Tire size vs wheelbase

I'm building up my jeep SOA on waggy axles. My wheelbase is at 90 inches right now, and that's about all I can get out of the stock frame without using wagoneer springs or going to coils with a link suspension.

I'm debating between 35's or 37's for tire size. I'm worried that my wheelbase is too short for the 37's, and am also not sure how well the rear D44 would hold up to them. What are your opinions on this?

Thanks
Foster

 

I was having this same "argument" last week with a YJ owner friend who's going a similar route. My question to him was two-fold; 1) What's the difference, in terms of wheel base, between the tires?............& don't say an inch of radius per tire! In real terms, the problem is frame or steering clearance, I mean, the front tires won't rub the rear tires, so what's the difference, functionally, as it relates to wheel base? In theory, (OK, I'm being extreme, but as an example) with that 90" wheelbase you could have 90" dia. tires, or maybe 85" dia. to prevent the front tires from rubbing on the rear tires during turns. No matter how large the tires are, the wheelbase stays the same. I think the relationship between tire diameter & wheelbase would rank near the bottom of the list, if it were even on it, when you factor in things like leverage against the axle shafts, body or frame clearance, legality for street use, weight, dampening, gearing, braking, etc. The 2nd issue is that he wants to stretch his wheelbase to around 99" or beyond. My question was simply to ask, at what point do you think you'll be too long & have the T-case hanging up? There has to be some "average" range, all other factors being equalized (T-case ground clearance, etc.), that's optimal. IMO, that number is somewhere between 80-100, but of course there's always some obstical that will defy "average"!

 

What do you have for a front axle? I don't think that a stock dana 44 either front or rear model would survive to long with 37" tires on them. I would think that 35" tires would be max for any serious axle life. If you have a dana 30 front even the 35" are to big for any real axle life. I take it living in California you are using this rig in the rocks. Where I live you see alot of rigs with 35"and taller tires but its more a macho thing than seriously needed As I have seen alot of rigs fly right by them on 33" tires and go thru some unbelievable crap with the smaller tires.

 

the question is not wheelbase but axle width. length is key for climbing.

edit: along with what Mcruff says of course

 

I'm leaning towards 35's so I don't overload the axles, with a D44 front and rear. I know that tire size has no direct effect on wheelbase, I'm just worried about the height difference. I don't want to build something that will roll over backwards immediately when climbing hills. This jeep's going to be used for all around four wheeling, but rocks will definately be a big part of that.