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How bad will a lift and bigger tires hurt my gas mileage?

Discussion in 'General Jeep Discussion' started by Spartan13, Dec 6, 2017.

  1. Dec 6, 2017 at 5:09 AM
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    Spartan13

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    Spartan13 [OP] New Member

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    I have a 2012 artic and it's my everyday driver, my husband wants to put a 3 1/2 in lift and bigger wheels and tires as a Christmas gift.. my question is how bad will it kill my gas mileage? I do drive about 33 miles one way to work everyday.. I know it's gonna look good, but economically is it worth it for an everyday driver?
     
    Spartan13, Dec 6, 2017
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  2. Dec 6, 2017 at 6:59 AM
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    chris4x4

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    chris4x4 With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine Moderator

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    welcome! Most MPG gains or drops depend on the driver. Aggressive driving styles generally will see more of a drop. I'm kind of "in the middle" with my driving, and have only seen a 1-2 mpg drop from switching from 32" tires, to 34" tires. 25 mile one way commute here.
     
    chris4x4, Dec 6, 2017
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  3. Dec 6, 2017 at 7:00 AM
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    OFFGRID

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    OFFGRID Well-Known Member

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    Howell fuel injection, header, HEI distributor, TH350, NP208, SOA lift with YJ springs in the front & GW springs in the Rear. AMC20 with G2 1 piece chromos trussed, Dana 30 with G2 chromos and 760x ujoints and MM Stainless Hubs, Geared 4.56. Tom Woods shafts, Metal cloaks, Caged, 37" Toyo MTs.
    HOw big of a tire are you thinking? 33s, 35s, 37s. I have seen 38s on a 3 in lift. You may not need 3.5in lift. Big tires kill MPG, but you can make some of it up regearing for the bigger tires. You can run 33s on a stock jeep. 35s with flat fenders, and 37s with Metalcloak overline fenders all with no lift. If you are really worried about mpg I would not go over 35s and regear to maybe 410 gears. IMO 35s look best on a 2in lift with Flat fenders. Anybody else have any thoughts?
     
    OFFGRID, Dec 6, 2017
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  4. Dec 6, 2017 at 10:46 AM
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    boondoc89

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    boondoc89 Well-Known Member

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    3 inch zone lift. Fox 2.0 shocks. 35 inch nitto ridge grapplers. Bushwacker flat fenders. No name steel bumpers front and back for now.
    I'm a fan of staying as low to the ground as possible with the biggest tire I can fit(lowest center of gravity). However I do have a 3.5 inch lift with 35's as a daily then I throw my 37's on when we decide to hit the trail.

    Basically if you're gonna pound pavement no lift and flat fenders with 33's or 35's will make for a bad ass lookin ride. Or if you wheel your rig maybe a small lift and 35's will work better for what you need your jeep to do

    **edit**

    A regear will definitely help in the MPG and torque loss from the gain in tire size and weight. Like @OFFGRID mentioned... a regear to 4.10 or even 4.56 like I have will bring all your shift points and RPM's closer to stock.
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2017
    boondoc89, Dec 6, 2017
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  5. Dec 6, 2017 at 1:31 PM
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    Billy1234

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    Billy1234 Well-Known Member

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    I have horrible gas mileage but its all apart of the fun and welcome!!!!
     
    Billy1234, Dec 6, 2017
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  6. Dec 6, 2017 at 2:20 PM
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    Spartan13

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    Spartan13 [OP] New Member

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    Doing 35's... The off road center swears I will only lose 2-3 MPG.. I can live with that if it's true..
     
    Spartan13, Dec 6, 2017
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  7. Dec 6, 2017 at 2:51 PM
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    Billy1234

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    Billy1234 Well-Known Member

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    I go with what Chris said it’s all about how you drive and tire size. I have 35s and a 3 inch lift and some times have a lead foot lol. I get anywhere from 10 to 15. 10 is when I’m towing my work trailer
     
    Billy1234, Dec 6, 2017
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  8. Dec 6, 2017 at 6:48 PM
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    JKBob 25

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    JKBob 25 Well-Known Member

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    Welcome to the forum Spartan13.

    Agree with above posts. The lift doesn't hurt gas mileage. Larger than stock tires and wheels do.
    Here's my experience. I had 285 x 16 stock tires and wheels. I was getting 20 + mpg.I upgraded to 33s on 17" wheels. But, with a Superchip. I recalibrated the tranny shifting points and was able to keep my 20 + mpg. But I also drive my Jeep like an old lady. 65 on a 65 mph highway for 25 miles also.
    Appearance wise. Here's my JK with 33s and stock fender flares.20171007_150003.jpg
    And here's it with flat fender flares with the 33s. 35s in my future.20171203_144345.jpg
     
    JKBob 25, Dec 6, 2017
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  9. Dec 7, 2017 at 3:50 AM
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    Billy1234

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    Billy1234 Well-Known Member

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    And for a 3 inch lift and 35s this one I can find threw the 1000s of pics I got lol8F6E875F-B85E-4CCE-817A-4E538CA68F64.jpg
     
    Billy1234, Dec 7, 2017
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