Any thoughts on my lift?

[maddmike]

joe, as I mentioned over the weekend, I'd leave your jeep the way it is now and just get new tires, a winch, and an oil pan skid (yes you know why I just said that ). may want to consider a full 2 or 2.5" susp. lift soon. you may dent up a few skid plates but they are easily replaceable.

i beat up my jeep pretty bad, but i also purposefully take the most difficult line i can find through every obstacle which is part of why that happens. if you're careful and don't wheel that often i'd say stick with a 2" and 31's. i've never had too much problem getting through most anything with it, and you'll do much better considering you don't need the transfer case drop kit like i do, and have lockers already.

remember when you go to 33's it's likely you will have other problems like steering failure with stock equip,, braking loss, clearance issues, etc...and it may be more trouble than it's worth.

i suggest posting over at jeepBBS, or see if Nailer341 can give you some tips before you make the final call.

best of luck,

[xthread]

once you lift it and go bigger tires ,the worry of dragging over everything goes away .unless you chose bad lines .the only thing i don't like are wheel spacers .don't do it .my buddy had them on his unlimited and he always checked them for tight and we found out when he pulled the wheel off he found they were cracked and ready to grenade .so other than that do you're home work and good luck !!!!!!!!

[jimmyrig]

Not Luck

Hmmm some great used FOXs on here (cough) Nailer. How many guys/gals never run there rig off road. Pavment Pounders. Or look for higher end shocks that can be rebuilt. As far a 4 wheel parts yeah maybe. But like Allen said the deals through board members can be better. PLUS when you buy from the small guy you keep our industry strong and prices stay competitive. !!!! Support the small guy!!!!

The tires arnt luck Let me name the sets I have found

5 35'' baja claws 50 miles $550
5 35''NEW xterrains $400
4 35''New PJ dirt grips $500
4 33''MTZ $400
4 35''80% tread xterrains on alloys $500
4 36''Irocks 80% 400
4 37''Irocks 80% on OMF Bead Locks $1500
5 33''BFG Mudds new 500
5 33''Baja Claws on alloys $450
These are all on or were on BS FAB Crew rigs in the last year or so!

[Shadly1]

the only thing i don't like are wheel spacers .don't do it .my buddy had them on his unlimited and he always checked them for tight and we found out when he pulled the wheel off he found they were cracked and ready to grenade .so other than that do you're home work and good luck !!!!!!!!

I've seen that happen lots of times too. I worked at a tire shop throughout most of the '90s and have seen some really goofy stuff. If you HAVE to go that route, make sure you get the best quality spacers you can find... and buy 5 of them. Look for steel as opposed to aluminium. The best situation would be to buy wheels with the correct backspacing for what you're doing.

[jimmyrig]

Now to answer the question

I would say get good protection first. (SKIDS)
Then score some spacers. Find some good cheap shocks. Find some good tread used 32-33 and run it. Have fun. And in a couple of years as your tastes in trails change spend the money on a quality lift!
RE,Old man Emu, TNT, ect..

[maddmike]

The tires arnt luck Let me name the sets I have found

5 35'' baja claws 50 miles $550
5 35''NEW xterrains $400
4 35''New PJ dirt grips $500
4 33''MTZ $400
4 35''80% tread xterrains on alloys $500
4 36''Irocks 80% 400
4 37''Irocks 80% on OMF Bead Locks $1500
5 33''BFG Mudds new 500
5 33''Baja Claws on alloys $450
These are all on or were on BS FAB Crew rigs in the last year or so!

i would suspect that the reason you can find a great deal on many sets of 35's-37's is that most people will never or are not set up to run this size tire, so it's a buyer's market.

you only have 2 sets of 33's listed, none of which are an incredible deal.

joe, no matter what you do, i would only buy springs and shocks new. tires....i would say you could go either way since they're just rubber and you can physically see what's wrong with them when you buy them. another advantage to buying new springs and shocks is that the spring rate and shock absorption will be matched, especially if you buy both in the same brand and speak with the company about your anticipated needs before the purchase.

[dirtman13]

Joe, I suggest you work on your armor first. Skid plates, steering box cover, etc. Then work on the other items. When you get the lift kits and big tires you tend to do more challenging stuff because you can and that’s where the damage begins.

