RIM SIZE FOR 2006 WRANGLER X

Hello. I have a 2006 Wrangler X with the 6-speed manual tranny and Dana 30 in the front and 35 in the rear with the 3.07 gearing. I will be putting a 3.5 inch Rubicon Express lift on it with 33 X 12.5 tires. Here is the question that I am not sure of:

My stock rims are 15 X 7. I know I need a 10 inch wide rim to accommodate the 12.5 inch wide tires. Can I put a 16 X 10 rim on my Wrangler without causing any problems, or would I be better off just putting a 15 X 10 rim on it? I was considering a 16 inch rim just the for the extra 1/2 inch of lift. I originally wanted a 4 inch suspension lift, but I don't want the expense of changing out the CV driveshaft or the SYE. So I thought the 16 inch rim versus the 15 inch rim would give me the extra 1/2 inch that I won't be getting from the suspension lift. I don't know if you need this info, but my current tires are 215/75/15 and are 28 inches. Any insight to potential problems a 16 X 10 rim might cause would be great. THANKS!

Reply to
Tracie
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You need to compare the 'tire' height for the different rims. The 16" rim does not give a 'lift', it just gives a shorter sidewall which makes for a harder ride and usually way more expensive tires.

You post is very ambiguous, does the X already 'have' a CV driveshaft???

A 1" body lift will give clearance for larger tires also and allow a 1" engine mount lift to combat the vibes you are 'likely' to get.

Your top end is going to suck with 33's and 3.07's!

I can 'just' get away with 33's and 3.31's with a more powerful than stock 4.2 liter engine if I forget I have a 5th gear. If I use 5th, the engine just drinks gas because the rpm are too low. 1700 at 65 mph just don't work with the aerodynamics of a brick... If I stay in 4th on the highway, I just checked last week and 'fully' loaded for a week camping running at 120-130 kph or about 70-75 mph used 23 liters for 200 km or

11.5L /100K or about 22-23 mpg.

No troubles on low end as I almost never even need 1st low gear when trail riding. Don't want to be in 1st high when crossing a creek or bog though.... 2nd low is much better.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail > Hello. I have a 2006 Wrangler X with the 6-speed manual tranny and
Reply to
Mike Romain

You 'should' go with a 15x8 wheel. The 16" rim won't add any height, it might make the jeep handle slightly better. If you want to go with the big and fat round look do NOT go with a 10" wide rim. I you offroad you will want a 15x8.

Reply to
nawt2smart

With 33" tires, the minimum gearing you want is 4.11/4.10 You could probably get away with 3.73 for a street only rig, but 3.07 is just too high. The tire diameter affects your height, not wheel diameter. If you have 5" wheels on 33" tires, they are just as tall as 22" wheels on 33" tires. If you want to add an inch to your Jeep, get the 4.5" lift. It doesn't cost much more, if anything. Again, save your pennies. Cheaping out will only cause more problems. Do it once, do it right.

tw

Reply to
twaldron

Mike--

When I was talking about replacing the CV driveshaft and SYE, I meant if I were to put a 4 inch suspension lift on it due to the vibes. I have been told by several people that any lift over 3.5 inches that I would have to put in a different driveshaft and SYE to combat the vibes that I would get. That is the ONLY reason that I am considering going with a 3.5 inch lift. If it weren't for me being told that, I would definitely go with a 4 or 4.5 inch suspension lift with the 33 X

12.5 tires.

As for the information on whether or not to do 16 inch rims -- THANKS. I just wasn't sure. I didn't even know that I could put 12.5 inch tires on an 8 inch rim. I thought I would run into problems doing that. And I do like the wide and fat look. Thanks again for that insight.

So, if I am understanding everything correctly, I could do a 3.5 suspension lift with a 1 inch body lift and NOT have to change out the stock CV driveshaft and SYE to prevent vibes?

Also, I did forget to mention that my engine is the 4.2 liter with 6 cylinders. Hopefully this will help out as far as the top end sucking! : O

Forgive me for sounding naive (I am when it comes to this stuff--still learning), but what did twaldron mean when he said that 3.07 is too high? If it helps, 95% of my driving is highway and I will not be doing any extreme off-roading. Just an occasional splash in the mud and light trail riding.

