2012 4 door JK Sahara:

I have now installed my rear bumper with tire carrier, front bumper with winch plate, and have purchased 2 sets of KC offroad lights, tubular half doors and am looking for advice on:

1. What lift to go with if I want to go 35" wheels . . . is 2.5" lift big enough? I don't like the look when they are raised tooooo much . . .

2. What tires? So far my favourite options are ---- Cepek - Mud Country or Mickey Thompson Baja MTX - I want something with aggressive tread/look and good for moderate mudding and offroading (no rock crawling or anything extreme) and that are still decent on asphalt and gas mileage. . . . ? Here I'm just looking for pics of what you guys have done maybe and/or suggestions. Any brands to stay away from?

THANKS! :)

 

There are many thoughts on this. You could do a 2.5"lift with a bump stop extension and be ok. RK Max Flex kit is a real good one aparently....but pricey.

I have a 2"spacer lift with bump stop extension and still rub my rear fenders.
I am putting on a 1" Daystar body lift. Some people don't like bodylifts and some do. It causes issues for the 6 speed JK shifting into the lower gears 2, 4, 6 R. I ordered a leather shift boot from Redline to fix this issue along with the stiff rubber shift boot in the winter. Its a real cheap way to go up in two tire sizes.

Total cost for me to fit the 35's under the Jeep is about $550

Get a 3" lift and your golden, but a good one will run ya about 2G.

Get some flat fenders or cut up your stock ones with no lift and you can run 35s as well.

You have a rear bumper so your clear for the spare.

Gears...your going to want gears, If you have a 6 speed then you have 3.21 most likely and the 35 will make it feel like a bigger dog on the highway than it already does.

I have 4.88s for mine but not installed yet, I still have my 3.21 in and I rarely see 5th on the highway let alone 6th.

Tires....all depends. I went with Goodyear Duratracs, the best all around tire I have ever owned. I have had all kinds and BFG AT KO are a close second. All the brands you listed seem to have bad tread life from what I have seen. I had Mickey T Baja Claws and loved them but not for a daily driver.

Going to need wheels or wheel spacers to run your stock wheels. I sold my stock wheels and tires to offset the cost of my new wheels.

Here is a pic of mine.

 

- 2.5" TeraFlex lifts either spring lift or budget boost is the most complete and best bang for the buck. The bumpstop extensions in these kits are enough to stop the rub. In my case I later had to swap in 3.5" front springs instead of the factory front springs and spacers, to remove the factory rake. Personally not a fan of body lifts.. Total lift cost $550.. Been 4 years no issues..
- Duratracs are the best all-round tire, but I prefer a more aggressive tire so I run PitBull Rockers (true 35")..
- Wheels, well lets just say there are many styles to choose from. I suggest stick with a 17" with 4.5" backspace.

 

Since the beginning of the year we've done alot of JK's and each person is looking for something different. When we know the customer is going to do light to medium off-roading and wants to do it on a budget this is the winner
click here >>> Jeep JK Wrangler Suspension Lift


This kit in my opinion is the best bang for you buck and looks PERFECT on 35's!
The only thing I would add is a double steering stabilizer (chronic wobblers them JK's) and you are going to be a very happy camper. We have installed dozens of these kits and not one customer has had a negative comment about it.

Tires... in 75% of the above installs, the tire of choice was the Fun Country II, The next tire would be the Mickey Thompson MTZ and lastly the boring looking Durabrick. You can throw the MT ATZ in there because it's really not a bad tire either. Most folks that DD their truck 99% of the time go for the FCII,. great "all-around" tire.

Thx
Danny

 

At the end of the day you get what you pay for. I'm about $550 to clear my 35s, but its not the greatest route to go. I will in the future after bumpers and winch upgrade to the 2.5" Rock Krawler kit with the shocks and add flat fenders.

The Rough Counrty is good value but reviews have been to sagging springs.


Jeff....you running the TF BB in the rear and the RK 3.5 up front?

I have been thinking of this as well to level out and compensate for bumper and winch. But I do like the factory rake a little because I level out when towing my camper. Toooooo many options.

Also been thinking of that setup with OME heavy duty rears to take the trailer weight....but I like the factory ride.

 

Jeff,

Just wanted to comment on your JK!
Looks Great, not over done, just the right look, must be a head turner!

 

Thanks, it certainly is an attention grabber.
Duke, yes TF BB rear and RK springs in the front and this has worked out really well, no issues and good on the highway.
PJF4x4 I wouldn't suggest HD or dual stabilizers on any JK unless they are rock crawling on 37" + tires. Aftermarket stabilizers mask steering issues and potential causes for death wobble. A properly set up front end requires no stabilizer period. The bonus of the TF kit is that it is complete, other BB are not. It includes the rear trackbar bracket, bumpstops, extended swaybar links and rear brake line brackets. In essence it is a full blown 2.5" lift except it has spacers instead of springs. No worries about rubbing here. Simply throwing in 2.5" coil spacers doesn't cut. Also a know fact that a 3.5" kit that offers lower control arms should also come complete with a front driveshaft. Extending the control arm length to adjust caster/pinion angle is known to cause stock driveshaft issues.

 

It's funny out of all the kits we haven't had any issues. However it is true RC springs start taller than advertised height and settle.

 

I totally disagree with you. It's a known fact that a JK even in stock for have had/have wobble issues. I've installed 3.5" kits with new tire and wheel combos on NEW JK's and had the alignment done to spec (or even added caster) and they still have a tendency to wobble.
I do agree that adding steering stabilizer(s) is not the perfect solution, but then again I didn't engineer a truck with a factory glitch...
I'm not here to stir the pot, just sharing information.

And by the way, we sell all makes of suspensions including the new Metalcloak line up! We're not biased towards one just like to offer suspensions within the buyers budget.

Thx
Danny

 

Chris,

I can't help with tires but Mopar is now offering Stage 1 Series 2” and 4” Lift Kits, Stage 2 Series 2˝ and 4˝ Lift Kits featuring FOX Racing Shox 2.0 Performance Series IFP shock.
They will also be offering Stage 3 Series 3” Lift Kit utilizing an external reservoir version of the FOX 2.0 Performance Series shock for even greater heat dissipation.

The 2” lift is ideal for 33” diameter tires, but will clear most 35s. The 3” and 4” lifts are best suited for 35” tires and all lifts feature coil springs with wheelbase-specific load ratings for 2 and 4door JKs.

I am currently awaiting the full list of part numbers of which I will be attaching the PDF soon.