[Beeker]

Hello everyone,
I am looking to drop about $1500-$2000 into the JEEP in a month or two from now. Well I was thinking of starting with a 2"-3" lift and some 32's or 33's and some steel wheels. Is this possible for the money (along with any extensions, re-gearing, spacers, etc. that might be needed)? or should I spend my money on some other things first...at the moment I only plan on Mud, Trails, nothing too extreme (no crawling......yet ) and it is a daily driver (of course I only live 3 miles from the office).
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated....(As soon as I can figure out how to post a pic, I can do so of the Jeep in it's current state of STOCK ) OH! I almost forgot I will have to spend some money on some essentials like a jack (the stock one is missing)...DOH! and a stereo would also be nice.

JEEZ where the hell does one start.....and even more importantley will it ever end?

As usual thanks in advance,
Erick.

 

[jeeperman]

Really depends on you... Yes, for `$2000 you can do a suspension lift and new tires/wheels. You don't have to regear right away depending on what size tires you plan on running. I would say anything over 31" (32" I would drive it to see if I was happy with it) you should regear. With the right lift and 31-32" tires, you can run a ton of trails and would be happy with the road manners of your truck. As far as the other stuff... Not sure what to tell you, you have different priorities than I do at this point. I always did the lift/tires first in my Jeeps (all 3 so far) and then bought other stuff like Hi-Lifts and other offroad accessories, but you may want to do it the other way around.

And no, it never ends! Welcome to the insanity!

 

[Beeker]

Thanks for the quick response Jeeperman.....Yeah I'm thinking I'll get the lift, tires & wheels out of the way.....then I can work on other things afterwards as I learn and progress more.

I'm thinking of going with a 3" suspension lift and some 32's on 15x8-10" wheels. (or could I fit 33's easily)

1; any thoughts on this set up?
2; what are some good products that will give a good bang for the buck?
3; what exactly will I need to do and get for a 3" and those size tires?....any spacers, extensions...I know you already suggested re-gearing (after test driving it). I just want to make sure I get my money's worth and not miss anything. (and also get a rough idea of how much I'll be spending )
4; Also how hard is it to install myself (maybe one other helper) I dont have loads of mechanical skills as I'm sure most of you have, but I think I can do it

man I cant apologize enough for all the newb questions....I'm sure to most of you they sound borderline silly.....but hey I figure with such a knowledgable bunch here, I cant help but learn, right? j/k

Thanks in advance,
Erick.

 

[jeeperman]

Thanks for the quick response Jeeperman.....Yeah I'm thinking I'll get the lift, tires & wheels out of the way.....then I can work on other things afterwards as I learn and progress more.

I'm thinking of going with a 3" suspension lift and some 32's on 15x8-10" wheels. (or could I fit 33's easily)

1; any thoughts on this set up?
2; what are some good products that will give a good bang for the buck?
3; what exactly will I need to do and get for a 3" and those size tires?....any spacers, extensions...I know you already suggested re-gearing (after test driving it). I just want to make sure I get my money's worth and not miss anything. (and also get a rough idea of how much I'll be spending )
4; Also how hard is it to install myself (maybe one other helper) I dont have loads of mechanical skills as I'm sure most of you have, but I think I can do it

man I cant apologize enough for all the newb questions....I'm sure to most of you they sound borderline silly.....but hey I figure with such a knowledgable bunch here, I cant help but learn, right? j/k

Thanks in advance,
Erick.

1.) You would be very happy with this setup for a while... Depending on how big your friends' Jeeps are... (always gets me in trouble )
2.)Make sure you shop around for tires, it's amazing how much of a difference there is from one store/online shop to the next... If you are looking for the highest quality components (best ride, longest lasting) you should look into doing a Rubicon Express, or Full Traction, or there are a couple others... If you are looking for the best value, you will probably want to look at Superlift, or maybe ProComp (although I have heard VERY mixed reviews on their stuff).
3.) With a 3" kit, you are going to be right on the border as to whether or not you will need a SYE. Some guys do, some don't. If you buy a complete kit, you should get everything you need to do the install in a weekend in your garage.
4.) If you can follow directions, and replace parts with stuff that looks similar, you can do a short-arm lift (the type you are looking at) yourself in a weekend easily. My suggestion would be to purchase some PB Blaster and start spraying the nuts/bolts about a week in advance, just to make your life easier later.

Don't worry about "Newbie" questions here, most of us remember when we didn't know how to do this stuff either, but once you have to do all the research the first time, you get hooked... Good luck and let us know what else we can help you with!

 

[95bimM3r]

hey jeeperman you have pics of your ride?

 

[bluvikng]

Hey Beeker, I would just like to throw one more suggestion into the soup. You mentioned that you would like to run 33" tires, and that is what I am running. I put on a 4" lift, and I still hit the underneath side of my fenders when flexing. That is the minimum lift I would suggest, unless you install bump stop spacers to prevent this from happening. The bad thing about any lift, unless you go with a 6" long arm right away, is that your going to wish you had gone higher, later down the road. But for a daily driver, it is not practical to go that high, but I have seen it done.

 

[jeeperman]

hey jeeperman you have pics of your ride?

I do, in the trail pictures section.

 

[Beeker]

Hey Beeker, I would just like to throw one more suggestion into the soup. You mentioned that you would like to run 33" tires, and that is what I am running. I put on a 4" lift, and I still hit the underneath side of my fenders when flexing. That is the minimum lift I would suggest, unless you install bump stop spacers to prevent this from happening. The bad thing about any lift, unless you go with a 6" long arm right away, is that your going to wish you had gone higher, later down the road. But for a daily driver, it is not practical to go that high, but I have seen it done.

Hell I'm wishing I could go with a 6" now but like you said, it is a daily driver so it's not practical.

I am thinking now of just going with a 2" lift and sticking with the 31's that I have now (just more agressive and meatier tires)

It just seems that going 3" or more you have to do way to much (SYE, regearing, lord knows what else).....I just dont want to start the project and then get overwhelmed (as stated before....I am not overly "mechanically inclined") and since I just moved to NC I have no one else to help out, so I am flying solo on everything.

I would still love to do a 3" lift and just do 32's....I think this will keep me (and the family) happy for quite a few years....but then comes the wonderful task of figuring out what products to buy (Jeeperman recommended Full Traction or RE, but I cant find a 3" in either).

Has anyone here have any experience with "4Wheel Drive Hardware" or "Black Diamond"? these have a 3" lift for $500-$650 and include shocks and disco's and all hardware.....these are the two products I am looking at, unless they are cheap products.

http://www.4wheelerssupply.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/2

http://www.4wd.com/newsite/shop/productdetail.asp?pid=493230%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&model=tj&cat=6&kid=260&catid=260&mid=n

 

[mikestj]

i have a 4 inch rough country,and 33 goodyear MTR'sfor wheeling and 30 9.50's for daily driving.no SYE.i get no vibration,just geared too low for my 3 spd. trans