[swbooking]

Mike are you serious? 5 33" Baja Claws on Alloy Wheels for $450 isn't a good deal? damn, id like to see your deals then. And no, none of these were bald, we only buy with a minimum of 50% tread life left, most are 75% or better. And we dont have many 33s listed cause only a couple of us run them. I have seen pleanty on craigslist though. Another one to add to the list is a set (4) of brand new 33" Dick Cepek MTs for $400. That makes 4 sets of 33's now.

[Dukes69]

You guys bitch too much.

Joe,
If it were me, I would do the following:

Get about 3-3.5 inches of lift. I like to piece together lifts, because noone offers exactly what I want. FT makes decent stuff, as far as I've heard.

Add a 1-1.5 inch body lift. Get a quality one Currie or JKS

The BL will allow you to get a flatter center skid.

Add a motor mount lift to get things back in line. MORE bomb proof

Add an engine skid

Shocks: Shocks can make or break a set up. Fox came out with some "stock" replacement TJ versions a while back. If you don't change your lift height, then these will be the last shocks you'll ever own. Completely rebuildable and revalvable.

Fixed yoke kit: They're all pretty much the same. I would stay away from "hack-n-tap" styles, just not a fan. For the driveshaft I would suggest a decent local place. If you FUBAR the shaft and need it repaired it's nice yo have a local place to go.

Bumper: the one you listed is too heavy. However, I don't really have any good suggestions.

Tires: Ditch the 16's unless you need clearance for bigger brakes. 15's will give you more tire options at less cost. MT/R's are great on the rocks and wear fairly nice. BFG just came out with a new M/T design. If they're anything like the Krawlers, then they should be pretty good. The old style BFG's were prone to sidewall punctures. Americas tire has decent prices and will price match. Try www.tirerack.com for the best price. Or maybe one of the MJR vendors. Wherever you buy them from you can still get the warranty from Americas tire, IIRC.

Wheels: Might as well finish it off nice and buy new wheels.

[womb raider 940]

alot of choices joe....my friend......may the force be with you

[Schmo]

Who's got the hook up???

As far a 4 wheel parts yeah maybe. But like Allen said the deals through board members can be better. PLUS when you buy from the small guy you keep our industry strong and prices stay competitive. !!!! Support the small guy!!!!

I totally agree and figured that some of the vendors or fellow jeepers might see the thread and hook me up with some sweet deals! (Hint, Hint ) I'm going to do some research/calling around once I decide on exactly what I'll be purchasing, but just so happen to have that 339 page 4WP catelog on my coffee table which makes for a nice reference point! As far as the armor, I'm planning to put on a steering box skid and a new diff cover or Warn guard on the front diff when I change out the fluid, ASAP. I really liked the Nth Sliders but called all over months ago and couldn't find any . . . I liked their oil skid too. Suggestions as to armor are also welcome!!!

[swbooking]

Try PMing "HazzmatOffroad" (I think thats his handle) He has some good deals on tires. As far as armor im partial to Rokmen and TnTs stuff.

http://www.rokmen.com/
http://tntcustoms.com/webV5/TJCatalog.asp

[Schmo]

Try PMing "HazzmatOffroad" (I think thats his handle) He has some good deals on tires. As far as armor im partial to Rokmen and TnTs stuff.

http://www.rokmen.com/
http://tntcustoms.com/webV5/TJCatalog.asp

Thanks . . . Actually PM'd Hazmat yesterday!!!

[womb raider 940]

Joe. I consider you a friend......... sometimes.......
So leave it the way it is. put a full 2 inch suspension lift on it. leave the 31's on it. change the ridiculous skid plate to piece of foil. pull the wheels off put it on jacks. and put some hot dogs on it and pretend you can wheel around anywhere. I mean after all it is a rubicorn. Anyways you know by this post where you are going soooo.

[Schmo]

Joe. I consider you a friend......... sometimes.......
So leave it the way it is. put a full 2 inch suspension lift on it. leave the 31's on it. change the ridiculous skid plate to piece of foil. pull the wheels off put it on jacks. and put some hot dogs on it and pretend you can wheel around anywhere. I mean after all it is a rubicorn. Anyways you know by this post where you are going soooo.

I think I've got some hotdogs and foil in the kitchen . . . I'll give that a try and see how it works out