limits your tire choices too much.

[Black & Tan TJ]

Excellent advice people, thanks. Chris glad to see your project is progressing. I'm sure it looks much different then what I remember from Calico, post a pic. if you have one and we'll see you at Rubicon if not sooner.

Well time is on my side still (a good thing) so maybe 4.88's aren't the best way to go w/33's. Looks like it will be 4.56's and after that a 4to1 Atlas if I feel the need for a lower crawling ratio.

I did see some 35x12.5's on 8" stockers, looked like balloons trying to get out of a squeeze, not for me. I did measure the current BS (I was cleaning the undercarriage, a favorite past time) of my canyons 5.5 while running 31x10.5's just on the hairy edge of rubbing. I like to stay that way running 33x12.5's, so now is backspacing, there's got to be a formula. Erik you talked me out of 16's, sorry Brian, maybe w/35's once it's retired from DD.

Cheers, B&T TJ

[cjdirtbiker]

Excellent advice people, thanks. Chris glad to see your project is progressing. I'm sure it looks much different then what I remember from Calico, post a pic. if you have one..
>Snip

Cheers, B&T TJ

New pics: http://www.myjeeprocks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4398

[Chris_L]

Tom--
I would suggest staying away from the 10 inch rims. You will do much more damage to the rims because of how much more they stick out. Would also suggest staying in the 3.75 range for back spacing.

Why not MTR's? They are about as quiet as the bfg's but will perform far better on the trail.

Before you decide on gears and such, I would try and look and the long term picture for what you want to do with your jeep. If you want to get more involved with this hobby, at some point you will get bored with the trails you can handle and will want to move it up to the next level. So think about what you really want to do so you dont have to change gears and axles again.

Before buying a tire carrier do a lot of research and get one that has the best design for your needs. Most tire carriers are crap and will tweak over time. Maybe talk to Chris about the ones he makes, they seem very beefy.

[Black & Tan TJ]

Thanks Chris,
I'm looking into BFG MTR's, maybe found a deal. As far as rims I'll stick w/8's and that backspacing. Future, well it's me and the kids for a while and there not into the extream stuff, foolin around and running trails in the woods is great fun for us, thanks. I've seen Brian's tire carrier, he seems to like it and it's just a few holes drilled. We do run with a trail rack that connect's to the carrier, the Bestop is rated at 200lbs but I'll also fab some support brackets too. I've been thinking about this stuff for a while so it's time to do it. Thanks for the advice, I'll keep you post on progress(looking for a place to do the gears). Any thoughts on which gear set are good or to stay away from?

Cheers, B&T TJ
off to work I go