Height to width ratio

I think I figured something out but please correct me if I'm wrong as I will be using this for future purchases.

One thing I don't hear anyone talkng about is height:width, which I have found is an important factor for safety, performance, and appearance.

A jk has almost a 1:1 ratio at 74.6" height and 75.08" width.

This tells me, but I'm not the brightest star ill tell you that right now, that a 4" lift should be 78:79 for example.

I'm thinking that this would help keep the jeep running close to stock but again I'm not a genius and may very well be wrong.

If true then I don't understand why tire shop professionals neglect this and sell wheels based on aesthetics rather than this ratio and don't even bother educating customers.

 

That ratio doesn't mean a thing.
Google scrub radius if you want to learn more about your Jeep's geometry.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrub_radius

https://www.4wd.com/article/content...ur-Jeep-Handling-Being-Ruined-By-Scrub-Radius

 

Very interesting.

 

I agree with BBS. The widest 1ton axle you will find on the road is 72inches.

 

It must mean something tho because my jk handles so much better than with the more narrow stance it had before the spacers.

Man I really didn't expect to have to know physics to wheel lol.

 

Installing 72" axles will exceed the venerable HUMMER H-1 track width

 

Yes, me too.

That's why I was between a 2.5" and a 4. But these guys messed up and put a 6.

And I'm loving every inch of it. Never thought I'd be wheeling this high but I am and it's awesome.

 

When I was a kid in highschool my first car was a camaro. I would spend all day every Saturday cleaning it. I swear it was faster when it was beautiful. That being said a wider stance will change the way your Jeep handles. Wider is more stable (left and right), but it puts a lot of extra force on your suspension. Plan on replacing ball joints for frequently.

 

Here is my father's jeep with 6inch Teraflex longarm kit on 72in Dana 60 front and 72in Dana 70 rear with 40x12.50x17s on 17x9s.

 

I want your dad's jeep!

 

you are right about one thing. A 6 inch lift needs a wider stance. this jeep had 69 inch Dana 60s when he bought it. It looked great then, but the Hemi kept breaking things so he went to the Dana 70. The stock axles are 65in wide.

 

I could quote many others. But im gonna quote @Blue Baby Sound . Thank you for this post.

I learned alot from those links. Very educational. Thank you. .

 

I'm prety sure the height to width ratio is somehow correlated with the center of gravity.

Exaggerate for a moment and picture a jeep with a 6" lift but a ridiculously wide stance. So wide the stance takes up 4 parking spaces. Like a daddy long legs.

One would think because of the 6" lift the center of gravity is high. But that thing would not roll over even if one tried to roll it.

 

I know I was asking guys who have built some serious rigs and they had no clue what I was talking about.

Actually feel kinda privileged knowing that piece of info haha.

I'm wondering if maybe the spacers I installed helped correct the scrub radius.

 

I'm wondering the same thing HardHat. I installed a 2" lift cause I didn't want to throw to many components out of wack.

So, I have a question. At what lift height do wheel spacers help with Scrub Radius? And...ok, 2 questions. With a 2" lift. Would it benefit me to add wheel spacers? And what size. Yeah....3 questions. Loll.

 

I can tell you from experience that when I had the 1.5" teraflex leveling kit, 35x12.50x15x8, and 3.75 bs my jeep drove beautifully. Better than stock on street and highway and so much more fun off-road. It was really a beast off-road especially in sand.

The leveling kit is 2" spacer lift in front and 1" rear. I suspect your setup would be even better than mine was with the stock Rubicon shocks/springs.

 

How are you liking the radial Treps. The only thing Im dissappointed in is that the tread did not carry over to the side wall like on the bias ply. The side tread on the bias really make the treps a tire above the rest.

 

One of my concerns before getting them was that they've been around for a long time without any improvements.

I know now that there is no reason to fix something that ain't broken. Maxxis must have been trying to make the perfect all around tire with the trep because thats what they accomplished.

On road: not sure how this is even possible but they make almost no sound and create zero lug slap. I can not just hear the radio but actually listen to it with the volume up less than 1/4 up. Yet they have one of the most aggressive treads in the MT category and are considered an "extreme" off-road tire. They weren't very hard to balance and they feel super smooth at 80+ mph. The 3 ply sidewall is much softer than i thought it would be and once i got the psi right the ride was close enough to stock to not notice the difference. Even the BFGs the Rubicon comes with are stiff like bricks, have horrible lug slap, and are loud even at just 10" wide.

Offroad: A-mazing. The tires float over sand better than any mt I've seen. Sand is tricky and once you start digging in and sinking that's pretty much it for forward momentum. But the lugs on the treps seem to work like paddles and they just keep pulling forward. The grip on rocks is awesome too. Crawling has become pretty uneventful. I love that. While most people are using momentum thrashing their rigs I come along slow as a snail and crawl to the top without spinning a tire. This even before getting the lift. They really do make it look easy. The sidewall is super soft and plyable. I've counted up to 9 lugs making contact when flexed. That's like having little tracks with such a long contact patch.

As far as the sidewall on the bias vs radials, a buddy has two jku's. One with 6.4 hemi and bias treps and the other with a Hellcat engine and radial treps. I chose the radials because he said both wheel just as good off-road but the radials are night and day difference on road.

At $225 I don't think I'll ever consider another 35 and will probably make my next build around the trepador 40s.

It just feels too good to have the most comfortable and quietest ride to the trail and then totally destroy everyone on the trail like if I had tractor tires.

But the bias look sooo good. It's probably the best looking tire there is and the sidewalls look like they would shred thru anything. I'd love to drive a rig with bias treps. I dream of it.