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Having Second Thoughts

2K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  ranger26 
#1 ·
First off, thank you everyone for all of the great information here. This is my first post but I've been lingering and researching a TON on what mods fit my application. I have been in Tacomas for my past two rigs and last week I decided to get back in a Jeep so I picked up a 2013 2 door Sport auto with 3.73's. I'm not a rock crawler but I don't want to be the guy who can't do the trails everyone else wants to do. I'm also more interested in where the Jeep will take me for camping, hunting and fishing rather than clearing the largest obstacle in the woods. The Jeep is my DD so I chose mods to increase capability while maintaining streetability. Here's what I ordered.

1. Teraflex performance leveling kit (the coils, not spacers) with disconnects
2. Bilstein 5100's
3. 285/70-17 Cooper discoverer STT's on Procomp 7069 alloys
4. Rough Country modular stubby bumper and Warn M8000 winch
5. Smittybilt SRC rocker guards
6. Engine/trans and evap skids
7. Cobra 75xt CB

Here is the dilemma. I'm second guessing my suspension choice. Should I get the TF 2.5" kit or stick with the leveling kit. I never want to run a tire larger than the 285/75-17 and I'm afraid they'll look really small with the larger lift. I also want to keep the suspension geometry mild to not prematurely wear parts. If you knew for sure you were only going to run the 33's, what would you do?
 
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#2 ·
Looks like some good stuff to me. The only thing I would hesitate on are the smitty rockers simply from the pics I've seen of the tubes bending in when actually used.


I've got the 5100's and love them. There are better shocks out there sure but for 70-80$ a pop they are superb!
 
#4 ·
1. I was hesitant about the smittys myself. The guys that owns the shop I'm using actually runs their side armor on his personal rig. He took me outside and used a high lift and jacked his vehicle up using the side armor as a jacking point and I was surprised by how solid they were. I was really more concerned about the way they mount vs. the strength of the tube material. The tubing feels like a substantial DOM tube. I know I can buy better but for my purposes I think they'll do. Fingers crossed. If I was an obstacle guy I'd definitely invest more money but I'm just hoping to keep the rockers safe on intermediate trails.

2. That was my concern. Being that I have the 2 door soft top I'll be running comparitively light. I didn't want to net too much lift.
 
#7 ·
I'd skip the Smitty rails and get ACE rails.

As for the lift, I personally will always go with a real lift rather than a leveling kit... but it's completely up to you based upon what you plan on doing and of course your budget.
To the best of my knowledge the only difference between the 2.5" and leveling kit is ride height. From a budget perspective, they're about the same price. Are there additional pieces to the 2.5" kit that the leveling kit doesn't have?
 
#6 ·
I have 33s under a TF 2.5" coil lift on my 2-door and I think it looks great. Mine is a daily driver and I like how it handles on the road and the trail.

I also have the SRC side armor (along with the front bumper) and I will attest that both are very solid parts. Last time wheeling I hit a rock hard enough to mess up the powdercoat, but the steel tubing did not bend or dent at all. I'm a big guy, but I have no concerns about standing up with my full weight on them.
 
#8 ·
Well, picked her up today and I'm very happy. No more second thoughts. I'm thrilled with the mods I decided on. I used the Procal to update tire size and TPMS and I'm running 33 PSI in the coopers. Ride is honestly better than factory, the tires have exceptional road manners. I was a millimeter away from going with an AT and I'm so happy I took the chance on an MT tire. I'm just absolutely thrilled with my jeep. The only cause of concern is that the shock boot look WAY too long. I'll try an post a pic tomorrow. Is that normal? Do the just have a bunch of slack for when you really flex it out? Here are some before and afters
 
#14 ·
Looks great slimatsea! Way to stick to your guns and not over do it. It's a great looking Jeep! I've been in Tacomas since '96 and this is my first Jeep and I must say it seems to be a Jeep thing to want to stuff the wheel wells but I preferred my Tacos to have some room in their to flex without rubbing or having to cut up a bunch of metal/plastic. I think you've got a good balance in the lift vs. wheel size. I like those wheels too btw! Grats!
 
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