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Pics of Unlimited with 35" Tires/ 18" Wheels/ 4" Lift

40K views 56 replies 29 participants last post by  Sif 
#1 ·
Brand new owner of my first jeep!! Looking to put some 35" tires, 18" wheels with a 4" lift. I want to make sure it's something I enjoy looking at before I commit ( yes, I have commitment issues- I am female, what do you expect!)

Plus, I'll take any recommendations for an all terrain tire, I drive hwy daily, so MTs probably aren't the wisest decision!

Thank you!!
:)
 

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#54 ·
That is awesome. She wanted a 4" lift, 18" Wheels, on an Unlimited, and you show her 3.5" lift, 17" Wheels, on a two door.

Nailed it.
 
#6 ·
Just some friendly info.
Most coils level the jeep .. It's not uncommon to get 5" of lift with 4 inch coils :eek:
4" is very tough on the driveline, steering angles, vehicle roll center, front caster angle, etc.
Do not go cheap at that height. Track bars x2, track bar brackets at the axle x2, all 8 CA's with quality bushings, flipped drag link. Most likely both driveshafts If not sooner ... Later) Longer shocks, etc
There's no such thing as a budget 4" lift .. Period. Plan to spend $3000k for just the kit/driveshafts.

Sorry to be the Debbie downer just like to warn people of what to expect with higher lifts.

With all that being said .. 2.5 coils work fine with a 35" tire. Stock wheels require wheel spacers but work. People will also trim or run flat flares for the appearance of more lift.
A small body lift is also a great way to sneak another 1" under your jeep with no effect on handling/geometry ... Good luck.
 
#9 ·
Just some friendly info. Most coils level the jeep .. It's not uncommon to get 5" of lift with 4 inch coils :eek: 4" is very tough on the driveline, steering angles, vehicle roll center, front caster angle, etc. Do not go cheap at that height. Track bars x2, track bar brackets at the axle x2, all 8 CA's with quality bushings, flipped drag link. Most likely both driveshafts If not sooner ... Later) Longer shocks, etc There's no such thing as a budget 4" lift .. Period. Plan to spend $3000k for just the kit/driveshafts. Sorry to be the Debbie downer just like to warn people of what to expect with higher lifts. With all that being said .. 2.5 coils work fine with a 35" tire. Stock wheels require wheel spacers but work. People will also trim or run flat flares for the appearance of more lift. A small body lift is also a great way to sneak another 1" under your jeep with no effect on handling/geometry ... Good luck.
Oh boy!! Now I feel like I am getting in over my head.... And wallet!!
 
#29 ·
You know the Toyo OC AT2 325/60/18 is a 33" tire? I would recommend the following if you want a 35 with an 18" rim:

35 x 12.50 R18
LT 325/65R18
LT 305/70R18
 
#13 ·
Keep researching. Anybody selling you a dual stabilizer is not a good Jeep shop, totally unnecessary. A good 3.5-4 inch lift and shocks parts only should run around 2500 by itself. As kjeeper said, 2.5 is good for 35's, 3.5 at the most unless you are going to spend real big money. Sorry, just noticed that is around 10k already quoted. What brand lift is it?
 
#14 ·
He said "rugged" something... It doesn't say on the quote though, was just $500.

I figured they were adding unnecessary items, seeing as I really don't know much! I know a look I'm trying to accomplish, and it's becoming a pain! I need honesty! And real world! -- so I ended up here!!
 
#15 ·
With a 500 lift, especially at that height, you will dislike driving your Jeep. Keep reading through search function of this forum, you will learn a lot for free. Not getting a lot of info here because this is the build section, check the tech sticky section for information overload about lifts.
 
#16 ·
Bingo, a $500 lift at these heights is simply not going to be fun to drive. If you are planning your Jeep to mainly be a daily driver, consider a 3.5" AEV setup. Their setup serves as an excellent platform for a daily driver and still offers a ton of off-road performance. I am running a 3.5" AEV setup with some other goodies too, but I couldn't be happier with the handling characteristics.

As others have mentioned, ditch the dual stabilizer. They are probably selling you that setup to do everything possible to mask the budget lift. I am using the FOX ATS Steering Stabilizer, but it is a bit overkill and not necessary.

In my opinion (we all have one right? :) ), you would do quite well with an AEV 3.5" DualSport ($1,725) setup as a starting point. As others have mentioned, plan more $$$ in the future. 35" tires will wear components sooner such as the ball joints, tie rod ends, etc.

