I've had my 04 Rubicon for right at one year. It's essentially stock and in need of new tires. I'm going around in circles or whether or not it's time to lift. The jeep has 60k miles and is in great condition. Currently with what I paid I believe I'm very right side up on the jeep but as soon as I jump into the lift game I see that changing real quick.
But if I throw a set a new stock sized tires on the jeep I'm stuck for 2-3 years not lifting.
Jeep gets daily driven 10 miles to work then one to two trips a week to either Sandy or Clay roads, that can get real soft when it rains. The trip to the Sandy/clay farm is about 40 miles all highway.
Also make 3-4 trips to off road parks a year.
So would you throw some new 245/75/16 mud tires on or Zone 4.25" combo and 285's or new 15" rims and jump to 33x12.5's??
Rubicon saves money by getting gears, lockers, SYE stock compared to adding to a X or sport model. Re-gearing defeats the advantage except getting the Dana 44 up front as well.
Also thought there were some comparability issues with ring sets and the factory locker.
If I had your Rubi and a $1500 total budget....I would do the Zone Combo with 33's or 285's as you are pondering. When you have another $1200 handy, get it regeared.
4.10 and 33's with your 5 speed will be good, I am running 4.10 and 35's until I can save for a re regear and lockers to 4.88. I re geared once to go to 32's when I built it, but I have continued tinkering and building and adding on over the years that now I am 35's and built right (save gearing) I live in the flat lands and it is OK with 35's. I have 5th gear and it runs well, I know it needs a couple hundred more RPM's to be most efficient. I also notice that it takes a bit more gas to get rolling from a stop. With 33's it was perfect...
I look at it this way, I am pulling 400 more RPMs than "stock" with 3.07 and 28's. I hated that combo.... I really don't know how folks do 3.07's and anything...
Not everyone likes or accepts that combination as "good". I bucked the advice by my more experienced friends to go with 4.56 many years ago for my then 33's, being afraid of the slightly higher rpms, and went with 4.10's instead. I was happy with those new 4.10 gears for about 3 days until I got a sick feeling once I got off flat roads that I had made a bad decision to go with 4.10 instead of 4.56. I was constantly downshifting for even minor grades, I grew to hate those 4.10 gears. Never will I undergear again.
I've had my 04 Rubicon for right at one year. It's essentially stock and in need of new tires. I'm going around in circles or whether or not it's time to lift. The jeep has 60k miles and is in great condition. Currently with what I paid I believe I'm very right side up on the jeep but as soon as I jump into the lift game I see that changing real quick.
But if I throw a set a new stock sized tires on the jeep I'm stuck for 2-3 years not lifting.
Jeep gets daily driven 10 miles to work then one to two trips a week to either Sandy or Clay roads, that can get real soft when it rains. The trip to the Sandy/clay farm is about 40 miles all highway.
Also make 3-4 trips to off road parks a year.
So would you throw some new 245/75/16 mud tires on or Zone 4.25" combo and 285's or new 15" rims and jump to 33x12.5's??
Rubicon saves money by getting gears, lockers, SYE stock compared to adding to a X or sport model. Re-gearing defeats the advantage except getting the Dana 44 up front as well.
Also thought there were some comparability issues with ring sets and the factory locker.
Your logic confounds me. Essentially you are saying that you bought the cream of the crop when it comes to off road vehicles and are quite pleased with the pinnacle you have achieved. Then in almost the next breath, you want to slap the cheapest suspension under it you can get your hands on, ditch the very high quality OEM rims, and basically do the equivalent of using a 69 cent bristle brush to apply automotive paint.
If you are proud of your Rubicon, treat it like the thoroughbred it is and feed it a diet of quality parts.
That and there is nothing special about Rubi gears so quit letting that hold you up.
If it does what you want, then buy stock sized tires of what you want.
Nothing wrong with stock Jeeps
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