Tire help ?

[Evol]

So i just bought these tires and they are larger than what i was riding on befor, there 31 x 10.50 the others were 235/75/r15 os somethin like that. anyway after i got them i was doing a u turn and felt/heard knock noise found out it was my tire scraping a cross frame.

Question is what is this bar and will a lift fix it?

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu177/evol1420/554.jpg

Thanks

[Mudderoy]

That is your lower control arm. I do not believe a lift will fix the problem. What you need to look at is the backspacing on your wheels.

Prior to buying my wheels and tires, I did some research. I read that on a 8" wide wheel you should have a 4" backspace, and on a 10" wide wheel it really didn't matter! lol So I bought 15"x10" wheels. They have 3 3/4" (3.75) backspace.

Since I cut the fenders I can turn full left or right without any rubbing with my 32x11.50x15 tires, on my 10x15 wheels.

The downside to this (I found out later) is that with the wheel being so wide it is harder to keep a under inflated tire on the wheel while off road.

Wheel spacers would be another option, but I personally do not like those. It could be a short term solution until you can get the right wheels.

[Evol]

Thanks,I really dont like the look of spacers either,but these wheels are new with 1500 miles on em already so looks like spacers it is.

How much does a set of spacers cost?

So next time I buy tires I need to get 8" wide tires rather than 10?

Does everybody with 10" tires run into this problem?Do you Mudderoy with 11"?

[Mudderoy]

Thanks,I really dont like the look of spacers either,but these wheels are new with 1500 miles on em already so looks like spacers it is.

How much does a set of spacers cost?

So next time I buy tires I need to get 8" wide tires rather than 10?

Does everybody with 10" tires run into this problem?Do you Mudderoy with 11"?

Never bought wheel spacers, so I'm not sure.

This is a backspace issue not a tire width issue. Of course a really wide tire would cause a problem, but I don't think you'd be going for the rubber cylinder look. ;)

I think you may be getting the tires and the wheels confused. What size wheels do you have and what are their backspace? That's the metal part that the tire is mounted to.

I think most people run 11" wide on 32" tires, and 12" wide on 33" tires.

[BlueXJ]

He was suggesting 8" wide rims not 8" wide tires. The backspacing is the important thing to avoid rubbing. This might be helpful.
http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.aspx?partID=14872

[kryptonitexj]

You could adjust your steering stop to not allow the wheel to turn so far. Its a little bolt with a nut on the inner "C". Its a temp fix but it works.

[Mudderoy]

Looking at the picture of your rig in the "Albums" section I'd guess those are factory 15x7" wheels. That means they are made for thinner tires. This is the reason the wider tires are rubbing. At least that's my opinion.

[DETOURS]

back~spacing...........use the force Luke! :thumbsup:

[muddeprived]

So i just bought these tires and they are larger than what i was riding on befor, there 31 x 10.50 the others were 235/75/r15 os somethin like that. anyway after i got them i was doing a u turn and felt/heard knock noise found out it was my tire scraping a cross frame.

Question is what is this bar and will a lift fix it?

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu177/evol1420/554.jpg

Thanks

You have some options to solve that issue.

One would be what was mentioned above, Backspacing. Your factory jeep wheels come with (I think) 5.5" backspacing. This keeps your tires inside the fenders. You can get wheels that have 4" or 3.75" backspacing and they stick out 2" more and you won't be close to the arms anymore but this requires buying new wheels.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e73/muddeprived/cherokee/crr-397_w.jpg
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=CRR-3975812&N=700+306459+4294755963+4294793325+115&autoview=sku

Wheel spacers: You can buy 1.25" or larger wheel spacers that bolt on the hub and then your wheel bolts onto the spacer. This pushes your wheels out further the same way an aftermarket wheel does. Spacers usually go for about $120-$200 for a set of four, which is normally what some black crager steel wheels costs (with 4" backspacing) so both do the same thing and cost about the same. The choice is up to you, whether you want to keep your stock wheels and use spacers or ditch the stock wheels and get some steel wheels for cheap that have the proper backspacing. Keep in mind, some states are picky about tires sticking outside the fenders. Look into that before doing any mods to your wheels. ;)
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e73/muddeprived/cherokee/imagesashx.jpg
http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.aspx?partID=14872


Another option would be WJ factory control arms. They have a bend in them for tire clearance and can be found for cheap too.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e73/muddeprived/cherokee/ARWJlca01_sm.jpg

http://www.madxj.com/MADXJ/technical/technicalfiles/BSlowerWJctrlArms/WJ_LCA.htm

I have the same rubbing issue as you but kinda got used to it by learning not to crank the wheel fully left or right. Someday i'll get to fixing it. It's not hurting my tires since my arms are aftermarket tubular arms so the tires just "pet" the arms.

