I’m hearing I need a 4” lift to fit 35” tires on my 2004 tj. Is the rough country 4” with N3 shocks a good choice? Are there any other issues I might have? What’s the minimum offset I need for 15” rims with 35” tires ? Lots of questions, sorry!!
Is Rough Country 4" lift a good choice for 35" tires?
- Thread starter Knook1963
- Start date
Rough Country shocks are garbage. Probably the worst riding shock on the market.
Rough Country lifts in my opinion are great for mall crawlers and TJs that never plan to leave the pavement too much. However, if you want to do some serious off-roading, I would invest in a much higher quality lift such as Currie, Savvy, or something that uses Johnny Joints on the control arms. Rough Country is a cheaply made lift, hence the cheap price.
That's not to say it's complete garbage (like I said, if all you're going for is looks, it's just fine), but it won't hold up to long term abuse off-road. Namely the bushings they use for the control arm will go bad quickly, the shocks are garbage (as previously mentioned), and I've heard a lot of stories of the springs sagging in short order.
Also, to run 35s, you really need 5" of lift, so you'd ideally have a 4" suspension lift and a 1" body lift (which is the way it's most commonly done).
As for the wheels, you want ones with 3.75-4" of backspacing. You won't hear the term "offset" used in the Jeep world, it's always backspacing.
Rough Country lifts in my opinion are great for mall crawlers and TJs that never plan to leave the pavement too much. However, if you want to do some serious off-roading, I would invest in a much higher quality lift such as Currie, Savvy, or something that uses Johnny Joints on the control arms. Rough Country is a cheaply made lift, hence the cheap price.
That's not to say it's complete garbage (like I said, if all you're going for is looks, it's just fine), but it won't hold up to long term abuse off-road. Namely the bushings they use for the control arm will go bad quickly, the shocks are garbage (as previously mentioned), and I've heard a lot of stories of the springs sagging in short order.
Also, to run 35s, you really need 5" of lift, so you'd ideally have a 4" suspension lift and a 1" body lift (which is the way it's most commonly done).
As for the wheels, you want ones with 3.75-4" of backspacing. You won't hear the term "offset" used in the Jeep world, it's always backspacing.
Ignore the particular brand name and kit for the moment. Come at it from the other direction. What is generally needed to begin running 35s effectively? Does the kit you are looking at satisfy those requirements?
If you get a rough country kit , get the one that uses the 3/4 ton Dodge control arm bushing part #, they last 7+ years ( they have been on the market 7 years and rough country is just now getting calls for new bushings), get rancho 5000x shocks whatever you do, run 26psi, pay attention to the pitman arm and drag link set up , consider an adjustable track bar , and avoid excess sugar , alcohol,loose women and bad dogs.
Benjeepn
Member
Rough Country is an entry level lift kit and should be used appropriately. Rough Country recently upgraded their shocks to the N3 which are supposed to be a major upgrade from their 2.0-2.2 shocks (according to their salesperson).
What incentive or expectation do you have for running 35'' tires?
What incentive or expectation do you have for running 35'' tires?
Nope nope nope nope nope! Don’t go with rough country.....ever........previous owner had it on mine before I ripped it all off. N3 shocks ride like a dump truck with an empty load, bushing are crap, materials are sub par. It’s part of your vehicle that does most of the work besides the drivetrain - don’t skimp on price!
I have never spoken to someone happy with Rough Country. You get what you pay for. I'd suggest the Savvy mid arm. May not be in your budget though.
You would suggest the Savvy Mid Arm without having any idea what he’s going to do with the Jeep?
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What is your plan for this Jeep?
What does it already have in terms of suspension modifications and fenders?
Have you already upgraded the brakes and steering?
Have you already regeared, or put that in your budget?
What is your total budget?
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Only if he plans on wheeling it.
If not wheeling, there are plenty of kits that will work with that spring height. Nothing by Rough Country though.
I think he will be quite fine wheeling most places without the Savvy mid arm.
But but but.....you’re saying to build your Jeep for the environment and use? Im lost! I thought coilovers and tons and 40s were the answer!
I'm sure he'd be fine with any decent 3-4" kit. Add a 1" body lift if necessary.
Clearly I had tons of money to blow
Had a good laugh after reading that old post - in the end though you built the Jeep to “go anywhere do anything with the highest quality parts” which is a goa manny of us try to achieve. And your advice back then holds water for a lot of younger wheelers just getting in!
Blaine had a term for it a while back that I laughed at (because he's right). I'm what they call a "mod collector".
I'll overbuild the hell out of it just because I can. Nothing wrong with that though. I'd rather be overbuild than under built!
Still, I would tell anyone new to Jeeps the same thing: If you can't find a reason you need it, don't waste your money. Unless of course you just have money to blow, in which case, spend away!
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