Project Overview:

Bigger tires allow for improved traction, more ground clearance, and greater approach, departure and break-over angles. All of these factors contribute greatly to the overall trail capability of an off road vehicle.

Before

After

Product Selection:

The wheels were easy. I wanted black steel wheels. I didn't want the ugly blue or red strip around the rim, though. That narrowed it down to Tech 1 Rock Crawlers. I picked up 5 of them from Rusty's Offroad when I picked up my lift. I got 15"x8" rims because they're the easiest to match to 33" tires. As it turns out, these wheels had the red and blue stripe on them anyway. Oh well.

Tires were a much more difficult choice. I really liked the look of the Mickey Thompson Baja Claws. They just look killer. But I read around and didn't hear very good things about them. They don't wear well - which is important when you spend $200 per tire. They're not actually as tall as they are rated - a 33" is actually about 31.5". And, they don't have the best traction in all weather conditions. Since this is also my daily driver, I needed something that would give me excellent wear and all-season traction.

So, after a little more research, I finally decided on some Goodyear Wrangler MT/R 33"x12.5"s. I read nothing but great reviews about them. Traction, tread wear, off road performance were all highly praised. And, they still look cool. *grin*

Other Notes:

Because of the loss of torque from installing bigger tires, I also had to install taller gears. I would have liked to put in lockers at the same time, but they were cost prohibitive with all the other projects I was doing at the same time. I'll definitely put some lockers in later, though.

Final note: If you're planning on lifting your Jeep and putting big tires on for the first time, plan on dancing a little jig when you pick up your new tires. It's funny how something as silly as buying tires can be so much fun!

Installation:

	Be for I put on my lift and new wheels and tires, I wanted to get a frame of reference for just how much higher I was before and after the upgrade. So, I started by measuring the fender height, front and rear.
	Then I measured the height to the axle on all four tires. Average height was 13.25". As far as the wheels and tires are concerned, this is the more important measurement. This is the only place you'll see gain purely from bigger tires. Increased frame height comes from a combination of bigger tires and suspension lift.
	Holy cow! That's a big difference! These 33" tires dwarf the stock rubber. While I had the new tires next to the Jeep, I took the opportunity to set them in the wheel wells. I was hoping to hold of on cutting off my stock fenders and putting on new flares until later. But it was obvious that I was going to have to do it now or I'd have some serious tire rub issues. So I ordered up some Bushwacker cutouts.
	Not only are the new tires taller, but they're much wider as well. More traction!
	The shadows in this picture don't help much, but you can still clearly see the difference in the tread between the Goodyear Wrangler MT/R and the "stock" tire. The lugs on the MT/R make the stock rubber look like it's bald.
	Here's how the old and new tires "stack up." (Pardon the pun.) The new tires are 33% wider. (It takes 4 stockers to stack up to 3 of the 12.5" wide new tires.)
	With my lift kit finally installed, I was able to put on the new tires. What a difference!