So I bought a new to me 2008 two door JK with quite a few mods already on it. They seemed to be well chosen and the installs seemed good as well.
First impression of the 35 inch tires around town was that they worked surprisingly well. When I took the Jeep on the highway to go up north in Michigan, it was a whole other story. First of all, the conditions for my first road trip were horrible. There was a constant 20-25 mph headwind. This plus trying to keep up with traffic - I was trying to cruise at 65 to 70, made the trip very annoying. Due to the fact that the PO didn't change the axle ratios, the jeep just couldn't buck the headwind in high gear (automatic trans). It would constantly downshift and was extremely unresponsive to throttle in high (rpm was only 1500 at 65 mph). So as I drive along and get into high, it starts to slow down and as I give it more throttle, it downshifts, speeds back up to cruising speed and shifts back into high. Now that doesn't sound so bad, except that it was constant for 150 miles. I'd say each cycle of downshifting took about 15 seconds. The only good news is that I still got 15 mpg. Pretty amazing considering the wind and the constant downshifting.
So, what have I learned? 35's are not great highway tires unless you change your gearing. Fortunately, I plan to use this jeep mostly on the trails, and for that the tires are great. But this does bring me to a question for all you experienced off roaders out there (I have a fair amount of experience off road, but it's all been in a dune buggy, dirt bike, or quad). I don't have bead locks, but I want to air the tires down for traction and to absorb some of the bumps. I'm running in very sandy soil. How far down can I go without doing damage?
I also have a front sway bar that can be detached with locking pins. I'm assuming that would also be a good idea? Any other good hints to make my off-roading more enjoyable?
BTW - one more question. The PO also sold the rear seat to make room for his dog and I'd like to take friends along. I thought I could just pick one up for cheap on Craig's or Amazon, but they seem rare as hen's teeth. Any suggestions, or does anyone have one for sale? OK I lied, here is another question? Why does the shopping menu take you to Amazon? Isn't there a classified section in the forum?
Happy Trails,
Gadabout
First impression of the 35 inch tires around town was that they worked surprisingly well. When I took the Jeep on the highway to go up north in Michigan, it was a whole other story. First of all, the conditions for my first road trip were horrible. There was a constant 20-25 mph headwind. This plus trying to keep up with traffic - I was trying to cruise at 65 to 70, made the trip very annoying. Due to the fact that the PO didn't change the axle ratios, the jeep just couldn't buck the headwind in high gear (automatic trans). It would constantly downshift and was extremely unresponsive to throttle in high (rpm was only 1500 at 65 mph). So as I drive along and get into high, it starts to slow down and as I give it more throttle, it downshifts, speeds back up to cruising speed and shifts back into high. Now that doesn't sound so bad, except that it was constant for 150 miles. I'd say each cycle of downshifting took about 15 seconds. The only good news is that I still got 15 mpg. Pretty amazing considering the wind and the constant downshifting.
So, what have I learned? 35's are not great highway tires unless you change your gearing. Fortunately, I plan to use this jeep mostly on the trails, and for that the tires are great. But this does bring me to a question for all you experienced off roaders out there (I have a fair amount of experience off road, but it's all been in a dune buggy, dirt bike, or quad). I don't have bead locks, but I want to air the tires down for traction and to absorb some of the bumps. I'm running in very sandy soil. How far down can I go without doing damage?
I also have a front sway bar that can be detached with locking pins. I'm assuming that would also be a good idea? Any other good hints to make my off-roading more enjoyable?
BTW - one more question. The PO also sold the rear seat to make room for his dog and I'd like to take friends along. I thought I could just pick one up for cheap on Craig's or Amazon, but they seem rare as hen's teeth. Any suggestions, or does anyone have one for sale? OK I lied, here is another question? Why does the shopping menu take you to Amazon? Isn't there a classified section in the forum?
Happy Trails,
Gadabout