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Tire upgrade

Newhead

New member
Joined
May 10, 2025
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3
I'm thinking about going up a tire size on my wrangler, dont wanna go overboard or anything, just a slight increase to get a bit more ground clearance and a more aggressive look. I know there's always a bit of a trade off, so If youve done this I'm gonna need to pick your brains on how it'd affect ride quality, gas mileage, or anything else I should be aware of. Also, did you have to adjust the speedo or deal with any rubbing issues? stock wheels for now, making a good, practical upgrade
 
Good choice on going up a size,I did that too. You might see a slight drop in MPG and a firmer ride, but the look is definitely worth it. I used a Tazer to sort out the speedo, and if you go over 285s, you might need spacers to avoid rubbing on the stock wheels. I've got a 2.5 lift on my '18 JL Sport 2-door, and the 33s fit nicely, but 35s will need re-gearing and different wheels or spacers. If you're running 285/70R17s, they'll be fine on stock if you have 5.2 backspacing or less. What size are you considering?
 
Biggest thing for me @Newhead was recalibrating the speedo, it was off by a few mph before I used a tuner to correct it. No rubbing issues with stock wheels, but if you're pushing the width or going with a more aggressive tread, check your clearance at full turn. Overall though, totally worth it.
 
I'm thinking about going up a tire size on my wrangler, dont wanna go overboard or anything, just a slight increase to get a bit more ground clearance and a more aggressive look. I know there's always a bit of a trade off, so If youve done this I'm gonna need to pick your brains on how it'd affect ride quality, gas mileage, or anything else I should be aware of. Also, did you have to adjust the speedo or deal with any rubbing issues? stock wheels for now, making a good, practical upgrade
I agree with what @MudTrackMar said. Moving from a stock 32-inch tire to a 33-inch tire usually has minimal change in ride quality. You're likely to feel a slightly firmer ride depending on the specific tire model you get, but it shouldn't negatively impact your daily driving. The most noticeable trade-off will be a small hit to your gas mileage, typically around 1-2 MPG, as the larger tires are heavier and have more rolling resistance.

Rubbing shouldn't be a concern if you're driving on pavement or light trails but you'd definitely need to address your speedometer. Recalibrating is an easy process which you can do yourself with an electronic programmer like the Tazer Mini or AEV ProCal.
 
I'm thinking about going up a tire size on my wrangler, dont wanna go overboard or anything, just a slight increase to get a bit more ground clearance and a more aggressive look. I know there's always a bit of a trade off, so If youve done this I'm gonna need to pick your brains on how it'd affect ride quality, gas mileage, or anything else I should be aware of. Also, did you have to adjust the speedo or deal with any rubbing issues? stock wheels for now, making a good, practical upgrade
I did this upgrade on my 2018 JL. I switched out the stock 32-inch tires for 33-inch Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws on the factory 17-inch wheels. The ride quality didn't really change at all, which was a relief! The gas mileage dropped slightly, maybe by about 1.5 MPG, but it was a worthwhile trade-off for the improved look and stance! I didn't have any rubbing issues whatsoever, even at full lock. It was a perfect fit for the stock rims. I just had to use a Tazer JL Mini to correct the speedometer since I noticed it was off by a couple of mph.
 
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