Me and My '05 Limited, Riding On Air

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tommudd

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A few of the JKs around here have them, I see 6 or 8 almost daily with those wheels. Much better than some thats for sure
 

CactusJacked

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Those look great Jim, nice looking choice. For some peace of mind (however much of a piece you have left), the section width of your tire is 9.6". On an 8" wide wheel, that leaves you with a hair over 3/4" of sidewall protection. Not a ton, but the wheel is far from sticking out past the tire.
Maybe you've seen this article: Going Pro: Testing Cooper.
Their findings were very good off and on road manners, with minimal road noise. Obviously, ones opinions may differ.
 

tommudd

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Not to start a debate:icon_razz::icon_razz::happy175:
but the 245-75-16s he is buying, the section width was done on a 7 inch wide wheel whereas he is running an 8 inch .
Now you're going to say one inch does not make that much difference.
But...tire manufactures state a minimum/ maximum width of the wheel that a tire can be safely mounted on. He meets that, since it is 6.5 to 8 inches, max width, but he's still coloring inside the lines.
Now, the width of the wheel does infact affect the section width of the tire. So since they measured on a 7 and he has 8 section width is not 9.6 any longer.
For arguments sake, the average most every one in the industry uses is for every 1/2 inch difference between the wheel width ( they used to measure, here 7 inches) and the actual wheel used, ( his 8 inch wide wheel ) section width of the tire will change approximately 2/10 of an inch.
So in fact there is almost, but not quite 1/2 inch difference in section width.( 4/10s of an inch, since he went wider, actual tread width stays the same )
Too wide of a wheel will wear outside edges, where as too narrow will wear the middle usually.
Just to keep it all straight for everyone on using various size wheels etc .
Lots of people don't fully understand the relationship of the tire being used and the width of the wheel its used on.
 
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tommudd

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Correct Cactus
One of the reasons I like 265-70-16s ( over a 245-75-16 ) on an 8 inch wheel is they measure them ( almost all manufactures ) on a 8 inch wheel, plus the tread width is a full 8 inches as well.
So you get a tire with an 10.7 inch section width, and the tread width of 8 inches . Approved rim width on those are 7-9 inches.
Running a somewhat more narrow tire on a wider wheel you have to monitor air pressure more closely as well .
 

Jim McClain

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Those look great Jim, nice looking choice. For some peace of mind (however much of a piece you have left), the section width of your tire is 9.6". On an 8" wide wheel, that leaves you with a hair over 3/4" of sidewall protection. Not a ton, but the wheel is far from sticking out past the tire.
But that 3/4" is divided between both sides, so that leaves about 3/8", which is what I measured (forgive me for not being adept enough to hold the tape and camera at the same time).

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Maybe you've seen this article: Going Pro: Testing Cooper. Their findings were very good off and on road manners, with minimal road noise. Obviously, ones opinions may differ.
That article was really difficult to read - very poor writing skills - but it echos many of the reviews I read before deciding on the STT Pros.

Not to start a debate:icon_razz::icon_razz::happy175:
We all know how much you hate to debate and it's certainly no Rolling On Floor Laughing matter.

...tire manufactures state a minimum/ maximum width of the wheel that a tire can be safely mounted on. He meets that, since it is 6.5 to 8 inches, max width, but he's still coloring inside the lines.
Yes and I paid close attention to those requirements before making my decision. It's too bad the manufacturer didn't suggest 6.5-7.5 instead. I would have passed, or maybe searched for a different wheel. As far as my coloring tendencies, in this case, I did color inside (just barely) the lines. I think what you meant to say was that I colored outside the lines. I happen to like coloring outside the lines. I don't want to compromise safety though, so I rely on expert advice, like yours and others, for guidance. But I am not interested in having a KJ that is anyone's twin. I like unique. I like coloring outside the lines.

