More 30" vs. 31" BFG tire questions

I just got 30" BFG's T/A's installed at NTB. They look and ride a lot nicer than the stock Wrangler GSA's did. But they have a 30 day policy, and might just want to get the 31's.- Still!

I originally went with the 30's over 31's so I didn't lose an extra 1 or 2 mpg's, and lose more power. The stock 30's even felt kinda sluggish to me, with the six cyl.

Realistically, I'd only be gaining .6" with the 31's. That and they look cool lol! I'm wondering if someone can point out some other points I missed or correct me on some of this stuff.

Does the 31 fit on the spare tire rack without modification? Anyone have any pics of the 31's on a stock TJ?

Reply to
stephjeff
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You can fit up to a 32" tire on the stock spare tire mount without modification.

Jerry

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

Yes. You will likely need to remove the rubber bumpers that are on the tailgate, though, as the 31s tend to be wider than the 30s.

Here's some...

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Tirya '99 TJ Sahara

Reply to
Tirya

Tirya, very nice. Now I really want to get the 31's. What kind of gearing do you have and what kind of mpg are you getting? Is it decent in fifth gear on the highway? I still have to be somewhat pratical. It's my only ride.

Reply to
stephjeff

I am running 31s on my TJ in the winter. I have it geared at 3.73 and

6 cylinder. I run 33s Muds in the summer. I would go with the 31s since they look better with a TJ. Rubicons come with 31 inch tires so clearance is not a problem. The problem is that if you stick with 30s and you change your mind, getting 5 new tires is $$$. And you will not be happy. Go big go once!
Reply to
Snowboardripper

I'm running the stock gearing that came with the '99 Sahara (D30 in front, D35 in back) which would make it 3.73, I think? The only modification I have on it is the 31x10.5.15 tires - everything else is stock. I run about 2200 RPM on the highway, at about 60-70MPH in fifth.

It's four and a half years old, and has 106K miles on it - I *LOVE* my Jeep!!! It's also my daily driver, averages about 16-18 MPG (city/highway mix), which was kinda pricey when gas was up around $2/gallon, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Tirya

-- TDC Inca Jeeper A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.

Reply to
Tirya

Reply to
twaldron

That mileage is pretty good. That's about mine with the stock 30" goodyears and 3.73 gearing. Do you drive those tires a lot in snow and slippery highways? How do they do on slippery highways and snowy roads? Are they prone to hydroplane ?

I called NTB today and found out that they no longer offer the return policy!!! Bummer. They said they stopped doing the 30 day satisfaction a year or so ago. I guess it's my fault for not asking up front. Only thing they'll do is give me about 75% credit on what I paid as trade in. After only 20 miles!

One thing about the BFG 30" AT's I have right now. They kinda look a little smaller than the stock GSA's I had. Probably psychological.

Reply to
stephjeff

No it's 3.73. I'm sure. But my first jeep, a 97 tj, had 3.07 gears and the stock 225 tires on it. That thing had some pickup on it. It was pretty quick on the highways and I remember getting 20+ mpg city/highway mix. The 3.73 with the 30's on my 98 is a little pig when it comes to gas guzzlin'. MPG is about 4 mpg less.

Besides Gas mileage, the thing I didn't like about the the Goodyear

30" stock tires is that they were terrible on snowy roads, and would slide like crazy. I drive very slow and cautiously because of this, but I'd still be all over the road. Doing 50 mph on the highway in rain, I've felt it hydroplaning. I've read about the BFG KO's having better features to improve the slippery conditions. I'm wondering if the wider 31x10.5" will be any worse, or better than the stock 30" GSA's that were so squirrely, due to their improved siping, tread etc... ?

thanks Jeff

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Reply to
stephjeff

Sorry about the delay, went home for the holidays!!

I had the 30s on the Jeep from May of '99 to Nov of '00, and put the '31s on at that point. I moved from Chicago to Dallas in June of '02, so I had some Chicago winters with both sets, and IMHO I didn't notice an appreciable difference between them. I keep my tires at about 30psi, I don't know if that makes enough of a difference. I don't have ABS, so was probably a little more cautious about the possibility of hydroplaning or sliding while driving, but the only times that I can remember having a problem were once trying to take a right hand curve on slush a little too fast (and I couldn't tell you if that was on the 30s or 31s), and once intentionally doing doughnuts to show my niece from California what they were (that was definitely on the 31s!). ::grin::

I'm now in Texas, and was totally happy with the way they performed in the snow we had here last February when we had a couple of days of it. I was running through the unpacked snow on the roads (as opposed to the ice-bottomed ruts that everyone else had carved out), and spent a couple of hours on the drive home from work pushing people up a hill because there was a sheen of ice on it and they couldn't get up it. =D

As a side note, I'm still on my original set of 31s from 11/00, and they've still got about 35% tread left on them after three years and around 60K miles.

Tirya

-- TDC Inca Jeeper A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.

Reply to
Tirya

Oh that's O.K. I'm glad you wrote back. That's great news about the snow handling. That was my main concern. I ended up taking back the

30's and went with 31's! The NTB guy gave me full credit after all. Even without me asking for it. Wow. I love the look of 31's, fill out the wheel well- perfect for the tj. I don't think I'm gonna get the mpg you're getting though. I do have 3.73 gears so I still have decent pickup and a fifth gear. I had a little trouble with the spare fitting, so I shaved the bumper thingies down. Mounted yesterday, and fit great.

One bummer is that I've been rubbing a lot. Just normal driving yesterday, I find I have to take wide turns instead of those quick cuts and U turns. Just pulling into parking spaces!! That kinda sucks. I have to do the washer thing, but I don't like losing all that turn angle. I've had my tj for over six years now, and it's hard to break old habits, I'm just used to those turns. I gotta do the washer trick. Overall I'm happier with the 31's. Look and ride. Thanks for all the help and support!

Jeff

Reply to
stephjeff

I removed all of the rubber bumpers on the tailgate - fits perfectly now, and the rubber of the tire itself takes care of protecting the gate.

Yeah, you do lose a little bit of the radius, but it still turns REAL nice... =D

So... when do we get to see pics?

Tirya

-- TDC Inca Jeeper A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.

Reply to
Tirya

It's not about protecting the gate... it's about giving the spare enough support to keep its weight from bending something. If the only thing supporting your spare is the center hub area of the wheel, something is going to give eventually.

Dave

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Reply to
David C. Moller

With the stock 30" two of the rubbers weren't even touching the tire. BTW, If anyone needs them ground down and still look nice like factory, my buddy did it for me, email me. He runs a shoe repair/rebuilds arches and soles for orthopedic type shoes. He made my rubber stops smaller, but still a nice look like stock. Great job and I'm sure he'll do it cheap. It sure beats buying a new carrier.

thanks Jeff

Reply to
stephjeff

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