Flat Towing with a 4" lift

[Johnzo]

Getting ready to do a long trip (6,000 + miles) and will be towing my TJ. I'm in the process of getting it lifted to 4" and putting bigger tires on it.

What I'm trying to figure out if this is going to make it unstable for towing? Does towing put more wear on tires than plain old driving? Wondering if my new tires will be worn out by the time I get back.

[k7mto]

Tire wear will be pretty much the same as if you drove it. If possible tow it on street tires and haul the offroad tires, then swap them when you get to your destination.

[Johnzo]

Thanks for the input - I wont have the room for extra tires. I more concerned about stability than tire wear.

[jporvaz]

I flat tow my XJ on 4+" of lift with no issues. I realize that lifts affect TJs differently than XJs but the wheel width should be similar.

[ademster]

I flat tow my XJ on 4+" of lift with no issues. I realize that lifts affect TJs differently than XJs but the wheel width should be similar.

you are correct about towing tjs vs xj

just like towing a small trailer they have a higher tendancies to sway back and forth going down the road unlike a 16 foot car hauler vs a 18 wheeler.

the longer the better..


but as for you flat towing... I flat towed my cj-7 4 inch lift, alignment not perfect towed great.. furtherest I flat towed it was from Queen Creek to Payson/Heber

[TomHatch]

It should be rock solid if you have the sway bars on your Jeep hooked up (or an AntiRock up front with standard sway bar in rear).

When I had disconnects I always flat towed connected. Now I have Curries AntiRock and it's obviouslly always "connected" too. The Jeep tows the same regardless of the make of the sway bar.

I noticed a big difference flat towing when my AntiRock was removed for a trip to Ouray (didn't have enough time to finish the links after changing out the steering). Nothing scary happened, but I could surely feel the Jeep moving (swaying) around vs couldn't feel it at all before.

It will also depend on the truck you are using. With a 3/4 ton and up you will not notice it's there (ie it will feel like a small trailer). With a 1/2 ton you'll feel it sway slightly over bumps and around corners.

Remember T-Case in Neutral and Tranny in Park!

[Johnzo]

Hey guys -thanks for the responses. I'm towing with a 34ft motor home. The only way I can tell its even behind me is to use the rear camera to see if its still attached when I go over a bump. I'm just gonna jack it up and go for it. :?)

[mingoglia]

Go for it. I've been flat towing for a few years with a similar lift. Honestly it tows exactly the same with 35's as it did with stock tires. I'd go as far as say the Jeep is more stable on the tow bar than it is without. Perhaps that's because the heavy wait of my dually would prevent the jeep from swaying too far even if it wanted to. It may just be when towed behind a truck over-correction is impossible since no one's steering. :) If that plays a roll here (just a theory of mine) you of course would have even more of an advantage with a Moho.

[RokNRich]

FWIW - Try to make sure your alignment is good before taking off. My buddy flat towed to one of those midwestern states (iowa, ohio ??) last year and ruined a set of front tires cause the alignment was bad.

6,000 miles, where you going ? Got room for one more ??

:)

[mingoglia]

FWIW - Try to make sure your alignment is good before taking off. My buddy flat towed to one of those midwestern states (iowa, ohio ??) last year and ruined a set of front tires cause the alignment was bad.

6,000 miles, where you going ? Got room for one more ??

:)

True. Flat towing requires that your caster and toe is right on the money. This is what keeps the front wheels going where they're supposed to...particularly after a turn. If it's not set right the front wheels won't return to center and you'll be dragging your front end down the road. :o