If your jeep is still on its stock wheels or you are planning to change the tires for some other reason, then this guide on Jeep JK 33 inch Tires Stock Wheels is the one for you!
Nowadays jeeps have become more of a luxury than a necessity. In the past, jeeps were merely bought as the best possible choice with respect to the land terrain. However, the dynamics have shifted slightly, and jeeps have successfully paved their way into the luxury car section as well. Once you own a jeep, customizing it to your own wants and needs brings another level of satisfaction. The most changed part of a jeep is usually its tires, and hence, this guide will be covering just that!
What are Stock Wheels?
Stock Wheels are those that come originally with the jeep by the manufacturer. These can be changed later by the owner.
What Wheels Fit a Wrangler?
While considering changing or upgrading the tires of your Wrangler, you need to know what it comes in stock with and what changes are compatible with the model. Not only that but you must also be completely informed of the bolt pattern and the lug size. Moreover, Wrangler is compatible with some other jeep brands. Therefore, if you have a different model jeep that you are planning to replace with a Wrangler, there are chances that the wheels might be reused. For instance, JK and JL models are compatible with each other.
When thinking about changing the jeep JK stock wheels, you will have to consider the offset of the wheels. In order to do so, you must be well informed about the concept of the wheel offset. This short Jeep Wrangler wheel offset guide will help to do just that.
The wheel offset is simply the distance between the wheel and the inner components of the jeep. In easier terms, the offset determines how far the wheel sits from the centerline. The offset can be positive as well as negative.
A positive offset would mean that the tires are more inside the wheel fender, resulting in a shallow dish at the center. On the other hand, a negative offset will cause the tire to stay outside the fender, creating a deeper dish. Unlike backspacing, offset is measured in millimeters.
Jeep Wrangler Stock Tire Sizes
33″ Tires
35″ Tires
37″ Tires
38 ” Tires
1.25 in
2.5 in
4.0 in
5.5 in
1.5 in
3.0 in
4.5 in w/ fender flares
6 in
1.75 in
3.25 in
5.0 in
2 in
3.5 in
4.0 in
Tire Dimensions
Understanding tire dimensions may not be as easy as they seem, especially to beginners. However, with the right technique to decipher the manufacturer’s methods, the dimensions can become easy to grasp. To give you the exact idea, we will be using an example. Let us take into consideration a Goodyear Duratrac tire with a size of 315/70/17.
The 315 represents the width of the tire in millimeters.
The 70 represents the height of the sidewall which can be calculated as 70% of the width. (70% of 315)
The 17 represents the diameter of the rims in inches.
To calculate the actual size of the wheel, you need to add the rim diameter to twice the sidewall height in inches.
Reasons to Upgrade the Tire Size
It is a common belief that the Jeep Wrangler stock tire size is the adequate one. This belief is, however, true if your use of the jeep is mostly middle-of-the-road type adventures. But it can be said with considerable examples that people do not buy Wrangler for office-to-home journeys. Jeeps are the vehicles usually opted for rougher and tougher terrains, and hence, their tires are expected nothing less from.
Not only that, tire upgrades can provide better quality as well. With the right tire size, the performance can significantly increase, providing better trail experiences. Besides accounting for the performance of the jeep, the right tire size can ensure safety along the journey. The safety aspect can be considered for both, the passengers as well as the jeep.
While upgrading your tire size, consider changing your jeep’s front bumper. Bumpers can complement your tire size if chosen appropriately. You can learn all about the Front Bumpers in our article on the 5 Best Jeep Front Bumpers in 2022.
Jeep JK 33-inch Tires Stock Wheels
For the scope of this guide, we will be focusing on upgrading the wheel size of your Wrangler JK to 33 inches. Before jumping right to the fixing process, it is necessary to run some background checks and consider all the factors that come into play. Some of those factors can be fuel consumption, clearance, backspacing, etc.
Pro: A 33-inch tire upgrade will require little other modifications. In case your goal is only the aesthetics of the jeep, no other changes will be required.
Con: In case the jeep is to be used for off-road adventures, upgrading the tires will not be the only modification. For instance, clearance improvement will be one necessary change.
In case you are wondering what is the biggest tire to put on JK wheels, the answer is 37 inches. You can also choose a 35-inch option. However, choosing the right tire size depends upon the application of the tires. With respect to their sizes, each of them has a different set of pros and cons.
