For those who have these wheels, I am hoping you may help me with potential fitment issues for putting the Rubicon wheels on my stock (no lift) Liberty.

I see many have done this but have put lifts on their KJ's. Will the Rubicon wheels cause rubbing concerns w/ the stock Goodyear MTR's as I have been reading or would you recommend another tire size I may use in combo with the Rubi wheels?

Thanks for your advice.

You could probably do the Rubi wheels, but not the 245/75/16 MTRs that come on them. There would be major rubbing. You'll need a tire close to the Liberty stock height. The 245/70/16 is a popular choice for a bit bigger tire without a lift.

Sky,

Thanks for the info. Will the 245/70/16 fit my 16" x 8" Rubicons?

I currently have OEM 16" x 7" 5.5" backspace wheels whereas the Rubi's are 16" x 8" 5.25" backspace. What are my tire options if I want to use these wheels on my unlifted Liberty for city/highway driving mostly?

BTW, I highly recommend the Goodyear Fortera HL as Consumer Report rated them No 1 SUV tire for hiway/city (not 4x4ing). I hate the current GSA's.

Thanks in advance.

FYI - 245/70/16 is roughly the same width (9.8") as a 245/75/16 but is 1" shorter. Also, most fit up to an 8" rim so you would be fine with the Rubi rims. There are plenty of choices in that particular size with AT tires, but you'd be hard pressed to find a wide selection of MTs.

These would be my top picks available in that size (pretty much in order):
Bridgestone Dueller AT Revo
Bridgestone Dueller AT
Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor
Yokohama Geolander AT II

I would have also recommended the BFG TA KO, but I just looked at the BFG site and they are only approved up to a 7.5" rim.

Thanks for the advice.

I have a set of the Goodyear Forteras on a 235/65/17 on a slimmer 17 x 7" OEM wheels for city driving and didn't have any rubbing at all. I need to mount my wider 16 x 8" Rubi's.

As suggested, I better consult a good tire shop for fitment recommendations.

Alternately, what is the average cost of doing a good lift?

Lifts range anywhere from free (cleavis lift) up to $3000 (7” RK – not recommended). Most people go with a 2.5” spacer or spring lift. The spacer lifts give a little harder ride and less flex, but they are about 1/3 the cost (before new shocks and struts – which are highly recommended) compared to spring lifts.

The “good” lifts…
I *think* the Rusty’s 2.5” spring lift is around $450 for all new springs, shocks, and struts (think about upgrading the rear shocks though). Great on road and off.

The Frankenlift from All J Products (I got 3” out of mine) runs $750 and also comes with everything you need. This lift squeezes every last ounce of off road performance out of the KJ. Get this one for the best articulation available.

If you are most concerned with on highway ride I would recommend Rusty’s coil lift. It’s a very good price for what you are getting and the ride will be as good if not better than stock. You lose a little bit of height and articulation, but you can still easily fit a 245/75/16.

If you install the lift yourself you save a few hundred bucks on average. Call several shops if you want to have it professionally installed. The range in labor costs will surprise you so it is worth shopping around.

Boy oh boy I have an '05 and I have to trim the air dam quite a bit. This is with 2.5-3" lift (Rusty's). The thing is it rubs against the air dam in reverse, near full-lock. Before I trimmed the air dam, I used to get funny looks from the neighbours

It's a classic Liberty Rubbing, OK?

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