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My experience with JLU Sport with auto, 3.43 gears, Mopar 2" lift and 33" AT tires

aldo98229

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i have a JL Willys sport...I want to put 33s on it at some point..Was thinking about a 1 1/2 spacer lift ..but all this talk of losing 2 to 3 mpg...Would a body lift of say 1 or 1 1/2 in not cause the extra drag..Im not climbiing any rocks..light iff road..maul crawler..i body lifted a cj7 w 2 hockey pucks on my first jeep back in 86..looked great..cant remember any mpg difference..not sure i ever compared before and after
It depends “which” 33-inch tires you are getting. If you get a set of 285/70R17 Rubicon takeoffs, which measure 32.7 inches, you won’t need a lift.

For larger “33s”, you will need a 1-inch in lift.

A 1-inch spacer lift and 33s is going to lower your fuel economy by around 1 to 1.5 MPG.

Anything larger than 33s will start affecting your 3.45 final drive ratio.
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It's been my experience that lifting, regardless of how it's accomplished, will effect fuel efficiency. Some lifts have a bigger impact than others, but you're not going to completely avoid its effect on aerodynamics.

And as Aldo said, as set of Rubicon take offs should work without needing anything. They're not too big and they're not too wide.

It seems the bigger impact on fitting new tires is usually a width more so than diameter. For example: 315/70/17 has been a popular 35 size (even though they're actually 34.4") over the years. The problem is they're 12.5" wide which will often contact the fender and/or suspension. The same person can run a 285/75/18 which is a bigger diameter than the other set (measuring 34.8"). However they're 11" wide instead of 12.5" so they tend to have less clearance issues. As a result, a bigger diameter tire could fit better than the smaller one depending on the set up. It's worth noting, that both of these would require a lift on a JL. I was just pointing out that diameter isn't the only issue, and using a stock take-of is usually a safe bet because they use a width that will work.
 

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i have a JL Willys sport...I want to put 33s on it at some point..Was thinking about a 1 1/2 spacer lift ..but all this talk of losing 2 to 3 mpg...Would a body lift of say 1 or 1 1/2 in not cause the extra drag..Im not climbiing any rocks..light iff road..maul crawler..i body lifted a cj7 w 2 hockey pucks on my first jeep back in 86..looked great..cant remember any mpg difference..not sure i ever compared before and after
I'd build it like you will be doing some rock crawling, that will allow you to be a bit more prepared and able, should your buddies want to go do that sort of thing. Better to be ready for it than not, since you never know, and fwiw rocks are a blast! I think a set of Rubicon 392 springs or possibly a diesel Rubicon set would net another 1.5" of lift, retain factory parts and allow nice room for full suspension travel when running a true 33x12.5 tire up to a 315/70 or 285/75 (both are about 34 to 34.5" tall). Of course you'd need wheels w/ less positive offset like a 8.5 +10 to a -12 offset to allow full flex w/ no contact. This will allow more coil travel vs going w/ a spacer lift, regardless, if you lift another 1.5" you will want mopar lift LCAs to keep your Jeep from wanting to wander at hwy speeds, don't forget those :)
 
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It depends “which” 33-inch tires you are getting. If you get a set of 285/70R17 Rubicon takeoffs, which measure 32.7 inches, you won’t need a lift.

For larger “33s”, you will need a 1-inch in lift.

A 1-inch spacer lift and 33s is going to lower your fuel economy by around 1 to 1.5 MPG.

Anything larger than 33s will start affecting your 3.45 final drive ratio.
Really appreciate the info...Would a 1 in body lift affect mpg less that 1 in spacer? this is my 4th Jeep..sending pic of my first..i lifted w 2 hockey pucks..put on big tires..ran it 90k miles..never even thought of mpg at 99 cents a gallon or any gear issues..thank
I'd build it like you will be doing some rock crawling, that will allow you to be a bit more prepared and able, should your buddies want to go do that sort of thing. Better to be ready for it than not, since you never know, and fwiw rocks are a blast! I think a set of Rubicon 392 springs or possibly a diesel Rubicon set would net another 1.5" of lift, retain factory parts and allow nice room for full suspension travel when running a true 33x12.5 tire up to a 315/70 or 285/75 (both are about 34 to 34.5" tall). Of course you'd need wheels w/ less positive offset like a 8.5 +10 to a -12 offset to allow full flex w/ no contact. This will allow more coil travel vs going w/ a spacer lift, regardless, if you lift another 1.5" you will want mopar lift LCAs to keep your Jeep from wanting to wander at hwy speeds, don't forget those :)
thanks for all the tips...looking back to my first 86 Jeep...see pic..i just lifted w 2 hockey pucks...put what i think were 35s but might have been 34s...and never noticed or worried about the consequenses...maybe the cjs were a little less complicated...or i was younger and didnt sweat the small stuff

IMG_6024.jpg


IMG_6023.jpg
 

aldo98229

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I don’t know that anyone does body lifts any more.

