Lift and Tires!

[bellicose]

My better half surprised me by saying she wants the jeep lifted and bigger tires. You scrape one log while off roading...
This is the first vehicle I've done anything like this to; what do I need to be aware of? I won't do it myself, having it done at a Les Schwab near me. Any advice?

[JeeperCreeper]

What kind of Jeep?
What kind of offroading do you do?
What size tires do you want?
How much do you want to spend?

[JeeperCreeper]

In my profile pic that's my green Jeep and my buddies Silver. Both are at 3.25 in lift on 35s

[bellicose]

They look great. I think 35s might be a bit too big. That's in the territory where I would probably have to re-gear, get an aftermarket spare tire carrier, different Fenders, right?

[JeeperCreeper]

I have a Rubicon and it is standard with 4.10 gears. It runs just fine with the 35s. My buddies has stock sport gears I think around 3.55s and automatic and his is a bit sluggish. You going from stock tires to 33s shouldn't effect you too much as long as you get that programmer for the speedometer. Yes you would probably need new fenders if you only wanted 2in lift with 35s, but your 33s should fit just fine. Mine fit just fine with stock fenders at 3.25 lift. Anything over 3" of lift you need to start buying more parts like control arms and adjustable trac bars to correct steering geometry.

[JeeperCreeper]

Also yes I need a new spare tire carrier, but I haven't got there yet so I rely on my buddies spare for now

[bellicose]

What kind of Jeep?
What kind of offroading do you do?
What size tires do you want?
How much do you want to spend?

Great questions!
2018 JLU
light to medium- nothing crazy, this is my daily driver, and I don't want to break it.
was thinking 33's with a 2in lift
keeping it under $3k, trying to hit $2.5k. I've also ordered a new bumper, winch, led headlights, and a bucket full of recovery gear.

[JeeperCreeper]

Ok so for your 2" lift you are looking at spring spacers and you can either get brackets for your stock shocks, or just buy longer shocks. The first option is cheaper, but if you spend decent money on shocks it will ride better. I also recommend front sway bar quick disconnects which will allow your axle to articulate, which translates to a better ride off road, and getting all 4 stainless steel brake hoses is always a good idea. And for tires, dont cheap out since you daily it. I love my BFG KM3s. They aren't too loud and they have barely worn down since I bought them. There are tons of tire options out there though. Either way I reccomend rotating mud tires every oil change so the wear more evenly. If you don't they get wobbly.

[bellicose]

The kit Les Schwab sells (they are a big tire chain up here that is known for good service) has aftermarket shocks, whole kit is around $860 installed. Can't remember the brands off the top of my head (Gabriel shocks?). What did you do about recalibration of speedometer? Did you take it to a dealer, or do it yourself?

Was thinking of K02s or General Grabbers, but my local place sells Toyos. How are your KM3s in rain? Roads are wet 9 months of the year.

[JeeperCreeper]

I bought a programmer from superchips

[JeeperCreeper]

The Km3s are decent in the rain and snow, but they are a pretty aggressive mudder. The KO2s are a solid option and are great on road, very quiet and they will last a while. If you have to have Toyos, the Open Country RT is a great tire all around

[Jordan]

Offroad use only, or trying to daily drive it too?

[bellicose]

Mainly daily driver. But light to medium off road is the goal.

[Tarsun2]

i would stay away from the general grabbers.
They seem like they are a stepping stone tire for something better. Everyone whose on a tight budget or just getting into it, gets the grabbers. (my brother and i included). and then when you go to another tire like the BF K02 the difference is night and day. Better in the rain, better in the dry, less on road noise throughout the life of the tire, longer life of the tires, better in the mud and snow...

[bellicose]

Good to know. I have read that some people swear by them, but I hadn't heard about them until about last week. I'm not sure if I could find a local place that sells them anyway.

[mtaylor]

My experience exactly. I have had 2 sets of grabbers, but only because I had a great hookup on them through work. They aren’t a great tire.

[bellicose]

JeeperCreeper, tell me about these superchips. Do they come in BBQ or Salt and Vinegar?

