Tire Questions

[Jason4x4]

So as I've posted before, I'm running 32" BFG Mud Terrain KMs (the old style) on my TJ. A couple weeks ago I awoke to find my Jeep listing to the side. The front driver's tire was flat. I found a small cut on the sidewall (I'm guesstimating it to be about 1/4 to 1/2" long at the most.).

Here's my problem- My spare tire had previously been flat for quite some time. I came home from work one night and found a broken off pocket knife blade wedged in the tread right in one of the lugs. I took it to a couple tire shops and they all told me it couldn't be patched. So my spare sat flat for over a year and a half. On a whim one day I stopped at a gas station/garage and asked the mechanic to look at it and he told me he used the old-fashioned plugs and thought he could fix it, which he did. The problem is that the rest of the tires were so much more worn by this time that when I put the spare on I get a huge wobble/vibration above 40mph. So up until now I've just rotated the four tires that are on the Jeep and used the spare just for emergencies.

From what I gather it's probably not a good idea to try and get the sidewall fixed and drive the tire on a regular basis, correct?

Assuming that it's not, I guess my only option at this point is to buy new tires. If I have to get new tires I'm upgrading to 35" tires and will definitely stay with the BFG MTR KM2. That being said, I have 3.73 gears in my Jeep. How much of a dog will it be on the highway with 35s and those gears until I can afford to regear? Are there any cheaper options that I'm missing??

Any input is appreciated.

 

[jfrabat]

From what I gather it's probably not a good idea to try and get the sidewall fixed and drive the tire on a regular basis, correct?

You are correct.

Assuming that it's not, I guess my only option at this point is to buy new tires. If I have to get new tires I'm upgrading to 35" tires and will definitely stay with the BFG MTR KM2. That being said, I have 3.73 gears in my Jeep. How much of a dog will it be on the highway with 35s and those gears until I can afford to regear? Are there any cheaper options that I'm missing??

It all depends; how well does it run with the 32's? And do you have an auto or stick? Another option, if you are running stock axles, is to look in the junkyard for a 2.5L and get those axles, which would have a 4.10 ring and pinion...

Or simply go with 33" KM2's and call it good (which should run about as good as the 32's). I have ran some DEEEEEEEEP mud and gotten through with 33's, and while running with the big boys down here (all running V8's or I6 with 38+ tires) I have never been left behind. I just gotta pick my lines more carefully, but that's all.

Keep in mind that the stock axles will handle 33's decently; throw a locker in the rear, and you are already asking for trouble. Same if you throw 35's on a D35, and MORE so if you ad a locker. With alloy shafts, maybe it could deal with 33's and a locker, but not 35's and a locker... Just something to keep in mind.

 

[fstowwrench]

why not try 33's until your pockets are more full, you may not think this way but if you measure things out tires are undersized so look into it

 

[Jason4x4]

Thanks for the input. Two things: 1) I have a D44 rear and I'm open/open for now, so I don't think I'll have any issues durability wise with 35" tires (correct me if I'm wrong) - I do have the D30 front. 2) I thought of going with 33s for now, but I'm really not seeing much price difference between 33s and 35s so either I'm looking in the wrong place or something...but I'm not seeing much reason to go with 33s at this point.

Another question: If I get aftermarket wheels with these tires, what backspacing should I run? I'd like to move the tires out an inch or so so that I can get rid of my wheel spacers if possible.

Thanks again.

Oh yeah, also just for clarification, I have the 4.0L and the six speed manual.

 

[Jason4x4]

Another question: How well would 35x12.5x15's fit on the stock wheels? Are they too narrow (the wheel that is)?

 

[jps4jeep]

If it were me, I'd run the 35's till you can re-gear.

I ran 35's for a short time on 2.73's in a CJ, it is not as bad as what people think. is it Ideal, no, but completely doable.

as for those tires on stock wheel, they will fit just fine, but the front will rub a lot on LCA's and your turning radius will suffer. either rims with less back spacing or some spacers.

 

[jfrabat]

With a D44 and D30, you should be fine on 35's... Even with lockers, they should hold out (unless you have a heavy right foot, that is!). I agree with JPS4JEEP here; based on what you have, go to 35's and live with that until you can regear. I WOULD get aftermarket wheels, but eBay and Craigslist are your friends for getting them on the cheap...

 

[Jason4x4]

Well guys, I bit the bullet this morning and bought the 35x12.5x15 BFG Mud Terrain KM2s. Ordered them from Discount Tire. Originally I was going to get just the tires and have them mounted on the stock wheels for now. I talked to the tire shop I was going to have them installed at and they were skeptical about fitting 12" tires on a 7" rim.

I called and talked to Discount Tire about it and they said it depends on the installer but they would probably fit on the rim but might wear the center of the tread out because of the wheel being so narrow. They (and BFG) suggested an 8" wheel for this tire.

I explained the situation and told him I really didn't even have the money for the tires at this point (I do, but we're saving up for the downpayment on a house) and didn't want to add the expense of wheels at this point. I also explained that some a-hole stole my debit card info yesterday and withdrew $1000 from my checking account. Apparently he took pity on me and offered me a set of black soft 8's with about 1" less backspacing (and I have spacers already installed but may remove them depending on if the tires clear everything OK without them). On the website they sell the Unique Soft 8's for $75 a piece, he cut them down to $50 a piece - i.e. an extra $200 for the wheels and they mount and balance for free. The shop I was going to have the tires mounted/balanced to the stock wheels at was going to charge $25 a wheel so without having to do that it's actually only $100 extra for the wheels so I told them to go ahead and do the wheels. Plus they have a $50 mail in rebate. So the total damage was $1040 out the door for 35" MTR's and wheels minus the $50 rebate brings it down to total cost of $990 which I guess is not completely terrible.

By the way, I'm only buying 4 wheels/tires at this point but will be adding the spare in the next month or so, prior to the first rotation. Just didn't have the cash up front to do the fifth.

Now, is anybody interested in my stock wheels and 32" MTRs? I posted in the classified section, waiting for the rain to stop so I can take some pictures.

 

[Jason4x4]

Posted more pictures in my build thread, but to bring closure to this thread, here is the finished product:

 

[jfrabat]

Posted more pictures in my build thread, but to bring closure to this thread, here is the finished product:

I like how it came out... Looks balanced.