Just to keep it all straight for everyone on using various size wheels etc. Lots of people don't fully understand the relationship of the tire being used and the width of the wheel its used on.
Excellent information. I wish I had found it in the sticky topic, Offsets, Backspace, and other wheel info. It likely would have altered my choices. But as I have stated before, my driving style might not make some of these issues a big problem for me. I'm no mall crawler, but I'm not a rock crawler either. My mileage might be reduced, but I usually drive less than 8,000 miles a year anyway.
 

HoosierJeeper

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Jim, are you in a big rush for those pics of how I trimmed (my KJ)? lol.
I'd have to kick about 100lbs of slush off it to even find the wheel wells now. I'll snap some when I wash soon.
 

CactusJacked

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But that 3/4" is divided between both sides, so that leaves about 3/8", which is what I measured (forgive me for not being adept enough to hold the tape and camera at the same time).

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Those are faux beadlocks or real? Gotta take the thickness of those rings out of the equation if you want to get technical. How does the back side compare?
 

Jim McClain

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Faux beadlocks. I'll check the backside tomorrow. It's too dark and cold out right now.
 
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tommudd

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I was a little concerned about that because most of the experts here suggest a 5" BS for a 16x8 rim.

This is due to the fact that with 4.5 inches of backspacing you should run more bumpstop since you can not stuff the tire up in the wheel well as far. THAT is the reason for 7 inch wide with 4 inch or 8 inch with 5 inches of backspacing.
It also could and most of the time does cause more issues with rubbing as well.
 
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jeeplib05

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My wheels are 15x8 with 4.5" backspace as well and they stick out the perfect amount IMO
It doesn't look dumb like some where the whole tire sticks out the sides but it gives it a nice stance and better stability
Nice looking wheels you've got there
 

tommudd

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Yes not a problem until you try this ( and I could stuff it further )
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Jim McClain

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The rest of my rims have arrived, so have all the TPMSes. Today I ordered the rest of the tires and some hub centric rings (I don't know how ell they work, but they were cheap). The wheel well modifications will be done next Tuesday, so I should be driving around on new meat even before the last snowfall.

My next modification should be gearing up to 4.10s front and rear. I don't know much about that, except that I've heard the rear dif can be rebuilt in place, but the front has to be completely removed from the KJ to rebuild. Why is that?

I don't have the ability to "pick and pull" from a junk yard and I'm not sure I want to trust used parts. I have saved to my wish list on JBA the ring & pinion for front and rear, as well as the master install kits for each. I am not doing lockers. Do I need anything more than that?

Thanks.
 

HoosierJeeper

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The front diff cover is actually part of how it's mounted, so you have to drop the whole thing to get access to it.

If I were you, I'd wait to regear until you're ready to add lockers or at least get a steel front diff. An ARB or DTT up front would really go a long way to protect the fragile aluminium diff. Would actually do that before locking the rear. I've always thought if I locked the rear, I'd end up on harder trails and be even more likely to break the front diff, so leaving it open keeps me in check.
 

Jim McClain

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But I really have no plans to get that deep into trouble off road. I'm a wannabe photographer, not a rock crawling, mud bogging, dune blaster. Let alone the extreme cost of lockers. :eek: Will the slightly taller, somewhat heavier wheels and tires I'm putting on be too much strain on the Al Dana 30a? If it's just a matter of protecting it from rock damage, I can do that cheaper with skid plates, which I plan to use anyway.

I've only seen one steel front diff for the KJ - from JBA. Is there something cheaper available?
 
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jeeplib05

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I have 31s and don't mind the slight loss of power so I think you'd be fine, but if you want 4.10s go for it!
I just acknowledge the fact that going to bigger tires will always make you lose some power no matter the vehicle so I'm not even worried about regearing at all
It really isn't even that much of a difference IMO than the stock 225s I had
Then again, I'm a cheap ass and don't fall for the "oh if you want big tires you have to regear" and " if you regear you need lockers" and also "hell if you need lockers you might as well just SFA it!" (Obviously kidding but you get my point)
The never ending cycle of buying more and more shit for your KJ..
 

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