So for the average weekend wheeler, are 31"s enough

[Dick.Breakey]

ok so im sure this a topic talked about a bunch, but i wanted to get a review from my perspective on it. When i finally get my jeep, weather it be xy, yj, or tj, i was curious about 31"s compared to 33"s. i understand the ground clearance is one of the biggest plus's of a 33 but for someone who will literally go out no more than 6-8 times a year, are they really worth it? say i go xj style. i need 4.5-6.5 of lift to get the 33 under it. and the 4.5 is with cut out flares and something else. yet with the 3-4 inch lift i can go 31's and get the lift for a pretty affordable price. for someone who does mainly on road travels, albeit all city and rarely going over 40, is it really worth the added expense for the bigger lift?

[ridgerunner97]

3in of lift on an XJ with 31s is a potent little package for a weekend warrior. I'm sure some of the guys will chime in about my rig, its nothing special but goes where I point it and lives. I'm at 3in and 31s right now. It is well behaved on the street, and it performs well enough for me on most trails. You can cut and clear 33s on 3in of lift, it has been done before, you just have to properly bumpstop. Mine is getting ready to grow another inch as soon as it warms up and i'll be at 4in with 31s for most of this summer, it will get cut and bumpstopped though and the final build will be 4in on 33s. Makes for a very capable package and well mannered on road if done correctly.

[Mykal]

Youll be fine.

[Krod]

x2

Good 31's will get you where you want to go if you're looking for some light wheeling and DD action.

[ghost]

you can do a heck of alot more than light wheelin with 31s

[TimMichaels]

I've had my trail rig, a ZJ, on 31's for years and it's always been enough for what I wanted. Like you said it's cheaper, plus it's better road mannered while still being fairly capable. It's a great choice.

[Dick.Breakey]

thats great to hear. makes my choice a lot easier. i was looking at a wrangler, a couple actually, but then after talking with the fiance, i decided the xj might be a better option for whats more practical. i do, however, tend to change my mind a lot. but i plan on the 3-4 now with the xj. lets see what happens.

[welby]

The XJ I just bought has a 6" long arm kit on it and 33's, it's almost too much for a DD. I was looking for one that already had a mild lift on it because I figured I'd let someone else eat the cost of some mods like I did when I sold my TJ (Was painful what I sold the thing for...) I really wanted to find one with about 3" of lift and 31's or maybe a 4.5" kit with 32's, but the price was right to me, so I bought it. Another downside with 33's over 31's is you then start having to worry about regearing and more vibes (Both of which I have to fix on mine). Personally, other than playing on big rocks, I think 31's and a locker in the back will get you 95% of the places that other people can go. Put the extra money you saved on the smaller lift towards a front bumper and a winch and that will take care of the other 5% :D

I'm debating actually hunting down shorter springs for mine and dropping to 32's, but I just picked the thing up and have lots of time to mess around with it later :)

[hyperbuzzin]

My TJ Unlimited had no troubles at BeaveRun doing the level 1 trails on 235's (about 29") and no lift (other than high centering a couple times).
I even made it up Squaw trail, which I heard is one of the tougher level 2's. Although, I did need pulled a couple times when I bottomed out. But for stock height and 29's, I think it did great!

So, like the consensus says and IMO, on 31's you should be just fine for what you describe your wheeling consists of.

[jeepxj3]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/JeepXJ3/Off%20Road/IMG_2807.jpg

31's can do some decent wheelin, me personally im a fan of bigger rubber. My last XJ had 35's and I DD it, it got a bit much, and I cant say ill do it again. But When I build my next wheelin rig, it will be a dedicated buggy.

[Super Scout]

I have seen some people do crazy things with 31s, but everyone I know who runs 31s has either lifted or is planning on lifting their jeep higher to fit bigger tires. I say do it once and be done 33s !!

[JeepSteeler]

I've had my trail rig, a ZJ, on 31's for years and it's always been enough for what I wanted. Like you said it's cheaper, plus it's better road mannered while still being fairly capable. It's a great choice.

X2 - I don't wheel my ZJ all that hard, but on occasion I'll get into some sticky situations and haven't had the lift or the 31's be a problem. Lack of a locker is usually the problem. Up to you, if you are the type that always wants to go a little bigger, I'd go 33's. But if it is a DD/weekend warrior, go 31's.

[ridgerunner97]

31s FOR THE WIN!!! That is a basic build right there, nothing too fancy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFd9ugS8gqA

[oros35]

It depends on what kind of trails you want to run.

Lockers are worth more than bigger tires.

If your short, remember that you will abuse the undercarage more. Especially if you like rocks.

I think anything under a 33 is a waste if you want to wheel it. It doesn't take much lift to fit 33's (none if you pick the right vehicle) and the price is not much different than 31's.

[SirFuego]

Basically everyone I know started on 31s then worked their way up there if they so desired. I know a couple folks that are perfectly content running 31s and have been for years. It all depends what types of trails you want to run. Regardless of where you eventually end up, starting on 31s is a really good idea and you'd be surprised where you can go.

Here is a sampling of what could be done on 31s (no lockers) and some simple mods (2"BB and skid plates). If I had more body armor on my ZJ, it would have looked a lot nicer, but that was just a lesson learned for me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwDFvXA8NeI

[wozz]

You can do a lot with a little bit of lifts and 31's.

