[Red06LJ]

I've read a lot online. But I'd like to get your actual opinions.

I had a chance to buy a set of 35" Mickey Thompson MTZ tires for a steal. After much debate, my wife and I decided to put them on the Rubicon. We've got a 2006 Rubicon LJ (6 cyl 6 speed).

We do moderate trail runs (nothing insane). Most of it's time is on back roads fishing, hunting, kayaking, camping, etc. with the occasional rock obstacle or weekend trail ride. It spends a lot of time on the road.

I was talking to a respected off-road shop in my area and he told me I'd be fine with my factory gearing. He suggested a 4" suspension lift (full kit) to go along with my 1" body lift already installed. He suggested a budget suspension lift (not a spacer lift - but a real lift). Drive out price was just under $1,000 installed. He said the lift had the drop pitman arm, long shocks, everything needed to do it right.

Okay.. that's the history - here's the question.. Am I making a mistake? I know when I lifted my CJ and put 33's under it everything that was about to break quickly did. I don't want to be throwing a ton of money at the vehicle because it's always breaking because i over-lifted/over-tired the thing.

Should I scrub the 35's and put the more ideally suited 33's on her and call it a day? Or will the 35's be okay with the 4:10's? Also - I thought since I have the slip yokes I didn't need to worry about driveshafts, but I've been reading that even the Rubicons need a CV driveshaft with a 4" lift.

Any opinions here? I'm nervous. I'd LOVE to have the 35's on it, but I don't want to make a long-term error.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rockunlimited2]

With a 6 speed, you should be good. I ran 35s with a 3" spring lift and a 1.25 BL. you have the 1" body lift, just buy the 3"springs and shocks, you are looking at $400. I ran 2" spacers out back and 3" springs up front (Level out the jeep with the winch up front). Oh ya, I my 35s were MTZs also, loved them, great tire.

 

[bugdewde]

35s or 315s will be fine with the 4.10 and 6-speed. You'll notice some higher low crawl ratio in first gear in low range, but it is suitable. I'm mean, 4:1 is very low if you don't rock crawl.
I still pull out in 2nd gear with the 315s on the street.

You may break the front axle shafts. I wore the u-joints out (probably because they weren't greaseable) and they caused me to snap the ears off my front axle shaft.
I replaced them with Alloy USAs from David at Northridge4x4.

4 inches may cause driveshaft vibration. I have 4.5" with 1" spacers up front and a motor mount lift(to counter some of the lift angle) and I have some vibs. Tolerable for me, though.

Here's my build up:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=41918

 

[gregert12]

To add on a few points from Rockunlimited2 and bugdewde,

you will eventually need to upgrade both the front and rear shafts due to the 35s.
Also, you only need 4" lift to run them, or 3"lift +1"bl
do not use the drop pitman arm. You can save 100 by removing it from the kit.

He suggested a budget suspension lift

There is no such thing as a budget lift since you will be throwing money at it for upgrades or broken parts.

There are numerous companies that make lift kits and it is not something to jump into. I recommend that you get control arms with double mechanic joints so you never have to change a bushing. Have you called [email protected]? He can explain the differences and what would be better for your wheeling style.

 

[desertfox1]

x2 on NO DROP PITMAN ARM.

 

[0BX-J33P]

i daily drive a 06 LJ rubi on 35s using a 4.5" Rubicon Express kit. its fine - i have zero vibes and the shafts have held up to several offroading trips (and yes, some of them were just average trails or on the beach, but i also do a good bit of rock climbing and have a fairly heavy jeep with winch and armor). i still start off in 2nd gear cause first is just too low on the street, even with the 35s and factory 4.10s. that said, i would like to swap to 4.56s to regain some power, like trying to keep up 70mph on the highway in top gear...but its definitely liveable and i have driven mine this way for 60k miles.

btw, i also run the MTZs and love them - they are a great tire. i have almost 35k miles on my set and they still have another 10-15k to go before ill have to replace them - thats incredible for a mud tire.

 

[bojang]

X2 on the "budget lift", there is no such thing. It might cost you less up front, but after the poly bushings rip off your control arm mounts, you will have to repair the mounts, then get real control arms so it doesn't happen again. Of course, you can't forget trackbar mounts, your steering, or your brakes.

 

[securekey]

You could just get a 2" spacer lift ... combined with your 1" body lift and run a set of 285/75r/16's (a skinny 33) ... and spend the difference in a good belly up skid/engine skid.

You would be just as capable as running the shovel with 35's and stock gearing... perhaps more capable

 

[Red06LJ]

Running 33's with a 2" spacer lift and eventually a belly tuck was my original plan... then I fell into such a great deal with the tires (and LOVE the look of the 35's) I thought I'd just go ahead and do it.

So.. I'm trying to be rational (not emotional) about the decision. The 35's are a 15" tire, so I'm downsizing wheel size to fit them. I wondered if this would limit my brake upgrades in the future.

I suspect the 33's are going to be better on the old jeep in the long run. We do drive it from Georgia to Missouri every year.

I'm hitting the point where the tires need to be replaced. So, by the end of December I'm probably going to have to do something.

What I think I'm hearing, is at the end of the day, the 35's are going to cause an accelerated wear on the Jeep forcing more mods and repairs. It sounds like the smarter move is to go with 33's, do a spacer lift, get the shocks for the extra height and run with it until I'm prepared to spend the money to really do everything 100%. Is that the general vibe I'm getting here?

OR - come up with several thousand dollars to do it all now?

Thanks. I really appreciate your opinions and time with this. I need the Jeep to be a reliable vehicle for me. We're launching a new business and I don't want to be repairing it every time I turn around. I definitely want to do it right - not matter what I do.

 

[securekey]

Since you got the 35's for a great deal... sell them and make a few $$ Put it toward the other mods.

I think you will be happier... at least until it sees more trail than roads

 

[gregert12]

We're launching a new business and I don't want to be repairing it every time I turn around. I definitely want to do it right - not matter what I do.

I'll play the advocate, based on this I would just get 33" tires and call it a day. You will need all your resources starting a new business.

 

[Skywagonguy]

Love my 35's on my 05 rubi, Bought new in Oct,04. added stuff over the years that I felt it needed. Installed 4 1/2 RE LA last October after looking and watching lift kits and big tires at the Moab Jeep Safari for a number of years. Worked great at Moab this year and last summer and fall running most of the jeep roads in Colorado. A little weak on the mountain passes with the 4.10's, but still good. Can run 60 up the passes. On the flats at 7 or 8,000 feet I can pull 70-75 in 6th gear, I don't need more than that, some may want more. Drives as good as stock with no vibes. Gas mileage stock was around 16 running 75 or 80 on the interstate and with the conversion it still will do better than 14 at those speeds. It's not a DD. Asking about 35's on your rubi is like asking if you like a Blond, Redhead or Brunette, you'll get lot's of opinions. Look at what you want to do with your jeep, what it takes to reach that goal, and build it the way you want for what you want. Opinions are like ass####, everybody has one.
Just my 2 cents, Ron

 

[03redrubi]

I ran 33's on my 06 LJ for the first two years i owned it. I just recently went to 35's and I will never go back. The 35's look great, perform great and just work great. I have a 3.5 RE lift with a 1.25" BL and 3/4" spacers up front for the bumper and winch. I trimmed my flares a little, but love the setup. A few things I will need: some spacers (tires rub a little) brakes, and will upgrade the axles eventually. I still have the 4.10's with an auto tranny, its not great but its ok for now. I don't drive it daily. Overall I am very happy with this setup and glad I made the swith.

 

[Hi-Lift]

It is my understanding that a 15" wheel would not fit your Jeep due to the stock brakes. I'm not certain of this, but a tire dealer told me that I could not switch wheels/tires from my '98 onto my '05 for this reason.

 

[Steve578]

It is my understanding that a 15" wheel would not fit your Jeep due to the stock brakes. I'm not certain of this, but a tire dealer told me that I could not switch wheels/tires from my '98 onto my '05 for this reason.

There are many on this site that run 15" wheels. The two downsides to 15" wheels are the tire selection is slowly declining in 15" and break upgrade options are fewer although Vanco does offer a 15" version of their kit.

 

[06moneypit]

I'm running 35's on mine with a 3" lift from teraflex and a JKS BL. I did need to install 2" bump stops so that my tires weren't getting into the front fenders. I went right to 35's from stock tires. Best and worst move I ever made. Jeep looked great and I would get looks all the time. If you do go to 35's you will def need an aftermarket track bar b/c you will be chasing death wobble. I upgraded my steering b/c I broke the stock one off road shortly after I lifted it.

