To lift or not to lift??

[Limrik]

Hey everyone, I am new here to the Jeep scene (6 months and so far so good). I have purchased a 2017 JKU Rubicon (Recon edition of that makes a difference) that appears to be all stock. It has 80k miles on it and still has the original suspension I believe so it is time to update that at least. I would like to put a slightly larger tire on it, as much for appearance as for purpose as the furthest off road I am likely to get is the beach or maybe a few fire roads.
It is currently running on 255 75 R17s on stock rims. I would like to go with 285 70 R17s or 33” x 11” tires (I believe they are about the same as each other).
My questions are as follows
1. Will I need wider Rims?
2. Will I need to lift it, bearing in mind it is a Rubicon and might be already a little higher than the Sport or Sahara.
This is my daily commuter and I don’t want to mess it up, it is my first Jeep and I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it rides (taking in to account the fact that the original shocks are shot).
I would really appreciate any input from you guys, there seems to be a lot of knowledgable people on here.
thank you

 

[onlyone]

No ,you won’t need a lift or different wheels for that size. If you’re happy with your Jeep and just want a different size tire I would leave it alone. That Recon is a very capable Jeep. There is no reason for a lift for what you’re doing with it. Hell, there is little reason for a lift for what a lot of us do.

 

[NevadaJohnny]

I just lifted my sport and put 33x12.5 tires on it. I'm still a noob so I won't give any advice, however I will say that I had to recalibrate my engine using the ECRI system to tell the Jeep it had bigger tires on it. I know Eddie has a good video on the ECRI system. Just sharing my experience.

 

[Limrik]

No ,you won’t need a lift or different wheels for that size. If you’re happy with your Jeep and just want a different size tire I would leave it alone. That Recon is a very capable Jeep. There is no reason for a lift for what you’re doing with it. Hell, there is little reason for a lift for what a lot of us do.

Thanks for that, good info. And saves me some $$

 

[Limrik]

I just lifted my sport and put 33x12.5 tires on it. I'm still a noob so I won't give any advice, however I will say that I had to recalibrate my engine using the ECRI system to tell the Jeep it had bigger tires on it. I know Eddie has a good video on the ECRI system. Just sharing my experience.

Was that a big deal to recalibrate. And does it make a big difference to how the Jeep drives now?

 

[WJCO]

Pretty sure you'll need wheel spacers or rims with different backspacing so it doesn't rub. Also, if you want more clearance, you could just trim the fenders.

Here's my wife's old 2011 with no lift, trimmed fenders, and 285/70R17s.

 

[onlyone]

I ran 285‘s on my 2012 Sport stock. It rubbed a little under max stuff but that never bothered me. Evenif you had a little contact on the sway bar, just add a small single washer on the steering stops. You’ll never notice the difference. It would definitely be safer to run a 255/80/17 but for his wheeling I don’t think he will get any.

 

[NevadaJohnny]

Was that a big deal to recalibrate. And does it make a big difference to how the Jeep drives now?

Absolutely. My engines' shift points were off after my mods. The engine still thought I was on stock tires/wheels and I was getting less than 12 mpg. After I recalibrated everything is normal.

 

[GP NOIR]

If your Jeep in its current form isn't holding you back, there's no need to lift it.

As for tire clearance, I suggest heading to your local Discount Tire store and ask for their advice and a test fit.

I got no affiliation with Discount Tire other than they keep bribing me with excellent customer service.

 

[Bcupton]

I have a 18’ JLU Sahara that I’ve had almost 3 years. I put 35s and a 2.5” lift and I used a Tazer JL mini to compensate. I lost a few MPG. I finally got around to regearing going from 3:73 to 4:56. It has been a huge difference.