nice mini-bike, looks like a fun project
on my explorer sport (yes, 2wd), i stepped up from a 235/75/15 to a 31x10.5 heavy, off-brand mud tire. got them real cheap because "mudstar" is an off-brand of "buckshot" which is an offbrand of "procomp". plus they are "blemish" tires (minor cosmetic flaws ONLY).
i have also lifted it a little, but that was after the mud tires (they fit with no lift)
also, you mentioned more lift in the plans. are bigger tires (than 31's) in the plans? staying with all-terrains?
pros:
-i like lifted trucks
-pot holes and other road "irregularities" are a piece of cake
-rpms are lowered
-i cleared a dead deer on the highway that would have really messed up a car. (night driving, and i only swerve for children)
cons:
-mpg has suffered (breaking over 20 is really hard)
-i think the mud tread has a lot to do with this
-transmission will downshift out of OD a lot easier
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The bigger tires create a little more rolling resistance, I have them currently at 35 PSI. But they also reduce RPMs, so, will they offset each other? I'll see what I can do to smooth the bottom of the Jeep this year.
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from my experience, they will offset each other somewhat. better than running tsl's at 25 psi. but not back to stock.
i think you are on the right track with the underbelly smoothing. i think it may be more beneficial overall (road and trail) to put the "lift" money into smoothing out the belly. get everything up out of the way, and start making skidplates. you'll probably go with a little stronger materials than the "norm" on this site. but its dual purpose: less air turbulence (street), and better clearance/protection (trail)
that all being said (sorry, this post is going to be even longer), i am planning a "B-A" test of my "offroad" modifications. with my trail rig almost finished, the explorer will be retired from bad roads, camping, and fishing.
i have kept an excel file for 1 year now with my mpg almost everytime i fill up. my vehicle has not really changed in that time (except little stuff to try and get better FE)
i'm taking the lift off, throwing on stock sized street tires, and possibly lowering it a little. plus some little things like a grill block and maybe some smoothing underneath.
once i do that, i can compare my FE with the same month of the previous year. after i make the change, in my fuel logs (here at ecomodder), i'll post my previous year FE with it. should be interesting....