Off Road Tyres for JKU

[Anoop Nair]

Good Morning All, I have a JKU currently in stock form with factory suspension and tyres. It is mainly my weekend/off road car even though I may take this for some daily trips but not frequently. Many has advised me to get off road A/T tyres as currently it is road tyres 29inch i believe (LT 245 75 R16). But many also pointed out with the stock suspension it may result in tyre rub so it would require a minimum 1-1.5 inch lift or spacers. I am not very keen raising the centre of gravity of the car or spending money if the lift is not necessary. Can any of you please advise if I can change it to a suitable off road AT tyres with current suspension and rims without any modifications which is suitable for off road. If a lift is necessary what is the minimum required and whether it is recommended with spacers or new springs? Also which is the recommend tyres for sand in UAE keeping the usage in mind, TIA Anoop

[Sunil Mathew]

Hi Anoop,

 

hope you have read this thread which has some info

 

 

I bought my JKU with 285/70R17 (Kumho Roadventure AT) tyres installed by the previous owner , which rub against the sway bars upon full right/left turns..so since its a side rub, a lift may not be  a solution for me. When driving on desert and when there is more movement/articulation on the shocks the tyres rub even earlier than a full turn. I am thinking of spacers now.

 

Just my 2 cents..you can wait to hear from the stalwarts we are fortunately surrounded with

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2021 by Sunil Mathew
added AT tyres

[Srikumar]

I thought all JKU's come with stock AT tyres. Didnt know they come with HT tyres. Anyways, as long as you keep the overall diameter and width of the tyre the same, there will be no rubbing issues if you upgrade to AT tyres. 

May I ask who recommended you to do the lift and suspension change for installing AT tyres while keeping the same size of tyre?

[Anoop Nair]

20 hours ago, Srikumar said:

I thought all JKU's come with stock AT tyres. Didnt know they come with HT tyres. Anyways, as long as you keep the overall diameter and width of the tyre the same, there will be no rubbing issues if you upgrade to AT tyres. 

May I ask who recommended you to do the lift and suspension change for installing AT tyres while keeping the same size of tyre?

@SrikumarI believe only Rubicon come with 33inch AT tires and the sport trim I have comes with normal road tires. Its my bad that did not ask enough questions when the workshop said that I will have to do a minimal lift to do fix suitable AT tyres. Now I have gone back to the tyre shop and they have advised us they have 3 options BFH KO2, Cooper AT3 and Yokohama GeolanderO15 are available in 245/75/r16 which is the tyre size I have currently. also they advised that I should be able to fix 265/70/r16 on the same rim without any rubbing issues which might be more suitable on sand due to the width increase. also they are recommending to go with Yokohama GO15 265/70/r16 as Yokohama has less road noise and light weight. Any thoughts on this recommended tyre and will it cause any issue by going from 245 to 265 mm. TIA Anoop 

[Srikumar]

All wranglers come with AT tyres as stock from the factory, just the size would change depending on the trim from 29 (Sports trim) inch to 33 inch (Rubicon). Anyways, assuming that you are not running AT tyres this is my recommendation:

1. Switching to AT tyres of the same size is a wise choice.

2. If you are riding on 245/75/16 that means it's almost the same as a 30 inch tyre and not a 29 inch tyre. Then a 265/70/16 would have the same diameter as your existing tyre (245/75/16). But the increase in width might cause a bit of rubbing at full turns. Only way to find out is by putting the tyre and driving it a couple of meters. 

3. Increasing the width doesn't always help with driving on the sand as you are also increasing the weight of the tyre. Increased width helps in better stability while crisscrossing dunes as well as better grip during self recovery, but long hill climbs would be affected due to more weight.

4. Out of the 3 options you have provided I would go with Yokohama everyday of the year.

Lift is required if you are going to increase the size from your current tyres to say 33 inch, but other than the looks they add no advantage, and are probably a disadvantage for sand driving

[Anoop Nair]

2 hours ago, Srikumar said:

All wranglers come with AT tyres as stock from the factory, just the size would change depending on the trim from 29 (Sports trim) inch to 33 inch (Rubicon). Anyways, assuming that you are not running AT tyres this is my recommendation:

1. Switching to AT tyres of the same size is a wise choice.

2. If you are riding on 245/75/16 that means it's almost the same as a 30 inch tyre and not a 29 inch tyre. Then a 265/70/16 would have the same diameter as your existing tyre (245/75/16). But the increase in width might cause a bit of rubbing at full turns. Only way to find out is by putting the tyre and driving it a couple of meters. 

3. Increasing the width doesn't always help with driving on the sand as you are also increasing the weight of the tyre. Increased width helps in better stability while crisscrossing dunes as well as better grip during self recovery, but long hill climbs would be affected due to more weight.

4. Out of the 3 options you have provided I would go with Yokohama everyday of the year.

Lift is required if you are going to increase the size from your current tyres to say 33 inch, but other than the looks they add no advantage, and are probably a disadvantage for sand driving

Thanks @Srikumarfor the clarity on the matter. if this is the case I will go with Yokohama GO15 245/75/16 to avoid any issues.