Need help with my lift and tires!!!

C

Christina152

New member
Its time to lift the Jeep and get some new wheels...I have been reading up on a few threads here about what you need to replace but it might as well be in spanish because I definitely am not a car girl, I'm learning as I go...I want to put on a 3.5 in lift and run 35inch tires, I am seeing a lot of replies about gear changes and such. What are the top few recommended lifts and tires. It is a daily driver so I want it to be good for the road but I still am looking for an aggressive looking tire. I am curious if the bigger tire messes with the speedometer and the record of miles on the Jeep. Any help would be great, every time I want to purchase I start getting nervous that I don't have the knowledge to make the right decision. As always thanks guys for your help, everyone here has been super awesome and supportive and thats part of why I LOVE being a Jeep owner :blush:

Oh and to add... I have gone to some local shops but I'm not sure if its because I'm a girl they look at me as if I'm a walking bag of money since I have no clue what I'm doing
 
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Well if your dead set on a lift 3 plus inches, than you should definitely check out the Evo enforcer 3 in. Softest ride. If you have the money go with the king shocks that off-road evolution sales with it. If your broke like me than go with rancho rs 9000 shocks. Since you have a rubicon you probably have 4.10 gears and they will turn 35 inch tires ok if your not doing any major wheeling. Especially if you are just driving it around on the street wanting it to look good. I personally went with the superchips flashpaq programmer to adjust tire size and supposedly give it a little more power. But if you want to change gears than I would suggest 4.56 or 4.88. Now if you do go with a 3 in or more lift, you will need to change front drive shaft I believe and get a drag link flip kit which also Evo makes. And whatever lift you go with on 3 in and above you will need front lower control arms. I'm sure there is something else I might be missing and if it is, someone else will point it out.
Also if you are just wanting it to be a mall crawler than you might want to look at the Evo leveling kit. I put that on both mine and my wife's jeep and we have 35 stuffed in there with cut out fenders. And with that you don't have to go to changing out drive shafts and getting into drag link flip kits and all the other things to fix the geometry of the vehicle from lifting it a lot
Sorry for the long reply. Maybe I got everything answered for yiu
 
I appreciate the reply! I do want it to have some off road capabilities however still be a good daily driver.. I'm not dead set on a 3.5 in lift so if I go to a 2.5 I will not have to add the extra items you mentioned? Also with the programmer could you explain what that is for please? Also the purpose to change the gears? Thanks so much
 
Well if you are just gonna put 35s on it, than I really would consider the Evo leveling kit or rancho 2 in sport, and cut the fenders. It looks real good cause the tires don't look to small. Then you won't have to spend all the money on all the extra stuff that I mentioned in the upper statement.
The programmer will calibrate the tires and gears if you change them out, plus they come with different settings that you can do to your jeep to add a little power. Now I dont know much more as far as some of the technical stuff like shift points changing for automatics I believe. Hopefully someone who is a lot more experienced can help explain that better than me.
Lastly, the purpose for changing the gears is to put power back in the jeep that is loss when you go to bigger tires. You can put in lower gears so it will give it a little extra power. Gears help keep the strain off the engine trying to turn those tires that are bigger than stock.
Hopefully that somewhat explains it. Like I said earlier there is people a lot more knowledgeable than me about this and can probably explain it a whole lot better
 
Eezybreezy08 said:
Well if you are just gonna put 35s on it, than I really would consider the Evo leveling kit or rancho 2 in sport, and cut the fenders. It looks real good cause the tires don't look to small. Then you won't have to spend all the money on all the extra stuff that I mentioned in the upper statement.
The programmer will calibrate the tires and gears if you change them out, plus they come with different settings that you can do to your jeep to add a little power. Now I dont know much more as far as some of the technical stuff like shift points changing for automatics I believe. Hopefully someone who is a lot more experienced can help explain that better than me.
Lastly, the purpose for changing the gears is to put power back in the jeep that is loss when you go to bigger tires. You can put in lower gears so it will give it a little extra power. Gears help keep the strain off the engine trying to turn those tires that are bigger than stock.
Hopefully that somewhat explains it. Like I said earlier there is people a lot more knowledgeable than me about this and can probably explain it a whole lot better
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All good advice!!! :thumb::thumb:

My plans for my 4 dr Rubicon are the 3 in Enforcer with Ranch rs 9000s and a Drag link Flip. I like that size the best on my Jeeps. with 35s you will need some C gussets as well good news is they aren't expensive. You will need the front drive shaft eventually after a 3" or larger. It will give you warning before it goes out. You need wheels with the proper back spacing or spacers either way you go.
 
