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Jeep Noob with Questions

1K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  99GoldenSahara 
#1 ·
Hello! My name is Nathan and I live in Dayton Ohio. I currently drive a JCW mini and my girlfriend wants to buy a jeep as a fun weekend and daily in the snow. She currently drives a scion tc and loves it but a jeep is what she wants so.. I have a few questions about the jeep world.

Her mom has a lifted TJ that she bought a few years back so she has to have a TJ. She wants a White jeep with full doors ad black interior what seems to be impossible to find. After doing some reading I think I want her to have the inline 6 for power and just overall reliability. She wants to buy a jeep that has big tires and is already lifted but I feel like I can install the lift myself. How much do lifts cost? I think a 3 inch lift would be fine. This jeep will never see any major off road. I have some 3 inch lifts around $600 then I have seen some at $2000. I have no idea what all is needed for a lift or the main difference between $600 and $2000 other than one had shocks.

Any ideas are helpful as I'm trying to learn a lot about jeeps fast as we are getting closer to her birthday! Have a great day and motor on!!!
 
#2 ·
Speaking from experience, don't buy a jeep with a lift already on in unless they have the lift info/a mechanic installed it. I happened to luck out and my po had the recipts.

Also, budget lift kits aren't that great imo. The po also put 2" pucks in, and now one of the body mounts on the tub is rusting/cracking.

Another thing I've learned from reading this forum is that a 3+ inch lift could lead to more than just a suspension. i.e. Longer control arms, sway bars, ect. Once you go to about a 4" suspension, I've read that just about everything in the front end will need rebuilt along with a longer driveshaft.

Imo, I say go with bds or ome 2" suspension. You will be able to fit 32 or 33 inch tires easily with 2".
 
#4 ·
Also, budget lift kits aren't that great imo. The po also put 2" pucks in, and now one of the body mounts on the tub is rusting/cracking.
Oh yeah, I forgot. There are body lifts and there are suspension lifts. Avoid body lifts. Really not necessary and more trouble than they're worth.

Suspension lifts are like the budget boost I recommended. These modify the suspension components to provide increased ride height.

Body lifts require you to unbolt each body mount and add a "puck" or spacer that actually raises the body off the frame an inch or two. Again, really more trouble than they're worth (and that is strictly my opinion) when you see how easy a budget boost is to put in.
 
#3 ·
Welcome (yes I'm new to this forum too, but now new to Jeeps).

Good choice with a TJ, just make sure which ever one you look at is carefully inspected for frame and body rot. Have a mechanic go over it if you aren't sure what to look for. Rotten, crumbling frames and bodies are a major problem with any Wrangler over five years old, depending on the climate in which it has spent it's life. Being from Ohio, you deal with what I deal with here in upstate NY - road salt. So check your prospective new TJ for rot.

Good idea opting for the 4.0L six cylinder. Exceptional motors when maintained well. The 2.5L four cylinder (like I have) isn't a bad motor, but some say it's underpowered.

Buying a Jeep already lifted is okay, just MAKE SURE it was done properly and everything is connected as it should be. Make sure the Jeep goes, turns and stops like it should - through the entire speed range. Make sure linkages and shifters operate as they should.

If you don't buy one already lifted, there really is no need to spend anywhere near $600 on a lift. Buy a 2 or 2.25-inch spacer lift (also known as a budget boost). If you want, buy some new good quality shocks for all four corners. Good brands are Bilstein and Old Man Emu. Google "budget boost TJ" and spend an hour reading. You'll get all the education you need, including pictures. With that amount of lift, you can comfortably fit 32" tires, maybe even 33". That ought to be enough for the Mrs. The budget boost is cheap and will do a damn good job of increasing visual appeal and off-road ability of the TJ. Spend the rest of your lift budget on new tires and wheels. Here's about the cheapest budget boost you can find, just add shocks...

2 25" Complete Jeep TJ LJ Budget Boost Lift Kit 97 06 Wrangler Rubicon | eBay

You're in a good place to rear and learn about Jeeps. There are a LOT of voices in this hobby, some with much more knowledge and experience than others. Be careful who you take advice from, and make sure you know what you want before you buy the Jeep or the lift. You'll find that the sky is the limit when it comes to adding things to the TJ. Have an idea in mind of how you want it to look, what you want it to do and how much you want to spend and stick to that.

Avoid the urge to buy chrome accessories, stickers, sound bars, Hi-lift jacks and 463 LED off-road lights for off-road trips you'll never take.

Welcome and good luck!
 
#5 ·
You can buy black seat covers and most of the carpet in them is dark gray in color. So that should fix the black interior issue.

Look for frame, fender and pull carpet up on every floor pan and look for rust, even the trunk area. Ohio area jeeps might have quite a bit and avoid them.

I agree with others, go with a 2 inch lift for a TJ. Happy shopping!

Also, have her ask her mom if she would sell her the TJ she has?
 
#6 ·
Look for an LJ for a daily winter driver. I researched what would be best for myself and my wife and daughters if driven in snow...the longer wheelbase helps a little bit to keep it from swapping ends! I didn't want a JK, so it was perfect...ours is white with full doors, soft top, auto and somewhat black interior. Skip the lift thought until she's driven through a winter in it.


Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
 
#7 ·
31X 10.50 tires are "bigger", but you DON'T have to lift the Jeep to install them. If you don't intend to see major off road, they should be fine. A benefit of that is that you don't have any suspension problems to worry about. It also leaves you funds for the seat covers Steeve00 mentioned.
 
#9 ·
Seems like a lot of misinformation in this thread.
There is nothing wrong with buying an already lifted Jeep as long as the lift that was installed was decent quality and the install was done right. It doesn't really matter who did it, if it was done correctly...there are just as many mechanics that don't know what they're doing as home mechanics in the same boat.

Before you buy, have any lift checked out by someone familliar with the tj's coil spring suspension first.

You cannot run 33" tires on a 2" lift without additional mods...high line fenders or a body lift.

There is nothing wrong with a small body lift 1"- 1.25"' and they work well with coupled with a suspension lift to get you the height you need for 33's when trying to keep the suspension lift 3" or a little less.

The difference between a $600 lift and a $2000 lift is going to be quality of parts and additional parts that are in the $2k lift.

You need to figure out what tire size you are planning to run to determine your lift needs. Don't forget, that going large on tires will likely also mean a regear of front and rear axles.
 
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