Reply to
Tracie

Also forgot to ask one little question. What is your opinion on black rims? My Wrangler is the Midnight Blue Pearlcoat metallic with the black soft top, black tinted side and rear windows, and of course the black fender flares. HOWEVER, I do have stainless hinges on the doors, hood, and windshield. Just wondering if the black rims would look doofy, or would steel/aluminum look better due to the stainless hardware.

THANKS

Reply to
Tracie

Just FYI, that would be the 4.0 'destroked' version of the older 4.2 engine, not the same animal. The 4.2 has more pulling power. Yours also has a fuel injection on it with nothing to really 'tweak' for power where the 4.2 has a carb and tons of 'tweak' room with spark and ignition.

3.07's will make your rpm very low for the gear range. They call these 'tall' or 'high' gears or 'gas mileage' gears.

As I mentioned, mine with 3.31's only turns 1700 rpm in 5th at 65 mph so yours will be more like 1500 or 1600. This is too low for pulling power at speed so you need to use a lower gear.

Even 4th is going to give you issues on long hills likely.

On a creek or bog crossing if you are in 1st high, you won't have the power to spin the tires to get on through or to clear the tread lugs from mud. You do have 4 low though.

The wide tires are also going to be extremely bad on snowy roads, they have very little traction, they float and just spin out.

Lots here in Canada with wide tires have dedicated winters they put on, these are tall skinny tires. Some of us 'drive' with tall skinnies. Mine are 33x9.5 and I pretty much never get 'stuck' although I do get hung up on stumps and stuff still.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile... Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06
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Reply to
Mike Romain

So, since the 3.07 will run high, I would just have to shift into the higher gears sooner than I do now. That's not too bad. Just have to remember to do it at the right rpm. Will this cause any problems with the motor with me having to do this as far as 'lugging' or wear and tear on the engine goes? Knock on wood, I do not have any big hills that I travel when I go to work. It's 90% flat roads.

As far as the lift goes.....with a 4 inch suspension lift (with NO body lift) do I have to change out the stock CV driveshaft and SYE? Or would I be better off going with a 3.5 inch lift with a 1 inch body lift?

Reply to
Tracie

The gears work the other way around, you will be in gear longer to get up to shifting rpm.

For instance if I want to blow some carbon out on a straight track, I can hit 20-25 mph in 1st, 52-53 mph at 4400 rpm in 2nd, 75 mph at about

3800 rpm in 3rd, 4th buries the speedometer and I have 'no' urge to find out how fast 5th will go.

The trouble with giving absolutes on the lift you want is you want a 'borderline' setup. Some shake like hell, some don't at 3.5" of lift.

My CJ7 with it's 3" of spring lift is borderline and I eat u-joints because of it. If I run empty, it rumbles, as long as I have a load on to drop it that 1/4 or 1/2", no rumble. I have leaf springs and a totally different Jeep than yours though. I also have a 1" equivalent body lift the way my fiberglass tub mounts so have tons of clearance for

33's.

Your TJ is going to be at the cusp also which is why I personally think the 1" body lift is the way to get tire clearance, not trying to push the suspension envelope.

I personally would stay with a 2.5"-3" on the suspension (well, that's what I did), then I would be sure I didn't have to put out for the SYE and new driveshaft unless I wanted to go 'really' big. Won't happen, I like mine the way it is.

Mike

Reply to
Mike Romain

That's EXACTLY what I am leaning on.....just wanted your opinion though too. I am ordering the Rubicon Express standard 3.5 inch suspension lift. I spoke directly with their representatives, and according to them, I do not need to change out the stock CV shaft and SYE because I am also dropping the t-case one inch with that kit. If I were to purchase their 4 inch suspension lift, they told me I would definitely have to replace those. I am also going to take your advice and put a 1 inch body lift on for better tire clearance. I do not want to go any bigger than 33s. And definitely no wider than 12.5. I am actually contemplating going with 10.5 or 11.5 inches.

THANKS for the info.

Reply to
Tracie

Tracie wrote: I spoke directly with their representatives, and

Cool!

If you go with the body lift, you can leave the t-case skid plate up high and just raise the engine mounts to get the driveshaft angles the same. This keeps your clearance way up there.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile... Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06
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(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
Reply to
Mike Romain

Personally, I think you guys are crazy. To avoid putting in a CV driveshaft, you're going to put a 1" body lift and new taller motor mounts?? You guys must be seriously wrench happy. I sure hope you don't still have vibes with all that! Yikes. Lol!

