Question about running 35s with a 2" lift

[Iowajeeptj]

Hello everyone,

Here is where I stand: I have a 2000 TJ Saraha with 4.0 and rear dana 44. What I am wanting to do is a 2 inch lift with metalcloak fenders so I can run 35's. I am wanting to avoid doing a slip yoke elimination as I do not have much room to work or tools. The general lift guide thread stated rubicon models do not need a slip yoke elimination for a 2 inch lift, is this the same for the Sahara model? Also, If I ran 35's would I run into other issues such as the steering pump not able to handle the bigger tires or power loss? I am wanting to get the 35's in with only a 2 inch lift and the metal cloak fenders no other mods for now if possible. Thanks!

- I should also mention the only off roading I will do would be extremely mild until I have the funds to build this out properly.

 

[Chris]

What I am wanting to do is a 2 inch lift with metalcloak fenders so I can run 35's.

Bad idea IMHO. First off, Metalcloak fenders will not provide any substantial gains from in terms of up-travel. Second off, by adding 35s with only 2" of suspension lift, you're going to serious limit your suspensions' up-travel, and therefore you'll actually be hurting your off-road performance, not improving it. For on-road you'd be fine, however, you may as well just skip the Metalcloak fenders as they aren’t going to benefit you in this case. A true highline fender however would.

The general lift guide thread stated rubicon models do not need a slip yoke elimination for a 2 inch lift, is this the same for the Sahara model?

No, this only applies to Rubicon models.

Also, If I ran 35's would I run into other issues such as the steering pump not able to handle the bigger tires or power loss?

The steering will be fine, but running 35s on the stock brakes will be dangerous, especially if you ever have to really use your brakes. You'll need to upgrade to a big brake kit like the Vanco kit here: https://shop.blackmagicbrakes.com/VANCO-15-Big-Brake-Kit-with-BMB-Pads-for-15-Rims-BBK-NDM15.htm

In addition, your stock axles won't be able to handle 35" tires if you plan on doing any real off-roading. They may last for a while, but eventually those 35s will break the axle shafts, so you'll want to upgrade the axle shafts as well as re-gear the vehicle as well.

Make no mistake, if you want to run 35s and do it right, you better plan on spending 10k or more.

On the other hand, if all you want to do is drive on-road with it, then you'd be fine... though you'd still want that brake upgrade by all means.

 

[Iowajeeptj]

Stupid idea IMHO. First off, Metalcloak fenders will not provide any additional up-travel whatsoever. Second off, by adding 35s with only 2" of suspension lift, you're going to serious limit your suspensions' up-travel, and therefore you'll actually be hurting your off-road performance, not improving it. For on-road you'd be fine, however, you may as well just skip the Metalcloak fenders as they will do absolutely nothing for you other than looks.



No, this only applies to Rubicon models.



The steering will be fine, but running 35s on the stock brakes will be dangerous, especially if you ever have to really use your brakes. You'll need to upgrade to a big brake kit like the Vanco kit here: https://shop.blackmagicbrakes.com/VANCO-15-Big-Brake-Kit-with-BMB-Pads-for-15-Rims-BBK-NDM15.htm

In addition, your stock axles won't be able to handle 35" tires if you plan on doing any real off-roading. They may last for a while, but eventually those 35s will break the axle shafts, so you'll want to upgrade the axle shafts as well as re-gear the vehicle as well.

Make no mistake, if you want to run 35s and do it right, you better plan on spending 10k or more.

On the other hand, if all you want to do is drive on-road with it, then you'd be fine... though you'd still want that brake upgrade by all means.

Thanks for the reply. I will have to re evaluate my tire goals for now

 

[Jramos013]

With a 2" lift, i would not run anything over 31". For a 35" at a minimum i would run 4" spring and a body lift. You would need a sye. The fenders would be useless in you application.

