russell1998

im wanting to get a set of pro comp wheels, but im always hearing people talking about the backspacing. what exactly is it and what does it do? does it determine how far the wheel will stick out past the fenders? thank u for any help

russell1998

i also already have 2 inch wheel spacers. if i went with 15/8 wheels 3.75 BS, would that be over kill? if anyone has some good pics with 2inch wheel spacers along with different BS set ups on wheels and could post them that would be awsome! i just want to find a good combo so its not to much, but i like the wheels sticking out far tho

cdawall

you would kill the front unit bearings. that would give 1.75" of backspacing and look stupid IMO. A 15x8 with 3.75" already sticks pretty far out. Anything much past that and you will be eating unit bearings.

NewKindOfClown

x2. I'm using 4" BS for 12.50 tires on 15x10 wheels. You can see it in my avatar. If the math I did in my head is right, the outside of your tire would be in about the same spot, but the inside wouldn't be close.

Question: I'm putting Skyjacker 3" coils up front. That one's easy; I get 3" shocks. But I have RE 3.5" packs for the rear. I've read RE underrates their products, and I'll probably get 4-4.5". I'm looking at Rusty's, and they have shocks for 3" and for 4-5". Which way should I go?

russell1998

What's the max amount of backspacing u recommend?

russell1998

Because I want the wheels out a little more pay the fenders. Because with my 2 inch wheel spacers its only making my wheels sit flush with the fenders

russell1998

Sorry meant to put then* instead of pay

NewKindOfClown

I'd say for a 15x8 with a 9.5 or 10.5 tire, you'd be fine with 4-4.25" BS. Wait for someone else to confirm that before making a purchase, cause I'm just doing my first lift now. I'm still learning as I go.
As for wheel spacers, most people say not to use them. Some people will argue there's nothing wrong with them, but I think we can all agree: If you don't need them, there's no reason to use them. It puts more stress on your rig, and the amount of backspacing you were talking about before is way too much.

dcook_14

I just wanted to make russell1998 was clear on your response. You're right as long as you're talking about him using a 15x8 rim w/ 3.75 BS AND using the 2" spacer AND he's using a 12.5" tire. Obviously if he doesn't use the 2" spacers, the outside of his tire will sit about 1.75" further in than yours. And if he uses a narrower tire, say a 10.5, the outside of his tire will be another 1" further in than yours.

What wheels do you have on it now? What width and backspacing?

If you're using some kind of stock xj wheel, chances are it's 15x7 with ~5.5" of backspacing and with those spacers it's like a 15x7 with ~3.5" backspacing. If you got a 15x8 with 3.75 backspacing, the outside of your tire would sit out .75" further than it does now. That's also assuming you use the same width of tire as you do now...

EDIT: try this link, there's should be some pictures of XJs with 15x8 and 4" BS

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=15x8+with+4%22+backspacing+xj

NewKindOfClown

Mine are 4" BS 15x10s. A 15x8 (hypothetically with 4" BS) would measure one inch away from both the inside and the outside lips of my wheel. If his 15x8 is 3.75" BS, it would be .75" from mine on the outside and 1.25" from the inside. Add his 2" spacers, and his XJ's stance is now 1.25" wider than my 15x10s. I'm just talking about wheel measurements; not accounting for tires. Am I doing the adjustments wrong?

dcook_14

Actually I don't think either of us is right now that I think about it more. I think where you are wrong is that you're lining up the wheels based on the center line. I'm lining up the wheel based on where it mounts to the hub. If you mounted a 15x8 3.75" BS and a 15x10 4" BS on the same Jeep, the 15x10 will stick out 1.75" further than the 15x8. Add the 2" spacer to the 15x8 and it now sits .25" futher out than the 15x10.

Where I was wrong is I wasn't thinking about the center line of the wheel at all, so when you put tires on those wheels it's a different ball game. With a 15x8 3.75 BS and 2" spacer, the centerline of the wheel/tire is 2.25" from the hub of the Jeep. On a 15x10 4" BS, the centerline of the wheel tire is 1" from the hub. So if you use the same width tires on both wheels, the tire on the 15x8 will stick out 1.25" more than the 15x10.

My summary, may or may not be right lol

15x8 3.75" BS + 2" spacer, the wheel/tire will sit .25"/1.25" (respectively) further out than a 15x10 4" BS with the same tires.

So basically if russell1998 uses a 15x8 with 3.75" BS, a 2" spacer, and a 10.5" tire, it will sit .25" out further than where your 15x10 with 4"BS with a 12.5 tire sits

NewKindOfClown

Sounds good to me. And I still highly suggest not going to 1.75" BS.

huntsman

hey guys im thinking about getting a small lift for my 98 xj. I currently have 235x75x15 tires and I dont want to go to high as its gonna look unproportional then. Plus i just got these tires not to long ago so ima stick with them for now. I was thinking about getting a 2 or 2.5in lift. Im thinking it should look okay with that and later I believe i can fit some 30's on there, to make it look even sweeter

Whats your opinion/advice ?

I know that many of your are gonna say go high and dont waste money on the small lift but the xj is my daily driver and I dont want it to be to high for highway use ect.

Also can anyone recommend me any 2-2.5in lifts ? Thanks.

BNJeepsta

Most suspension companies make a 2" bb for the xj. Just look around and see what one suits your budget the best. AAL's or shackles are fine for 2" but take it from someone with experience, stay the hell away from blocks! Coil spacers are fine but blocks+leaf springs=garbage.

96xjclassic

Your kinda stuck both ways. If it ends up taller than 3 on 3" shocks they will not open anymore and be restricted. On the other hand if you buy 4.5" shocks and it only ends up at 4 then everytime you hit a hard bump they will bottom out before they should. Like mine. I almost wonder if you should lift first then buy shocks?