I recently installed a 3.5" lift kit on my XJ and I'll be getting new tires and rims in a month or so (upgrading from stock), but I cant decide on what size or brand. I'll probably go A/T, considering Im a weekend warrior at most. I know I can fit 33's now that I'm lifted, but I have some questions; Is there a big mileage difference between 32's and 33's? Is their a big mileage difference between A/Ts and M/T2s? Is spending the extra money on aluminum rims worth it (as far as mileage goes)? I want to squeeze as many MPGs as I can out of my rig.

 

1. Pick the tire that works best for your type of terrain. I have the 33" GY MT/R Kevlar and they are a much better tire that the BFG A/T's I used to have (This is just my experience, YMMV).
2. If you think you will want 33's in the future, go ahead and get them now. I started with 31's and immediately wanted to go bigger.
3. Aluminum wheels will help a little. The less rotating/unsprung mass added, the better. Considering you will be adding quite a bit of extra weight with bigger tires, aluminum would help to offset some of the impact. I picked up a set of Jeep Canyon wheels (15x8 Aluminum) off of a TJ for about $50... check CL and your local JY for deals.
4. There is not a lot you can do to drastically improve the fuel efficency of a lifted brick with heavy wheels/tires. Regearing will help keep the revs in the right place at highway speeds.

 

Are planning to re-gear? If not, IMO, you should go with 31's. If you're planning to re-gear, go with 33" tires.

 

Isn't it expensive to re-gear? If so I'm probably not going to.

 

you're going to end up wishing you regeared

 

your looking at a least 600 in parts alone plus labor… unless you know someone who can install gears. imo do the 31s get an aggressive tread and you'll be shocked how much you can get thru i know i am. worse comes to worse down the road (cuz tires don't last forever) step up to the 33 or 32"s when your ready. just remember the bigger the tires the more wear and tear on other parts of the jeep. steering, joints, bushings, potentially dw, etc

 

31s. I have a 3.5" lift and 31s. I rubbed and needed minor trimming of the plastics in the front to clear when the wheels were turned. If you go 33s you will have to cut quit a bit more and you will probably wish you regeared.

 

Definitely 33's with that much lift, and you'll want to regear it. I personally don't think 31's will look quite right with a 3.5" lift.

 

if you are just cruising dirt roads, you MAY not have to trim with 33's. I have a 3" with 33's and I trimmed a lot. with that said, I would still lean towards 33's. I bought 31's and moved to 33's as soon I as found a decent set/price but it suited my needs to move up. I wouldn't be in a rush to regear, especially with 31's or even 32's, maybe consider it with the 33's at a later time. I am gearing to 4.56 soon but I am told that I can expect to cruise around 100 km/h (60 m/hr) at about 2500 - 3000 rpm, but that ok with me as I need to gearing. you may be better suited with 4.10's. aluminum tires are a good idea too, I notice a huge difference when I went from steel to aluminum, although I went back to steel for strength as I not concerned about millage (non DD). if you bend a steel rim, you can likely hammer it back into shape to get you out, that likely wont happen with aluminum. basically, you really need to ask your self what you intend to do, do you need strength and reliability, or a capable cruiser.

 

^^^ This

 

33's with 4.56 gearing on my rig. I run 65 MPH at just under 2400 rpm's. General rule of thumb for 33's is:
4.56 Automatic transmission
4.10 Standard transmission.

IMO 4.10's will be too high (if you have an automatic) and your fuel mileage will suffer. Lots of gearing posts on here. Read a lot, do your homework, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Gearing is a substantial investment, so I doubt you'll want to do it twice.

 

One if u are running a 3.5 lift 33 isn't goin to fit. Cut and trim it will I am running 33's km2. If ur worried about expense stay at a 31. 33 will need more lift a regear unless u don't see the highway and tires are a couple hundred more. But if you have the money 33's and 4.56 gears will get u a lot more

 

I have 33's on a 3" lift. They fit fine with trimming.

 

A lot more mileage?

 

If you value price and daily driveability more than off-road capability (sounds like you do) I suggest 31" tires. Much lighter than a 33", and you can get away with not regearing. If you have a slushbox then adding a transmission cooler is mandatory if you want to keep it, but that's a lot cheaper than gears. Down the road you can throw lockers in and keep up with guys in more lift with larger tires and open diffs.