The EVO Enforcer 3 inch lift would clear 35s with leaving your fender flares in tact and would look good. This kit comes with everything needed except for a front driveshaft and a drag link flip kit to address the steering. You can add good shocks at the time of purchase also if you dont go with the Kings.

A 2.5 inch budget boost kit like the one Terraflex sells comes with everything needed really and uses spacer pucks on top of your existing springs. Because of that, it will ride just like it rides currently. It will also clear 35s with leaving your flares in tact. I would not get the Terraflex shocks though and either get the kit with the shock extensions and run your rubicon shocks or get the kit with no shocks and no extensions and buy some good quality shocks. This kit will not require the purchase of a front driveshaft as long as you dont get too much drop from aftermarket shocks. If you get shocks that allow for too much droop and your front driveshaft starts to hit the exhaust crossover while wheeling then you would be best to replace the front driveshaft. This kit also doesnt require front lower control arms or a drag link flip kit.

The EVO leveling kit or the Rancho 2 inch kit would be another great option to run 35s if you dont mind trimming your fenders to make flat fender flares or buying some flat flares. Without the flat flares you will rub with the 35s, so another option would to be to run 33s and I believe they will clear with full fender flares but Im not sure. Most people run the 35s. Again, either of these kits would not require front driveshaft, drag link flip kit, or front lower control arms as they are under the 3 inches of lift.

As far as gearing goes you could have 3.73s depending on the year of your jeep. The 4.10s were no longer the standard for Rubicons begining in 2012 or 2013 I believe. So with the 3.73s and 35s it will feel underpowered. It can be done but you will just have to get use to it. With the 4.10s and 35s it will be better and depending on your terrain you daily drive and wheel, they may be fine. I have 4.10s and 35s and dont feel that its an issue. But its fairly flat where I live so if it were hilly then I would be looking at a regear.

You will need something like the Superchips Flashpac or Flashcal or the AEV Procal. The Flashpac does bump up the power with different settings but it isnt much. I went with the Flashcal that will let you adjust the tire size and gear ratio so that it will shift right.

You will also need spacers if you run the factory wheels. I highly highly highly recommend the Spydertrax ones as people have problems with other brands. The Spydertrax ones are both hub and lug centric and thats what you need.
 
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Christina152 said:
Oh and to add... I have gone to some local shops but I'm not sure if its because I'm a girl they look at me as if I'm a walking bag of money since I have no clue what I'm doing
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May advice to you is to stay on here and read up and keep asking questions. Gaining a lot of info. There's plenty of shops that will try to sell you whatever they make the most profit on. Good luck
 
To give you some context:
Evo enforcer lift$1300
Flip kit $300
King shocks $1500
Front Drive shaft $550

Rancho 2" Sport lift with 9000 shocks $500

Evo leveling kit $300 without shocks, bumpstops, brake line extensions.

I'd say go the cheaper and simpler route unless you plan on wheeling hard or have some money to spend. Those prices also don't include any labor costs.

Hope that helps.
 
my personal advice and opinion, emphasis on opinion because you don't have to listen to me, but if you want 35s, a 2.5" lift is plenty and saves you a lot of money. on a 4 door you can get a teraflex 3" or Rock Krawler 2.5" (this is what im running but on a 2dr) for around $1000 and clear 35s with ease and set up with the right shocks and bump stops it will wheel great and handle great. here's how id set it up but again this is my opinion as i was in your position about 8 months ago, I wanted 3.5" and 35s. I ended up going 2.5" and 35s and i am very happy.

Rock Krawler 2.5" kit. get a kit that comes with at least front lower control arms to correct caster angle. OR instead of getting front lower control arms, get drop brackets, this will be cheaper and handle a little better as it adjust upper control arms too but at a loss of ground clearance. now match that kit with a set of bilstein 5100 shocks, rancho 5000x shocks, fox 2.0, or rancho 9000xls shocks depending on how much you are willing to spend.
other components you're going to want with this kit.
-Front and rear adjustable swaybar links
-rear track bar bracket (i believe all RK 2.5" kits come with this)
-front adjustable track bar (again i think all RK 2.5" kits come with this)
-extended bump-stops front and rear
-extended brake line or brake line drop brackets(i believe RK kits comes with front brake lines if you get front lower control arms with the kit)
-front and rear shocks

Northridge4x4 does great package deals that come with almost all the components you need with shock options. I ordered my kit from them and all i added were rear brake lines and rear swaybar links.
at 2.5" there's no need for a high-steer kit and no need for more than just front lower control arms which save a lot of money, then you can add control arms later down the road.


http://www.northridge4x4.com/suspen...ler-jk-2-5-flex-system-kit-4-door-jk25fs-4kit
this is what i got with the teraflex bumpstops and rancho 9000xls shocks, running 35s perfectly rides great, i added rear brake lines and rear swaybar links to this kit.

again this is my personal opinion it is your choice to listen to me or not everyone does something different with their jeeps but after months of research and debating between 2.5" and 3.5" this is what i ended up with and couldn't be happier. My jeep is my DD and i occasionally wheel it. i plan on jumping up to 3.5" later down the road and running 37s


Iphone pictures 360.jpg
 
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Thanks so much guys for the detailed responses. It definitely helps me out a lot with pricing and knowing what i will need along with the lift and tires. Clutch1981 thanks for the simplified list! Samtuck11 I am looking into the link and kits you recommended now!
 
It took me about 6 months of research and decision making before I placed my order in June of last year. But the waiting and research was all worth it
 
samtuck11 said:
It took me about 6 months of research and decision making before I placed my order in June of last year. But the waiting and research was all worth it
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Agree with this. Take your time and research. And be careful of what vendors you call. Believe us, they will try to push there crap.
 
Christina152 said:
Thanks so much guys for the detailed responses. It definitely helps me out a lot with pricing and knowing what i will need along with the lift and tires. Clutch1981 thanks for the simplified list! Samtuck11 I am looking into the link and kits you recommended now!
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I have a 2 door but RKs 2.5" kit for 4door should sit like mine on an unloaded stock 4door. I'm running wheels with 4.7" of back spacing, if you want any more pictures of how the tires fit in the fenders with the jeep I can supply upon request LOL. If it helps with the decision making :p
 
At 2.5 inches, front lower control arms are NOT needed. I would NOT run an adjustable track bar front and rear but instead do a drag link flip kit up front and an axle side bracket in the rear, which again at 2.5 inches these are not needed. They are recommended at 3 inches of actual lift or more.

An adjustable track bar will only center the axle and cost $250 roughly where as the EVO drag link flip costs $300 roughly and will correct the angles of the drag link and track bar by moving the mounting location of the stock track bar up and put the drag link on top of the knuckle instead of on the underside of the knuckle. That kit will also recenter the axle and provide a higher place to mount your steering stabilizer. So for $50 more it does four jobs essentially compared to one job by the adjustable track bar. Again, this is recommended at 3 inches of actual lift or more though.

The TeraFlex budget boost without shocks is $275 roughly and the one with shock extensions is $350. Thats all you need to clear 35s as far as suspension goes.

I would check through Trail Jeeps also as they are a supporting vendor here. Northridge is no longer a vendor here.
 
mudmobeeler said:
At 2.5 inches, front lower control arms are NOT needed. I would NOT run an adjustable track bar front and rear but instead do a drag link flip kit up front and an axle side bracket in the rear, which again at 2.5 inches these are not needed. They are recommended at 3 inches of actual lift or more.

An adjustable track bar will only center the axle and cost $250 roughly where as the EVO drag link flip costs $300 roughly and will correct the angles of the drag link and track bar by moving the mounting location of the stock track bar up and put the drag link on top of the knuckle instead of on the underside of the knuckle. That kit will also recenter the axle and provide a higher place to mount your steering stabilizer. So for $50 more it does four jobs essentially compared to one job by the adjustable track bar. Again, this is recommended at 3 inches of actual lift or more though.

The TeraFlex budget boost without shocks is $275 roughly and the one with shock extensions is $350. Thats all you need to clear 35s as far as suspension goes.

I would check through Trail Jeeps also as they are a supporting vendor here. Northridge is no longer a vendor here.
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At 2.5inches a drag link flip while might help with what little bump steer you might get it isn't necessary and limits a lot of up travel as you don't have much room between the drag link (Knuckle mount side) and the frame. You'd need taller bumpstops to limit up travel to prevent contact with a drag link flip kit (high steer kit) or you'd need to notch your frame... while a lot of 2.5" kits come with adjustable front track bars they arnt necessary but if you wanted one and the kit doesn't include one you can get quality front adjustable track bars for $160-$180 for example rock krawlers at around $160 and metal cloaks at around $180 both adjustable front track bars and both very good quality products. The Only front adjustable track bar that I can think of that is over $250 is the teraflex one.

No at 2.5" front tb is not necessary and no at 2.5" front lowers are not necessary but at 2.5" a front adj tb WILL re-center the axle, and at 2.5" front lowers WILL correct caster which helps handling.

As for rear, a TB axle side bracket will work fine, get one that's weld on or if it's bolt on look for one that reaches out toward the middle of the axle with the U-bolt reinforcement.

Keep in mind a lot of 2.5" lifts net more than 2.5" on unloaded jeeps. Unless it's a spacer lift
 
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