17" wheel options

mass-hole · **Posted:** Sun Dec 17, 2017 12:13 am

I see Cragar has a 17x8" Soft 8 with a 4.5" BS in our bolt pattern. Would this fit the KJ well?

Reason I am asking is I could run a 32" in a slight narrower width which may help with rubbing while turning. Let me know if I am way off here.

Mountainman · **Posted:** Sun Dec 17, 2017 1:01 pm

I thought I read of a couple of members running 17's, but those steel wheels weigh twice as much as the stock wheels. I don't think that will help you on the grades. Actually the 17's would probably be twice what your moabs weigh.
I think the steels should only be used for a dedicated trail rig myself.

mass-hole · **Posted:** Sun Dec 17, 2017 1:10 pm

Mountainman wrote:

I thought I read of a couple of members running 17's, but those steel wheels weigh twice as much as the stock wheels. I don't think that will help you on the grades. Actually the 17's would probably be twice what your moabs weigh.
I think the steels should only be used for a dedicated trail rig myself.

Yeah I noticed they weigh 38 lbs. I am pretty sure the Moabs are like 24 or something.

Hills arnt the issue anymore with 400 ft-lbs. I am just thinking a 32" will fit better if its a little narrower.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Sun Dec 17, 2017 8:52 pm

I’ve got 255/75/17 on mine right now.
That’s the absolute biggest. Can’t go any taller can’t go any wider.

mass-hole · **Posted:** Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:51 pm

flash7210 wrote:

I’ve got 255/75/17 on mine right now.
That’s the absolute biggest. Can’t go any taller can’t go any wider.

Thats what I had my eye on. Do you get rubbing when turning?

Mountainman · **Posted:** Mon Dec 18, 2017 1:53 am

She'd really feel like a rocket with light 245/75's. But I'm obsessed with trying to hold 5th on the big grades

flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Dec 18, 2017 6:59 am

mass-hole wrote:

flash7210 wrote:

I’ve got 255/75/17 on mine right now.
That’s the absolute biggest. Can’t go any taller can’t go any wider.

Thats what I had my eye on. Do you get rubbing when turning?

No rubbing.
Pinch weld pounded down.
Lots of inner fender was already trimmed away.
Wheels and tires are JK take-offs on 1.5 inch spacers/adapters.
A different wheel/backspacing setup might be better.

Mountainman · **Posted:** Mon Dec 18, 2017 1:37 pm

I have 1.5" spacers. If you look closely you're probably shy about 4 threads of engagement, which is scary. I finally put new skf hubs up front and found the perfect wheel studs for 99% engagement. I'll post the past number if anyone wants it. Takes about ten minutes to swap the studs out with a press when off the vehicle. Now I need to upgrade the rears, but they've been holding for 2 years just fine, although they work themselves loose slowly

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Mon Dec 18, 2017 7:33 pm

flash7210 wrote:

Pinch weld pounded down.
Lots of inner fender was already trimmed away.
Wheels and tires are JK take-offs on 1.5 inch spacers/adapters.
A different wheel/backspacing setup might be better.

Yeah without a front bumper your rubbing chances are cut by 75%.

Try fully flexing the rear and see how long the flares stay on.

mass-hole · **Posted:** Wed Dec 20, 2017 12:22 pm

I saw this guy the other day:

285/75R16 lol. He trimmed his fenders slightly.

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mass-hole · **Posted:** Wed Dec 20, 2017 10:14 pm

Mountainman wrote:

She'd really feel like a rocket with light 245/75's. But I'm obsessed with trying to hold 5th on the big grades

I know that game. I’ve nearly been driven insane by it. All it took was removing all the altitude limiters, spinning the crap out of my turbo and making 400 ft-lbs at 1800 rpm.

Mountainman · **Posted:** Thu Dec 21, 2017 1:25 am

mass-hole wrote:

Mountainman wrote:

She'd really feel like a rocket with light 245/75's. But I'm obsessed with trying to hold 5th on the big grades

I know that game. I’ve nearly been driven insane by it. All it took was removing all the altitude limiters, spinning the crap out of my turbo and making 400 ft-lbs at 1800 rpm.

