Lift questions

[Rockypointers]

Have a 2005 Wrangelr Sport. We're just beginning upgrades and started by putting on 31" BFG tires and will be putting on 15" wheels as soon as they come in.

Next is a lift, but do not know where to begin. Which brand? Is 3" too much? What about 2"? Too little? How much should I look to pay? Who is a reputable company that could install it? SHould I buy one and take it to the mechanic to install or purchase it through a mechanic?

We aren't into extreme off-roading (yet), but like to get more clearance. Went up into the mountains off Constellation Rd. in Wickenburg up to Bradshaw's grave. That was a blast! WE'd like to try the backroad to Crown King someday, but that's about as aggressive as we'd like to get. No Rubicon trail type stuff for sure!

Any advice would surely be appreciated!

Paz-

DC

[4 Wheelers Supply]

We have everything you want on the shelf. Give us a call in the morning or better yet, come down Sat morning. tomorrow morning the crew will be myself,Cole and Mike. You cant ask for a better group of guys to bounce your question off of. :)
Thanks Simon
P.S. Make sure you tell us you are with the AZVJC. DEEP DISCOUNTS!

[azcharlie]

I've been very happy with my 3.5 RE superflex lift. And with a 1"body lift you can run 35"tires. HOWEVER, depending on what type of offroading you plan on doing you may what to upgrade and get the 4.5RE superflex lift. It's a much better kit than the 3.5 RE.

[Lonnie]

X2 on the 4.5 RE lift, have it on the wifes jeep, wheels really well. Or maybe she is just a better driver than I am.:o

[Wayco]

Well, if you are looking for "any" advise, you have come to the right forum...:D
If you want good advise, talk to Mike, Simon or Cole at 4 Wheelers. Do a search on lifts here and you will spend the weekend sifting through alot of info. or talk to the guys that do the work and get what you need for your style of driving. That's the bottom line, you don't need a RE 5.5" Superflex to do the Crown King trail, you can do that now, with what you have, it's a Jeep, right? Not sure, is a Wrangeir a french jeep?
I have a 3" lift and do 3.5 trails, it's not what you got so much as how you use it.

[4 Wheelers Supply]

X3 but if you are going to stay in the 31"/32" tire size we can swap the coils out to a smaller size. This kit works!!

[SavageSun4x4]

1) Have a 2005 Wrangelr Sport. We're just beginning upgrades and started by putting on 31" BFG tires and will be putting on 15" wheels as soon as they come in.

2) Next is a lift, but do not know where to begin. Which brand?
a) Is 3" too much? What about 2"? Too little?
b) How much should I look to pay?
c) Who is a reputable company that could install it?
d) SHould I buy one and take it to the mechanic to install or purchase it through a mechanic?



Any advice would surely be appreciated!

Paz-

DC
No better crew than at 4 Wheelers. Stand up folks and they back their work.

Let me help get you pointed in a good direction.

1) Unless your already deep into the 15 in wheels I would sure pass on that and go with 16 in wheels. Lots of great wheels available and on the cheap you can grab a full set of Rubicon 16 w/ new or near new OR tires for less than $1k. The 16 is going to give you a little more height over a 15 [about a 1/2 in], better handling due to a shorter sidewall profile and there are plenty of tires available for off roading in the 16 in group.

2) When it comes to lifts they mostly fall into 1 of 3 categories, good, better, best. I will let the boys at 4 Wheelers talk in depth to you there.
a) Hearing about what you want to do with your Jeep I would say either a 2 or a 3 could be a good choice. Do a 3 now and you will grow into it as a driver plus its just one thing less to do later on...Meaning you can spend money on something else.
b) How much to pay? I will give you some advice on the 4x4 world and it also applies to life in general, be sure to remember it:
* Cheap don't come good and good don't come cheap!
* There is no free lunch!
* You can have things good and or cheap and or quick, but you can not have all 3 at the same time.

c) There are a lot of shops around in the greater Phoenix area. DesertFab does great work but it may or may not be close to you. 4 Wheelers has great people, incredible stock on the shelf and they can get it ASAP. They are also a full service shop with the ability to take on anything the 4x4 world can offer or you can dream up. There are others but those are two where I trust the workers and the parts to be what they say.
d) Unless you know what your doing, buy your parts at the place that is going to do the work. If you don't you likely to be unhappy with the results of the work and the performance of the parts.

Final analysis: Whether you put on a 2 in or a 12 in lift you are still facing the same problem...The OEM shovel hanging down underneath your Jeep. I would tell anyone that if you had to choose between a lift or getting rid of the shovel, the shovel would be first to go. Just like a snake cannot crawl without a smooth belly a Jeep cannot really wheel without the shovel. Just removing the shovel is like getting a free 3 in lift. Getting rid of it is a sooner or later proposition. I would recommend doing it sooner rather than later, but that is just me.