You still really need a proper solution for slapping 33s onto a Jeep with 3.07s. That is just going to be miserable IMO. Of course, I say put on the 4.5" lift you really want, a CV/SYE kit, 33" tires and 4.11 or

4.56 gears, and be done for the life of the Jeep, but no one is listening to me anyway. :) Welcome to the World of Jeeping. I'll bow out now and just watch the progress of the build.

Hey Mike! Is it snowing up there yet? We're at 105F down here these days.

tw

Reply to
twaldron

Hey, whatever looks good to you is what matters. :)

Try this:

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your Jeep and color, and you can visualize what some differentcolors and styles of wheels will look like. The online selection seems to cater to the 18"+ bling crowd, but the maker Allied has a black 15" wagon-wheel style and a silver 15" 10 hole that both look very good on the demo's blacked-out Wrangler.

Reply to
Garth Almgren

Mike -- So in other words what you're telling me is that I do NOT need to lower the t-case? I can just raise the engine mounts instead to keep my clearance? (I know if I lower the t-case 1 inch, I will lose that inch of clearance). Will this cause any problems if I don't lower the t-case? If I raise the engine mounts instead of lowering the t-case, do I need to do anything with the 4WD system, radiator, etc.?

Twaldron -- I appreciate your advice, and it is mostly true (I do agree with much of what you're saying). However, I would like to avoid the expense of a new CV driveshaft/SYE kit if I can get the same amount of lift using other combinations of suspension or body lifts and still be able to avoid the vibes. As for the gearing, I do agree. Down the road, I am going to change the gearing to at least 4.11 as you mentioned. As far as 33s being miserable with the gearing that I currently have, would

32s make any significant difference as far as the higher gears being tall?
Reply to
Tracie

In order to use raised engine mounts, you need the 1" body lift. The body lift relocates the rad up an inch so the taller engine mount matches it without stressing the hoses.

The engine mount change or the t-case lowering will do the same thing for the driveline. Folks use the t-case lowering instead of the body lift, but you want the tire clearance so the body lift is just a good thing to do.

Raising the engine will then bring the shifters up 'slightly' so your mileage will vary about how much adjustment is needed there. I have read where some have to remove one of the inner rubber boots over the shifter for some setups. Most kits come with linkage pieces to use to line up the shifters if needed.

Mike

Reply to
Mike Romain

OK....I have one last question about this topic (then I promise not to ask anymore -- LOL). You've all been a GREAT help in my decision making.

The reason that I want to lift my jeep in the first place is strictly because I like the way a lifted jeep looks. I don't really do much off roading to warrant having the extra ground clearance that a suspension lift will provide. So, with that said, here is my question

Reply to
Tracie

No 'professional' shop will ever recommend a 3" body lift!

The 3" body lift stresses the hell out of the mounts, it will shift or shear in a fender bender also.

The gear shifters will be trouble, the brake lines will have issues, the steering shaft length, etc.

I have seen one and it was already trying to shear off so I helped remove it, cut the spacers in half and put it back on 'two' different Jeeps to give both a 1.5" body lift.

As your Jeep sits stock, you can already put 31x10.5" tires on your existing rims and be just fine. Some have to do a 30 second adjust of the steering stops.

To go higher then only requires 4, 1.5" or 2" spring spacers, shock extensions and bump stops which all come in a 'cheap' kit.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile... Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06
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(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
Reply to
Mike Romain

WOO HOO!! I finally have my combination figured out. Mike....I am following your advice. I am going with a 2" suspension lift (that way NO vibes and I don't have to lower my t-case and lose 3/4" of the 2" that it was lifted). And I can keep most of my stock parts. I will be running 33 X 12.50 X 15s on 8 inch rims for that "fatter tire" look.

Now I have two options.... A 2" suspension lift with a full 2" coil spacers and new 2" inch shocks, OR a 2" suspension lift with the 2" coil springs and 2" inch shocks. Mike, could you point me in the right direction on this one please?

Reply to
Tracie

Too many numbers....

LOL!

Coil spring spacers 'are' a suspension lift and add to the driveline issues so nice try but...

See my other post about tires and your 'stock' Jeep.

Mike

Reply to
Mike Romain

I do understand what you are trying to accomplish...not the way I'd do it, but I do understand. Yes, 32s would help. Too, be afraid of a shop that would install a 3" body lift. OMG! Don't do that!

As far as your 2" spacer vs 2" spring lift question...if you can afford the spring lift, go with that. If not, spacers will be fine for your use.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

tw

Reply to
twaldron

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