 

[Chris]

Thanks for the reply. I will have to re evaluate my tire goals for now

That's what I would do if I was in your shoes

Like I said, running 35s is not cheap at all. It adds up really fast!

With a 2" lift, I wouldn't run anything over a 31" tire personally.

 

[Iowajeeptj]

That's what I would do if I was in your shoes

Like I said, running 35s is not cheap at all. It adds up really fast!

With a 2" lift, I wouldn't run anything over a 31" tire personally.

From your lift guide it looks like a 2.5" lift is the sweet spot for maximum tire size without swapping out too many parts. I'm pretty sure I have 29's right now and my rear springs definitely sag. With that being said, would a 2.5 lift and 31's make a considerable difference?

 

[Chris]

From your lift guide it looks like a 2.5" lift is the sweet spot for maximum tire size without swapping out too many parts. I'm pretty sure I have 29's right now and my rear springs definitely sag. With that being said, would a 2.5 lift and 31's make a considerable difference?

A 2.5" lift with 31" tires is in my opinion the best looking setup on a TJ. It can also be done without breaking the bank.

Running 35s is no joke. It's one of those things that you really have to be prepared to spend a lot of money if you want to do it right, and I'm talking 10k or more in most cases.

I will also add that 31s with a 2.5" lift will allow you to have a good amount of up-travel, and you'll be surprised at the places you can go off-road even with just 31s, honestly.

 

[Iowajeeptj]

With a 2" lift, i would not run anything over 31". For a 35" at a minimum i would run 4" spring and a body lift. You would need a sye. The fenders would be useless in you application.

I could have read it wrong but the metalcloak site seemed to claim their fenders would allow me to fit up to 35's. Glad I asked!

 

[Chris]

I could have read it wrong but the metalcloak site seemed to claim their fenders would allow me to fit up to 35's. Glad I asked!

@toximus has a great thread on this site where he actually shows pictures where he tests out the Metalcloak fenders. There's tons of good information in it, but I think the conclusion he came to was that he only gained maybe 1/2" of clearance from the fenders themselves.

Without going to a true highline fender (which is far from just a bolt-on affair), you stand nothing to gain anything from tube fenders.

 

[Oldguy]

This is a 2000 with a 2 inch lift and 33s

 

[IPerkWVU]

@toximus has a great thread on this site where he actually shows pictures where he tests out the Metalcloak fenders. There's tons of good information in it, but I think the conclusion he came to was that he only gained maybe 1/2" of clearance from the fenders themselves.

Without going to a true highline fender (which is far from just a bolt-on affair), you stand nothing to gain anything from tube fenders.

He's testing on 37s, not 35s.

I've seen multiple people run 35 tires with 2" spring lift and MC fenders just fine but you'll need to use their Mod Cut bracket in the rear and trim the tub .

You will want to upgrade your steering, brakes, super 35 axle kit up front and stronger shafts in the rear before mounting those 35s

 

[Chris]

He's testing on 37s, not 35s.

I've seen multiple people run 35 tires with 2" spring lift and MC fenders just fine but you'll need to use their Mod Cut bracket in the rear and trim the tub .

You will want to upgrade your steering, brakes, super 35 axle kit up front and stronger shafts in the rear before mounting those 35s

That's right, but the same thing still applies. Those fenders aren't giving you any real gains, as they aren't actually moving the fender up any higher on the body like a highline does.

Maybe some could argue that they are stronger in terms of taking a hit, but they aren't going to do much beyond that. You need a real highline conversion in that case.

 

[pagrey]

You don't need a lift at all. 31" tires will fit a stock TJ with no issues at all. You can air them down and pretty much do more than any stock vehicle out there. You don't need a lift at all, it doesn't increase your ground clearance one bit, not a single millimeter.

 

[T_Hase89]

You don't need a lift at all. 31" tires will fit a stock TJ with no issues at all. You can air them down and pretty much do more than any stock vehicle out there. You don't need a lift at all, it doesn't increase your ground clearance one bit, not a single millimeter.