Hope this helps.

[BlueXJ]

Was totally unaware of the WJ bent LCAs thanks mudd.

[muddeprived]

Was totally unaware of the WJ bent LCAs thanks mudd.

You are Welcome. You gotta grind down the bolt sleeve to make it fit though. The sleeve is too wide for the xj brackets. Easily modded though.

[BlueXJ]

You are Welcome. You gotta grind down the bolt sleeve to make it fit though. The sleeve is too wide for the xj brackets. Easily modded though.


Do you need to alter the sleeve on both the forward and aft ends of the WJ LCA?

[muddeprived]

Not sure.....

[JG-Man]

I really like the look of my OEM wheels which I just looked up as 15x7s. However, I have a 3" RC II lift on my XJ now. It looks silly and needs more tire meat than the stockers but it seems like 31"rs will cause me problems (even though the Rough Country website says 31" is the recommended tire). What do you all think of using 30x9.5R15s or LT235/75R15s? Will I still get tire rub?

Also, I want good bite in snow, is a skinnier, taller tire better than fatter "flotation" tires for snow?

[Melissa]

I want good bite in snow, is a skinnier, taller tire better than fatter "flotation" tires for snow?

In my opinion a skinny tire is best in the snow.

[muddeprived]

In my opinion a skinny tire is best in the snow.

I would rather have a fat wide tire on snow because floatation is the key. If you have a skinny pizza-cutter tire, it will dig straight down and your rig will be shoving and pushing through the snow. Think of the mattracks and how they give you a wife flat footprint for floating over mud and snow. This is why 4-wheelers who tackle snow air down really low to achieve the widest footprint possible.

[muddeprived]

I really like the look of my OEM wheels which I just looked up as 15x7s. However, I have a 3" RC II lift on my XJ now. It looks silly and needs more tire meat than the stockers but it seems like 31"rs will cause me problems (even though the Rough Country website says 31" is the recommended tire). What do you all think of using 30x9.5R15s or LT235/75R15s? Will I still get tire rub?

Also, I want good bite in snow, is a skinnier, taller tire better than fatter "flotation" tires for snow?

30x9.5 will work great and have little to no rubbing issues. You CAN fit 31x10.5's on your stock wheels if you want to and deal with the control arm rubbing, which is not a major issue. Most of us run 31's on 3" lift and alot of the rigs have stock wheels.

[Melissa]

I would rather have a fat wide tire on snow because floatation is the key. If you have a skinny pizza-cutter tire, it will dig straight down and your rig will be shoving and pushing through the snow. Think of the mattracks and how they give you a wife flat footprint for floating over mud and snow. This is why 4-wheelers who tackle snow air down really low to achieve the widest footprint possible.

Might be true for off roading, I don't know, I don't off road in the winter I'm too much of a weeny for that.

I was thinking about on road traction in the snow. I had a 87 suburban that I put 31 12.50 15's on and that wide of a tire was alot worse for me in the winter snow than the original skinny tires I had on it before.

[muddeprived]

Might be true for off roading, I don't know, I don't off road in the winter I'm too much of a weeny for that.

I was thinking about on road traction in the snow. I had a 87 suburban that I put 31 12.50 15's on and that wide of a tire was alot worse for me in the winter snow than the original skinny tires I had on it before.

Well in that case you are right. Skinny tires do better in snow on road than fat tires. I experienced this as well like you did. My tj had 33x12.5's on it and it would slide all over the place when it snowed (but excelled off road). My next set was 33x10.5's and that was a pretty good balanced tire.

[2000XJ]

For 3" of lift 31's will be fine, although if you're unsure about it, then go with the 30x9.50's. They'll work just fine in the snow because they're not that wide yet.

In snow (on the pavement) you always want a skinny tire because you don't want to float when you're in snowy conditions on the street. The skinny tire will want to dig to the pavement which will increase your traction during steering and braking. Floating on the top will do nothing for you. When you're wheeling it's a little different IMO, but the concept is still similar.

[JG-Man]

Thanks all. I saw Evol's problem and thought that I should avoid that if possible. Even though I don't think Evol has a lift, my 3" lift won't solve the backspacing problem of wider tires either. I am shopping for for used tires and see tons of great deals on 31" tires b/c they are plentiful -- so it"s VERY tempting. The 30x9.5x15 are few and far between. I found some great 235/75R15s thought, but I will probably be very disappointed thinking I coulda had a 30s in there. I wanted to scope out some pics of other people's XJ's with 30x9.5x15s on them. It's still dark and rainy here so I haven't posted any pics of my own so I can't complain about a lack of pics :)

Oh, and I should have specified, I did mean on-road snow, though I'd love to do off too, if I could find a place.

