WHEEL AND TIRE BASICS

 

Probably the most asked questions are concerning wheels and tires for the Jeep Cherokee. Common questions are...

 

What size wheel do I have?

 

99.9% of factory stock Jeep Cherokees have a 15x7" wheel, unless it's 1984 - 1985 I have read where some early 2wd Cherokees came with 15x6" wheel, but I have never seen one, probably a rumor.

 

What is backspacing and what backspacing does the XJ have?

 

Backspacing measures the distance from the mounting plate to the back edge of the wheel.

 

More the backspacing the further into the fender well the wheel will sit and makes less room for the tire for clearance.

 

Less backspace makes the tire and wheel stick out further which provides more clearance behind the tire, but puts more stress on ball joints and wheel bearings.

 

That's why I try and stay as close to the factory backspacing as possible because BALL JOINTS SUCK to replace!!!.

 

So Jeep Cherokees with a 15x7" stock wheel have a 5.25" backspacing.

 

RECAP So if you want to give your XJ a wider stance you lower the backspacing. I wouldn't recommend any lower than 4" backspacing unless you plan on becoming a wheel bearing/balljoint specialist.

 

 

What is the Jeep Cherokees bolt pattern?

 

5 x 4.5 bolt pattern.

 

What is the biggest tire I can put on my XJ without a lift kit?

 

The biggest tire I would recommend on a stock XJ is 

235/75/15 on a 15 x 7" wheel.

 

Keep in mind that all tire manufacturers are different when it comes tread depth. Some stock size AT and MT tires will rub on your lower control arms when turning to full lock. It's not a big deal just be aware. 

 

I put a stock size Cooper AT3's on my 1996 country 235/75/15 with stock wheels and they would rub when turning hard. 

 

Now you can go as big as a 29" maybe a 30" x 9.5" tire on a 15x7" wheel but that probably will require trimming on your outer fender also expect the inner tire to rub when steering to full lock unless you decide to go with some sort of lift.

 

Also from 1984 to 96, the wheel wells in XJ's are larger than the 1997 to 2001 model years. 1997-01 have a slightly narrower front wheel well and you are more likely to experience rubbing when going with a larger wheel or tire.