34" Trxus on OME w/o flares (1 Viewer)

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Nay

Joined
Aug 17, 2004
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Colorado
I took my new (to me) 80 with OME and just about brand new 285 BFG AT's out in the snow for the first time today (15"+ of new snow!). The AT's did pretty well as I remembered from my Jeep days even in the deep stuff...and then it started getting dark and freezing up and I remembered why I ditched my last set of BFG AT's: they absolutely suck in heavy snow and ice when temps get below about 25 degrees. If you have a little bit of ice and need both forward and lateral traction to paddle through deeper snow....forget it.

And so I got stuck in my damn driveway coming back home with all four spinning 10 feet from the garage door in 15" deep snow. Had to shovel out the snow in front of all four tires - it really wasn't much. The AT's would be fine for normal city use, but I take my family back country in the winter and need a more reliable tire, especially when conditions worsen rapidly as they did this evening.

I've run the trxus in 34" size in the past (Jeep XJ) and found them to be excellent all around tires and a simply incredible snow tire - far superior to the AT in every way even on icy hardpack. Anybody running the 34x12.5x16 trxus on OME? My 80 doesn't have flares and there looks to be plenty of room....I could do the 33's....but the 34's would be an ideal size on OME if they fit????

I did the search....no conclusive answer...

Nay
 
I know on a stock suspension 33's fit fine. The 34's you'll see rubbing when you have to flex it; but I've seen a stock 80 on 35's run and he kept popping off his flares which was the only problem he had, other than it being slow as hell on stock gears.
 
I have never rubbed my 35s except in the top of the wheel well at full flex. They don't hit my flares either.... This is a mystery to me as I hear most everyone rubs a tiny bit...
 
fj803fe said:
I have never rubbed my 35s except in the top of the wheel well at full flex. They don't hit my flares either.... This is a mystery to me as I hear most everyone rubs a tiny bit...

Do you have wheel spacers or purely stock rims? I just need to flex it up and measure....the 34's are a great middle ground....although I'd really want 4.56's with the 34's since I already want them with the 33's.

Nay
 
fj803fe said:
I have never rubbed my 35s except in the top of the wheel well at full flex. They don't hit my flares either.... This is a mystery to me as I hear most everyone rubs a tiny bit...

I don't know about that. My friend before his lift ran 35's one time when he went on a trail, he tried flexing it too much and popped off his flare :doh:.
 
My 33x12.50 Trxus MT's on 16x10 wheels with stock suspension do not rub at all. You should be fine with a lift and 34's. If you are running the stock wheels, you may want to space it out a bit. (In therory, my wheels put the tires in the same place as stock wheels with a 1" spacer. I would recommend 3/4" spacer. Mine don't hit, but they are REALLY close.)
 
Can you return the BFG ATs? I run 315s with non-J'd OMEs and really don't rub either.

As for a snow tire two suggestions:

1) Goodyear AT/S Simply amazing in snow deep and light,
2) BigO XT Believe it or not are also seriously impressive in ice as well as the soft stuff. They got me out of Evergreen's 112" storm one time.

No I didn't drive out when it was at 112" (I did get stuck in that much of course) but it was a good 4 feet.
 
fj803fe said:
I have never rubbed my 35s except in the top of the wheel well at full flex. They don't hit my flares either.... This is a mystery to me as I hear most everyone rubs a tiny bit...

No mystery to me after reading your sig line. I had a 91 and I still have my 94. With the same exact spring/shock set up there are completely different beasts. My 91 felt wide and stable on 35s and they never rubbed except in the rear on a really extreme articulation. My 94 rubs more with the same set up and doesn't seem to flex the same. It feels more tippy. One last thing 91/92 flares are not the same as the later flares and stock wheels have more backspacing and a wider wheel to add to equation.

Another thing to consider iswhat brand 35s are you running; BFGs, Goodyears, Swampers, although they might all be 35s none of them measure exactly 35" so don't compare what it says on the sidewall to reality.

As for the 34" Swamper. It is an appealing tire size because it seems to be almost perfect. However, this tire size could be a real PITA to get if you have one fail. I'm all into getting common tire sizes for this very reason.

TRXUS on a Jeep is completely different than a TRXUS on a Cruiser. There is considerable weight difference. It has been my observation that they wear very quickly on a heavy Cruiser.
 
TRXUS on a Jeep is completely different than a TRXUS on a Cruiser. There is considerable weight difference. It has been my observation that they wear very quickly on a heavy Cruiser.

My XJ had upgraded 3/4 ton axles, an 8" lift with front radius arms, and a bunch of other stuff that made it less than light - I was really pleasantly suprised to get the 80 out in a low traction situation and find that it felt like riding an old horse....albeit an old horse wearing slippers in the mud :eek:.

All good tires wear quickly :D

Nay
 
ginericfj80 said:
No mystery to me after reading your sig line. I had a 91 and I still have my 94. With the same exact spring/shock set up there are completely different beasts. My 91 felt wide and stable on 35s and they never rubbed except in the rear on a really extreme articulation. My 94 rubs more with the same set up and doesn't seem to flex the same. It feels more tippy. One last thing 91/92 flares are not the same as the later flares and stock wheels have more backspacing and a wider wheel to add to equation.

Another thing to consider iswhat brand 35s are you running; BFGs, Goodyears, Swampers, although they might all be 35s none of them measure exactly 35" so don't compare what it says on the sidewall to reality.

Don't worry I am not... My MTRs mesured 35.2" when new-I measured.

FYI I am not running stock wheels-but both 91/92 and laters were the same backspacing (At least these two sets)-though different diameter. I've had both on my truck-though I now run NON-US 5.5" backspacing 15x9s with spacers-because they are steel.

I don't believe the rubbing is an effect of size (to an extent) of tire or backspacing of rims. Correct me if I am wrong but the rubbing experienced is at or near the flare (e.g. outside of the well). True 35s are different sizes dependant on brand-but I can tell you MOST (I would say all but I am not 100%) 35s ARE IN FACT larger than 315s. So me not rubbing with 35s OF ANY BRAND would suggest no rub if I went to 315s or 34s on my 16" rims.

I would argue the rubbing-as you allude to-is a function of being FJ or FZJ and wholly dependant on suspension geometry amount of droop/stuff. My bros 96 comes VERY close to rubbing at full stuff but doesn't with 315s-I can put his same tire and same rim on mine and not be within a half inch or more. I am not sure if it is bracketry, length of control arms, or spring capture bracketry hieght differences between the FJ and FZJ. But it is wheel/tire independant (to an extent).

But to answer the fist thread's Q-what year/model (e.g. FJ/FZJ) is your rig???
And even after knowing that-you could rub or you could not...it seems to be up in the air.
 
Dave, glad to see the bug is catching up w/ you quickly :D

One tip that it took me a little while to figure out when I joined this forum: don't mention that you ever drove/owned/thought about a Jeep and they will hardly ever naysay(no pun intended) your ideas. Mention the word Jeep and you might as well throw in the towel right there. Right Jamie? :flipoff2:

Good luck man, and I for one think the 34s will fit fine, then it's just the issue of gearing.

Ary
 
fj803fe said:
I don't believe the rubbing is an effect of size (to an extent) of tire or backspacing of rims. Correct me if I am wrong but the rubbing experienced is at or near the flare (e.g. outside of the well). True 35s are different sizes dependant on brand-but I can tell you MOST (I would say all but I am not 100%) 35s ARE IN FACT larger than 315s. So me not rubbing with 35s OF ANY BRAND would suggest no rub if I went to 315s or 34s on my 16" rims.

If the tires are rubbing on the lip of the fender (outside the well), how is that not effected by tire width and wheel backspacing? If you put a 1" wheel spacer on the factory wheel (recommended to me by Slee), you will put the tire 1" closer to the fender... in my case, I'm so close at full flex I need a feeler gauge to verify that it is not rubbing! I was just offering the info that I was looking for when I was shopping tires and that nobody could seem to tell me. (Except Slee Off Road. Thanks again Christo!)
 

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