Heres a pic of my last jeep:http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2427/177/82/655819038/n655819038_1606800_7716251.jpg


Now I am debating about what to do with my rubicon. I wheel a lot less now in college than I did in Highschool so I'm not sure if I want to put it on 33's or not so I kinda feel your decision.

[Dick.Breakey]

thats cool to see. i understand those who say do it once with 33's, but i think 31" are ftw for me. im lookin at an 01 xj auto 4.0. bone stock right now. so a 3" lft and 31"s are in its near future. my bonus's are a month behuind my normal pay so once it gets here it would have it. the only plans, for the near future, would be a locker in the rear, and make sure the tires are worthy. i kinda figured a locker would be worth more off road than the tire size.

i appreciate all yalls responses. once i get the new whip, ill make sure yall see it.

[cityslicker]

I'm just going to chime in anyway,
I got 31's and though I wouldn't mind having 33's I like not burning as much gasoline that 33's would. and I don't like changing u joints all that much so the lighter tire is good.. I DD my xj and wheel it a lot. 31's are great.

[Dick.Breakey]

i appreciate all responses. just reaffirms my choice. my next plan is to find the right lift for the money that will provide the flex i want. and the choices seem to be ENDLESS

[BUZZINHALFDOZZEN]

My opinion has always been that lockers or posi's are more important than a few extra inches of tire.

[Dick.Breakey]

absolutely. height isnt gonna help get over a rock if you cant make it to the rock its self

[cityslicker]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/JeepXJ3/Off%20Road/IMG_2807.jpg

31's can do some decent wheelin, me personally im a fan of bigger rubber. My last XJ had 35's and I DD it, it got a bit much, and I cant say ill do it again. But When I build my next wheelin rig, it will be a dedicated buggy.



I want to go wherever this flick was taken.

[Dick.Breakey]

x2. i just wanna go wheelin. i havent been wheeling in like 4 years. or longer. i miss going wherever i want. and not worrying about cops and bs. just some good ole dirty fun

[Dick.Breakey]

heres a semi related question. how capable is a stock xj? tires and suspesion wise

[Deadman 94 xj]

Tires, just like anything else, suck. The jeep it self is a very capable little grociery getter. You'll be suprised.

[Dick.Breakey]

cool. cause i dont know if im hitting that big bonus this month now. we'll see. if not it will be a few months before i can lift it. so i thought id take ole stocker out to the trails once or twice in the mean time

[Dragonslayer]

Mykal's taken a stoker out to Casparis. If you're easy on it and don't get too crazy, you'll be fine. As for lifting and tire's, I have a 4.5" lift and running 32's.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r214/dragonslayer4247/SSPX0043-1.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r214/dragonslayer4247/SSPX0044-1.jpg

[Dick.Breakey]

didnt i see this for sale?? hahah but hey it looks great

[Dragonslayer]

didnt i see this for sale?? hahah but hey it looks great


UMMM, NO, it's not for sale, AND thanx.

[steveg0690]

Looks like you need to pay some attention to those rockers.

[Dick.Breakey]

ah well i saw a rig that looked just like that for sale a while back

[Mykal]

Ive taken 235's alot of places. I wheeled stock XJ's for a long long time. Wheel it with 31's. Youll love it. I wouldnt even lift it, Id just trim and throw them on.

[Jeepin'Jones]

I'd wheel it stock a few times and decide from there where you want to go with it. I wish I would of waited and researched a little more before I jumped into the setup I have now.

[Dragonslayer]

Looks like you need to pay some attention to those rockers.


Yup, have the new one's, just waitin on the weather to break. (no garage)
:090:

[muddeprived]

31's are good. I've been running 31's for years on both my tj and xj and what a challenging couple years they were. When I upgraded to 33's, most of the trails started to become rather easy. My winch got depressed. I like 31's because they give me that little bit of extra challenge and I get stuck alot, which is a plus. :)

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e73/muddeprived/cherokee/THE%20LAST%20ONE/flex/DSCF6949.jpg


Stock xj's are very capable in stock forum. they can even fly.....


http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e73/muddeprived/P5260289-1.jpg



(with regrettable consequences....)

[Dick.Breakey]

i must say, that is pretty spectacular. though i would have expected a not so spectacular ending to that flight.

[streetmaster]

I just put 31s on mine, which has the 2.4 and the 5 speed and 4.11s and stock suspension. One thing that i noticed right away going from the 28" tall tires, to the 31's is that it has a slite effect on my clutch when i pull out on a hill, which would probly go away if i geared it to 4.56s.

Plus i noticed right away with the 31s on that the fuel guage tends to move towards (E) a little faster than before. So for a DD to and from work, i probly wont go any bigger than a BB with 31s.

[muddeprived]

i must say, that is pretty spectacular. though i would have expected a not so spectacular ending to that flight.

We were idiots back then and thought jeeps could do anything.....boy that was a learning experience. :044: Bent the chassis, pushed up the roof, destroyed both rear fenders, two flat tires, bent dana 30 and chrysler 8.25 axle tubes....and he drove it three hours home. :smoke: