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Ok to put on 35s and a 2.5 spacer lift?

RUSTYS

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I have a 18 JL sport s. I am trying to find out if it is a good idea to put on 35s and a 2.5 spacer lift. I have been told that works perfectly and that I should not go bigger than 33s since I do not have the Rubicon. I do some rock crawling and some trails. So far I have been runing stock and the clearance is staring to be a little of an issue with what I want to do.
Don't waste your time or money on 33s. 35s will fit perfect with the 2.5" spacer lift. Most of us here who received our JL's 1st all ran the RC 2.5" because it was the first out and yes even LiteBrite ran it. You'll be happy with that set up. Let me know if you go that route and I'll sell you one with shocks that I used a short time.
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I have a 18 JL sport s. I am trying to find out if it is a good idea to put on 35s and a 2.5 spacer lift. I have been told that works perfectly and that I should not go bigger than 33s since I do not have the Rubicon. I do some rock crawling and some trails. So far I have been runing stock and the clearance is staring to be a little of an issue with what I want to do.
You should be more than fine, just make sure to set your bump stop's accordingly to avoid rubbing the fenders at full stuff.


I'm in a similar, but different boat in that I've got a Rubicon on 37's with a 2.5" budget boost. On road, it's perfect, no issues. Off road, I'll rub the fender liner at full stuff. I just need more bump stop out back.
 

RUSTYS

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You should be more than fine, just make sure to set your bump stop's accordingly to avoid rubbing the fenders at full stuff.
Did you remove the bottom plastic fender liner? Also after you do take a heat gun to the rear mid section of the liner and push it in. I didn't have any issue with rubbing until I went to the 38s but I don't know what lift you have.

I'm in a similar, but different boat in that I've got a Rubicon on 37's with a 2.5" budget boost. On road, it's perfect, no issues. Off road, I'll rub the fender liner at full stuff. I just need more bump stop out back.
 

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The reason they are saying that is because of the axles. You'd be fine with that combo HOWEVER...

If you are doing rock crawling I would avoid the 35s with the Dana M200 axle. Dana/Spycer is saying that running 35s on the street and mild off roading is ok but you are running a risk if you are doing serious offroading.
Re-gearing, while a nice idea for 35s isn't completely necessary. 37s... yes.

My wife and I are in the same boat. We have a 2.5" lift and 33s and it is great both on and offroad with some pretty serious rock crawling and trail riding. That being said when we go to 35s we are putting in chromemoly rear axle shafts ($355 on Quadratech) and then eventually a locker. When the locker goes in I will think about re-gearing.

Eaton's E-lockers should be coming soon. My Sahara has LSD rear which I plan to keep however I will install the front Elocker as soon as available and then re-gear at that time

 

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Eaton's E-lockers should be coming soon. My Sahara has LSD rear which I plan to keep however I will install the front Elocker as soon as available and then re-gear at that time

I have an Eaton on the front of my LJ with an open diff in the rear. Had an Eaton Detroit Locker back there but it sucks as a DD with it in there.
Wife is running open diffs right now and I am surprised at how well it does. I've heard good things about the LSD from the factory.
 

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I have a 18 JL sport s. I am trying to find out if it is a good idea to put on 35s and a 2.5 spacer lift. I have been told that works perfectly and that I should not go bigger than 33s since I do not have the Rubicon. I do some rock crawling and some trails. So far I have been runing stock and the clearance is staring to be a little of an issue with what I want to do.
I have a 2.5-inch spacer lift on my 2dr JL with 35-inch tires my rims are 17x9 with 4.5 backspacing. I haven't had any issues of rubbing on or off-road. I have the stock 3.45 gears and it doesn't seam to drive much different than with stock tires I still have plenty of power and I'm averaging 21 mpg. My Jeep is a 6spd manual. I'm planning on upgrading to Rubicon axles. I'm also going to put a 3.5-inch spring lift on. I put the spacer lift on temporary so I could run my 35's and have had no issues. I also calibrated my speedometer with a tazer JL tuner it was about 5 mph slow at 65 mph.
 

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Hey guys, just got some 35 (or 34.4 I think technically lol) 315-70-17 KO2s on standard Rubi rims, put them on tonight and a full turn it rubs.
Thinks I should go with 2.5 spacer lift, or wheel spacers ? Is lifting it up going to fix the rubbing ? Sorry, Jeep noob here lol
 

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Hey guys, just got some 35 (or 34.4 I think technically lol) 315-70-17 KO2s on standard Rubi rims, put them on tonight and a full turn it rubs.
Thinks I should go with 2.5 spacer lift, or wheel spacers ? Is lifting it up going to fix the rubbing ? Sorry, Jeep noob here lol
Definitely interested in this response. We have 33s Rubi take offs with no problems (obviously) and we also have the 2.5" spacer as well as Synergy wheel spacers.
Personally I would recommend getting both of those (under $400 for all of it) because it gives the Jeep a great stance and the lift is needed if you are off roading serious trails.
I know the spacers should fix your problem but I don't know the lift will so I'm interested to hear what @chevymitchell could offer up.
 

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Definitely interested in this response. We have 33s Rubi take offs with no problems (obviously) and we also have the 2.5" spacer as well as Synergy wheel spacers.
Personally I would recommend getting both of those (under $400 for all of it) because it gives the Jeep a great stance and the lift is needed if you are off roading serious trails.
I know the spacers should fix your problem but I don't know the lift will so I'm interested to hear what @chevymitchell could offer up.
Yeah I ran both also. 2.5 spacer lift with shocks and 1.75" wheel spacers. The wheel spacers push the tires out about an inch passed the fenders and look fantastic.
 

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Yeah I ran both also. 2.5 spacer lift with shocks and 1.75" wheel spacers. The wheel spacers push the tires out about an inch passed the fenders and look fantastic.
Yep exactly what we did. What shocks? We went with Rancho.
 

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RUSTYS

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Yep exactly what we did. What shocks? We went with Rancho.
I bought the Rough Country spacer with their new N3 shocks. I only had them on a few weeks and then my Falcons came in. I swear these RC shocks rode way better than the falcons.
 

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Definitely interested in this response. We have 33s Rubi take offs with no problems (obviously) and we also have the 2.5" spacer as well as Synergy wheel spacers.
Personally I would recommend getting both of those (under $400 for all of it) because it gives the Jeep a great stance and the lift is needed if you are off roading serious trails.
I know the spacers should fix your problem but I don't know the lift will so I'm interested to hear what @chevymitchell could offer up.
Hi, actually the more I think about it the more I’m convinced wheel spacers is what I need to move the tires away from the inside/rubbing parts.
I’m afraid the spacer lift will not fix it, and only make the wheels look “smaller”, while I like the look it has right now.
We don’t really plan on doing any offroading, and I guess I could still do it later, the main reason behind doing it now, is for obvious safety reasons...
And it would also be cheaper as I can install the wheel spacers myself vs having to pay a shop to install the lift.
Does 1.5” sound like it should be enough ? Or how much would you say I should get ?
Thanks :)

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mgroeger

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Hi, actually the more I think about it the more I’m convinced wheel spacers is what I need to move the tires away from the inside/rubbing parts.
I’m afraid the spacer lift will not fix it, and only make the wheels look “smaller”, while I like the look it has right now.
We don’t really plan on doing any offroading, and I guess I could still do it later, the main reason behind doing it now, is for obvious safety reasons...
And it would also be cheaper as I can install the wheel spacers myself vs having to pay a shop to install the lift.
Does 1.5” sound like it should be enough ? Or how much would you say I should get ?
Thanks :)

3E3A2D48-782A-4F40-9F0F-977599E0C95E.jpeg
The spacers would most likely take care of the rub.
We put the Synergy spacers on my wife's and we are very pleased with them. They are 1-5/8" and hub centric. I know some people go gaga over Spider Trax but at $50 more per pair I couldn't justify it.
Quadratec has the Synergy ones for $80 but if I remember correctly John Ariolla @OffRoadWarehouse hooked me up for $70 a pair and gave me a great understanding of how to torque, drive and re-torque them. You don't just slap them on and drive off. PM him and he'll take care of you. I don't get anything out of it, he's just a good guy who loves off roading and gets to sell off roading parts for a living.