Jeep Wrangler 33 inch Tires – No Lift
Fortunately, the Stock JK design offers clearance at both, the front and the back. The driver feels no touching between the body of the vehicle and the tires when driving around town. However, it is recommended to fit slightly wider aftermarket rims with a negative offset to help with the stock jk wheel backspacing. Otherwise, there arises the issue of limited clearance and rubbing at full lock when wider tires are used with the stock rims. This is especially true when going for off-the-road journeys.
However, for off-the-road journeys, slight modifications are necessary to provide an optimal solution for the jeep JK 33-inch tires stock wheels with no lift to work properly. Only if the upgrade is for aesthetic purposes and the route includes just a few gravel paths, the 33’s tires will work perfectly well with the stock suspension.
Off-road Performance
It is to be known that for off-road endeavors, maximum suspension articulation and enough clearance inside the wheel area are required. Therefore, for this very reason, the stock suspension system will not be suitable enough. You will initially have to upgrade the suspension system before fitting a larger tire size.
However, with that being said, it is also important to note that the scrubbing factor is reflective of the application of the jeep. This means that if you do not wish to change the stock suspension system, chances are you may not have to, as well. Although this option is still on the table, it can only be considered if the use of the jeep is more on the road than off. Otherwise, for off-road adventures, the tires are likely to scrub off with the body and there is nothing to flex about then.
If you thought that changing tires will only improve the performance of your Wrangler JK on the road and nothing else, you were wrong! Something as exterior as changing tires can have a huge impact on the gas mileage of your jeep. As you incorporate larger tires, the fuel consumption is increased. The reason is that the bigger tires increase the overall weight of the vehicle, which in turn, increases fuel consumption.
A minimum of 1 mpg at least is expected to be lost with 33-inch tires. The jeep wrangler 33-inch tires are heavier and taller than the stock tires. This leads to more surface area in contact with the road and hence, more drag and rolling resistance. Moreover, the terrain type can further affect the mileage. A rougher mud-terrain can negatively impact the mpg.
Stock JK Wheel Backspacing
When considering to fit jeep Wrangler with 33-inch tires, it is necessary to consider the backspacing factor. Backspacing is the distance measured in inches from usually the center of the rim to the inside lip of the wheel. The backspacing can be of two types, namely positive and negative. In positive backspacing, the tire is closer to the hub of the jeep. While in negative backspacing, the wheel is pushed more outwards.
Since a negative offset rim or the one closer to zero will sit further out, it will be compatible to fit wider tires with it. The backspacing on stock JK wheels is just enough for clearance at the front with a very minimum margin. The margin can be or can not be enough depending upon the mold design, tread pattern, and thickness of the tires.
The backspacing directly influences the possibility of whether the wheel will make direct contact with the inner components of the jeep or not. These inner components can be shocks, inner fenders, sway bar links, etc.
Installing 33-inch Tires on Stock JK
Given below is a short video describing how to install 33-inch tires on Stock Jeep Wrangler Rim.
Conclusion
This sums up the guide to Jeep JK 33-inch tires stock wheels. This guide includes all the necessary information with regard to upgrading your Jeep JK stock steel wheels to 33-inch tires. All of the important terms that you must be informed of before changing tires have been explained in detail.
Moreover, the factors to consider before upgrading are also mentioned, along with their importance in this decision. Also, the effects of changing tires are also mentioned. Such information will surely help you make the appropriate decision before acting out of impulse.
Since we are already on the subject of making changes to your jeeps, you can customize the interior of your jeeps as well. Play with different colors and materials for your seats. To know more about it and explore the finest options, go through our article on the 15 Best Jeep Seat Covers to Buy in 2022.
How do 33-inch tires affect fuel consumption?
Big tire upgrades will definitely decrease the mileage of your jeep and increase fuel consumption. Increased fuel consumption means a direct impact on your wallet. Bigger and heavier tires are a part of the unsprung weight of the vehicle. The unsprung weight of the vehicle is the mass of suspension, tracks, tires, and all the parts of the vehicle which are connected to them.
You can expect a minimum decrease of one mile per gallon in your jeep’s mileage if you use 33-inch tires. Other than that, many additional factors also play a role in affecting fuel consumption directly. For example, the tread pattern plays a major role in increasing fuel consumption. This is because of the rolling road resistance.
If you opt for an aggressive tire for muddy terrain, more surface of the tire will touch the road for appropriate grip. But on the other hand, it will also increase the rolling road resistance and drag. And therefore, increase the mile per gallon value of your vehicle.
Hey! I’m Patrick Foster, an author of the world-famous Patrick R. Foster Historical Collection, a large, working archive dedicated to preservation of the history of American Motors. Writing about this industry is a huge passion of mine, so here’s a little piece of my mind.
