Why is the "lift" the answer, or excuse for everything? It's almost as if the "lift" is the penis of the Jeep world, and everyone is afraid they have the smallest one.
If you can't crawl that rock, its because you don't have enough lift. If you get stuck, its because you don't have enough lift. If you can't "flex", its because you don't have enough lift. 35's, you guessed it, not enough lift.
When does driver's experience, judgment, and decision making skills come into play? Would you really have gotten stuck in that mud hole if you had had a lift? Or would you just have sunk 3 more inches?
Crawling that rock and getting stuck in mud is about tire choice more than anything.
IMO a lift is only the answer to fit the tire size you want. And even then you want the smallest lift possible to fit that tire. I don't ever recall shooting for the smallest penis size possible
As a matter of allowing you to create a distinctive vehicle that doesn't look like the same shape and color of the same vehicle model down the street...
Lower vehicles may bind on rocks and bottom out on the chassis earlier than a lifted vehicle...
A lift can give you both increased GROUND and TIRE clearances...
Lifts can give your vehicle increased suspension articulation over "bumpy" obstacles, keeping your tires in contact with the ground...
Lifts also allow for larger tires which add a bit to the ground clearance...
Larger tires increase traction over "bumpy" obstacles...
Larger tires distribute the vehicle weight over a larger area which helps keep the vehicle from sinking into sand/mud snow, etc...
...oh, and lifts and tires can also keep your wallet thin and light...
I am not sure it is the answer to "everything" but it certainly does look cool? I have avoided it so far however as just something to do down the line when I get bored. I have taken a slow and steady approach to mods, kind of enjoying the ride more than the destination if you will. It's your Jeep do it the way you like!!!
If a person is not going off road (I don't mean just dirt roads) no lift is not required. If however you want to do more challenging terrain then more belly clearance is needed. Taller tires are needed and in order to run taller tires more lift is needed. Lift alone helps even if not going to taller tires as lift will still get everything attached to the frame up in the air ie gas tank, exhaust, oil pan, tranny etc. Now without taller tires your axles and everything welded underneath them will still be at stock height but easier to pick lines that keep those parts from dragging then it is picking lines that drag your gas tank.
Now some people just like how they look and that is ok too.
I personally don't think a lift is the answer for anything. I've owned my share of lifted Jeeps however at this stage in my life with 2 young children I prefer my stock TJ to my last lifted TJ. I went from this.....
I have a completely stock 2015 JK Rubicon. I've managed to get up and over everything I've come to except one muddy rutted hill climb in the rain. That was more about tires than clearance, though. I drive my jeep on the road most of the time, so I don't want to negatively impact the on road experience for the 200 miles a month I might be on bumpy forest roads, rock crawling, or fording creeks. It would be nice to have 35 or 37 inch tires, but right now it's really nice averaging 18mpg to and from work.
Well, actually the problem it does work to solve is "minimum clearance". On a stock Sahara, you have about 10" of clearance, the only way to increase that is to increase your tire size to raise the differentials higher, and usually that means some sort of suspension lift. But, it really does not do anything to help in mud, or sand, that is more a function of tire type and driving ability. However, crawling over those bloody rocks on the Rubicon is a whole different story.
Why is the "lift" the answer, or excuse for everything? It's almost as if the "lift" is the penis of the Jeep world, and everyone is afraid they have the smallest one.
If you can't crawl that rock, its because you don't have enough lift. If you get stuck, its because you don't have enough lift. If you can't "flex", its because you don't have enough lift. 35's, you guessed it, not enough lift.
When does driver's experience, judgment, and decision making skills come into play? Would you really have gotten stuck in that mud hole if you had had a lift? Or would you just have sunk 3 more inches?
There is a fellow in our club that runs a CJ at stock height. You could trip over it. However, he has armored the underside and has a winch. He has been wheeling for ages and has the skill and knowledge to take that baby where he wants to go.
I too thought a lift was the answer to everything. Even though we have some pretty rough trails, there are those who manage just fine without a lift. What I finally settled on for my 2015 JKUR was a set of Rock Hard skid plates. They've gotten their share of scrapes, but they did their job. I'm skipping the lift. And all the attendant problems that they can cause.
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