Suggestions on tires/and if gearing should be changed to run 35's

hey guys.... I'm brand new to the forum but look forward to sharing the progress of my wranglers build as well as get advice from all the people that know way more than me on here. I'm getting my 3" BDS lift (fox shock upgrade) put on this coming Wednesday. Im so excited to finally lift my jeep. I've had lift envy for two years every time I see a lifted jeep.
I'm looking for some advice on what tires I should get. Both size and brand. The off-road place that's installing my lift kit has pretty much talked me into 35's. they said that overall 8/10 keeps they lift they put 35's on and they've never had anyone come back unhappy. He said they just fit the newer jeeps the best, especially with the 3" lift. He told me I should buy a modulator to get my speedometer and odometer reading correctly as well as make some changes to computer. I'm wondering what changes to the computer he's talking about besides getting the geometry correct for the gauges to read correct?
So...back to tires. I'm going to run my factory wheels for the foreseeable future...I might get some new wheels down the road. I've got 18" black factory wheels. It is my daily driver,and ride means a lot to me. I've made the mistake on other vehicles of getting super swamped thornbirds, that vibrated and hummed so loud you couldn't hear the radio! Ha! I want a long lasting, durable, fairly quite, but halfway aggressive looking all terrain. Please share your thoughts!

 

Welcome to the site!!

 

35" tires fill the wheel wells well and that is considered to be more pleasing aesthetically. You can go to 35" with a lift 2.5" or larger.

He is talking about a programmer. There are many on the market. Some do performance programming and all sorts of things. For your purposes, you need to be able to adjust tire size, possibly tire pressure monitor settings and if you do a gear swap...to set the computer for that too. An AEV Procal will do those minimum things and some more. If you are looking for performance programming then consider one of the programers from Superships. (but there are many more to choose from) I use the AEV Procal.

To utilize your stock wheels with 35" tires you will need to add wheel spacers or you will need to change your mind and get new wheels with the proper backspacing for 35s.

Remember, the more bad-___ the tires look, the more noise they will likely make and the less traction they will have for ice on pavement. Go to one of the on-line tire sites and look for a design you like. Pick a few and show us pics here....then we will know a little about what you are looking for and can give better advice on brands and such. It sounds to me like a good AT style tire may be the answer for you.

I did not answer all your questions but I hope the answers I gave are of assistance to you.

Good luck!

 

As for the suggested gearing....you can get away with the 3.73s for street use. 4.10s are great for a dual purpose rig (whatI run) and 4.56 if you are going to be more about crawling than pavement. Any lower and you will have issues on the highway.

 

Wow guys thanks so much for the advice. The tires in trying to decide on are...Mastercraft AT's, Nitto terra grapplers, and a Cooper all terrain. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

For what it is worth: I have no knowledge on the Mastercraft AT's. Nitto terra grapplers have a great reputation. Cooper all terrain tires did right by me. I liked them and am more than willing to recommend them.

 

C2T is correct and I can expound on the subject a little for clarification.

Re-gearing to the correct gear for your application can negate the need for purchasing a programmer by following this formula:

Current Gear Ratio X New Tire Diameter / Old Tire Diameter = New Gear Ratio.

Demo:

3.55 X 35 / 30 = ? . . . . . 4.1416 . . . the closest gear ratio will 4.10 At this gear your speedo will be accurate.

Many Jeepers want a little deeper gearing than stock ratios for wheeling like going 4.56s or 4.88s using the above application which will then require you to purchase a programmer to correct for the changes you've made.

If you do not have a 5 speed or an automatic with overdrive and plan on driving a lot on the highway I would try to stick to the formula.

I have 37s on a CJ with 4.56 gears and a 3spd, and I can't drive over 65mph without redlining. It is not a very highway friendly combo. I usually drive it to the mall (just kidding), around town and I tow it to the trails in case anything breaks and can't be fixed there.

 

I like the Nitto's too. The Master craft is new on the market from China or Korea I think (not sure) Seen a lot of them posted for sale used with like new tread on them. I run Toyo MTs. They work well in everything I've tried except gumbo mud. Nothing works in that stuff.

 

And don't forget...when folks talk about regearing...the 07 to 11 JKs regear VERY differently from the 12+ JKs. So watch for some confusion there.

Peter...nice info on the math. I did not know that.