This may be a dumb question or I may not being using the right words but I am here to learn and make sure I do not order the wrong parts for my jeep.

I have a 98 xj with Old Man Emu suspension and was told by the installer that the max size I can go with my current suspension is 31. Right now I am running 30s.

Anyway I am looking to go for a look like the jeep in the attached photo but have a few questions first.

• Will this hurt my ability to take the jeep off road with tires sticking out this far?
• Do I need to do anything special in order for my jeep to have a tire and wheel setup like this?
• What backspacing or tire and wheel sizes do i need to get to make this happen?
• Any links to wheel tire combos that would work for this?

For some reason I have not been able to get a solid answer on the best way to do this and want to make sure I fully understand what I am getting into and what i need before I place my order.

 

I may be wrong, but that looks like a 33" or 35" tire on a 15x10 wheel with 3.5"-3.75" of back spacing. Keep in mind that a 31 will likely be 10.5" wide while those appear to be 12.5" wide. And from looking at the photo, he has trimmed fenders. You would need to do this and bumpstop properly to fit that size and get that look.

 

So with 31inch tires it will be impossible to get this look....

Wish I knew that year ago before I installed this old man emu suspension or I would have gone with a bigger one. Sucks for me

 

Probably not going to happen with 31s, but someone else may have some ideas. If you don't mind trimming some sheet metal you could easily get 33s and the right back spacing to make it look good. I'm on 3" with 31s now and I am trying to decide between 33s and 35s. It's been done many times with great success. You've got a good lift, just may be more work than you planned.

Search "low COG setup" and you will get some idea as to what i mean.

 

you could always add a spacer and some shackles to the suspension. wouldnt affect it too much. then trim your fenders up. after that 15x10 rims with 3.5 bs and 33x12.5r15 tires.

its really easy to accomplish, you just gotta do it. also it wont affect your offroading capabilities other than regearing for bigger tires.

some will argue that tires with that much back space wear out ball joints and stuff faster bc of the added strain.

 

I'm running 35/13.5 with a 3.5 inch lift. 3.5 inch back space. Lots of fender trimming. It definitely wears out wheel bearings faster idk about the ball joints yet, stock ones are still alive somehow. I ran 33/12.5 on the same wheels/ same lift for 20k miles with lots of wheeling. Works great and looks great. If you don't want hacked up fenders try the bushwacker flat flares. They add a lot of room. If you need a little bit of height you can find coil spacers and shackles in 1" increments. Whatever you choose I would make sure you use correct height bump stops to prevent bad rubbing. Jks makes a reasonable kit for that. Good luck.

 

I talked to the ARB dealer in Panama that did my suspension install today and they said I could increase my ride height in the front by 1 inch but not in the back at all. If I wanted to go bigger with this suspension it would be impossible and I would have to pull it and go with a completely new suspension. ???

Maybe they are required to keep some sort of standard since they are a dealer I do not know but I keep get conflicting info and getting more confused.

 

You had an ARB dealer put on your lift? You got robbed I bet.
They are good at what they do but pricey.

How much lift do you have now?
3 inches i presume?

 

If you have the space, basic hand tools, and a little mechanical ability, you will be able to add a spacer and shackle without much trouble at all. It will be even easier since you have newer hardware (I assume) from when the lift was installed. Probably wont end up breaking bolts like you would on an older setup.

 

Remember I am in the country of Panama. Very hard to find reliable people to work on Jeeps and the ARB/ old man emu dealer is one of the most reliable shops. Yes expensive but better then the other shops in Panama that seem to know nothing.

Why at the shop do they not give the option for a spacer and shackle? Do they consider that bad for the suspension or something?

 

It depends on what your setup is right now. Maybe that's whats already on there. You'd have to tell us what your running.

 

i think we need some pictures of the lift and stance of your jeeps, what ome kit do you have?

i think what the dealer and shop may mean by you not being able to go up more with your current setup would be a combination of replacing shock and brake line extensions... on lots of different manufacturer websites they tell you the max tire size you can run with a given kit, none of these manufactures will recommend a bigger tire than what would fit only with the lift and no other modifications... this is because not everyone wants to cut their fenders and if they list bigger than what could fit without cutting, it could lead to miscomunication/misunderstanding with the buyer and seller and manufacturers wont risk bad reviews and other troubles a miscommunication could bring up.

 

Consider the shackle relocation boxes in the back........ will give a 1 to 1.5 lift and improve you shackle angle....and has multiple positions etc.

 

HEY!!!!!!! THATS MY JEEP...lol.
I'm flattered that you posted a pic of Little beast. thank you.

The lift and tires are as follows...
4.25 front 4.5 rear. 15x10 AR-23 rims with 3.74 bs. 33x12.50 duratracs. I don't know how much lift u are running right now but a BB kit should get you close. You don't need 4.5" of lift to run 33s, I just like the taller stance. 3" is just to small for my tastes. but that's me.

You can buy 8" wide rims with that bs for ur 31's. you will only rub at full tuck,so you'll need to bump stop correctly. assuming you don't trim.

Most guys that O/R will not use a 15x10 alum rim. they will use 15x8 steallies. Mainly because stealies are easier to pound back in shape.
yes you will have to trim and cut and fold the rear as I did.
My rig is just a mall crawler. I still have to bump stop and get longer brake lines. But even then she will just see trails.

Let me know if I can help anymore.

 

This is mine just getting tires installed. Rims are ION 174 15"X8" with 3,75 backspacing. Tires are Goodyear Duratracs. 33X12.50X15.
All I've done is trim the front bumper flair.
Lift is 4.5 " springs in front with a Control Arm Drop kit. Rear is Old Man Emu 3" Medium duty springs with a 1.5" lift shackle. I am putting some low profile shackle relocation brackets some time soon.

Kinda funny but the whole shop got involved in installing my tires. The guys all got their phones out and had someone take a picture of them sitting in the drivers seat.