Tire and Rim size

[mattceh]

Hi, I have a 83 CJ-5. Just bought it. It came with 35" monsters, their great for off road, but I want something a little more hiway/ice friendly.

Can someone tell me what the original rim size is for the 83 CJ-5? I plan to keep the 35" tires for summer and use original rims and new tires for winter use.

Can someone reccomend a good tire size and tire brand for the original rims?


Cheers!

[Bnine]

I'll take a guess at 15 x 7 rims.

You can get 15 x 8 steelies for cheap that will fit.

A good street tire is the bfg AT KO. If you are on 35's atm, your jeep might look pretty goofy with an original small tire there.

Some good bf sizes are

32 x 11

33 x 12.5

Be carefull. If that cj is re geared to something lower, and you put a smaller tire on, you may not be able to get it past 80-90k on the highway (no o.d.).

Original gearing in those I think is 3.56

Going from a 35 to a 33 will increase yur highway rpm somewhere in the range of 2-300 at 100kph.

HTH

[mattceh]

Thanks for the info.

I have a 4.01 gear ratio, and if I chose the 33" tires I'd want to change back.

It came with optional ring and pinion. Are they hard to swap? I'm mechanicaly inclined, but I always want to think about the little tricks and do's and don'ts.

Cheers!

[Bnine]

Gear swaps are definately a chore. Not so much hard, as it is tedious. If they dont go well the first try, you can spend a lot of time tearing em back down, re shimming, and re assembling to get it right.

4.01's and 33's wouldnt be to bad. My guess is around 2500rpm at 100k on the higway. If you have a I6, thats where they like to run anyways.

Dont know if I'd go smaller then that though.

Should see if you try a freinds 33's if you know someone. Pretty sure those cj's are chev 5 bolt pattern.

good luck

oh ya. Not sure if it works the same in cj dana 20's and front 30's. But if those stock gears are 354's, and current ons are 401's, they might require different carriers to setup properly.

Thats how it works on the newer d30's, d35's and 44's. High gear carriers only go up to 373. Lower then that like 410 an up needs a different carrier. Guess an easy way to tell is hit parts sight and check on lockers, they'll be catorgorized by gear ratio.

[yjpaul]

4.01's and 33's wouldnt be to bad. My guess is around 2500rpm at 100k on the higway. If you have a I6, thats where they like to run anyways.

The I6 likes to run at around 2500rpm? are you kidding? My I6 barely sees over 2 grand.  The I6 doesnt really like bein that high, and really with all the low end torque, it shouldnt need to be any higher.  It redlines at like 4 somethin.

[Bnine]

4.01's and 33's wouldnt be to bad. My guess is around 2500rpm at 100k on the higway. If you have a I6, thats where they like to run anyways.

The I6 likes to run at around 2500rpm? are you kidding? My I6 barely sees over 2 grand.  The I6 doesnt really like bein that high, and really with all the low end torque, it shouldnt need to be any higher.  It redlines at like 4 somethin.

Sixes make low torque Paul, but they arent a deisel. Peak torgue on mine happens at 3200rpm. Peak horsepower is around 4500.

Your older ones arent a lot different.

You can drive a straight six down the road at 3200rpm all day long and it wont even think twice about it.

They just make a lot of noise which usually freaks people out when they start to rev.

If your six will barely make it over 2000rpm, you're motor has some serious problems.

[mattceh]

I guess this all started because I'm leary of useing the 35's on the hiway in the winter (higher centre of gravity, and superswampers don't seem to be very good on ice, great on snow through). 33's are not that different I guess. This jeep is more for trails and bogging, but I was hoping to use it for some winter driving.

It seems too much trouble to change gears over anyway. Maybe going from superswamper to an more hiway dependable tire would be best, like the BFG A/T.

Any thoughts?

[Bnine]

I run 35 bfg at ki's for street and winter wheeling. They are a great tire. They dont measure a true 35, and are less then half the weight of a swamper. You'll notice better acceleration and a lot better road manors with bf at's.

IMO its a good idea to save the swampers for the summer trail. Its a waste burning them up around town.

good luck

[yjpaul]

4.01's and 33's wouldnt be to bad. My guess is around 2500rpm at 100k on the higway. If you have a I6, thats where they like to run anyways.

The I6 likes to run at around 2500rpm? are you kidding? My I6 barely sees over 2 grand.  The I6 doesnt really like bein that high, and really with all the low end torque, it shouldnt need to be any higher.  It redlines at like 4 somethin.

Sixes make low torque Paul, but they arent a deisel. Peak torgue on mine happens at 3200rpm. Peak horsepower is around 4500.

Your older ones arent a lot different.

You can drive a straight six down the road at 3200rpm all day long and it wont even think twice about it.

They just make a lot of noise which usually freaks people out when they start to rev.

If your six will barely make it over 2000rpm, you're motor has some serious problems.

Dont get me wrong, my motor is serious strong and has no problem bangin redline all day, all im saying is that if i were to run around town all day with my engine at 2500 to 3000 rpm, i would be eating through gas, and really loud.  On the highway at 100 kmh in 5th im at 1400 rpm.

[Bnine]

Dont get me wrong, my motor is serious strong and has no problem bangin redline all day, all im saying is that if i were to run around town all day with my engine at 2500 to 3000 rpm, i would be eating through gas, and really loud.  On the highway at 100 kmh in 5th im at 1400 rpm.

Are you sure you dont mean 2400 Paul? 1400rpm @ 100k is in the range of 3.07 gears, and 35" tires. That would be way undergeared for a 6 banger.

Also, the straight six is one of those motors that milage really doesnt change a lot on them no matter what you do. They are pretty famous for it. Among other things like leaks, knocks, smoke, torgue, and a really long life.

I get the same milage towing a 3000lb tent trailer as Dr Tom does empty on 37's........................

[mattceh]

Now that we're on the topic of engines, does anyone run synthetic oil in their I6?

Anyone have any trouble with starting the I6 in the winter. My apartment doesn't have pluggins. I used to drive a 77 Cherokee, no pluggin, no joy. I have a throttle body injection system installed, so I'm hoping that will save me.

[Milan]

The old 4.2L six and the newer 4.0L six are indeed quite different beasts. I'd keep it at no more than 2500 rpms for sure. Preferably even less like Paul says. My mileage changes quite a bit once I start going past 95, so does my friend's but that may be more due to bad aerodynamics than engine rpms.

Also, gear swap, while easy for some, I would not say is just tedious even for the mechanically inclined. You do need some proper tools. If you have not done it and don't have the tools, I would not bother with it. Especially if just for the change of seasons.

Why not just put 35" BFG ATs on and be happy. Those you can wheel in the winter too not just drive on the highway.

[apex]

Bill. What is your gearing? .............. a few more dots would be appreciated............ ................ ................

Mattech. You are welcome to try my heep with 33's and 3.07s if you want.

[redbull]

Are you sure you dont mean 2400 Paul? 1400rpm @ 100k is in the range of 3.07 gears, and 35" tires. That would be way undergeared for a 6 banger.

My 1991 4.0 turns 1500rpm @ 100kph with 3.07 gears and 31" tires. I could take a picture of my gauges tomorrow.

[yjpaul]

Are you sure you dont mean 2400 Paul? 1400rpm @ 100k is in the range of 3.07 gears, and 35" tires. That would be way undergeared for a 6 banger.

My 1991 4.0 turns 1500rpm @ 100kph with 3.07 gears and 31" tires. I could take a picture of my gauges tomorrow.

Yes, im sure i dont mean 2400.  I did happen to READ my gauges.  And so did redbull.  Im very familiar with the 258 I6, and its comfortable running speeds thanks.