33 inch tires on 18 inch rims jeep wrangler

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r/Wrangler

33 inch tires on 18 inch rims jeep wrangler

33 inch tires on 18 inch rims jeep wrangler

33 inch tires on 18 inch rims jeep wrangler

level 1

Let me know I’ve been wondering this too!

level 1

I’m getting new tires & want to know if anyone here has 33-34in tires on a Wrangler JL sport with no lift (pictures would be appreciated). Now my main choice right now is the 285/70R17 - BFGoodrich KO2. Do you think there’s going to be any rubbing?

level 2

I was running BFG KO2 (285/70R/17) without a lift. It worked great when it was just me and my son. But as soon as I added more passengers, it started rubbing. I ended up doing a 2.5 inch lift to give some extra clearance.

level 2

The size you mentioned is what I have on my Sport (no lift) and there are no issues at all. Any bigger and you might have issues.

level 1

I’m running MT 285/R70 17’’s on Mammoth 8 rims with 4.5” of backspacing on a 13 JK Sport with no issues (other than the mileage).Bertha

level 2

Do you actually offroad it? Feels like the uptravel is too limited with that amount of clearance, and the tires will stuff and scrub without some significant bump-stops

level 1

You can run 33’s no issues. Same size the rubicon’s cone with. Only thing you’ll need to do is remove the bumper close outs on each side of the front bumper that attaches to the fender. Anything above a 33” you’ll need a lift.

level 2

JL Rubi's come with raised fender flares which allow for 33's to fit no problem. 33's on any other trim is tricky without aftermarket wheels, fender flairs, or lift. You would probably be OK fully stock on 33's if you stay on pavement.

level 1

33s and Teraflex leveling kit and your clear. Take off the little euro bumper flaps. Might need spacers I think because of the width.

level 1

JLU Willys come with 33” stock. They have sport fender flairs. I have not had rubbing even off road on mine with the 33s. Like others said, you might want to remove the plastic that connects the bumper and fender flair as willys come with out it so it might rub on that.

level 1

I had those on my jk, no issues. I think JLs have the same or better clearance so you’re fine.

level 1

I have that exact size KO2s on my 2018 JLU Sport S and have no issues, no rubbing, and no lift. I did remove the euro bumper close out pieces previously so not sure if they would've caused any rubbing.

level 1

285/70r17 AT3Ws on my JK with no lift currently. No rubbing at all

level 1

33's supposedly largest you can go without problems in a lot of areas. from the Dana30s limits to the body of the jeep itself. I've heard some fenders have a splash guard in the front that need to be removed on occasion, for JLs that are not rubicon. But, as I understand that takes about 5 min or less.

level 1

I have 285/70r17 on JL Sport S stock wheels. I think it looks great and no rubbing. BUT...only been mall crawling so far.

Edit: I did remove those extra fender pieces, as mentioned below.

level 1

I’m adding 285/75/17 Ko2s this week. I’ve got a rubicon take-off suspension on hand in case I need the lift with 34’s.

level 2

You should install them. 34" KO2s measure out to 33"

Also, if those are load range E (which they probably are) your ride quality will suffer significantly.

Can you fit 33-inch tires on a Jeep Wrangler JK with a stock suspension? Is the backspacing enough to accommodate the bigger tires? Will you be able to go off-road with 33″ on a stock suspension? How do bigger tires affect the handling and performance?

33-inch tires can be fitted to a stock Jeep Wrangler JK, but with minimum clearance on the front bumper and not enough clearance for full articulation off-road.

Before running out and fitting bigger tires to your JK, make sure you understand all the implications and that there are other factors that come into play such as backspacing, clearance, fuel economy, handling, and more. This article will discuss what you can expect when fitting 33-inch tires to a stock Jeep Wrangler JK.

  • Jeep Wrangler 33 inch tires – No Lift
  • Will 33-inch Tires Scrub Off-road on a Stock JK?
  • How Does 33’s Affect Fuel Consumption?
  • Will 33″ tires affect the JK’s Handling?
  • Wear on Other Components With Oversized Tires
      • Components that will can affected by fitting bigger tires are:
  • Does the JK Have Enough Backspacing to Accommodate 33″ Tires?
  • OTHER INTERESTING JEEP READS
  • Conclusion

Jeep Wrangler 33 inch tires – No Lift

33 inch tires on 18 inch rims jeep wrangler

The Stock JK design and wheel fenders offer quite a bit of clearance up front. There is no touching when the vehicle is driving in and around town. The rear tires are never really a problem since there’s more than enough clearance and they are not required to turn directionally.

If possible, fitting slightly wider aftermarket rims will help with backspacing especially if it had a slightly more negative offset. It’s not recommended to fit wider tires on the stock rims since there will be very limited clearance and more rubbing at full lock and especially when off-roading.

Click here to find out what is the largest tire you can fit on a Jeep Wrangler.

If you ever intend on going off-road then you will need to do a few more modifications to the vehicle to make the 33-inch work properly since 33’s are slightly too big for maximum articulation (flex) without anybody scrub on a stock suspension. If you’re simply doing the big tire upgrade for aesthetics and the occasional gravel roads, then 33-inch tires can work on a stock suspension.

Will 33-inch Tires Scrub Off-road on a Stock JK?

When it comes to heavy off-road trails, which many Jeep owners are well known for, you will require maximum suspension articulation and enough clearance inside the wheel area. In this instance, the stock suspension will not work the best. You will be wise to upgrade your suspension first to accommodate the bigger wheels and allow for maximum flex through and over obstacles. We recommend a minimum 2-3″ suspension lift to allow for better clearance and “flex” without scrubbing.

