Moab W/Mopar Lift

[IRide66]

After a year's research and mass reading here I decided a 19 Moab will fit my Jeeping needs. Will be a daily driver, camping, trail and beach vehicle. Want a reasonably nice SUV with some off road capabilities. Don't intend to ever do any major rock climbing.

About to put a deposit down for one with tow package and adaptive cruise control. Dealer is willing to swap the stock MTs for KO2s off a Rubi.

Only decision left is lift...considering having them add the Mopar lift from the start.

Was hoping folks here might give me some advice on this...definitely want the more street friendly tires, but understand they are a hair taller.

Will this tire work well enough without the lift?

If I do the lift with the KO2s, will the wheel/fender gap be too much and look odd or work well?

Much appreciate any thoughts and the huge amount of experience you guys share here. I have learned a ton!

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[Pig-Pen]

I think the lift will be too much with the stock 33s.
Either plan to go with 35s if you do the lift or go with 33s and leave it stock. Although, if moab has standard fenders like sahara, it might not look too bad (too much gap)

 

[Simp03]

I just did this on mine and love it. The stock tires and wheels look too small. I did 315 KO2’s and a nice 17” wheel with 4.25 back space. If you want to keep the factory wheels you can use a 1.75 spacer. And another thing I ran into was the spare 35 setting off the rear sensors. I used the rough country bracket to fix this.

 

[Recursion]

... And another thing I ran into was the spare 35 setting off the rear sensors. I used the rough country bracket to fix this.

Could you please elaborate? Which sensors? The back up sensors? Side sensors?

 

[Simp03]

Backup sensors (on the rear bumper) when you put it in reverse. Mine was the one on the far right. It was seeing the tire since it is bigger and wider.

 

[Husker4theSpurs]

I had a JK 2 door Sahara and did a leveling lift and did 33" KO2s and loved the look. It was perfect for my use (some might argue non-use mostly looks, not off roading). I am putting on 285/70 All-Terrains on my Moab and not adding a lift as of yet (yet to put on the new tires). I am thinking the Rubicon shocks give the Moab a bit of a "lift" over the Sahara in the JL. I would search for some threads that have "lift" in the titles to see various looks. I wasn't sure I wanted to go with spacers, so I am going to go with the 33s and will see how it looks. I do think wider than 285 might look better on the JL, but will wait to see mine in person. Looking at pics and lifts on these forums, this is what I decided for now. Not sure if I helped, but my use seems fairly similar to yours. It already seems like a little bit of a climb to get into the Moab vs my JK Sahara.

 

[IRide66]

I think the lift will be too much with the stock 33s.
Either plan to go with 35s if you do the lift or go with 33s and leave it stock. Although, if moab has standard fenders like sahara, it might not look too bad (too much gap)

Thanks Steve, that was my fear...don't want to go with 35s yet, so may just hold off on the lift.

 

[IRide66]

I had a JK 2 door Sahara and did a leveling lift and did 33" KO2s and loved the look. It was perfect for my use (some might argue non-use mostly looks, not off roading). I am putting on 285/70 All-Terrains on my Moab and not adding a lift as of yet (yet to put on the new tires). I am thinking the Rubicon shocks give the Moab a bit of a "lift" over the Sahara in the JL. I would search for some threads that have "lift" in the titles to see various looks. I wasn't sure I wanted to go with spacers, so I am going to go with the 33s and will see how it looks. I do think wider than 285 might look better on the JL, but will wait to see mine in person. Looking at pics and lifts on these forums, this is what I decided for now. Not sure if I helped, but my use seems fairly similar to yours. It already seems like a little bit of a climb to get into the Moab vs my JK Sahara.

Thanks Husker...about to decide to leave well enough alone to start...put KO2s on and see what it drives like etc first...probably the smarter move anyway. Was just thinking it would be nice to get it done prior to delivery and paid for!

 

[Pig-Pen]

If the moab has standard fenders like the sport and sahara then it will look like my sport here. Im on rubi 33s with rubi suspension which is the same as moab.

This pic was taken after a long day of wheeling and crawling. Lotsa flexing with no rubbing

Then imagine it sit sitting about 1.5” higher

 

[DanW]

After a year's research and mass reading here I decided a 19 Moab will fit my Jeeping needs. Will be a daily driver, camping, trail and beach vehicle. Want a reasonably nice SUV with some off road capabilities. Don't intend to ever do any major rock climbing.

About to put a deposit down for one with tow package and adaptive cruise control. Dealer is willing to swap the stock MTs for KO2s off a Rubi.

Only decision left is lift...considering having them add the Mopar lift from the start.

Was hoping folks here might give me some advice on this...definitely want the more street friendly tires, but understand they are a hair taller.

Will this tire work well enough without the lift?

If I do the lift with the KO2s, will the wheel/fender gap be too much and look odd or work well?

Much appreciate any thoughts and the huge amount of experience you guys share here. I have learned a ton!

The look is 100% subjective. I think the 33's would look a bit small. I've got 315 KO2's and I think it looks great and functions perfectly. Others think even the 315's look small. With the 315's, There is no rubbing, which is important if you are going to do any significant off roading. I also like that the 315's don't rub much power, either.

You could talk to a tire dealer, such as Discount Tire, about swapping your KM2's for larger KO2s. They might give you a favorable deal.

Here's the 315's. These are the C rated versions, and they handled Moab, Utah with ease.

 

[IRide66]

Thanks JLUin818 and DanW for your pics and advice. Both your Jeeps look great and like they get used!

When you mention 315s, is this the stock Rubi KO2?

Dan, do you have the Mopar lift on your JLUR?

Dealer has agreed to swap the Moab MTs for Rubi KO2s when it arrives.

 

[DanW]

Thanks JLUin818 and DanW for your pics and advice. Both your Jeeps look great and like they get used!

When you mention 315s, is this the stock Rubi KO2?

Dan, do you have the Mopar lift on your JLUR?

Dealer has agreed to swap the Moab MTs for Rubi KO2s when it arrives.

The stock KO2 is a 285. The 315 comes in both a C load rated version and D rated. I've found the C to ride smooth, handle well, and it survived the sharp rocks of Moab better than the KM2's I had on my JK when there. (Those KM2's were tough, too!). They are about the same size as a 35x12.5. They also only weigh about 64 pounds, which keeps the unsprung weight low and helps the ride.

The lift is indeed a Mopar. I'd highly recommend going to a 315.

 

[WestTexasOverland]

The stock KO2 is a 285. The 315 comes in both a C load rated version and D rated. I've found the C to ride smooth, handle well, and it survived the sharp rocks of Moab better than the KM2's I had on my JK when there. (Those KM2's were tough, too!). They are about the same size as a 35x12.5. They also only weigh about 64 pounds, which keeps the unsprung weight low and helps the ride.

The lift is indeed a Mopar. I'd highly recommend going to a 315.

DanW, I'm considering the Mopar lift and KO2 35s for an overlanding rig and have a couple questions. How big of a hit does the gas mileage take? And how different is the ride feel on the highway compared to a stock Rubicon? Thanks

 

[DanW]

DanW, I'm considering the Mopar lift and KO2 35s for an overlanding rig and have a couple questions. How big of a hit does the gas mileage take? And how different is the ride feel on the highway compared to a stock Rubicon? Thanks

It didn't hit the gas mileage as much as I thought it would. I can still get 20 on the highway if not loaded down and at 65mph. It will dip barely under 20 at 70. I only put about 700 miles on it before the lift, so I can't remember exactly what the mileage was, but I'm guessing in general I lost about 1 or 1.5mpg. The ride feels similar but the way the suspension rebounds from dips or big bumps feels better to me with the Fox shocks. There is a little more body roll in turns, but overall, I think the ride is slightly smoother while the handling is slightly degraded. Overall, I love the way it feels and drives. It didn't rob the power much, either. I'm running the C-rated 315 KO2. 6th gear is really only worthwhile above 60mph. I think it would have been ok at 55mph with the 285's. You do lose a little power/acceleration, but again, not much. It still has gobs more power than my 3.8 JK which runs on 33's. No comparison.

 

[WestTexasOverland]

It didn't hit the gas mileage as much as I thought it would. I can still get 20 on the highway if not loaded down and at 65mph. It will dip barely under 20 at 70. I only put about 700 miles on it before the lift, so I can't remember exactly what the mileage was, but I'm guessing in general I lost about 1 or 1.5mpg. The ride feels similar but the way the suspension rebounds from dips or big bumps feels better to me with the Fox shocks. There is a little more body roll in turns, but overall, I think the ride is slightly smoother while the handling is slightly degraded. Overall, I love the way it feels and drives. It didn't rob the power much, either. I'm running the C-rated 315 KO2. 6th gear is really only worthwhile above 60mph. I think it would have been ok at 55mph with the 285's. You do lose a little power/acceleration, but again, not much. It still has gobs more power than my 3.8 JK which runs on 33's. No comparison.

Wow, that’s much better than I was expecting. I probably won’t buy a Jeep until later this summer, as I’m still trying to figure out all that I want/need. It’s even likely that a stock Rubicon will be sufficient for my off-roading needs, but it’s nice to know I can build a more aggressive rig without destroying my range. Thanks for the feedback.

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