[AJKMeier]

I have a 2011 Jeep Wrangler JK Sport and I want to put 35" tires on it. What size lift kit will I need to install?

Thanks!

 

[cornfedksboy]

I have a 2011 Jeep Wrangler JK Sport and I want to put 35" tires on it. What size lift kit will I need to install? Thanks!

You need 2.5" of lift. That means 3" front and 2" rear. Since it appears that you have a 2 door, most high quality 1.5" lifts will net you 2.5" of actual lift so long as you don't have a winch. Therefore, you should consider a 1.5-2.5" lift from any major brand. This is assuming you keep the stock fenders. With flat fenders, you don't require any lift at all.

Additionally, you will need new wheels or wheel spacers, a new spare tire rack, and new gears.

 

[flyfishnevada]

Please read until eyes bleed:

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/jk-tech-common-questions-here-622938.html

Then ask more specific questions. You might as well ask us what flavor ice cream you like.

 

[zenman]

Please read until eyes bleed:

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/jk-tech-common-questions-here-622938.html

Then ask more specific questions. You might as well ask us what flavor ice cream you like.

If your answer is Blue Bell ice cream in any flavor except chocolate I'll ask the question.

 

[AJKMeier]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question, even though--judging by the second response to my post--I shouldn't have asked such a simple question. I actually have a 4-door but I can't imagine that would make a huge difference. In terms of the new wheels, I assumed I would have to get new wheels but I didn't know anything about the need to get new gears. I'll have to look into that. Perhaps I'll be better off finding a professional in the area to give me a hand. Thanks!

 

[cornfedksboy]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question, even though--judging by the second response to my post--I shouldn't have asked such a simple question. I actually have a 4-door but I can't imagine that would make a huge difference. In terms of the new wheels, I assumed I would have to get new wheels but I didn't know anything about the need to get new gears. I'll have to look into that. Perhaps I'll be better off finding a professional in the area to give me a hand. Thanks!

With a 4 door, you still need the same amount of lift. The difference is that the advertised height is closer to what you actually get. You want at least a 2.5" lift, and up to 4, but anything greater than 2.5" advertised will require additional upgrades or a better kit.

If you have 3.73 gearing and get light weight wheels and tires, you might be okay with your Jeeps performance depending on your expectations. Only a handful of posters on this forum find the 3.21 gears bearable with 35s, but perhaps you'll be one of them. Most folks with 2012+ Jeeps and 35s prefer a 4.10-4.88 gear depending on use and location.

 

[mommymallcrawler]

AJKMeier, the point the second poster was trying to make is it is anything BUT a simple question. It is a world of complexities that you need to understand before just slapping on tires and a lift. I suggedt you read the linked post, wheel your Jeep stock offroad a few times, THEN make a plan.

 

[flyfishnevada]

AJKMeier, the point the second poster was trying to make is it is anything BUT a simple question. It is a world of complexities that you need to understand before just slapping on tires and a lift. I suggedt you read the linked post, wheel your Jeep stock offroad a few times, THEN make a plan.

Mommy is right. We don't know if you have a 2 or 4 door (or we didn't from your original post), what kind of wheeling you enjoy, what your future plans for the Jeep are, how often you drive it off road vs on the road, is it for looks or for function or both, etc, etc, etc. My intent was not to brush you off but to urge you to meet us half way. You're the only one that can determine what the right lift is and we can only give you advice and opinions.

Not to mention you can put 35's on a stock Jeep all the way up to a 3.5 or 4 inch lift, even higher but it might look goofy, and every lift and leveling combo in between. We need to know what you're going to do with those 35's. You can slap them on and crawl malls and go slow over speed bumps and be fine but if you want to do the Rubicon Trail, you'll need a lift of some kind to get the flex needed without rubbing.

So, go read some of those posts, get a feel for the trade offs of different lifts, tires and other mods, come up with a plan that you think will work and run it by us. We'll give you some constructive criticism and you can make an informed decision. I would be doing you a disservice telling you with so little information what lift you need. If you want my set up, I'd be happy to tell you as would anyone else on here but that's not necessarily what's best for you.

 

[AJKMeier]

Thanks for the info! Given the fact that I'll probably want to maintain the performance level, I'll most likely go with the new gears as well. Now I'm going to take some time to search for the parts I'm going to need, starting with the lift kit. Since I'm not looking to do a lot f offroading and will still use the vehicle for practical purposes as well, I don't need an extremely advanced kit; any suggestions for which kit I should get?

 

[AJKMeier]

Flyfishnevada, you're definitely right that I was too vague in my question upfront. I should have pointed out that my plan was to first look for a particular size of lift before asking questions and seeking advice on which type or brand of lift I should get. Now that I know I need at least a 2.5" lift, I can now start looking for those kits and then seek what questions I have. I appreciate your feedback.

