Tube fenders vs lift

kmiracle · 02-10-2009, 02:31 PM

Rumor has it that using tube fenders will allow for larger tires thereby negating the need for a lift. Can anyone confirm or deny the rumor?

Is rubbing more of a problem on the front vs the rear?

My hope is to go to 32's on my '05 X without adding a lift.

cj7guy · 02-10-2009, 02:47 PM

Rubbing on the fenders is one of the issues associated with larger tires, it will definitely help you clear bigger meats, at least to some extent.

There are advantages to the lower CoG.

Happy wheeling.

KKiowaTJ · 02-10-2009, 08:29 PM

I have mine on and have wheeled a little so far, And it opened up alot of flex room. To the point i could run my 35's on 3 to 4 inches again flexed. You can run 33's on a stock jeep with 3.75 BS wheels. I have done it, Also ran my 35's on 3 inches for 6 months. Many will disagree, But i wheel my jeep and if rubbing is a concern, What are you going to do when you rub up against some rocks? Thats more damage in one brush against rocks than a whole trip filled with stuffed/rubbing tires.

How i ran 33's on stock suspension, I added 3/4 leveling spacers to the front to get rid on the rake. I added bump stops front and rear. I ran 15x10 wheels with 4" BS with 33-12.50 BFG a/t tires. BFG has always ran a inch smaller than said on the sidewall, But most company's are that way. With tube fenders, You should only have to add a little bit of stops to the front, But the rear still needs them. IMO id go with the tube fenders and low COG rig. If you dont like it or rubs too much for your liking, You can add a lift later on. But for street DD, They will be fine with no turning or rubbing. Good luck

Crashnburn80 · 02-10-2009, 11:22 PM

Low COG is an excellent idea for a build. While tube fenders will allow this with 32" tires, a 1" BL can accomplish nearly the same thing at 1/10th the price. You can run 31s on a stock setup, so 32s only gain you 1/2" in clearance with the tube fenders. To pay for tube fenders plus the 32" tires is a heafty premium for 0.5" ground clearance gain.

You would get more ground cleanace (1.5" more) and better gearing from a 2" budget boost and 31" tires for around $200, than you would tube fenders plus 32" tires. Not trying to discourage taking different approaches, just mentioning other more cost effective solutions available.

**mdm** · 02-11-2009, 06:36 AM

If you are looking for increased tire clearance by using tube fenders, be careful.

Because of the tube diameter used in most of them you can actually lose clearance over the top of the tire when compared with the stock sheet metal. Some of them use the stock inner fender which means you don’t gain any additional clearance at the rear of the tire. Some of the ones that replace the inner fender still use the stock firewall-to-inner fender support bracket which means no additional clearance at the rear of the tire.

Many of the tube fenders I’ve seen to far more for appearance than they to for tire clearance.

Jebussaves0 · 02-11-2009, 07:34 AM

Gen-right and Rev111 are two brands of tube fenders that do offer substantial gains in wheel well clearance. The thing you want to look for in tube fenders are kits that address the stock inner fender well. The ones that are for appearance generally leave the stock inner fender well in place.

kmiracle · 02-11-2009, 11:33 PM

Wow - I didn't expect such complete responses. Thanks.

My objective for running 32's and tube fenders are 1) a near-stock CG 2) a near-stock ride 3) wider foot print (flotation in the sandy swamp areas) and 4) a really bad knee (it's hard to climb into some of the lifted Jeeps I've been around).

I'll check out the brands mentioned and keep my eye out for the inner fender cautions.

Jebussaves0 · 02-12-2009, 06:46 AM

With tube fenders and stock suspension I would suspect you would be able to run 33's relatively easily provided you get clearance in the rear fender.

**mdm** · 02-12-2009, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jebussaves0

With tube fenders and stock suspension I would suspect you would be able to run 33's relatively easily provided you get clearance in the rear fender.

Good luck with that esp. if you plan on running with the anti-sway bar disconnected.

kmiracle · 02-12-2009, 05:31 PM

Unfortunately - or fortunately - depending on one's perspective, I have no need to disconnect sway bars here in the flatlands

The idea of going to 33's as presented earlier is intriguing. If I go that direction with tube fenders, what should I do about wheel offset/backspace?

Don't get too technical on me, I'm a real newbie.

steelhd1 · 02-12-2009, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmiracle

Unfortunately - or fortunately - depending on one's perspective, I have no need to disconnect sway bars here in the flatlands

The idea of going to 33's as presented earlier is intriguing. If I go that direction with tube fenders, what should I do about wheel offset/backspace?

Don't get too technical on me, I'm a real newbie.

You might also consider flat fender flares. I gained quite a bit of clearance with them. Just another thought...

KKiowaTJ · 02-13-2009, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmiracle

Unfortunately - or fortunately - depending on one's perspective, I have no need to disconnect sway bars here in the flatlands

The idea of going to 33's as presented earlier is intriguing. If I go that direction with tube fenders, what should I do about wheel offset/backspace?

Don't get too technical on me, I'm a real newbie.

I would get 3.75 BS in either 15x8 or 15x10. If you dont air down or will only air down to 10 psi id go with 15x10. It lets the tire stretch a little more and will rub less. The 15x10 will give you a wider stance as well. Some say they are for mall crawlers and will pop a bead easier, But mine did just fine at 10 psi in moab. But there is reasoning behind the 15x8 for keeping a bead easier, I just prefer the wider wheels. You could disconnect your sway bar if you wanted with 33's, Adjust your stops so up travel is shortened and restricted, But it will still drop and flex to an extent. Theres give and take at what you are going for.

What tire are you looking at running? Some tires will clear better as they are not a true 33" tire. But swamper's are usually at the number or bigger than advertised. Your build would look sweet with the new KM2's. I have done this as posted previous, So i know it works. It will rub off-road, And disconnected its not that much worse if bump stops are to the proper length. But a 1.25 body lift would help out in many ways. Cheap and effective. It will retain much of the stock ride, Most times the bigger tires make it smoother. Again, Just my opinion on this, There are many ways and many wheel and tire combo's that will work also. I'm just letting you know what worked for me and what i ran to achieve it.