Set aside light bars and winches, because the single most important upgrade you can make to your Jeep Gladiator is better wheels and tires. If you can only budget for one modification and one modification only, start with grippier off-road tires and matching wheels.

Not only do they look cool, but off-road-specific tires will give you a lot more grip compared to your stock tires, enabling you to tackle rougher terrain. You can have as much horsepower as you want, but low friction surfaces like sand and mud require grip and traction above all else. Off-road tires, with their specific grooves and treads, can extract an unbelievable amount of traction from practically any surface.

If you want to upgrade your Jeep Gladiator and fit the best wheel and tire combination possible, this article will help you make a choice that suits your specific need and requirements.

What To Consider When Upgrading Your Jeep Gladiator Off-Road Wheels & Tires

There are several factors to consider before dropping a significant chunk of money on new wheels and tires. The first thing you should ask yourself is whether you'll be adding a lift kit to your Gladiator.

If you plan on raising your Jeep using a complete lift kit or even lift blocks, you'll be able to fit much larger wheels and tires than you would be able to using the stock ride height. You also won't need to roll the fenders or use wheel spacers since the lift kit takes care of any clearance issues.

If you only want to fit beefier tires but continue using the stock Jeep Gladiator off-road wheels, you'll need to fit tires that match your stock wheels' width. This means you'll be sacrificing a bit of width since your stock wheels are probably only 7.5 inches wide.

Another important aspect you should consider is that larger wheels and tires add much more un-sprung weight to the suspension. To give you an example, the average 35-inch tire that comes as stock equipment on the Rubicon model weighs roughly 50 pounds, but a 37-inch aftermarket off-road tire comes in at around 85 pounds. That's 35 pounds per one corner, which equates to 140 pounds of un-sprung mass you'll be adding to your Jeep.

With better traction and more weight, you'll also need significantly more power. Rubicon and Max Tow variants of the Gladiator use 4.10 differential gears, which cope just fine with 35-inch tires but will generally struggle when fitting 37-inch tires. To offset the larger wheels, many Jeep owners use 4.88 or even 5.13 gears when using 37-inch tires as it allows the engine to run more efficiently and it takes a load of strain off the transmission.

Obviously, it goes without saying that larger tires and wheels will decrease fuel economy by a significant margin. On average, a Gladiator with factory gears and 35-inch tires will consume 5 to 10% more fuel than a bone-stock Gladiator. The difference is even larger if you jump up to 37-inch tires. It's worth noting though that fitting the above-mentioned gear ratios will bring the fuel economy nearly back to normal, even when using 37-inch tires.

Last but not least, it's worth remembering that you'll need to calibrate your ECU and speedometer to accommodate for the different wheel and tire combo. Not only does your speedometer need to be accurate for safety reasons, but your ECU needs to know the wheel and tire size to correctly adjust the transmission shift points. There are aftermarket modules that allow you to modify these parameters and address the issue.

What Is The Best Wheel Size For A Jeep?

The best wheel size depends entirely on what tires you intend on using. You can safely use larger tires with the stock 17-inch and 18-inch wheels, but most Gladiator owners decide to upgrade their wheels when swapping out their tires.

What most owners who are into off-roading do is fit either 17-inch or 18-inch wheels that are significantly wider than the stock 7.5-inch wide factory wheels. It's not uncommon to see 9-inch or even 10-inch wide aftermarket wheels fitted to go off-road with Jeep Gladiators. This will allow you to run much beefier, wider tires and essentially increase your Jeep's track width as a result.

How Big Of Tires Can Your Put On A Stock Jeep Gladiator?

By far and away 35-inch off road tires are the most popular and common size fitted to Jeep Gladiators. Since 35-inch tires will clear on Rubicon and Mojave models without any modification and only require lift blocks for the stock Gladiator, owners usually opt for this size. These are generally the best option for Jeep Gladiator models if you're not looking to modify your vehicle any further.

If you prefer 37-inch tires you'll probably need to install a lift kit or slightly roll the fenders. The Rubicon will be able to clear 37-inch tire options on the stock wheels using 1-inch front wheel spacers and 1-inch bump stops, but you'll need to avoid using 12.5-inch wide tires to stay within the tire manufacturer's recommended specs. Even so, you might notice slight rubbing when off-roading. If you're dead set on using rugged 37-inch tires, you definitely need to buy wider aftermarket wheels as well.

If you're looking for quality wheels and tires for your Jeep Gladiator, make sure to check out 4 Wheel Parts. In addition to wheels and tires, 4 Wheel Parts carries practically everything you need to turn your regular Jeep Gladiator into a true off-road explorer. From lift kits and winches to drivetrain components and lighting kits, 4 Wheel Parts is your one-stop shop for all of your off-roading needs.