If I were you, just b/c you can get 35's at a steal doesn't make it great. It is a matter what you want out of your jeep and how you want to get there. I would do all the nickel and dime stuff you will end up doing after the lift first. Like the steering, track bar, armor, MCAI, ect. Pretty much get the jeep ready so that when you do go to lift it, it can be right and it can be dialed in perfect the first time.

 

[Rockunlimited2]

You could just get a 2" spacer lift ... combined with your 1" body lift and run a set of 285/75r/16's (a skinny 33) ... and spend the difference in a good belly up skid/engine skid.

You would be just as capable as running the shovel with 35's and stock gearing... perhaps more capable

Or go with a 255x85x16 it is a 33x10.5x16, I have a set of BFG MTs in that size and love them.

 

[03redrubi]

It is my understanding that a 15" wheel would not fit your Jeep due to the stock brakes. I'm not certain of this, but a tire dealer told me that I could not switch wheels/tires from my '98 onto my '05 for this reason.

I run a 15" wheel. Tires are Goodyear MTR's with Kevlar, 35x12.50 r15

 

[Red06LJ]

Okay... let me turn this thread a bit.

First.. Thank you for your input. It was very helpful. After listening to all of your opinions and researching A LOT, I've decided to let the 35's sit in the corner for a bit. Maybe they'll go on the CJ one day. But for now, I think the better short term option is to run 33's. I plan to do a spring lift (no spacers) and run the 33's. I'll eventually do the tummy tuck as originally planned and go with it for a while. If I can save the money to really do the 35's right, I'll do it in the future.

So... here's the question - TIRES!!!

I've ALWAYS run BFG A/T's and had good success with them. But, I've heard great things about the Mickey Thompson MTZ's. I hear they are real quiet on the road, the look great and get good mileage.

I know on my CJ the BFG's dry rotted before they ran out of tread, and I expect similar results on the Rubi with them. Will the Mikey's be similar? I do realize they are a mud tire, and will wear more than an A/T tire in general. But, for $30 more a tire, it'd suck if I'd only get 25,000-30,000 miles on them.

So, now that I've settled on 33's and a more modest lift, any thoughts on the BFG/MT debate? My neighbor down the street swears on Toyo's, but I figure if I run Toyo's I'll just run the BFG's.

Yep.. I know.. it's probably an even bigger blonde/redhead/brunette argument, but I'd love to hear your thoughts from actually running the different tires. Also - i see that BFG has a relatively new side-bighter tire that's the same price as the Mickey. Should I consider it?

Thanks for your opinions!

 

[MPETE]

if you are satisfied with the AT's and what they can do for you on the CJ, then I see no reason why you need to spend the extra cash on the MTZ's. of course for many years I thought the same way, until I started wheeling rocks. now I have no desire to ever run an AT type tire on my jeep any longer. I run JK street tires most of the time and I am going bias ply swampers for wheeling. but that is just me.

in the long run you will get many more miles out of the BFG AT's (maybe even close to double) compared to what a typical MT will get. MTZ's seem to get about 30-40k if maintained properly and that is pretty dang good for a MT tire.
dont know anything about the new BFG "side-biter" unless you are speaking of the KM2's. if you like the AT's you will love the KM2's but for the price I think the MTZ is a better option. similar wear characteristics and sound levels, but the MTZ is much less likely to suffer a cut sidewall.

basically if you like the BFG AT's stick with them. if you get in a situation where they just arent enough, remember the easy button on the dash. stick with a 10" wide tire (like a 285/75/16) on your stock wheels and your mpg will pretty much stay around what it is stock. (maybe 1 or 2 mpg loss)

when I bought my jeep it already had 33x12.5x15 procomp Xtreme MT's on steel wheels and I was getting around 12-13mpg maybe 14 if I was real lucky this was highway AND around town. now running stock JK 255/75/17 street tires on stock JK wheels with adapters on the street and I am getting 15 around town and 17-18 on the highway. I have a 2" BB 1.25 BL and that is about it. I have an MCAI sitting in the closet waiting to be installed and that should gain me another 1-2mpg, hopefully.