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37 is the new 35?

86K views 179 replies 76 participants last post by  CSFJ 
#1 ·
So I think everyone agrees that 35 is the new 33... but any more it's getting to be where 37 is the new go to tire; and people have no issue jumping right in.

Do you see any issue with the rate noobz grow in this sport? Dangerous? Beneficial? Don't care?

Just trying to start a disccusion :thumb:
 
#94 ·
Even with the various sid etracks, lots of good interesting info in the thread.


Do you need need Dana 60s with 37s? If you do, you already know it. For probably 90% of wheelers, the answer is no. (Stickies are a completley difference discussion here and not relevent to the thread otherwise, except in the fact that they can be had in the 37" size). That doesn't mean no breakage will ever occur. Its wheeling, shit breaks.

I do not see any larger tire becoming the new anything, given the fact that a meaningful increase does now push most vehicles into axle issues, for the average driving style. And I don't think that most of the people that it really pertains to, are willing to spend that kind of coin, or want to go to that level.
 
#97 ·
Not for 37s, nope (although we do have a member in our club running 37" iroks on his D30, he does break parts, knows its limitations, brings spares, and knows how to work on it).

For 35s, in most stock motor/trans situations, I'd have no problem running a Dana 30 front. Heavy/Big 35s, like a 35x15.5 SX, etc, obviously are again a difference scenario.
 
#102 ·
I don't know.

I wheel a cherokee on 4 inch short arm lift, 33 Truxes, D30 w/ LSD and ford 8.8 locked in the rear.

I've wheeled:
Rubicon
Moab
Independance trail system
Arizona

The list of places is longer if you look back to when I was open/open on 31 a/t's

The open diffed, smaller tire era of my truck taught me alot about driving and many times went everywhere some bigger rigs went and more.

I recommend every wheeler take a stock or close to stock rig out for at least a season and learn the vehicle before they modify. This develops the driving skill and the basics of wheeling before they spend lots of time and money on something they dont really need.

That being said--my next rig will have a solid frame and 37's. I want to be able to do some more obstackles than I currently can. I'm only hesitant to do this because, lets face it---you need to drive pretty far to use the full capability of a 37 inch tire. (except in winter or rain of course)
 
#103 ·
I recommend every wheeler take a stock or close to stock rig out for at least a season and learn the vehicle before they modify. This develops the driving skill and the basics of wheeling before they spend lots of time and money on something they dont really need.
I couldnt Agree more !!!!!! wheel it stock or budget boosted on 31s before you take the plunge to a big set up.. you dont learn to swim by diving in the deep end.. you pee in the shallow end for a yr or so..
 
#104 ·
im sure others have experienced this before -

more than once ive ended up behind a group (not organized) of ad hoc wheelers and ended up running with them for awhile. one time in particular there was almost every combination of experience/vehicle you could think of; a bone stock yj to a guy stretched out on 42's and allot in between. in general, the guy on 42's was bored and everybody else was having a good time. every time the yj cleared something everybody cheered, laughed, high fived, whatever. it was somehow more entertaining/shocking to see the four banger open diffs manual on 29's sputter through than any of the others. basically, the different terrain favored different combinations of lift and tire size. sure, the big guys walked most everything but i think we all "woke up" a little bit that day, like we'd all been reading too many magazines opinions about what's required to wheel.

building up your rig and seeing the cause and effect of mods can be a pricey experience - but, its human nature to not be good with any given situation and to keep screwing with what's at hand. sort of like the fashion and design industries, it goes to a point . . . . . then swings back the other way. but in any case, (including tire size) it never stops changing.
 
#106 ·
Yes, I have seen it too. I quite often like to tail gun and I've been on more than one run where almost the whole group gets spotted through and then when it's my turn they all turn around and go back to their rig.:sonicjay: Maybe it's just me?:confused:

However, I rarely get bored on those type of runs. I can have a fun day whether it's on 2 tracks in West Branch or a tough rock run. I just enjoy being out in the woods. If I know the day is going to be filled with a variety of rigs, I set my mindset for it and sit back and enjoy. They only time I get frustrated is when a run is set up to be tougher and then at the last minute the open diff'ed on 31's shows up unenvited. Then I'm frustrated.:(
 
#113 ·
So far for the last 16 months ive been driving my TJ on 36" Radial Iroks(on 17" street wheels and beadlocks). For 90% of the time my Jeep is a daily driver and I used to have to drive to the places I wanted to wheel. On the orginal upgraded axles(Super 30 ARB locker, 4.56 gears, alloy shafts front. factory 44 rear; alloy shafts, 4.56, arb locker) i was always afraid of breakage, cause at the time i had to drive to where i wanted to wheel. Accidently i lucked into a set of custom axles earlier this year. Heres my price run down.

Trade complete rear 44 assembly, the super 30 kit from the front and about $2500. For that i recieved a Rockcrusher HP60 rear TJ width axle, with disks, and a ARB locker. The front axle is a hybrid; hp44 center section, TJ brackets, 35spline ARB locker with 35 spline inner shafts & 4.88 gears, ball joint dana 60 c's, and Solid Axle's ball joint knuckles & high steer arn, 5x5.5 outer kit, and 35 spline hubs. Had the axle assembled, steering made, spacers on the rear installed and beadlocks installed for a bit more then $4000.

So for around $6500 i have 2 very well built axles. Did i spend more then a sane person, probably but i feel confident now in my axles. If i remember things correctly, i probably had about $3000 or so invested in the stock axles with all the parts, installation & repair by Killer B. Eventually when i get a new suspension I will move up to 39's.
 
#116 ·
*most* big tires are around an inch shorter than advertized.

But it depends on a lot of things, and how you measure them. Usually if you mount it, put some pressure in it, and measure it off the vehicle, they are pretty close. Or measure front/back on the vehicle, rather than up/down, since the vehicle weight compresses them.

Just get a 35.
 
#118 ·
When it comes to "the :blah: is the new :blah:" I think it really boils down to " mine's bigger than your's" in most cases. Ofcoarse it depends on a lot of factors, like what kind of truck you have and where you wheel. For example, if deep mud is your thing than really big tires and a lot of hp is the only way to go. Me personaly, I like to go fast. So I went light with a lot of travel and smaller tires. I've had guys tell me I can't wheel anything hardcore with a D30/D44 and 33s, yet other than in the super deep mud or snow I seem to keep up (or lead) just fine.

I guess my point is it seems a lot of guys are going big just for the sake of going big. Not that there's anything wrong with that if you build it right.

On a side note, the last time I was at Twisted Trails, I was glad my truck wasn't any taller in the tight trails but some 40s would have been nice when I was buried to the doors in the mud.:sonicjay: Awe hell, what can you do?
 
#120 ·
i had alot of fun buying beaters and throwing 33's on them. but i have more fun with my 40's.
 
#121 ·
Down here in Cali there's a lot of rigs running huge tires on the street. The other week some guy in a new Silverado pulled up beside me, all I could see was his tires. The roof of my Jeep Cherokee, 4.5"-5.5" of lift, 32s, was actually lower than his hood I'm sure. Doesn't mean anyone around here wheels, I'm sure a lot of them don't, but it's just kinda different.
I liked wheeling with my 31s, it was a lot of fun. Sure I couldn't go too far but I'd rather pay attention to lockers and axles than lift and tires. Just because you have giant tires and lift doesn't mean you know how to use it right, and plus it's more of a thrill to take something lower and wheel it. Seems like more skill and it seems to attract more attention.
 
#123 ·
IMO, a TJ really shouldn't run anything bigger than 35's for 90-95% of what is out there in the country. CoG, drivetrain, traction, etc... all come into play and frankly bigger is not better, its merely faster in some respects and more beyond the edge of control.
 
#127 ·
Yeah, but what are you running for axles? You must have cut the fenders to be lower with your 40s. I agree with Lothos that MOST TJs are better off running 35s or smaller. And he did say 90-95%. I know for a fact, that with the exeption of really deep mud, you'd be hard pressed to find a place in Michigan you can go that I couldn't follow with my 33s.
 
#133 ·
x3 there is alot of places i could not go with my old setup.(35's)after i went to 40's i added a whole new grin factor! you do need to upgrade other things with that big of tire.my jeep is also 3 inches lower with the 40's then it was on 35's.
 
#136 ·
Don't get me wrong, big Jeeps (or any trucks) are sweet. But you're Jeep is pretty heavily modified if I remember correctly. I guess what I'm talking about is the TJs with a 4'' short arm lift, 3'' of body lift stock axles/gears and 37s that still rub.

When I say I can run with the 37+ guys, I'm not trying to sound cool. I've just found that my smaller, lighter Jeep has an advantage in some situations where I can run on top while the 1 ton guys are using every bit of tire trying to hit bottom for traction. Out in the snow last weekend, you could see where Ryans Bronco was dragging the axle tubes through the snow. I could run along side him, and my tracks showed where I was just parting the snow with my pig.

I haven't been to OSTC in awhile, but last time I was there, I watched a guy climb all but a few hills in a stock ZJ. He picked good lines and skinny peddled his way up.

Last time I was at Twisted Trails was Jeep fest. I know alot has changed since then but aside from bending a tierod and getting stuck in a bottomless mud hole, I had no problems going anywhere I pointed it.

I've never been to the mounds but from what I understand it's just a bunch of mud holes. I'm not really in to deep mud running or else I would have build my rig for it (I don't know, maybe I'd run 40s or something:sonicjay:)

Anyway, I'd love the oppertunity to follow some of you guys into places where you don't think I can go. If nothing else, it'll make for some good stuck pics.:sonicjay:
 
#137 ·
Mounds and OSTC have rocks that you apparently didn't play on. There are also some steep peaks at the mounds that you are likely to get high centered on. You've also rewritten your description from rigs with 40" tires (which are usually true to size) to rigs with 37" tires which in most cases measure closer to 35-36". So, the difference in tire size you are now talking about is far less than what you started with.

Sorry to dissapoint you but I won't be at the dog party.
 
#138 ·
With the new rig builds trying to stay as low as possible, will high centering be a big differance? What I mean is alot of rigs now sit the same height weather on 35" or 40" tires, does a bigger tire reduce high centering (especially if people stretch more as they run bigger tires).

Just looking for others thoughts???
 
#145 ·
Well, I'm actually wrong in what I said. It's true that keeping the COG low the belly isn't any higher than most any other rig. Not to mention that with a stretched wheelbase it would be a problem. High centering would be a problem. So, I humbly retract that statement.:(

But, I find that I get around in those areas better than the lower/ more stock rigs. Thinking about it, it's more likely because of better articulation and the ability to stick a tire up on a bank when needed.

Brimy's point about hanging a dif is actually a huge advanatage of bigger tires. There's a trail in Canada that we have run for years. No matter what, I always would hang a dif somewhere on the trail. Last year with my 40's was the only time I never did.
 
#146 ·
One definate advantage, is the larger radius of the tire. It just climbs over obstacles and through mud better. Longer footprint, etc.


A lot of times you will see someone who does get lower while going with bigger tires. While sometimes that seems counter-production for belly height, consider that if you aren't as tall, you can stuff the t-case up higher and gain ground clearance there. At the same time, you go to a flat belly, which slides over things better so even if you drag, you don't get hung up.
 
#149 ·
i've done all my wheeling (except mudding) on 28's to 33's but i wanted to step up to 35's so i could use my winch less but still have some challenges. my new rig has 39.5's which are bigger than i want for trails but i also play in the mud a lot and in the mud bigger is better. i'm thinking i'll leave the diffs open because the guys in my trail group are running 35's max.

for axles i'll probably run a 44 front and a 14b non ff rear because i can get them for about $150 for the pair. also i can get d44 axle shafts and other parts for dirt cheap (usually free) at the junkyard a friend owns but it's a small yard and d60's are rare so a 60 wouldn't be as practical since i'm always broke :sonicjay:

btw, the truck is a 4Runner with a 383 stroker so it will be a good test for the d44. i drive with finesse on rocks and trails but i beat them hard in the mud (i don't like getting my boots muddy :finger:
 
#158 ·
In the off road parkks where the hard trails are, open diff's make things very difficult.

Lockers make a huge differance. More so than the tires.

The reason is that you are constantly getting in positions where one or more tire is off the ground at low speed with no momentum.

At that point, no locker and you are stuck with out being stuck.

Lockers before big tires in the trails, Lockers are not that important in mud beacause of tire speed and momentum.
 
#150 ·
I think a lot of people just jump on the band wagon and dive right into 37s because of influance from magazines and tv shows. There once was a time though when 35s were the shit and 37 and 40 inch tires were unheard of. The smaller tires make things interesting because they force you to wheel with your head and pick a good line verses compensating with the equiptment. That said, I roll on 40s because they are better in the in big mud than 33s, and we all know that. The down side is, since I'm getting away from mud bogs and more in to the trails and two tracks a rig on 40s is too big to take some places. I had more fun back when I was running stock junk and could drive it to the trail and and home again. Just my opinion though.
 
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