[canuck_bob]

I found this thread while planning an upgrade to 33's.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f59/jeeps-31s-offroad-434925/

Impressive stuff for staying close to stock lift and tires and spending our limited cash on traction devices, skid clearance, and top notch offroad rubber.

I'm talking about fun wheeling and bush roads not hardcore rock crawling. The pictures do speak for themselves though on rocks, braver souls than me.

What is your experience pushing a relatively stock Jeep offroad?

[john NC]

i went to uwharrie a couple times when mine was completely stock with gsas (still had the side steps) and i was able to do most of the trails. it's more challenging, but tjs are surprisingly capable stock


i did kill a rear floaty though (that pic is with a bb and bl)

[rnestved]

I am sold. Dont underestimate the 30/31 on a nice 2-3 inch lift. But than again I dont do the sever offroad rocky stuff...yet

[canuck_bob]

Dead floatie, nice work! I've been looking at the pic section and it seems a stock jeep to 2" lift looks great with 30's or 31's. Once the lift gets higher they start looking a bit small, almost goofy. I really like the look of stock with 31's and that size works with stock suspension according to the real guru's on the forum.

I run my tires at a lower psi, 24 psi, after the chalk test. At my pressures the 31's would be basically 30's so there is no speedo changes.

[RogueSpear2023]

I think 31s are good choice I want to go larger but only when budget allows. The only thing I can say is my Rubicon pretty much stock will go through way more stuff than my F-350 PSD would on 33s. Especially in the snow I got my F-350 stuck a few times last year, but this year I haven't got even close to getting the Rubicon stuck going through the same snowy situations.

[Dogman]

31s do just fine

[TheBoogieman]

When I had 30's on my Jeep,I got stuck in the driveway after my dog peed behind it. Oh....you said brag not rag.

[adam728]

A good driver on small tires can go many, many places.

I've seen guys struggling with 35's and 40's on an obsticle that another Jeep on 33's walked up (mostly due to lower center of graity).

I've watched an XJ on 42's get schooled by an x-cab Toyota on 31's in deep snow, mostly due to the X driver being, well, half retaded.

Small tires can get you far. I was very impressed with my Jeep on 33x10.50's with just a rear locker. I'm now down on 31's and probably still 98% as capable as before. It's all about line selection, at least in rocks anyway. In some mud pits all the skill in the world won't save you when your tires dangle 3" from the bottom of the ruts as you are firmly planted on the diffs.

[Jeepster83]

before my S35 and OX. i wasnt hung up on anything. i just couldnt get traction but i eventually made it.

2" BB on 31" Winston Winner AT's
[YT]7ZA8A70E-3s[/YT]

small rock pile and a little mud at Samoa Dunes SVRA in Eureka, Ca.
[YT]CGoq-73eAMc[/YT]

[mudb8]

I remember them days of 31's... stuck on the axles in the ruts, and deep snow really stunk. I got er late in 02 just before winter hit. it stayed stock for under 500 miles and spent some time on it's side... o' yeah it will go most anywhere, not as easily tho on 31's.

[Varnish]

I drove my TJ thousands of miles for an annual Moab trip, did it 4 years in row on 31s with just a front locker and modest lift/tummy tuck. I did near 20 trails, most of the "difficult" variety according to the Wells book, and never left there really pissed I was only on 31s. I did not do the most diffcult ones according to the book - behind the rocks or pritchett. For Moab's type of terrain they worked pretty darn well. It was only going up larger shelfs that I didn't have the clearance for - I could slam down just about anything Only the desire to add a rear locker and a tad more clearance to get up some of those bonus parts of the trail took me down the path of a rear end upgrade/regear/larger tire. Haven't been back yet but we'll see if it was really worth the upgrade for that little part of the trail I couldn't do before.

[fromme]

Sometimes it's more fun on 31-32" tires. A TJ on 31s and at least one locker and a small BB is very capable. You only gain what, 2" at the differential jumping up to 35s; and there's a lot less headaches.

I think what happens is people wheel a trail in their back yard a few times and always seem to find that one obstacle that kicks their arse, but someone on 35s makes it over, so out comes the credit card and more lift, tires and everything that goes with it. Then your go back armed with all the goodies, get pumped up, and make it over. Now what?

For me, sometimes I wish I'd kept it more modest and used the TJ for trail riding, and built a buggy or trail only rig for my rock crawling weekends.

[Scotch740]

My LJ on 31" muds, high clearance skids and an Aussie up front took me further than I ever though it would. Although there was a lot of rock to steel contact It was always fun to wheel and make it up stuff that people on 33"s wouldn't try. Even funnier to see a SWB Rubi on 35"s have to try the same hill climb 4 times that the LJ took me up the 2nd "There was something wrong with his rear locker".

Good times. Although I have no regrets other than the cost of going to 35"s. Now my pretty lady will actually ride up obstacles with me

[lupinsea]

I wanted to keep my set up simple and not get too tall:

• 2" suspension lift
• 1" BL/MML combo
• SwayLOC swaybar system
• belly-up skid plate for clearance (netted 3" extra belly clearance)
• 32x11.50 MT tires
• dual Truetrac LSDs

As soon as I have time I'll cut / re-weld my stock gas tank skid and tuck it up for another 1" clearance out back.

Anyways. The above set up has served me very well these last 4 years. Especially in the general woodland trails we have in the Northwest.

I drove through this first, stopped, then walked back to take photos.

.

[adam728]

Originally Posted by fromme

Then your go back armed with all the goodies, get pumped up, and make it over. Now what?

That's one thing that has kept me from going bigger. I had a decent Toyota when I lived in an area with only mild trails. When I was done with it I could go anywhere my buddies could, but in 2wd. It really made it boring, and when I wanted to do "hard" trails, there was no one to go with.