Good luck and be sure to post some pictures once you get it all set up!
ERAU
 
#17 ·
Just adding my 2 cents. I spent $2200 for my lift installed but more important than price i made sure the lift I got corrected all the angles for drivability. A friend of mine paid $800 installed for her rough country installed. I am comfortable driving it every day...it's a DD. I get into hers and it's miserable. She even hates driving it so it literally just sits in her driveway and she uses her husbands charger to go work as he works nights.

I can't imagine spending 35k on a jeep and hating to drive it.
 
#19 ·
As has been said before you don't need dual steering stabilizers. I did a 3.5" Rubicon Express lift. 3.5" you can still run stock shafts but you have to get exhaust spacers. There are 4" kits that don't require a driveshaft because the severely limit suspension travel. The AEV kit is good. Also plan on a tuner or at least a pro cal. For tires I'd look at BFG A/T's or Bridgestone Duelers. Quiet, they'll track nicely. I'm on 17's but this is mine. I'm running 35" trail grappler m/t's. I also run the ORFab tire/gas can carrier
 

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#31 ·
I would definitely do the tire carrier - or since you have a limo, even ratchet the spare in cargo. You do not want a 35 inch tire hanging on the stock carrier.

A good lift is spendy. The higher you go the more it costs because other things come into play. If the shop is telling you it is a "Rugged" (assume Rugged Ridge) lift and that cheap - just say no. Suspension is one place you will regret going cheap. At 4 inches you will need shocks, and should look at drive shafts. Also buy some insurance and truss or sleeve the front D30 when putting bigger tires. Maybe upgrade ball joints. It can add up very quickly. This is not a budget friendly hobby lol.

A much smaller lift/level and some 33s would also work. Technically you do not need a lift at all to run 33s.

Also before biting on 35s, what gearing do you have? If 3.21 it will not be fun. 3.73 will not be a joy ride but would at least be better.

And of course the obvious observation - if you do not plan to offroad you are spending a big chunk just for appearance rather than need - and every piece you put on comes with expense and potential pitfalls. If I planned to stay on pavement, I would go 33s and a level kit and call it a day. Much less headache and expense.
 
#35 ·
Sass12, did you ever pull the trigger on anything? I am looking at the same dilemma. I am leaning toward 4.5" AEV with 35" tires. Shop is pushing me to go 37" but I know that's a snowball effect in $. Though they said that could happen with 35s too. I've hard a hard time finding decent pics to see how the little extra lift will look on the smaller tires. I'm more interested in wheel travel and if I went a little big on lift I could upgrade the rest to 37" (wheels, tires, carrier, gears, etc) in another year or so.
 
#40 ·
Skywgn1, what size lift, wheels and tires are in your pic? Hard to tell from that distance but I like the authentic backdrop. ;-).

The guys at the shop said regearing and beefed up housing, axles, etc would be imminent if I went with 37's. They said don't go there until you're ready to pay. Even with the 4.10 axle ratio I upgraded to, they said it was insufficient.

I was curious how the 35's would behave with stock gears. You mentioned trouble getting to highway speeds. What gear ratio are you running with your current setup?
 
#41 · (Edited)
Skywgn1, what size lift, wheels and tires are in your pic? Hard to tell from that distance but I like the authentic backdrop. ;-).

The guys at the shop said regearing and beefed up housing, axles, etc would be imminent if I went with 37's. They said don't go there until you're ready to pay. Even with the 4.10 axle ratio I upgraded to, they said it was insufficient.

I was curious how the 35's would behave with stock gears. You mentioned trouble getting to highway speeds. What gear ratio are you running with your current setup?
Within two weeks of buying this new I went with AEV 4.5" lift to compliment the 35x13.50x20 wheel/tire combo. My Jeep rolled off the line with 3.73 gears and a limited slip in the rear.
Getting up to speed is still quite easy. It's is the maintaining the speed that becomes the issue. With zero wind and level road 80mph is pleasant. Any wind or rise in elevation the automatic tends to kick down into 4th gear with the five-speed automatic. If it is in that gear for too long it will drop to third. It becomes annoying and the mpg goes down to 11 or 12 and then it drives me nuts.
When it comes to the additional stress on the components with the additional height/larger wheels I just had the Synergy sleeve and upper/lower gussets installed. I ran for a year without doing this but I didn't want to take the chance of something going wrong with the front Dana 30. I think it adds a "peace of mind" factor for future 37's. Overall, I like the handling and with no plans to crawl but with every intention of adding a ton more weight to it and go overlanding it had become a great platform.
 
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