So, my wife totally put the brakes on my plans to install a lift on her 2022 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon Ecodiesel. Those factory All-Terrains? Yeah, they had to go! Now, I'm wondering, what's the biggest tire I can fit on a stock Rubicon Gladiator without any modifications?
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Awesome Overlanding Vehicle But It Needed A Tire Upgrade - I like Mud Terrains For Off-Road
So, let me tell you about my 2022 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon Ecodiesel. Right off the bat, it’s a beast straight from the factory, but you know me—I couldn’t resist making a few tweaks for off-roading fun. After I slapped on a bumper and winch, I figured it was time to tackle the tires. I know, I know, I should've gone for the lift first, but my wife wasn’t having it. At least I got to swap out those stock All Terrains for some beefier Mud Terrain tires. Gotta love a little upgrade, right?
These Stock Tires Had To Go!
The 35's I Selected For Our Stock Rubicon Needed To Fit The Stock Jeep 7.5"x17" Wheels
Every decision on my vehicle builds requires tons of research, sleepless nights and great wailing and gnashing of teeth. No really, I worry about every detail and hope to make the right decision. My tire criteria consisted of:
Must fit on stock Jeep Wheels.
Must not have poke (stay inside the fenders.)
Great on the trail and pretty good on the road.
Maintain the great fuel mileage we get with the Ecodiesel motor.
Made In USA.
Mud Terrain Tires.
Largest tires that will work with stock Jeep.
Best quality tires I can afford.
Related Content
I Chose Nitto Trail Grappler 35"X11.50"X17" Mud Terrain Tires Load Rated C
So, after diving into all the info I could find about tires, I was pretty confident that slapping on some 35s on my stock Rubicon Gladiator would be a good move. Turns out, this is one of the most common questions popping up in Jeep forums! And you know what? They look awesome!
Minor Rubbing On Right Side Wheel Liner At Hard Right Turn
Just got some new Nittos, and they fit pretty great! There was just a tiny bit of rubbing on the fender liner when I made a hard right turn. No biggie, though—I just drilled a couple of holes and zip-tied the liner out of the way. Found some solid spots to attach it, and it’s been holding up fine for a few months now. Fingers crossed I can get that 2" Mopar Lift Kit installed soon. Once that’s in, I shouldn’t have to worry about any rubbing at all!
Reprogramming For The New Tire Size- The ECRI Wireless Vehicle Calibration Device
This is my second Jeep I have added larger tires to. a Jeep. For the speedometer and transmission to work correctly the the computer must be told what size new tires are.
The first time I used the ECRI reprogrammer was with my Wrangler Willys Ecodiesel.
With the ECRI you purcase the device once. Once you have the device you have to purchase the Vehicle Unlock that allows the device to work. You do this for every vehicle you wish to reprogram. Pay once, use it as many times as you want for that VIN Number. Add a vehicle purchase another unlock.
I like the ECRI because in addition to manually inputting the new tire size, the ECRI also uses GPS to verify.
As you drive with the ECRI plugged in it is tracking the vehicle movement and calculating tires size. Once the 2 arrows are close together on the screen your done. Very acurate.
35's Are Not Actually 35" Tall After Mounting - Whats Up With That?
You can see by the picture of my ECRI results above these 35" tires are not actually 35" tall. They calculated out to 33.64". I'm not sure why tire companies don't list the actual size tire will be. It seems strange.
Gladiator Is Not Our Main Overlanding Rig - My Wrangler Willys Ecodiesel Is
So, my wife drives this cool Gladiator, and whenever she’s along for the ride, that’s our go-to vehicle. We also have a Willys Ecodiesel that I’m pretty fond of. It’s a no-frills ride, though—tiny radio, hand-crank windows, and no fancy key fob. But hey, that’s part of what made it such a steal! I even put together a video and a blog post all about that Jeep, detailing the build and how much I snagged it for. Check it out here!
Gladiator Is Amazing With New Tires - They May Be The Most Important Part Of The Vehicle Build
So far we have taken the Gladiator on 2 Overlanding trips towing our Exventure XV-3 off-road trailer. First trip was to Alabama Hills California that was amazing. The next was to Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. On both trips Gladiator with new tires got incredible mileage and performed extremely well on and off-road. Alabama Hills was fire roads, Oregon Dunes was sand and more sand.
Airing Down - Side Lugs Put To Use
I aired down to between 18 and 20 psi going off-road. Tires spread out nicely and side lugs are in a position to add a lot of traction. 18 to 20 seems to be the sweet spot. This picture is from Hollister Hills SVRA the day we encountered Cybertrucks.
A Good Tire Recycling Story - A Buddy Was Happy To Get These Tires
Buying new tires usually results in the equal quantity of tires making a one way trip to the landfill. Tires like these Falkens and other slightly used tires are available in abundance on you favorite online market place. I was prepared to pay the recycling fee abandoning 5 -7000 mile Falken Wildpeaks at the tire shop. Tire shop guys had no use for them. I called a buddy. He installed them on his truck and the price was right, free. Tire dump was denied this rubber for at least a little while.
Would I Buy Nitto Tires Again When These Wear Out?
The Nittos have about 8000 miles on the road, 2 Overlanding trips, 1 mountain, 1 sand. Would I buy these Nitto Trail Grappler 35x10.5x7.5 tires again? Yes I would. Here is a short evaluation.
Great on the road, no death wobble, drive perfect.
MPGs are still very good on the Ecodiesel.
Awesome performance off-road when aired down.
Wearing evenly (I rotate them) and seem durable.
They look fantastic!
Update To This Conclusion:
I did end up installing the Mopar/Bilstein 2" Lift KIt on the Gladiator (see install article here.) After that we did a couple long road trips and a off-road trip to Death Valley (see that video here) in the Gladiator. The Jeep handles perfectly but since we got back and the Nittos have a bunch more miles on them, I think they are a lot more noisy on the road then before. My hearing is not the best after 40 years of banging Sheet Metal but I'm pretty sure they are louder. They are definitely holding up though, there is minimal wear.
Thanks for checking out my article! I really appreciate you stopping by!
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