Being an SFA (Solid Front Axle) vehicle, there are no issues with upper control arms and CV angles to worry about. Many JK owners have successfully fitted 33-inch tires on a stock JK. The amount of scrub depends largely on the intended application. Disconnecting front swaybars most definitely result in body-scrub with a stock suspension setup while off-road.

How Does 33’s Affect Fuel Consumption?

Big tire upgrades will definitely affect the gas mileage, and of course, have a direct impact on your wallet too. The bigger heavier tires fall part of the unsprung weight of the vehicle. This is the quickest way to increase fuel consumption.

Unsprung mass/weight refers to the mass/weight of the suspension, wheels, and other components directly connected to them, that sit below the suspension, rather than being supported by it.

You can expect to lose at least 1 mpg at a minimum with 33-inch tires. The heavier taller than stock tires are wider with more tire surface hitting the road surface, resulting in more drag and rolling resistance. Of course, the tread pattern also plays a major role since a more aggressive MT (Mud Terrain) tire choice will be louder and result in higher rolling road resistance which means less mpg.

Start adding heavier aftermarket bumpers, winches, and other accessories and the side-effects soon become more and more obvious.

Will 33″ tires affect the JK’s Handling?

With the bigger tires, you’ll also feel a difference in the steering feel. It will feel more stable and cornering will feel slightly better, however, you can expect to feel heavier steering. The bigger heavier tires also cause a more understeer and vague steering feel.

Increased unsprung weight will result in decreased handling while reducing unsprung weight is the key to improving handling. The lower the un-sprung weight, the less work the shocks and springs have to do to keep the tires in contact with the road over bumpy surfaces.

Then there’s your braking. Something many people don’t even consider before fitting bigger tires. You’ll feel the braking is not as crisp as it was with the stock tires. A Lot of problems, if not all of them are caused by inertia. more weight means higher inertia. Higher inertia results in decreased stopping ability with the stock JK brakes. Bear in mind it’s not going to be very obvious, however, if you know your vehicle very well and drive it daily, you definitively will notice it.

Wear on Other Components With Oversized Tires

Components that will can affected by fitting bigger tires are:

  • Brakes
  • Odometer
  • Shocks
  • Fuel Consumption
  • Steering components
  • Gearing Ratios
  • Torque on the wheels

The bigger you go the more obvious these side effects become. With 33″ tires on a JK, you won’t feel most of the above-mentioned effects since the vehicle can handle the 33’s comfortably. However, once you opt for 35, 37, and bigger, your vehicle will not perform optimally without additional upgrades on your suspension, steering, and drive-train components to make the whole setup work 100%.
In some cases bigger, isn’t always better!

Does the JK Have Enough Backspacing to Accommodate 33″ Tires?

Having the correct backspacing is crucial when fitting 33″ tires and is often a factor that most don’t speak about. But first, let’s understand backspacing.

The backspacing on stock JK wheels is 6.25″. That means that the mounting surface of the wheel is 6.25” from the rear lip of the wheel. This is just enough to accommodate the 33″ however your clearance on the front bumper might be very minimal, depending on the tire tread pattern, thickness, and mold design. All tires are not created equally and tire manufacturers use different molds, so clearance will vary greatly based on make and tread pattern here.

Backspacing is the distance from the hub mounting surface (usually in the center of the rim) to the inside lip of the wheel (measured in inches). Positive backspacing puts the tire closer to the hub of the truck. A Rim with more negative backspacing pushes the wheel outward. Hence a rim with a closer to 0 or negative offset will sit further out and allow you to fit wider tires. There will be a few inches of tire poking out.
Always make sure you check your state laws regarding maximum tire “poke”. Certain countries are very strict with this law.

OTHER INTERESTING JEEP READS

  1. Jeep Wrangler 35 Inch Tires – No Lift (FITMENT GUIDE)
  2. Fitting 35-inch tires on a stock Jeep Wrangler
  3. Jeep Wrangler TPMS Sensors Not Reading [SOLVED]
  4. Jeep Wrangler Steering Wheel Jerks When Turning [SOLVD]
  5. Jeep Wrangler Knocking Noise When Accelerating [SOLVED]
  6. Jeep Wrangler Clicking Noise WHen Turning [SOLVED]
  7. Jeep Wrangler Steering Wheel won’t Unlock
  8. Jeep Wrangler Loose Steering Wheel [SOLVD]
  9. Jeep Wrangler Sticky Steering Wheel [FIXED]
  10. Why Are Jeep Wranglers so Expensive [EXPLAINED]
  11. Jeep Wrangler High Pitched Noise [SOLVED]
  12. Jeep Wrangler Wind Noise [DIY FIX]
  13. Jeep Wrangler Grinding in 4WD [SOLVED]
  14. Jeep Wrangler Jerking While Accelerating [EXPLANIED]
  15. Jeep Wrangler White Smoke on Startup [SOLVED]
  16. Jeep Wrangler Alarm Keeps Going Off [SOLVED]
  17. Jeep Wrangler Hard-Top to Soft-Top Conversion [HOW TO GUIDE]

Conclusion

Fitting 33-inch tires is something that can be successfully done on the JK Wrangler without any hassles. This will obviously depend on your intended application. Fit aftermarket rims with a more negative offset to be safe. If you intend to venture offroad, doing rough tracks and rock crawling, you’ll have to do a suspension upgrade first to take advantage of the Jeep’s legendary articulation ability.

What size is a 33 inch tire on a 18 inch rim?

Tire size equivalent chart for 33", 35", 37" or 40" tires.

Are 33 inch tires good on a Jeep Wrangler?

33-inch tires can be fitted to a stock Jeep Wrangler JK, but with minimum clearance on the front bumper and not enough clearance for full articulation off-road.

What size rim is best for 33 inch tire?

33-inch tires work well with rims that measure 15 or 16 inches in width, while 35-inch tires should only be used with rims that are at least 17-inches wide.