Jeep Wrangler Forum banner

Lift/tire - advice/questions

1K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  brendan614 
#1 ·
So as of now my JKU is completely stock and I just got a second job so I can buy all the mods I want to add on as the money comes in. In the end I want to have a 2" to 2.5" lift and a set of 33's.

My question is, since I am going to be building part by part as I save money is it better to get the lift or tires first? I know the stock JK can handle the 33's but would it look strange to have a 2.5" lift with the stock 29's?

If having a lift with 29's doesn't look too strange I will most likely get a whole new set of rims with the 33"s so I can switch them off for the 29's for long trips and some daily driving to improve fuel economy.

Speaking of which, how is the fuel economy with tires and a lift? I know it's a Jeep, I'm not expecting it to be great.

Any advice is much appreciated!
 
#3 ·
IMO if you don't plan on doing any off-roading which requires full articulation of the suspension I'd go with the tires 1st, otherwise they may rub.

Your mpg's will drop. How much will depend on the weight, width and tread of the tire. A heavy, wide mud terrain tire will give you the poorest economy.

Keep in mind that your speedometer will be off with the larger tires, which will obviously affect your odometer too. Look into a tuner that will allow you adjust your speedometer for larger tire sizes.

Also, a larger tire usually requires a lower P.S.I. Once your new tires are installed I highly recommend doing a chalk test. If you're not sure what this is, you can just google "tire chalk test". There are plenty of videos out there explaining it.

If your wheels are equipped with TPMS sensors you may get a "low tire warning" on your dash. A good tuner like the Superchips Flashpaq will allow you to adjust the TPMS settings.

Gearing! Gearing! Gearing! Take it from me, I learned the hard way. No performance upgrade will give you the results that new gearing will provide. I know the new 3.6 Penastar has more HP & Torque, but the JKs are notoriously underpowered. Especially the autos because of the deep overdrive. You may be able to get away with it with a manual, but the performance will still be sluggish.
 
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