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Do I NEED a lift and tires?

txbonds

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We went with a sport s over a rubicon due to price. That said, our sport s has almost every option including katzkins leather and the 44 rear axle. But even with that it was $8k cheaper than the equivalent rubicon on the lot. Ours is my wife’s daily driver and changes other than the leather will be limited to the 33” ridge grapplers we added on factory wheels, some rubicon rails and the rubicon take off suspension we are putting on for weight carrying. Lastly, we swapped out the front bumper with an aluminum rockhard4x4 mid width bumper so that we can flat tow behind our motorhome. I’ve ordered an m8000-s winch and some led fog lights.

It ends up a lot cheaper than a rubicon even with the tires and Rubi suspension as we would have needed a flat tow device anyway and would have wanted a winch. A rubicon would be more capable off road and we probably would have left it stock except the front bumper but In the end she is happy and our Jeep takes on a more fun look. Plus it should take us most anywhere we will want to take it. I still think I saved about $5k over the similarly equipped rubicon on the lot (which were all over $50k). Ours is not overly changed and we stuck with factory suspension parts. Don’t see us ever wanting larger tires or lift for our use which is 90% on pavement and 10% exploring. In fact the winch will probably get more use around the farm than off-roading.

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jlopes68

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we have an 07 x that's got a 4" lift and 35s arb lockers re geared to 5.13's still on the small axle but everything's upgraded, front end is totally replaced and upgraded. everything's name brand higher end stuff. on road performance is par for the set up, pretty much what you'd expect, top speed loaded is around 65mph and she gets 12-15mpg. off road she is great! awesome, extremely capable truck. the caveat is that i am wrenching on her every other trip. tie rod ends, drag link ends, control arm bushings, bearings, shocks they all suffer added wear because of the lift and bigger tires and require much more maintenance. granted we go out a couple times a month and the Toads got almost 200k miles on her.
reasons why i ordered the 2 door rubicon JL i was totally impressed with its ride when i test drove the 4 door they had on lot. i wanted an equally capable rig as my girls built JK minus the fuss. we do still go out exploring trails and come up on formidable obstacles, but now we are not just out looking for the trails with the biggest rocks or toughest obstacle. my girls rig was more purpose built for that, my rubicon will more lean towards camping rig than rock crawler, at most i might go 2.5 inch lift and 35's but that will be after much wheeling stock. when my stock tires go bald then i will know better what i would like to upgrade. im hoping not much. im hoping the rubicon handles the weight of our gear better, im hoping it gets us everywhere we want to go stock. then i can focus on things like on board air, hot water showers and the like, not having to worry about upgrading the wheeling capabilities of my rig. im getting older i guess and comfort is becoming a thing.
 
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$uicide$hift

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we have an 07 x that's got a 4" lift and 35s arb lockers re geared to 5.13's still on the small axle but everything's upgraded, front end is totally replaced and upgraded. everything's name brand higher end stuff. on road performance is par for the set up, pretty much what you'd expect, top speed loaded is around 65mph and she gets 12-15mpg. off road she is great! awesome, extremely capable truck. the caveat is that i am wrenching on her every other trip. tie rod ends, drag link ends, control arm bushings, bearings, shocks they all suffer added wear because of the lift and bigger tires and require much more maintenance. granted we go out a couple times a month and the Toads got almost 200k miles on her.
reasons why i ordered the 2 door rubicon JL i was totally impressed with its ride when i test drove the 4 door they had on lot. i wanted an equally capable rig as my girls built JK minus the fuss. we do still go out exploring trails and come up on formidable obstacles, but now we are not just out looking for the trails with the biggest rocks or toughest obstacle. my girls rig was more purpose built for that, my rubicon will more lean towards camping rig than rock crawler, at most i might go 2.5 inch lift and 35's but that will be after much wheeling stock. when my stock tires go bald then i will know better what i would like to upgrade. im hoping not much. im hoping the rubicon handles the weight of our gear better, im hoping it gets us everywhere we want to go stock. then i can focus on things like on board air, hot water showers and the like, not having to worry about upgrading the wheeling capabilities of my rig. im getting older i guess and comfort is becoming a thing.
This is why I made this thread. There is nothing wrong with lifting a Jeep and going all out. There are a lot of new people to Jeep and even more so with this JL release. A lot of people will not research or think what the effect of larger tires and lift will do in the long run. As long as they know and are OK with the additional maintenance required cool have at it. I like posts like these. I hate when I see people being told to slap on a lift and big ass tires and the affect is minimal. Over time it is not minimal even for a pavement pounder. These people make these changes and then complain that the Jeep is a P.O.S. down the road not realizing their changes and no additional maintenance caused the issues in the first place.

