What to upgrade with 35's to 37's and more

[avei5150]

I am debating a lift and larger tires for a 2018 JLUR. I do not plan on very difficult or technical rock crawling, but enjoy a number of trails in the area. I'm trying to balance clearance and drivability with the slippery slope of ever growing wheels and lots of upgrades to various components.

I have been happy with the JLUR 33's and suspension but find it needs more clearance. I realize they claim you can do 35's with no lift, but it always looks close to me. The local dealer that does lots of the mopar lifts has a stable of JL's with the Mopar lift and 37s. They advised against the lift and 35's as it leave a lot of space, borderline made fun of me for suggesting it.

My concern with the 37's was, I would be closer to getting into issues with parking garages, and kids getting in. I also was curious when you need to;

- upgrade drive shafts
- upgraded gears
- additional steering geometry changes (sway bar, track bar..)
-completely destroying gas milage

Can you really just run 37's with just the Mopar kit? I'm trying to stay with the Mopar kit as I am enjoying the warranty and the drivability. It's a daily driver and it will stay that way.

I just wasn't sure after looking a bit if there was anything that showed when you normally need to upgrade additional drive line components and steering.

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[shadowmoto17]

I am debating a lift and larger tires for a 2018 JLUR. I do not plan on very difficult or technical rock crawling, but enjoy a number of trails in the area. I'm trying to balance clearance and drivability with the slippery slope of ever growing wheels and lots of upgrades to various components.

I have been happy with the JLUR 33's and suspension but find it needs more clearance. I realize they claim you can do 35's with no lift, but it always looks close to me. The local dealer that does lots of the mopar lifts has a stable of JL's with the Mopar lift and 37s. They advised against the lift and 35's as it leave a lot of space, borderline made fun of me for suggesting it.

My concern with the 37's was, I would be closer to getting into issues with parking garages, and kids getting in. I also was curious when you need to;

- upgrade drive shafts
- upgraded gears
- additional steering geometry changes (sway bar, track bar..)
-completely destroying gas milage

Can you really just run 37's with just the Mopar kit? I'm trying to stay with the Mopar kit as I am enjoying the warranty and the drivability. It's a daily driver and it will stay that way.

I just wasn't sure after looking a bit if there was anything that showed when you normally need to upgrade additional drive line components and steering.

I’m curious about what you said also but with a JLU Sport s. Won’t be doing anything significant till I get back to the mainland(stationed in Hawaii).

 

[vhfan5150]

I will be watching this too. Looks like the problem (if you want to call it that) with the Mopar lift is that it yields more than 2.5" of lift so the 35s look small. I am hearing good things about the Dynatrac Endurosport 2" lift. I was thinking of running 35s with it and not have to worry about the rubbing at full flex, and keeping a proportional "look" in my fender wells since it is pretty spot on 2". I've heard you can go to 37s with it too. But alas, indecisive old me might wait and see.

 

[Dawn Patrol]

I was going back and forth about buying 35s vs 37s and ultimately went with 37's because I knew that if I pulled the trigger on 35's, I'd regret it and end up spending more money. I put fuel anza's and 37" BFG KO2's on the Jeep with a mopar 2" lift-which I got more like 2.5- 3" out of. I have a turbo engine and my mileage is still pretty good! I get around 21-23 mpg and I do a pretty even mix of highway and side roads. I didn't upgrade any gears or shafts and I do see 8th gear on the highways; however, I did experience a little more wonder on the road as a result of the changes. I aired down to 28 psi (30-31 warm), adjusted the toe and also put on adjustable lower control arms. My wondering is not an issue anymore.
In regards to garages, I fit (barely) but I have a few inches to spare. The biggest adjustment has been for my wife, who is vertically challenged, as well as my ten and six year old boys who have all learned how to hop in. Let me know if you have any thing I can help with.

 

[Dawn Patrol]

I will be watching this too. Looks like the problem (if you want to call it that) with the Mopar lift is that it yields more than 2.5" of lift so the 35s look small. I am hearing good things about the Dynatrac Endurosport 2" lift. I was thinking of running 35s with it and not have to worry about the rubbing at full flex, and keeping a proportional "look" in my fender wells since it is pretty spot on 2". I've heard you can go to 37s with it too. But alas, indecisive old me might wait and see.

Btw, just put a 5150 decal on my young son’s guitar. We are big VH fans too!

 

[shadowmoto17]

I will be watching this too. Looks like the problem (if you want to call it that) with the Mopar lift is that it yields more than 2.5" of lift so the 35s look small. I am hearing good things about the Dynatrac Endurosport 2" lift. I was thinking of running 35s with it and not have to worry about the rubbing at full flex, and keeping a proportional "look" in my fender wells since it is pretty spot on 2". I've heard you can go to 37s with it too. But alas, indecisive old me might wait and see.

Unless it’s an extreme eye sore I’ll stick to 35”, but we’ll see. My General Grabbers X3 are coming in soo and they’re just a bit bigger than the stock tires. 35”s will be an investment since I’ll probably want to upgrade the 3.45 gears I think came stock.

 

[avei5150]

So, someone had posted the 35's and the 2" lift. I didn't mind it. I also have little kids that'll have an issue getting in to 35's let alone 37's.

I was more asking, is 37's the start of the slippery slope down the way of; re-gearing, front geometry, rear tailgate re-enforcement.

I believe later on in life it'll have 37's when it's completely out fo warranty and a non daily driver.

 

[Dawn Patrol]

So, someone had posted the 35's and the 2" lift. I didn't mind it. I also have little kids that'll have an issue getting in to 35's let alone 37's.

I was more asking, is 37's the start of the slippery slope down the way of; re-gearing, front geometry, rear tailgate re-enforcement.

I believe later on in life it'll have 37's when it's completely out fo warranty and a non daily driver.

I don't think it is the beginning of a slippery slope. At least it wasn't for me. I didn't have to reinforce the tailgate AND I have a tuffy security box on the inside but no signs of sag (yet). In addition to the wheels/tires, the only addition I made was adjustable lower control arms and adjusting the toe. I'm not sure if my experience is typical, but I figured I'd share it with you because I am happy with my decision. Also, the kids love it and are always asking me what size tires other Jeeps have. LOL.

 

[Dawn Patrol]

Forgot to mention one thing, depending on where you live, you have to take into consideration the offset/backspacing so the wheels don’t stick out beyond the fenders too far. That’s truly one thing I keep going back and forth about because I won’t pass inspection and could get pulled over here.

 

[EZMFE]

The picture below is not my image but may help to compare.

I also was curious when you need to;

- upgrade drive shafts
- upgraded gears
- additional steering geometry changes (sway bar, track bar..)
-completely destroying gas milage

Can you really just run 37's with just the Mopar kit?

Upgrading drive shafts with the mopar is not necessarily needed considering what you have stated your purpose is. With a tall enough lift, the rear stock track bar may force the rear axle to the passenger side and the drive shaft may come in contact with the fuel tank. That would normally happen in a full stuff situation but it's not that uncommon.

Gears on the Rubi and 35's would not be necessary. When going to 37's you might want to consider it but what it costs to do it stops many people. If you want to see 8th gear than yes but the 4.10's do ok with them. I'd say go for it if you have the cash but maybe just 4.88's.

Lifts normally come with sway bar links or they come with new rear links and they have you move the stock rear to the front. Track bars would come into play if your axles are off center. The stock track bar is pretty weak and may be designed to "give" a little and with heavier wheels/tires it is noticeable. With enough height on the lift the stock track bars will move the axles out and you will want to correct that. If you truly want to correct geometry... front/rear track bar brackets and front lower control arm brackets would be a good start.

Gas mileage - umm, wait for the diesel.... 37's = 15-18mpg

Yes, you can run 37's with the mopar lift but will need to remove the plastic pieces that are directly behind the rear wheels. You will also want to bend up the back of the rear wheel well liner so it doesn't catch the tire. This will all depend on wheel/tire width and wheel offset. The size of bump stop you have front/rear also comes into play. While one setup will slide under the lip of the fender... others that stick out more may not. Really depends on the setup you go with but generally yes you can without major issues.

Oh, I'm not done yet

Putting a steel bumper and a winch on the front is going to drop the front end 1/2 to 3/4" depending on size of the bumper, how thick the bumper is, and if your going steel or synthetic cable on the winch. Same goes for the back... when you add a steel bumper, heavier wheel/tire, and throw some gear in the rear. It is going to bring it down a bit. if you plan on adding some heavy duty rock rails, they may bring front/rear down even more. So while there may be a bigger gap with 35's, some of that gap will be reduced with weight. That may also go against what you're looking for since it might be plenty high when you first install the lift/35's... once you do a bunch of upgrades, it's no longer as high as you would prefer.

37's are heavy and you can definitely tell when doing things like braking or driving down mountain roads.... you can manually gear down but it can feel pretty heavy when trying to keep speeds to a minimum while going down a canyon. Even when doing things like closing the rear door... you can feel the weight and are careful to not close the door too hard. If you go off road and hit bumps hard enough, that back door is going to eventually have issues unless reinforced. It might not be immediately evident but wait a year or two of constant abuse. You may have that same issue with a 35" depending on how heavy the wheel/tire are so check out the weight of the wheel/tire combo you are going to go with. Look around at a few other wheels/tires of the same size and see what the weight of those are. You might want to try and keep weight to a minimum when deciding on a w/t combo.