Nice looking Jeep BTW and it would look better with a lift :) Here's a before and after pic of my wife's with the same rims/tires you have. The Jeep is much different than in these pics now but this is where we started. We leave for Moab Friday :)

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FrenchSSGTMike

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The spacers would most likely take care of the rub.
We put the Synergy spacers on my wife's and we are very pleased with them. They are 1-5/8" and hub centric. I know some people go gaga over Spider Trax but at $50 more per pair I couldn't justify it.
Quadratec has the Synergy ones for $80 but if I remember correctly John Ariolla @OffRoadWarehouse hooked me up for $70 a pair and gave me a great understanding of how to torque, drive and re-torque them. You don't just slap them on and drive off. PM him and he'll take care of you. I don't get anything out of it, he's just a good guy who loves off roading and gets to sell off roading parts for a living.

Nice looking Jeep BTW and it would look better with a lift :) Here's a before and after pic of my wife's with the same rims/tires you have. The Jeep is much different than in these pics now but this is where we started. We leave for Moab Friday :)

upload_2018-6-26_10-38-36-jpeg-jpg.jpg


upload_2018-6-26_10-38-50-jpeg-jpg.jpg
Awesome, and thanks for the tips.
Remember I’m a newbie here, but what does make a difference in the different brands for wheel spacers, aren’t they pretty much all the same, as it’s a pretty simple device ?
Would 2” be a safer bet ?
I do love the stance with the lift, I think I’ll have to pull the trigger at some point, just trying to be budget-friendly for now lol
What about the spare, are you just using the standard mount, or did you buy the reinforcement and/or relocating kit ?
And what about buying a JLUR suspension kit ? Anybody here did that ? What was the outcome height/lift wise ?
Thanks :)
 

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Awesome, and thanks for the tips.
Remember I’m a newbie here, but what does make a difference in the different brands for wheel spacers, aren’t they pretty much all the same, as it’s a pretty simple device ?
Would 2” be a safer bet ?
I do love the stance with the lift, I think I’ll have to pull the trigger at some point, just trying to be budget-friendly for now lol
What about the spare, are you just using the standard mount, or did you buy the reinforcement and/or relocating kit ?
And what about buying a JLUR suspension kit ? Anybody here did that ? What was the outcome height/lift wise ?
Thanks :)
There are two important things about wheel spacers - Must be hub centric (they slip right over the hub protrusion and are thereby completely centered) - MADE IN AMERICA, don't buy the Chinese crap off of ebay. Synergy meets both of these requirements. Again, talk to John he will help you out on the spacer stuff.
2" would be fine but I think the standard is around the 1-3/4" mark.
You can do a Rough Country 2.5" spacer lift for under $200. It will add 2.5" in the front and 2" in the rear, that way you will remove the rake out of the front of your Jeep and give it a proper stance.
All models have the same tailgate and hinges which means they all can safely hold the 33" Rubi rim/tire. When moving up to a 35 or more I would recommend a hinge reinforcement kit.
Initially we did buy a Rubi take off suspension but the Mrs. decided she wanted to go higher so I never put it on and sold it for $140 after paying $299...SMH. A Sahara will only pick up around 3/4" of lift from a Rubi suspension where a Sport could see a little over an inch. Plenty of people have done it, it all depends on what you are looking for.
We off road as much and hard as we can so we had immediate regrets about not buying the Rubi. We had no idea how much we would get into off roading until we started. We got into it so much that it spawned me buying a '04 LJ so we could off road together. That being said we are simply going to build the Sahara to handle more off road.
Next will be chromoly rear axle shafts so we can safely go to 35" tires and we will also eventually put a rear locker in. The Mrs. thinks she wants to go to 37s but that's a whole other ball game because then I need to re-gear the axles and that alone will run around $2k.
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