Hey from Indiana

[Tater]

Hey guys,

Been lurking the forum since the Spring, and found the information here invaluable in my search for my TJ.

After a looong search and several disappointments, we brought home our black 04 Sahara from Eastern Tennessee a few weeks ago:

We'd really like to swap the ProComp wheels and 33" mud tires for a set of Ravines and put on some 30 or 31" A/Ts as we plan to flat tow her a lot in the future. (the 9 hour drive home from the Tenn hills was... fun). I have one Ravine wheel on the spare, any suggestions for finding the other 4?

Also curious if anyone can tell me HOW this thing is currently on 33" tires without any obvious lift. Is it all in the backspacing of the wheels? The PO didn't have any answers for me as it was a wife who didn't drive it much selling what was basically a toy for her husband and son. What I found was the front spring have 4 spacers in them, but even with the spacers it measures only 12". There is also what I'm pretty sure is a one inch body lift. Here's some pics:

Does this mean my springs are sagging? If so, what's the best way to go about replacing them if I want to stick to a stock suspension height?

Finally, in my search for answers on suspension height, I realized I have no rear sway bar... Which may explain the super wobbles I got on my 400 mile drive home. Is the Steinjager replacement a good option for me?

Anyway, thanks for reading and for being such a great resource. I love driving her and have to fight with my gf over who gets to drive everywhere.

 

[Chris]

Welcome to the forum and great looking TJ!

To answer your questions:

1) You can find the Ravine wheels on eBay, this forum, Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, and https://www.car-part.com

2) You have what appears to be a 2" coil spacer lift. Not ideal, and certainly not enough to run 33s successfully (you want 4" of lift for that). It's the poor mans way of doing things, which is what the previous owner must have done.

3) If you want a stock suspension height, you need to get rid of the 33s for a 30" or 31" tire at the most, then get some replacement stock Moog springs.

4) Steinjager is a poor choice for a rear sway bar, and a company I would stay away from altogether. The best (and only rear sway bar you need is a stock replacement, which you can find just about anywhere. I can't stress that enough

Again, welcome to the forum!

 

[L J]

welcome and congrats

 

[Gregg1LE]

Welcome from Texas !

 

[RobertJ]

Welcome to the forum. I was born and raised in Noblesville and spent 12 years in Avon. I'm in the DC area now, but consider Indiana home.

 

[Mike_H]

That front set up is weird. It might be old sagging factory springs combined with a heavy bumper and winch that is compressing the front. Looks to be a two inch spacer lift (or budget boost). For the tire size you want, I'd grab some H&R springs and replace it all. That should net you a 1" lift which will be just about perfect. You do not have a body lift. That rubber isolator on top of the frame mount is factory. @Chris steered you straight on the rear swaybar. @Alex is installing a rear anti-rock. Might reach out to him to see what he's doing with the Factory one.

 

[IPerkWVU]

Welcome to the forum. I was born and raised in Noblesville and spent 12 years in Avon. I'm in the DC area now, but consider Indiana home.

Hey we swapped places. Grew up in Fairfax and lived in Indy, working near Clermont, now in Cinci.

 

[RobertJ]

Hey we swapped places. Grew up in Fairfax and lived in Indy, working near Clermont, now in Cinci.

I have spent a ton of time in Cinci! I love Kings Island. We use to camp there back in the day. My job while in Indy took me there quite a bit too. I work for the federal government, so DC is a logical spot for me before retirement.

 

[Westtown Willy]

you might want to consider getting that hi-lift jack off the hood, get rear-ended hard enough &

 

[OHFIVETJ]

Welcome to the group from the Island of Long, My name is Johnny & i'm a JEEPAHOLIC

 

[Tater]

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone. It's been a busy week but I'm pumped to have the chance to talk about Jeeps.

4) Steinjager is a poor choice for a rear sway bar, and a company I would stay away from altogether. The best (and only rear sway bar you need is a stock replacement, which you can find just about anywhere. I can't stress that eneno

Thanks for the welcome and the great advice! I'll definitely be looking for a stock replacement and plan to do a spring swap in the next couple weeks.

Welcome to the forum. I was born and raised in Noblesville and spent 12 years in Avon. I'm in the DC area now, but consider Indiana home.

I'm a long time Broad Ripple/Talbot St/ Near Northside resident myself, but I grew up on the West side and have watched Avon and Noblesville grow into the gigantic outdoor shopping malls they are today....

I think DC is beautiful, and I believe Indy was laid out/planned either by the same person, or in the same manner. We even have that "mall" downtown that is very reminiscent of DC.

Thanks for the welcome.

That front set up is weird. It might be old sagging factory springs combined with a heavy bumper and winch that is compressing the front. Looks to be a two inch spacer lift (or budget boost). For the tire size you want, I'd grab some H&R springs and replace it all. That should net you a 1" lift which will be just about perfect. You do not have a body lift. That rubber isolator on top of the frame mount is factory. @Chris steered you straight on the rear swaybar. @Alex is installing a rear anti-rock. Might reach out to him to see what he's doing with the Factory one.

I think you're right, that front bumper and winch aren't helping the sag. I'm not familiar with H&R springs, or what sizes would be needed. I was going to swap in replacement Moog springs (along with some new rancho shocks), but am worried that the weight will sag those down as well, I'd like to be able to kick the spacers altogether.

I will ask Alex about his rear sway bar. Thanks for the welcome and setting me straight on the body lift.

you might want to consider getting that hi-lift jack off the hood, get rear-ended hard enough &

It's gone! My gf loves it, but it's just so damn heavy, I wanted it off there. Funnily enough we did use it on the day of the pic; we were working in a cemetery moving some headstones and tried our luck using the jack on some troublesome ones. ... it's not exactly worth its weight.

 

[John Cooper]

Welcome from Bama!!

Spent 18 months in a little fart of a town called Belle Union, stuck between Greencastle and Cloverdale!!