With either setup you will eventually need to upgrade suspension/steering components. The stock suspension/steering components are made for the 33" tire and stock wheel weight. Moving that tire farther out and stepping up to the wider-heavier wheel/tire is going to apply more pressure/leverage on those components and you will notice. You might get away with not upgrading for a while but just like anything else that is trying to hold back more weight than it is designed to handle... it will show signs of wear earlier than normal.

If you do go with 37's, expect to invest in additional parts at some point. Even if it's just a pavement princess, some of those suspension/steering parts are going to wear out and you will need to replace them. With lighter weight 35's, there is the same issue but you may get a little more life out of the stock parts.

My preference is 37's due to the look/clearance but sometimes I do admire those on 35's due to some of what was outlined above.

 

[avei5150]

The picture below is not my image but may help to compare.



Upgrading drive shafts with the mopar is not necessarily needed considering what you have stated your purpose is. With a tall enough lift, the rear stock track bar may force the rear axle to the passenger side and the drive shaft may come in contact with the fuel tank. That would normally happen in a full stuff situation but it's not that uncommon.

Gears on the Rubi and 35's would not be necessary. When going to 37's you might want to consider it but what it costs to do it stops many people. If you want to see 8th gear than yes but the 4.10's do ok with them. I'd say go for it if you have the cash but maybe just 4.88's.

Lifts normally come with sway bar links or they come with new rear links and they have you move the stock rear to the front. Track bars would come into play if your axles are off center. The stock track bar is pretty weak and may be designed to "give" a little and with heavier wheels/tires it is noticeable. With enough height on the lift the stock track bars will move the axles out and you will want to correct that. If you truly want to correct geometry... front/rear track bar brackets and front lower control arm brackets would be a good start.

Gas mileage - umm, wait for the diesel.... 37's = 15-18mpg

Yes, you can run 37's with the mopar lift but will need to remove the plastic pieces that are directly behind the rear wheels. You will also want to bend up the back of the rear wheel well liner so it doesn't catch the tire. This will all depend on wheel/tire width and wheel offset. The size of bump stop you have front/rear also comes into play. While one setup will slide under the lip of the fender... others that stick out more may not. Really depends on the setup you go with but generally yes you can without major issues.

Oh, I'm not done yet

Putting a steel bumper and a winch on the front is going to drop the front end 1/2 to 3/4" depending on size of the bumper, how thick the bumper is, and if your going steel or synthetic cable on the winch. Same goes for the back... when you add a steel bumper, heavier wheel/tire, and throw some gear in the rear. It is going to bring it down a bit. if you plan on adding some heavy duty rock rails, they may bring front/rear down even more. So while there may be a bigger gap with 35's, some of that gap will be reduced with weight. That may also go against what you're looking for since it might be plenty high when you first install the lift/35's... once you do a bunch of upgrades, it's no longer as high as you would prefer.

37's are heavy and you can definitely tell when doing things like braking or driving down mountain roads.... you can manually gear down but it can feel pretty heavy when trying to keep speeds to a minimum while going down a canyon. Even when doing things like closing the rear door... you can feel the weight and are careful to not close the door too hard. If you go off road and hit bumps hard enough, that back door is going to eventually have issues unless reinforced. It might not be immediately evident but wait a year or two of constant abuse. You may have that same issue with a 35" depending on how heavy the wheel/tire are so check out the weight of the wheel/tire combo you are going to go with. Look around at a few other wheels/tires of the same size and see what the weight of those are. You might want to try and keep weight to a minimum when deciding on a w/t combo.

With either setup you will eventually need to upgrade suspension/steering components. The stock suspension/steering components are made for the 33" tire and stock wheel weight. Moving that tire farther out and stepping up to the wider-heavier wheel/tire is going to apply more pressure/leverage on those components and you will notice. You might get away with not upgrading for a while but just like anything else that is trying to hold back more weight than it is designed to handle... it will show signs of wear earlier than normal.

If you do go with 37's, expect to invest in additional parts at some point. Even if it's just a pavement princess, some of those suspension/steering parts are going to wear out and you will need to replace them. With lighter weight 35's, there is the same issue but you may get a little more life out of the stock parts.

My preference is 37's due to the look/clearance but sometimes I do admire those on 35's due to some of what was outlined above.

Thank you very much! I’m not against upgrading some geometry and other components but was worried about breakage right away or just not working. It is a manual but will assume to recommendation holds on going to 4.88’s.

This has really helped in figuring out what to do. Thank you and all for taking the time to reply!

 

[Mojito St Pete]

how did your gas cap disappear?

 

[avei5150]

how did your gas cap disappear?

It is almost identical, he pulled off showing the other side, making it look like the original. Trail rates badge is gone too and the antenna showed up!

Still gets you for a min.

 

[pokey02]

how did your gas cap disappear?

Might be passenger side ... notice the Jeep logo is mirrored.

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