Good to know. I still need to switch to the full torque tune, just need to make the time to talk with Keith. I've got tunes to swap between crd's and the elevated idle thing to ask about. I'm finally going to get around to installing my ox in the rear, and since I'm going to put in new gears, I keep thinking about 245/75's and 4.10 gears, but it seems like a small fortune to gain like 1/2 inch. Even 32's are only an inch of clearance, and my only real need for that is in the snow. But then I think about the fact that I'm already buying one set of gears. I definitely have the jeep mod disease :banghead:

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 21, 2017 1:01 pm

Mountainman wrote:

but it seems like a small fortune to gain like 1/2 inch. Even 32's are only an inch of clearance, and my only real need for that is in the snow. But then I think about the fact that I'm already buying one set of gears. I definitely have the jeep mod disease :banghead:

1/2" or 1" more clearance can make or break you on the trails here in Colorado and even MOAB.

Mountainman · **Posted:** Thu Dec 21, 2017 5:50 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

Mountainman wrote:

but it seems like a small fortune to gain like 1/2 inch. Even 32's are only an inch of clearance, and my only real need for that is in the snow. But then I think about the fact that I'm already buying one set of gears. I definitely have the jeep mod disease :banghead:

1/2" or 1" more clearance can make or break you on the trails here in Colorado and even MOAB.

Yeah, that makes sense. I'm more of a hunting/fishing backpacker than a jeeper I guess. Too cheap and the places I go with one vehicle I can't imagine breaking the Jeep, although I get carried away trying to get more remote some times :JEEPIN:

u2slow · **Joined:** Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:26 pm **Posts:** 160

flash7210 wrote:

No rubbing.
Pinch weld pounded down.
Lots of inner fender was already trimmed away.
Wheels and tires are JK take-offs on 1.5 inch spacers/adapters.
A different wheel/backspacing setup might be better.

Nice! I'm running JK steels right now. Just some of those alums for sale, cheap, yesterday too. It seems to me, nearly ~0" net offset is the sweet spot because the KJ wheel-openings are smallish.

Mountainman wrote:

I have 1.5" spacers. If you look closely you're probably shy about 4 threads of engagement, which is scary. I finally put new skf hubs up front and found the perfect wheel studs for 99% engagement. I'll post the past number if anyone wants it. Takes about ten minutes to swap the studs out with a press when off the vehicle. Now I need to upgrade the rears, but they've been holding for 2 years just fine, although they work themselves loose slowly

Wanna post the part number? :mrgreen:

I'm not liking the length of studs in one of my timkens...

tommudd · **Posted:** Fri Dec 22, 2017 10:12 am

mass-hole wrote:

I saw this guy the other day:

285/75R16 lol. He trimmed his fenders slightly.

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More than likely stock gears so needs to be at Walmart

Mountainman · **Posted:** Fri Dec 22, 2017 1:20 pm

I bet he loses a rear fender on the speed bump. He should add a winch for Walmart recovery :dead:

I'll post the part number when I get back to my house in a day or two

mass-hole · **Posted:** Sat Dec 23, 2017 2:03 am

tommudd wrote:

mass-hole wrote:

I saw this guy the other day:

285/75R16 lol. He trimmed his fenders slightly.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

More than likely stock gears so needs to be at Walmart

This was in Park City and he had Cali plates which meant he came up Parleys canyon. I can’t even imagine the V6 on stock gears turning those things for 3000’ of elevation gain.

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tommudd · **Posted:** Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:35 am

mass-hole wrote:

tommudd wrote:

mass-hole wrote:

I saw this guy the other day:

285/75R16 lol. He trimmed his fenders slightly.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

More than likely stock gears so needs to be at Walmart

This was in Park City and he had Cali plates which meant he came up Parleys canyon. I can’t even imagine the V6 on stock gears turning those things for 3000’ of elevation gain.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Talking to a guy with a 2014 JK yesterday that just had his second transmission put in, only 76,000 miles. Running 3.23 gears and 35s, so some owners do it all the time, I think I finally convinced him that he really needs to regear.

u2slow · **Joined:** Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:26 pm **Posts:** 160

Mountainman wrote:

I'll post the part number when I get back to my house in a day or two

I did some digging... the stock KJ stud is a Dorman 610-447. The 610-449 is used on other Jeeps... is a tick longer, but more importantly, fully threaded right to the tip. I'm curious to see what stud you found.

https://www.dormanproducts.com/p-15989- ... in=keyword
https://www.dormanproducts.com/p-18102- ... in=keyword

17" wheel options

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