The good folks down at 4 Wheelers will get you going in the right direction based upon your desires, pocketbook and expected results. Enjoy:D

[Jdemonto@Airpark Jeep Sales]

For the kind of wheeling you do, I would recomend the rancho rock crawler 2.5..great on road ride and mad flex for the trail!! Had it on my last TJ and it rocked and it will save you big$$$$$$$$ This kit will allow you to run 285/75/16..like Don said the 16" wheels are hard to beat!!! Call my buddy Tim at Desert Rat..I'll send a PM!!!!! Tell him Jason from Airpark sent ya!!!

[AZG23]

Welcome.....

Id actually suggest aslo going on a few runs...you can see what everyone else is doing/running...and talk to folks...

Talk with Simon @ 4 Wheelers, or Joe @ Absolute Offroad....both great guys and very knowledgable and will help with any questions...

Im running an Rubicon Express 3.5 SF, and 1 in Daystar Body lift....its a great kit too...just depends on what you are wanting to do with the Jeep..

[ThumpAZ]

I agree with the sentiment of going a little more than you'd think now and growing into it... it WILL happen. And typically does so within short order.
Thanks, Don, for the kind words about DesertFab... we do try to maintain that rep and is good to see it worked for at least one customer :)

The benefits of the 16's and even 17's off road are many-fold and have been stated already. But the 15's are still the standby... for now. EVERY tire out there comes in a 15 first, with the others normally following quickly. So you won't find yourself high and dry if you are already married to the 15's. Only gripe I've ever had about 16's is that they only have metric sizes... as far as I've seen... and I still can't make hide nor hair of actual dimensions :P
Whatever you do DON'T get 16.5's!!! No true bead lip = popped beads like cheap bubble gum!

Last, but not least... welcome to the fray... er... club. Hope to see you out on the trails (just as soon as I get my junk going)

[AZG23]

btw....what part of the valley are you in...?

[jbjarko]

Talk to the pros. Im running a 3" teraflx right now. My only advice to you is to get something with room to upgrade later, to long arms, etc. You say you won't now, but you will. We have all been there.

[ob1jeeper]

This ain't gonna be popular with many here, but a TJ on 31's is plenty sufficient to run even the Rubicon with... Provided you get yourself some driving experience...

Driving a TJ on the trails to Crown King from ANY direction does NOT require a lift or for that matter, even 31's... ANY bone stock TJ has that capabily WELL within it's built-in design parameters.

According to the press releases from a few years ago, the capability to negotiate the Rubicon in stock trim was a design and funcitonal objective requirement for Jeep Wrangler type vehicles, right from the factory.

IMHO, there's WAY too much ballyhoo regarding the NEED for a lift. I have been running a CJ7 at stock height (still sitting on it's OEM original springs) for over 30 years, on many of the Western US & North America's trails, ranging from scenic, to some of the tougher ones, including the Rubicon & johnson Valleys Hammers. For most of those years, I drove it to & from those locations, but these days with a tad over 400K on the odometer, and my old bones being what they are, I trailer it most of the time. I ran OEM tire sizes for many years, but gradually moved up first to 30x9.50's, then 31's and recently to GDYR's 32" MTR's, which also finally hurt performance sufficiently to require re-gearing to 4.10's to get back the gearing losses of larger tires. Still using the OEM original 15" wheels BTW. ;)

Much of the advice to lift you will get, will include the rationale that it will provide WAY better off-road performance. And there is little doubt that if done properly, a lift can provide better ground clearance to the undercarriage and body panels. If not done properly, you can end up with a vehicle with a quoted 3" or whatever lift that is in acutallity no where close to that amount of lift, and I've seen more than one hack job that made on AND off-road performance worse.

But even properly done lifts and the resulting ground clearance increases, comes at both a $$price in monetary outlays, and in diminished steep grade and side-hill performance, not to mention the on-road performance degredations.

About now you are going to hear a bunch of wailing and gnashing of teeth from all the guys & gals here who've ponied up for lifts to fit tires, etc., about how thier lifted Jeep is a daily driver, and they've never had handling problems, etc., etc., etc.

Just understand one thing which you can take to the bank. If those lifts were truly as good on the roadways as many will claim them to be, a lift would be available from the factory as an option, so the manufacturer could make that money, rather than leaving it on the table for the aftermarket folks.

Contrary to the misconception that auto manufacturers are in the business of building vehicles... They are instead, in business for the same reason everyone is in a business...to make money. And if they thought they could make vehicles pass federal standards with a lift installed as an extra cost option, it would be happening. Not just with Jeeps, but with Hummers, and Range Rovers, and Toyotas, and etc., etc., etc...

All that said... May I offer a suggestion,that you use your vehicle for a while on some of the trails you think you want to be able to run, before spending $'s on things you as yet have not had the opportunity to experience and understand the need for?

OR... If you've already made up your mind to lift it because of the "coolness factor", or for whatever reason other than a true NEED, then by all means have it done by one of the professional installers, such as the folks over @ 4-wheelers, so it will be done using professional installation techniques that will cause the least issues. Improperly installed or mis-matched components can turn your project into a money eating pit that is not fun to drive anywhere. (not to mention "less than optimal" from a safety aspect...)