Old Jeeps had relatively small wheel wells. Modern-day Jeeps have plenty of space in the wheel wells to accommodate large tires with relatively little lift.
 

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blnewt

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I don’t know that anyone does body lifts any more.

Old Jeeps had relatively small wheel wells. Modern-day Jeeps have plenty of space in the wheel wells to accommodate large tires with relatively little lift.
Actually there is a body lift kit for the JLs
https://www.roughcountry.com/jeep-body-lift-kit-rc614.html
I had a 3" body lift along w/ a 2" Rancho spring lift on my CJ5 w/ 35x14.5x15 tires, looked good on that Jeep but that body gap on a current vehicle I think would look a bit off but??? There's some very good and relatively simple ways to lift the JL the amount that you're wanting, and I've heard some horror stories regarding removing just the 4 side body bolts for adding rock sliders. I'd hate to think of having an issue removing so many more for the full body lift, I'd think you'd have a tough time, and if you end up stripping one it could be a nightmare to get it off :(

FWIW the reviews for that body lift kit all seem to say it was a simple install, but I'd be wary.
My 74 CJ5 for reference

Jeep Wrangler JL My experience with JLU Sport with auto, 3.43 gears, Mopar 2" lift and 33" AT tires IMG_0309.JPG
 
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Actually there is a body lift kit for the JLs
https://www.roughcountry.com/jeep-body-lift-kit-rc614.html
I had a 3" body lift along w/ a 2" Rancho spring lift on my CJ5 w/ 35x14.5x15 tires, looked good on that Jeep but that body gap on a current vehicle I think would look a bit off but??? There's some very good and relatively simple ways to lift the JL the amount that you're wanting, and I've heard some horror stories regarding removing just the 4 side body bolts for adding rock sliders. I'd hate to think of having an issue removing so many more for the full body lift, I'd think you'd have a tough time, and if you end up stripping one it could be a nightmare to get it off :(

FWIW the reviews for that body lift kit all seem to say it was a simple install, but I'd be wary.
My 74 CJ5 for reference

Jeep Wrangler JL My experience with JLU Sport with auto, 3.43 gears, Mopar 2" lift and 33" AT tires IMG_0309.JPG
Nice CJ5...appreciate tbe advice..see pics of my willys..well when gas prices were under 4 bucks i didnt really sweat 1 or 2 mpg..planned on a 1 1/2 in Spacer lift. but w gas heading to 5 or 6 bucks..thats what got me thinking of a 1 in body lift to give a little room(and nicer look) for the 285s without causing the chassis to have more drag..but...i take your advice that its risky to screw w the body bolts and cause an issue..on my CJ7 it was really easy to loosen bolts and slip a hockey puck in but i think youre right i should be cautious in tbe body lift..thanks for heads up

20211011_164913_capture.jpg
 

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Body lifts seem to get a bad rap and I don't know why. They're affordable and they get the job done, if the purpose is aesthetics. If you do it right, you can't tell the difference between a small body lift and an equivalent amount of suspension lift.
For example a 3" suspension lift with a 1" body lift, done right, is indiscernible from a 4" suspension lift.
Typically 2-3" suspension is achievable via top hats or similar type kits, that are usually around $100-$150 depending on whether they include UCA's or not. A 1" body lift is about the same price range, so you'd have a roughly $300 into a 4" setup. To do the same 4" via suspension alone, the kit tends to go for $1500 or more. That's a huge difference if you're doing it for looks more than anything else.

That said, if you're doing 1-2" alone, you can do it with a spacer pretty cheap and easy. In fact, the install of a set of top hat spacers on the JL is probably going to be easier than a body lift. I've done plenty of body lifts, and they're not hard, but top hats on these Jeeps are ridiculously easy to install.
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