I don't discourage anyone putting a lift and big tires on so long as they know what they are getting into prior to making that decision. Thanks for the detailed past experience that goes toward what this post was intended for. :like:
 

jlopes68

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This is why I made this thread. There is nothing wrong with lifting a Jeep and going all out. There are a lot of new people to Jeep and even more so with this JL release. A lot of people will not research or think what the effect of larger tires and lift will do in the long run. As long as they know and are OK with the additional maintenance required cool have at it. I like posts like these. I hate when I see people being told to slap on a lift and big ass tires and the affect is minimal. Over time it is not minimal even for a pavement pounder. These people make these changes and then complain that the Jeep is a P.O.S. down the road not realizing their changes and no additional maintenance caused the issues in the first place.

I don't discourage anyone putting a lift and big tires on so long as they know what they are getting into prior to making that decision. Thanks for the detailed past experience that goes toward what this post was intended for. :like:
we will also have the added fun factor of taking them both out if we like. another luxury i'm sure others may not enjoy. plus the experience. thats what you are trying to convey here, read these forums and use others experiences to help you decide. if you are truly just doing stuff for looks it will come at a steep cost, it is not a lie or an exaggeration. if you are not moderately handy in the garage or independently wealthy is another consideration too.
 

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This thread is incredibly helpful, and should be pinned.

I've never off-roaded before getting my JLUR (I'm a huge track rat - ACR-E for the win!), but since getting my Wrangler, I've gone off roading 3 times, and loved it. And I THOUGHT I wanted to lift and go bigger tires, etc. Instead, never having any issue except when it got particularly muddy, I've invested only in safety/protective equipment (winch, rock sliders, on-board air compressor), and will only change the tires when the stockers wear down. And if in a few months I decide that after numerous off-roading adventures that I need the additional height, I'll do it. But for now, just loving my stock wrangler.
 

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usmcss

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Update: Found this thread. Thanks!!!

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/jlu-rubicon-on-35s-no-lift.7290/

Thanks a lot for this post, really opened my eyes to some things.

I’m a new Jeep owner. I was wanting to change my tires and wheels to 35” and put a 2” lift on. Now after reading this I would just want to put the 35’s on but also want the Jeep to be fully functional. I have the JL Rubicon. I don’t plan on doing any rock crawling but if I decided too I would want the Jeep to be able to handle it without rubbing. Do you guys think there would be rubbing issues?

Thanks!
 

jlopes68

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Update: Found this thread. Thanks!!!

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/jlu-rubicon-on-35s-no-lift.7290/

Thanks a lot for this post, really opened my eyes to some things.

I’m a new Jeep owner. I was wanting to change my tires and wheels to 35” and put a 2” lift on. Now after reading this I would just want to put the 35’s on but also want the Jeep to be fully functional. I have the JL Rubicon. I don’t plan on doing any rock crawling but if I decided too I would want the Jeep to be able to handle it without rubbing. Do you guys think there would be rubbing issues?

Thanks!
From what i can see at full stuff with the 33's is that a true 35 will rub. The 34.5s would fit better no lift.
 

usmcss

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From what i can see at full stuff with the 33's is that a true 35 will rub. The 34.5s would fit better no lift.
Thanks a lot buddy! My local Jeep shop here says that they will rub at some point depending on what I’m doing unless I get a 2.5” lift. Im just holding off on everything. I probably will never get into a situation where it will rub, but I don’t want to make my Jeep less functional for looks.

Thanks again!
 

bentaxle

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Many people ask this question and get the answer that for off road a 2.5" lift and 35" tires are what they need to an extent. Most people are not going to be doing any serious off road trails that require any modification to the stock Wrangler. Some do and that is great.

If you want that "LOOK" there is nothing wrong with that. Many perform these modifications for a look but never see any serious off road trail that takes advantage of the modifications they have made.

People need to keep in mind that simply tossing on big tires and adding a lift can cause a lot of issues down the road they had not thought of. So before you go and modify your Jeep I suggest you do a lot of research as to the effects these modifications can have.

- Larger tires = more rotational weight causing more wear and tear. A good write up HERE and additional searching will get you more information.

- Lifts when not done properly can cause alignment issues and wear out other parts quicker. Some decent starter information HERE.

- Ride Quality can be affected adversely. I have read many people state that they loved the look but did not enjoy the way the Jeep drove on pavement which is what most of us use it for 90% or more of the time. A nice write up on Jalopnik HERE.

A decent beginners guide to lifting a Jeep I found HERE.