But it does get that shovel of a skid plate off the ground (assume Non rubicons have same skid as a Rubi) and improves breakover angle which is nice to have. Tires raise axle clearance, suspension raises everything else clearance.

To the OP, I run 35s on a 4 inch and still need a body lift or high lines (I’m going the latter and going to modify tub for true flat belly as I hate body lifts) as I fender bend all the time off road. Wrinkling the fenders etc

 

[afmoto]

Before I went to 35’s, I had a 2” OME lift and 32x11.5x15 tires. It worked very well until I wanted to get into more extreme terrain. For some reason, not many people run 32’s but it’s actually a really good option and also looks good on a TJ since it’s a wider 11.5 tire (vs 31x10.5).

 

[IPerkWVU]

That's right, but the same thing still applies. Those fenders aren't giving you any real gains, as they aren't actually moving the fender up any higher on the body like a highline does.

Maybe some could argue that they are stronger in terms of taking a hit, but they aren't going to do much beyond that. You need a real highline conversion in that case.

Hood lines stay the same so that without a doubt is the restriction. But if the first point of tire interference isn't the hood line which is the case with most 35s, the MC open up the wheel back towards the door and provide slightly more clearance for the outside part of the tire that would otherwise be up in the stock fenders.

It's not significant but with 35s there are gains compared to a stock fender. For someone who isn't looking for significant travel like @Iowajeeptj 2" spring lift is definitely better than slapping on those fenders with no lift.

I'm not a huge fan of the look so you won't find them my rig but I don't think think we can completely write them off as non-value added depending on the tire size.

 

[Chris]

Hood lines stay the same so that without a doubt is the restriction. But if the first point of tire interference isn't the hood line which is the case with most 35s, the MC open up the wheel back towards the door and provide slightly more clearance for the outside part of the tire that would otherwise be up in the stock fenders.

It's not significant but with 35s there are gains compared to a stock fender. For someone who isn't looking for significant travel like @Iowajeeptj 2" spring lift is definitely better than slapping on those fenders with no lift.

I'm not a huge fan of the look so you won't find them my rig but I don't think think we can completely write them off as non-value added depending on the tire size.

I'm just trying to suggest that for the price of those fenders and the minimal gains (1/2" of clearance I believe), I don't think the ends justify the means.

But yes, I see what you're saying.

 

[jjvw]

Metalcloak fenders might get about an inch more clearance than stock up to about a 35" tire. The greatest benefit seems to be with a 33. The back wall of the fender is still the problem that Metalcloak did not fully address.

Following the fenders, enough spring and body lift is required to at least recover the factory 4" of suspension up travel that is lost to the bump stop requirements. Once that is done, we can say the tires fit just fine.

FWiW, Metalcloak's claims for fitment might be accurate where ramps and their trailer are concerned. But if you need to steer while stuffing a tire, you might be a little disappointed.

 

[Alex01]

Metalcloak fenders might get about an inch more clearance than stock up to about a 35" tire. The greatest benefit seems to be with a 33. The back wall of the fender is still the problem that Metalcloak did not fully address.

Following the fenders, enough spring and body lift is required to at least recover the factory 4" of suspension up travel that is lost to the bump stop requirements. Once that is done, we can say the tires fit just fine.

FWiW, Metalcloak's claims for fitment might be accurate where ramps and their trailer are concerned. But if you need to steer while stuffing a tire, you might be a little disappointed.

I agree that MC fenders give about 1" of gain with 35s over stock. (Maybe more) My bumps are set at 1.25" with 35s and mc fenders. You could get more but you would lose your ability to turn because the rear of the tire will rub before the top.

It would be fun to see what size tire you need to run to get any benefits out of the arched fenders they sell. My guess is 31-33s.

 

[Alex01]

@Chris do you recall your bump length with the stock fenders after adding the fox shocks? I want to say it was between 2-3 inches.