[Evol]

You have some options to solve that issue.

One would be what was mentioned above, Backspacing. Your factory jeep wheels come with (I think) 5.5" backspacing. This keeps your tires inside the fenders. You can get wheels that have 4" or 3.75" backspacing and they stick out 2" more and you won't be close to the arms anymore but this requires buying new wheels.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e73/muddeprived/cherokee/crr-397_w.jpg
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=CRR-3975812&N=700+306459+4294755963+4294793325+115&autoview=sku

Wheel spacers: You can buy 1.25" or larger wheel spacers that bolt on the hub and then your wheel bolts onto the spacer. This pushes your wheels out further the same way an aftermarket wheel does. Spacers usually go for about $120-$200 for a set of four, which is normally what some black crager steel wheels costs (with 4" backspacing) so both do the same thing and cost about the same. The choice is up to you, whether you want to keep your stock wheels and use spacers or ditch the stock wheels and get some steel wheels for cheap that have the proper backspacing. Keep in mind, some states are picky about tires sticking outside the fenders. Look into that before doing any mods to your wheels. ;)
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e73/muddeprived/cherokee/imagesashx.jpg
http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.aspx?partID=14872


Another option would be WJ factory control arms. They have a bend in them for tire clearance and can be found for cheap too.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e73/muddeprived/cherokee/ARWJlca01_sm.jpg

http://www.madxj.com/MADXJ/technical/technicalfiles/BSlowerWJctrlArms/WJ_LCA.htm

I have the same rubbing issue as you but kinda got used to it by learning not to crank the wheel fully left or right. Someday i'll get to fixing it. It's not hurting my tires since my arms are aftermarket tubular arms so the tires just "pet" the arms.

Hope this helps.

Hey thanks for the help Mudd and everyone else!I appreciate it.:D


Heres the low down my grandfather offered to buy me some tires before I took a trip to texas so I opped for the 31's and here my logic,because now when I get a lift I wont have some new little donut tires.2 birds one 3.5" super flex lift type thing.:D

I would like to get 16" wheels next but that means new tires.So my next question is if i upgrade my axle's i would have to get new wheels right?

Is there a set of wheels that I can get that will fit the upgraded axle (dana 40 or 44 or the crysler 8.25)or pretty much most all wheels fit?

Does it matter what year WJ factory control arms I get,and would they effect my lift at all?

[muddeprived]

Hey thanks for the help Mudd and everyone else!I appreciate it.:D


Heres the low down my grandfather offered to buy me some tires before I took a trip to texas so I opped for the 31's and here my logic,because now when I get a lift I wont have some new little donut tires.2 birds one 3.5" super flex lift type thing.:D

I would like to get 16" wheels next but that means new tires.So my next question is if i upgrade my axle's i would have to get new wheels right?

You will only need new wheels if the bolt pattern of the upgraded axles changes.

Is there a set of wheels that I can get that will fit the upgraded axle (dana 40 or 44 or the crysler 8.25)or pretty much most all wheels fit?

You need to make sure the upgraded axle comes with a 5x4.5" bolt pattern. There are dana 44 and chrysler 8.25 axles that have this bolt pattern. I don't think the dana 60 does though.

Does it matter what year WJ factory control arms I get,and would they effect my lift at all?

from the link i gave you:


There is an elegant OEM solution to this, however: The use of WJ (1999 and up Grand Cherokee) lower control arms. The WJ LCA's are the same length and have an S-bend specifically for tire clearance




..........................

[Evol]

Nice sounds like new control arms it is?Cheap and there doesnt sound like any cons.

[JG-Man]

You could adjust your steering stop to not allow the wheel to turn so far. Its a little bolt with a nut on the inner "C". Its a temp fix but it works.

Kryptonite & Mudderoy, I was going to back to an old thread about dealing with 31" tire rub and Kryptonite had suggested a temporary fix would be to adjust the steering stop. As I think Mudderoy said in the thread, I have a suspension lift with tubular arms, so the tires just "pet the arms"

I would like to do this; can you describe it a little better for me? What's the "inner C"?

[muddeprived]

This should help:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e73/muddeprived/151.jpg

[firehawk]

Nice sounds like new control arms it is?Cheap and there doesnt sound like any cons.

If you go with a set of WJ LCA's keep in mind you will need to grind the rubber bushings down thickness wise. I THINK this is only necessary on the frame end though.

BTW, I believe a friend still has his stock WJ LCA's. Let me know if you're going to go that way and I'll check with him to be sure. If he does, he will part with them CHEAP as he dosen't even have the WJ anymore, and the LCA's are just taking up space.

[JG-Man]

Since I have a 3" RC suspension lift, aren't my LCA a different length than the stock length? They are aftermarket tubular ones from Rough Country.