In the end do what you want but I encourage all the people new to Jeep's to do their research before slapping on a lift kit and bigger tires. I am not against doing this I just want people to be well informed before spending a lot of money on something they may regret down the road. Also realize you can get that look and not have any large adverse effects but you will need to spend more money to do it properly.





10-reasons-not-to-put-a-lift-kit-in-your-jeep

  1. After a lift, your Jeep will NOT ride like it did when it was stock height (don’t believe the marketing hype or message boards)
  2. You WILL spend significantly more money on your Jeep after the lift kit is installed
  3. Lift kits lead to bigger tires. Bigger tires lead to new steering parts, better brakes, gearing upgrades, a stronger tire carrier, refinancing your house, etc.
  4. Your wife/girlfriend will complain that your Jeep is hard to get into and is scary to drive
  5. 33-inch tires will start to look tiny. Your brain does strange things in an effort to make you justify that 38’s are the new 33’s
  6. Fixing driveline vibrations & re-balancing tires will drive you insane
  7. You may experience the dreaded “death wobble.” If you do, you’ll be investing in new underwear
  8. You’ll get pissed at Jeep for not adding welders and onboard air as standard equipment from the factory
  9. You’ll start wondering if your Jeep can climb random things (e.g. the rock in your neighbor’s yard, guard rails, the hood of your boss’ Mercedes)
  10. There will be times when you hate your Jeep and will want to burn it to the ground

Dude is that JK still under warranty because the steering wheel was installed on the wrong side,didn't you notice that when you purchased it ?
 

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My stock sport JL has been everywhere I've wanted to take her with no issues. I did spend some cash on MOLLE bag storage, survival gear, storage, grip handles, Jerk It recovery rope. She's my daily driver, I don't want to sacrifice the ride. It's all about the smiles per gallon, right??

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jg1986

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My stock sport JL has been everywhere I've wanted to take her with no issues. I did spend some cash on MOLLE bag storage, survival gear, storage, grip handles, Jerk It recovery rope. She's my daily driver, I don't want to sacrifice the ride. It's all about the smiles per gallon, right??

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exactly.

I plan to invest in items rather than mods. A good gps, a few other things...maybe a lift later in its life, I plan to put over 150k miles on my 2018 JL Sport S.
 

jmcdtucson

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After seeing this thread, it just reinforced my thinking to keep things stock for a while.
 

WranglerMan

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I will be perfectly honest and say when I first got my Sahara I truly loved it and still do very much but from day one I was asked by my better half “ WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO RAISE THIS THING UP AND MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A REAL JEEP” to which I replied that cost $$$ and maybe I’m gonna wait until the stock tires wear out.

Well to make a long story short I don’t off-road much except getting in the sand is south Texas and that’s not often, have been on some back roads but nothing to serious like a lot of you but I just kept seeing Jeeps that had that look so yes I am one that chased the look and I have no shame in that, after talking with someone that knows Jeeps and knows what suspension issues would arise I went with a 2.5” RC boost that uses my existing springs and shocks and then added some 17” Method MR312 wheels with 315x70x17 KO2’s and come on you have to admit it looks better, @TTEChris at Tankcustoms was great to work with and I look forward to some future mods like a beefier front and rear bumper and possibly a winch, will I do much recovery, it’s very doubful but I will have it if needed and if nothing else it increases resale value so for this guy here I feel like it’s Christmas every day I climb up into my seat and hit the start button and roll down the road and wave at each and every Wrangler I see and if there is not fully loaded I fully respect that but for me I just love that boosted off road look that has a touch of class.

Before

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After

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So yes I will admit I succumbed to the pressures of vanity and wanted a certain look but they always says for addictions the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem and I don’t have one :jk:
 

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I agree 1000%. If people want to go off road their best first upgrade would be recovery upgrades. We have seen the videos where somebody goes for the big lift tires and gets stuck with no way to get themselves out. But if it is purely for looks then the recovery can be skipped.
First jeep here - I'm hoping to get a steel bumper and winch with synthetic rope. Possibly a set of rock sliders to protect the body. Would this much weight cause any issues to the factory springs or suspension/ steering components (or the warranty)? Mine is also a DD and will very likely only see moderate trails, so I'd love to keep the lift and wheels stock if I can
 

akacoffin

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I read through all 4 pages. My husband just bought me this 2018 JK Unlimited last month to replace my old Tahoe. We already took the Jeep 2 weeks old 4x4 to Mammoth & realized needed rock sliders asap. Besides that it did great but now he wants to lift it & get bigger tires. The problem is I am only 5'3", its my daily commuter & I through a huge fit about the tires & got the dealer to replace the street tire with stock size BFG Mudders. Would you leave as is like I prefer for now or maybe a 1" level/lift? I dont need a rock crawl because we also own a 73' CJ5

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