 

[flyfishnevada]

Flyfishnevada, you're definitely right that I was too vague in my question upfront. I should have pointed out that my plan was to first look for a particular size of lift before asking questions and seeking advice on which type or brand of lift I should get. Now that I know I need at least a 2.5" lift, I can now start looking for those kits and then seek what questions I have. I appreciate your feedback.

No problem. I wasn't trying to be a jerk (my wife says it comes naturally ). Those threads are full of awesome information and an informed Jeeper is a happy Jeeper.

I'd recommend the Teraflex 2.5 inch spring lift. IMHO, it's a good all around lift with good on and off road performance. I'm really happy with mine, though it's only been on a few days.

Have you thought about shocks? The exhuast/drive shaft issue? Replacing the lower control arm and track bar bolts? New wheels or spacers?

 

[spinlock]

The reason why the 2.5" lift is so popular and recommended by many of us that it is just about the maximum of lift you can get with altering the suspension geometry to the point where much higher stresses are placed on the suspension as well as the steering and driveline joints. It's no guarantee that faster wear will not occur but it's great tradeoff if you care about reliability and additional mods. It also accommodates 35" tires.

 

[AJKMeier]

No problem. I wasn't trying to be a jerk (my wife says it comes naturally ). Those threads are full of awesome information and an informed Jeeper is a happy Jeeper.

I'd recommend the Teraflex 2.5 inch spring lift. IMHO, it's a good all around lift with good on and off road performance. I'm really happy with mine, though it's only been on a few days.

Have you thought about shocks? The exhuast/drive shaft issue? Replacing the lower control arm and track bar bolts? New wheels or spacers?

I've been looking around for some shocks but I've gotten some different input from several folks. I've been told I can keep my current ones while others say I should upgrade. As for new wheels and spacers, I've started looking into that as well. I've been shopping around for those but won't make a decision until I figure out the lift kit. As for the exhaust/drive shaft issue, the lower control arm, and track bar bolts, I know nothing. I've heard other mention these in other posts but don't know much about them. Are those generally costly upgrades? Obviously, I want to do this project right but I still have to be somewhat budget conscious. Can you elaborate a bit on those issues?
Thanks!

 

[AJKMeier]

The reason why the 2.5" lift is so popular and recommended by many of us that it is just about the maximum of lift you can get with altering the suspension geometry to the point where much higher stresses are placed on the suspension as well as the steering and driveline joints. It's no guarantee that faster wear will not occur but it's great tradeoff if you care about reliability and additional mods. It also accommodates 35" tires.

That sounds like some great advice. I've heard others say good things about that kit. I'm definitely going to keep that one in mind. Thanks for your input!

 

[M1CR0B1AL]

Everyone is giving great advise. In case you're doing this for aesthetic reasons, this is a 4" lift with 35" tires

 

[dhc-6]

I would look at the AEV2.5, they seem more focused on a all around 4x4 which will do most trails and still have really good road manors. I have been looking for the right lift for my JK for awhile now and have decided that I am going to leave my teraflex leveling kit in for a little while longer and start upgrading the rest of my jeep. Good luck with your search, there are a lot of really knowledgable people who will be able to get you going in the right direction.

 

[TorCon10]

FWIW, I'm having new wheels (17x8), tires (305x70x17) and lift (2.5 inch spacer lift) installed tomorrow on my 2013 JKU. I chose the 2.5" lift because I can keep my factory shocks and coil springs. I won't be doing much wheeling, just a little when hunting season rolls around, so the spacer lift was the best choice for me. I was advised that there's not any huge differences in these type lifts because it's hard to mess up a spacer.
I researched lifts, tires and wheels until I was almost sick of it. It was fun for the first 30-40 hours and I went back and forth several times between 33's and 35's and looked at hundreds and hundreds of pictures to see what I liked best. If you decide to go with Teraflex coil lift, I don't think you'll be let down. I just didn't need that particular kind of lift for what I intend to do.
Hope this helps a little.

 

[TorCon10]

Everyone is giving great advise. In case you're doing this for aesthetic reasons, this is a 4" lift with 35" tires

Love the look of your ride!

 

[M1CR0B1AL]

Thanks! Still a lot more to put into it, of course.

 

[AJKMeier]

Everyone is giving great advise. In case you're doing this for aesthetic reasons, this is a 4" lift with 35" tires

M1CR0B1AL, That looks great! That's basically what I'm looking for but I'm not so sure how happy my wife would be lifting my Jeep any higher than I have to. As much as I'd love to go with the 4" kit, I'm probably going to go with the 2.5". I really like those wheels too. What kind of wheels/tires are those?