WillyXJ

Hi All,

I recently made the switch to the Cherokee from a Wrangler and it came with a 3" BDS lift on it. I wanted to get a larger tire than what was on there and BDS recommended 31x10.50x15 with 3.75" backspacing. So, I picked that combo up. The first thing I noticed was the front tires would catch on the fender flares at a full turn. That was fixed by actually securing the fender flares as the screws were missing. What I've found now is when flexing, the tires rubs on the fender flares quite a bit. I do some moderate wheeling so I do like articulation. So, I'm trying to figure out how to best solve this issue.

Options as I see them:

1. Replace the bumpstops with longer ones
2. Downsize to 30x950x15
3. Get different wheels with a backspacing of 4.5" - 5"

I am not interested in any fender trimming or increasing the lift. The pros/cons I see for each option are:

1. Lose some articulation, but stop the rubbing and still have a large tire
2. Costly but won't have rubbing
3. Tire will flex up into the wheelwell more, but potential stability issues with a more narrow stance?

Am I missing any other options? What would you recommend and why?

djlarroc

i would go to a 4.5" bs, or 4" bs on a 15x7.

4.5", 10.50 tires, chance of rubbing on control arms, 5" will rub on control arms.

WillyXJ

Do 31x10.50 fit on 15x7? I thought they required 15x8.

Donnie_K

you do want to go 15 x 8. The stock rims are 15 x 7. 4" of backspacing is what most people run. anything more than 4.5" of backspacing your 31's will rub your lower control arms.

Xj88

I run km2 on a 15x7 with 4 back spacing.. Rubs a tad at full lock on the flare... And at full stuff I tore out all the wheel well

djlarroc

i ran 34x10.50 super swampers LTB on a 15x7 wheel w/4" bs. worked perfect for me. no rubbing on control arms. i had trimmed my front fenders and moved my fender flares up about 2". never any problems.

guys here have run as wide as a 12.50 on a 7" wheel. they say it's the poor man's beadlocks lol. guys run 12.50 on a 8" wheel consistently. 10.50 on a 7" will work fine.

WillyXJ

Definitely leaning towards different wheels, but I'm having a hard time visualizing and understanding the how trail flex and rubbing will be impacted with 15x7 4" backspacing versus 15x8 4.5" backspacing. Can anyone please help me understand this?

Xj88

The lower the backspacing number the wider the stance

Jarrett

I'd almost go with the larger bumpstop option; it would be the cheapest is for sure. Another option is an aftermarket flare..i'm no flare expert but i believe they have some out that allow you to stuff a tire better without rub.

WillyXJ

I'd rather not replace my flares - I kinda like them. I'm wondering if I switched wheels to 4.5" backspace and add longer bumpstops, if the tire would stay in the wheelwell and not rub on the inside of the well at full articulation. My understanding is the bumpstop would act like a pivot point once the axle hits it. Wouldn't this just force the tire into the body-portion of the wheelwell? This is also why I'm considering going down to 30" tires because there will be absolutely no rub on the stock fender flares and I'd only lose 1/2" of height.

Any other thoughts on this to consider?

Donnie_K

Yes, it'll pivot around the bumpstops into the wheel well instead of hitting the flares. I don't think you're going to have enough drop on the other side though for it to really rub at all though with proper bumpstops and backspacing. Especially on short arms. No need to drop down to 30's.

WillyXJ

Thanks for the confirmation, Donnie_K. Do you have any recommendations of how long of bumpstops I should get? I've found cut-to-length ones for the front, but the longest I've found for the rears are 2" longer than stock. Are there any longer ones available that my searches have failed to pull up?

Donnie_K

look for frankz's post about hockey pucks, works great. Just keep adding them until it doesn't rub anymore.