Also, should I have a shop do the sway bar disconnects, or is that something I can do in my driveway. I am ok with doing some stuff myself (like changing out the front bumper, wiring accessories), but something like a lift, I don't even want to attempt it.

Edit: After watching some videos, I think I could the sway bar disconnects myself. What brand do you have, JeeperCreeper? Do you like it? I was thinking about the JKS.

[JeeperCreeper]

I picked mine up from my local perfomance parts guy, but you can order them right from the internet. They are super easy to use, just plug it in to the obd2 port under the dash and turn the ignition to ON but dont start it. It's cool because you can mess with other features such as keeping the fog lights on when using high beams or compensating for regearing the diffs, or you can use it to temporarily set the idle speed like if you are using a winch and you want it to rev up for more power but you aren't in the driver seat.

[bellicose]

Just ordered me some superchips. The lift and tires are scheduled for Saturday. Do you keep your flashcal in your cab? I'm running out of storage room on my Jeep!

[JeeperCreeper]

I keep it in the glove box most of the time

[bellicose]

I've started to amass recovery gear for the trail. Got shackles, both metal and soft, a recovery strap, kinetic rope, tree strap, and winch dampener. Am I missing anything? I'll order the winch towards the end of the month when the front bumper is due to arrive.

[bellicose]

Where do you store your high lift, JeeperCreeper? I saw a mount that puts it on the front of the driver side door. So far, that is the one I'm liking the most.

[JeeperCreeper]

I just keep it in the back when I go wheeling. I'm looking at a mount that goes up on the roll bar in the back. It looks cool outside the Jeep (apparently for small crawlers), but will rust right up being out in the elements. I picked up the 48" high lift and it fits right inside the back of the jeep

[bellicose]

That sounds like a good plan. Just put it the back when I need it. Do you recommend any good videos on proper use?

[Grendel]

Find a Jeep club around you and join. Go on some club trail rides and ask questions while observing who has issues and who does not. I have joined several off-roading groups over the years and the Jeep groups tended to be the most fun and helpful (without constant dick measuring). A good setup on 33 usually is more then enough for most casual off-roading and trial riding.

While I normally do my own work, I have used others for suspension work and I would lean toward a 4x4 suspension shop vs. big chain tire shop. They will have better knowledge around how well a lift, your suspension and wheel/tire combination pro/cons and limitations. 2 inch lifts are pretty mild and 33s are easy to stuff under Jeep wheel wells in general if done wrong or in poor combination can cost a lot more on the far end.

Glad to see you are investing in recovery gear, I've had to bail out way too many people who drive beyond their ability without the ability to recover from getting stuck. Getting stuck is going to happen no matter how well your rig is built. If you are not getting stuck occasionally you are not off-roading.

This is my wife's inspirational image for my next truck project after we move:


You've got to love a woman who likes off-roading and big trucks She got mad when I got rid of my TSL Thornbird tires for milder tires because she likes the "feel" the ride gives her

[JeeperCreeper]

My wife was upset when we couldn't buy a Jeep we were looking at on 1 tons and 40s. Gotta love dirty girls

[bellicose]

Synthetic line was a must for me. I don't want the danger of steel. I know enough to get into trouble, and I expect to meet that trouble sooner then later.

Once this Rona business has died down enough, I am going to try to get with a club. There are some milder trails near me, and that's where I will tackle first. I've spent too much money to do anything too crazy, so a little bumps and mud will be thrill enough.

[Boddah2]

Bfg’s are great as they last long and wear well but I preferred duratracs. Mickeys are expensive and very heavy. No matter how much gear you have ,go wheeling with a buddy or two. You have no idea how stuck you can get haha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hp_lovecraft]

I mounted my high lift right under the windshield on the cowl. I can open the hood fine, but I’ll move it to the back when the windshield goes down.

my jeep just has 33s on a mild 2” lift. I did not want too much height since this is my daily driver and it already scares me on the highway.

[bellicose]

Same tire and lift size as me! Though, I don't want a high lift in the front of the jeep. Maybe a side, maybe the back.

[JeeperCreeper]

Oh never forget the first aid kit! You are driving miles into the woods and far away from hospitals, so you need to be prepared. Often an overlooked piece of gear in the jeep.