Good Luck with your decision...;)

[ThumpAZ]

Well said OB1.
I agree that there is not a NEED of a lift for most things out there, but the want is reaaaallllyyyy strong ;)
But I won't talk a guy out of a sensible lift if that is what they want. I'll only try to rationalize that there is no sense in the HUGE lifts you see on many vehicles beyond mall crawling as that is about the only thing they can do... and not even that is done too well.
Getting out there and experiencing your Jeep as it sits and then modifying for your particular needs/wants is way more responsible and intelligent than just going after "the lift you saw on a buddy's Jeep." You'll be much happier and may even turn out as a better driver because of it, as you'll learn your rig and find your style, then get to enhance both as you go along.

A reasonable lift to keep the tires out of the body, and add to the technical trail stability (CoG isn't so adversely affected until 4.5" and up lifts) is money well spent IMHO. all things are considering that a reputable and professional do the work. If for no other reason than they have seen the different kits out there and can perform the little tricks of wisdom to make them work safer or more reliably.

[Spongebob]

This ain't gonna be popular with many here, but a TJ on 31's is plenty sufficient to run even the Rubicon with... Provided you get yourself some driving experience...

Driving a TJ on the trails to Crown King from ANY direction does NOT require a lift or for that matter, even 31's... ANY bone stock TJ has that capabily WELL within it's built-in design parameters.

According to the press releases from a few years ago, the capability to negotiate the Rubicon in stock trim was a design and funcitonal objective requirement for Jeep Wrangler type vehicles, right from the factory.

IMHO, there's WAY too much ballyhoo regarding the NEED for a lift. I have been running a CJ7 at stock height (still sitting on it's OEM original springs) for over 30 years, on many of the Western US & North America's trails, ranging from scenic, to some of the tougher ones, including the Rubicon & johnson Valleys Hammers. For most of those years, I drove it to & from those locations, but these days with a tad over 400K on the odometer, and my old bones being what they are, I trailer it most of the time. I ran OEM tire sizes for many years, but gradually moved up first to 30x9.50's, then 31's and recently to GDYR's 32" MTR's, which also finally hurt performance sufficiently to require re-gearing to 4.10's to get back the gearing losses of larger tires. Still using the OEM original 15" wheels BTW. ;)

Much of the advice to lift you will get, will include the rationale that it will provide WAY better off-road performance. And there is little doubt that if done properly, a lift can provide better ground clearance to the undercarriage and body panels. If not done properly, you can end up with a vehicle with a quoted 3" or whatever lift that is in acutallity no where close to that amount of lift, and I've seen more than one hack job that made on AND off-road performance worse.

But even properly done lifts and the resulting ground clearance increases, comes at both a $$price in monetary outlays, and in diminished steep grade and side-hill performance, not to mention the on-road performance degredations.

About now you are going to hear a bunch of wailing and gnashing of teeth from all the guys & gals here who've ponied up for lifts to fit tires, etc., about how thier lifted Jeep is a daily driver, and they've never had handling problems, etc., etc., etc.

Just understand one thing which you can take to the bank. If those lifts were truly as good on the roadways as many will claim them to be, a lift would be available from the factory as an option, so the manufacturer could make that money, rather than leaving it on the table for the aftermarket folks.

Contrary to the misconception that auto manufacturers are in the business of building vehicles... They are instead, in business for the same reason everyone is in a business...to make money. And if they thought they could make vehicles pass federal standards with a lift installed as an extra cost option, it would be happening. Not just with Jeeps, but with Hummers, and Range Rovers, and Toyotas, and etc., etc., etc...

All that said... May I offer a suggestion,that you use your vehicle for a while on some of the trails you think you want to be able to run, before spending $'s on things you as yet have not had the opportunity to experience and understand the need for?

OR... If you've already made up your mind to lift it because of the "coolness factor", or for whatever reason other than a true NEED, then by all means have it done by one of the professional installers, such as the folks over @ 4-wheelers, so it will be done using professional installation techniques that will cause the least issues. Improperly installed or mis-matched components can turn your project into a money eating pit that is not fun to drive anywhere. (not to mention "less than optimal" from a safety aspect...)

Good Luck with your decision...;)



This is probably one of the best, well written posts that I've read here for a long time! Wheel your jeep and find out what you need and then do what you need and or want to do. Don't let anyone try to tell you what you need to do otherwise you'll be dropping a heck of a lot of money into something that you may or may not want. Do your own research and build your rig however you want to wheel it.

[daniel]

Just cut all the frenders off and go at it:D I think spongeBob has a 3'lift for sell right now then you can pay fourwheeler to put it in and or do it yourself.
Keep in mind that everybaody thinks that the lift they run is the best. I got to drive different rigs with different sizes. I want a 6' lift but that just me there are other people that would say you a out of your mind 4or 5or even what I have is all that I nee. OH I have a 3' lift.So if you can drive some other Id let you drive my to give it a try and that is what I think is BEST:D but what do i know Im just a NEWBIE:eek: