Helo all and Merry Christmas. New to the forum and TJ's. Love mine so far but hoping to find lots of info on here. Putting 33's on and need to figure out if 3" shocks and springs will work without any other major mods. Seems like a great site and very helpful bunch.
Will a 3 inch lift work for 33 inch tires?
- Thread starter THE DOC
- Start date
3" springs will be fine for 33's but if you intend to go offroad I'd also add a 1" to 1.25" body lift to give those tires a little more room to move around in.
Some 3" shocks, like those spec'd for 3" lifts from Rancho, tend to run too tall for that lift height so after removing the old springs I'd measure the space left for the shocks with the suspension fully collapsed and compressed. Rancho's shocks for 2" lift heights, like their RS5000x shocks, are typically a good match for a 3" suspension lift.
Some 3" shocks, like those spec'd for 3" lifts from Rancho, tend to run too tall for that lift height so after removing the old springs I'd measure the space left for the shocks with the suspension fully collapsed and compressed. Rancho's shocks for 2" lift heights, like their RS5000x shocks, are typically a good match for a 3" suspension lift.
I agree with you in the dislike of the body lift but it sure made a tummy tuck simple and did not have to install a cable shifter.. YET
2" and 3" body lifts are widely discouraged and abhorred by most experienced Jeepers but there's not a thing wrong with a 1 to 1.25" body lift which is commonly installed. They give added tire clearance without raising the center-of-gravity as much as a suspension lift does.Welcome.
And Jerry is spot on about your lift, though I hate body lifts.
06TJ35's
TJ Addict
I’m running 1.25” body lift from Savvy. I don’t mind a body lift at all. Like Jerry said 2-3” body lift is a big no.
One very popular kit for the setup you describe is the Zone combination 4.25" lift:
https://zoneoffroad.com/products/425-in-combo-lift-kit-1997-2006-jeep-wrangler-tjCombine that with the RS5000X shocks listed for 2.5" (or 2") of lift and it will all go well together.
I have no experience with that kit, but have seen numerous people use it on this forum.
Another budget-minded option would be to combine the OME 2.5" suspension lift kit with a 1.25" body lift kit like the Savvy body lift kit. Avoid JKS and any other body lift kits that use a plastic puck. When the bolts are torqued to spec, the pucks squash and cause numerous issues. You'll also want a 1" motor mount lift with your 1.25" body lift.
Depending upon the final driveshaft angles, you may need an aftermarket CV style driveshaft, such as a Tom Wood (4xshaft.com) driveshaft. Unfortunately, with a stock shaft and stock (non-adjustable) control arms, a transfer case drop is unlikely to solve driveline angle issues in isolation.
https://zoneoffroad.com/products/425-in-combo-lift-kit-1997-2006-jeep-wrangler-tjCombine that with the RS5000X shocks listed for 2.5" (or 2") of lift and it will all go well together.
I have no experience with that kit, but have seen numerous people use it on this forum.
Another budget-minded option would be to combine the OME 2.5" suspension lift kit with a 1.25" body lift kit like the Savvy body lift kit. Avoid JKS and any other body lift kits that use a plastic puck. When the bolts are torqued to spec, the pucks squash and cause numerous issues. You'll also want a 1" motor mount lift with your 1.25" body lift.
Depending upon the final driveshaft angles, you may need an aftermarket CV style driveshaft, such as a Tom Wood (4xshaft.com) driveshaft. Unfortunately, with a stock shaft and stock (non-adjustable) control arms, a transfer case drop is unlikely to solve driveline angle issues in isolation.
Welcome.
Not a fan of body lifts either but I'm thinking about a small one myself. Just to add some tire clearance.
Not a fan of body lifts either but I'm thinking about a small one myself. Just to add some tire clearance.
To echo what many have already said, I'm not a fan of body lifts either. I did found though that Rokmen offer one of only 1/2'' which is barely noticeable. https://www.rokmen.com/rokmen-1-2-body-lift.html It's the one I run on my Jeep.
Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated. I'm a big fan of the 5000 shocks. I think I will try the Zone kit with the 5000's. Seems like a well put together kit. I was planning on piecing together a lift, but certain items, Savvy body lift for example, are backordered. Thanks again
Sounds good but don't get them mixed up. You want the newer gas-charged RS5000x, not the older hydraulic RS5000 which is way too stiff for a Wrangler.
06TJ35's
TJ Addict
Wait for Savvy to be ready. It’s not a urgent item you can run the 3” springs while you wait for the body lift
Thanks to everyone for the advice. I have the Zone kit enroute and some 5000X's as well.
Hello all. Finally got around to installing the Zone combo 4.25" lift, however have not installed the body lift components yet as there is a 2" body lift already on it from the previous owner. I took it in for an alignment today and the guys said they couldn't do anything until I put on a drop pitman arm (which I have read will make bump steer worse) and also either a front track bar relocation bracket or an adjustable track bar. Also the thing shutters horribly now, and wondering if its due to not yet adding the motor mount lift which I would think would increase the angle more and make it even worse. I will be replacing the rear u bolts with some Spicer 5-1310X joints today to see if it helps, but the shop guys say to just buy adjustable rear lower control arms and they will adjust them properly for me. Any advice, particularly on the pitman arm, would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the lengthy post
No to longer pitman yes to adjustable trackbar. Do you have a SYE and DC rear DS? If not you may need to drop your skid a bit to get your DS proper get rid of the vibes. You should just go ahead and do it right with the SYE and DC driveshaft now cause you will do it later.
If they are telling you to install a dropped pitman then find a new shop. You can get good results doing an alignment yourself with some simple tools. Without adjustable arms there isn't much to be done and certainly not enough to pay for. I have followed Jerry's instructions and have never had an issue. I usually give the alignment a good check every year or after any off-roading. I quickly made a set of alignment tools from home depot. Including 2 tape measures the total cost was below $20.
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-align-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.85/
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-align-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.85/