What should I do first with $600?

5.13 gears and narrow 33s might be tolerable. Think 33x10.5 or narrower. 33x12.5 will require more power to turn, and will be noticeably worse.

You would definitely want a Super 35 if you add a locker to the rear axle.

The cost to regear, Super 35, and lock both axles is probably on the order of $3k.
yea... been checking out the kits, and o man... like 1700 for rear i think with grizzly locker, that'll prolly be done way later when i need tires, maybe like 5 yrs later haha u think with super 35, and regeared, 33x12.5 is too much? cuz thats the tire i wanna get. i got 31x10.5, looks kinda dinky
 
once the diffs are regeared, axles were upgraded, 33's ok tho right? i've seen yours and jerry's post, and seems like you guys approved it with the super35's, reason y i wanna do that 33s. but it won't be done for a very while, its not a d.d. just a weekend drive to local trails (peters mill run va), just got brand new 31s one month ago, it'll take a very long time for us to wear that down. guess my hope for lift was too much haha. so, hows the smittybilt winch? should i stick with the rockcrawler bumper, or just get a plate and mount it on the stock bumper?

Yes, but that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about the fact that you have a 4 cylinder. With 33s on the already underpowered 4-cylinder, your life is going to suck big time, even with a re-gear.

Don't believe me? Put the 33s on, re-gear it, and then take it for a nice highway drive at 70 MPH for an extended period of time. The 4 cylinder is a great engine for off-road and even in-town driving, but it's a well known fact that with the 4 cylinders tire size really matters, and you want to keep the weight down and the tires as small as possible, hence the recommendation NOT to go over a 31" tire. It will suck the power out of your engine, trust me.

The Smittybilt winch is fine, but I would also avoid any bumper that is steel. Stick to aluminum bumpers suck as Savvy, UCF, etc.

Aluminum is much lighter, which is going to make all the difference in the world when it comes to your 4 cylinder, which as I mentioned previously is already lacking on power.
 
Yes, but that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about the fact that you have a 4 cylinder. With 33s on the already underpowered 4-cylinder, your life is going to suck big time, even with a re-gear.

Don't believe me? Put the 33s on, re-gear it, and then take it for a nice highway drive at 70 MPH for an extended period of time. The 4 cylinder is a great engine for off-road and even in-town driving, but it's a well known fact that with the 4 cylinders tire size really matters, and you want to keep the weight down and the tires as small as possible, hence the recommendation NOT to go over a 31" tire. It will suck the power out of your engine, trust me.

The Smittybilt winch is fine, but I would also avoid any bumper that is steel. Stick to aluminum bumpers suck as Savvy, UCF, etc.

Aluminum is much lighter, which is going to make all the difference in the world when it comes to your 4 cylinder, which as I mentioned previously is already lacking on power.


hahaha no, im not saying i dont believe you, i just realized i didnt see 2.5l on that post i mentioned, hahahaha that was huge mistake on my part, since i have 2.5, i thought that post was for 2.5's hahahaha im very sorry. guess 33's and the 3~4 inch lift is out of the picture. thank you. does 2.5's with 31's do ok on rock crawling and mudding? is it worth investing moneY?
 
Good morning fellas, I have a 97 tj with 2.5l 5spd 31inch and 1.5inch spacer is only mod i have so far. new to this off road scene. I work on my own cars, so labor is free. Im here trying to get an idea of how to spend my first 600 dollars wisely. two directions i want to go is

  • 4 inch lift, nothing fancy, just good ol' springs and brackets and shocks. i've already got front and rear shocks, didnt spend money. Found a guy selling 4 inch springs front and back and xfer case drop kit for 200. i've been googling and reading posts, seems like there's whole lot i gatta source, such as extended pitman, xfer case shifter bracket, brake hoses, bump stops, rear track bar brackets, sway bar links. i crunched the numbers, and seems like its gonna b around 600 give or take 50. not including alignment, or any of the steering components, just whats listed on teraflex 4inch lift kit. the $870 one. of course that lift kit does not include brake hoses, and xfer case shift brackets, reason why i rather piece it together.
  • winch and bumper. i really like the stinger look bumper, and seems like they are 280~480 range, depending on brand. found one thats not the stinger style on amazon for like 220, which already have the "D" rings, winch plate and LED already built in. its rock crawler (click for link) bumper. Winch, i remember seeing the smittybilt (click for link) for like 280 on amazon. which i'll be hitting about 500. I dont know if the bumper is thick enough. So if i was to save money, y not just get a winch plate for 60 bucks on stock bumper, and get the winch, call it a day.

reading the posts, seeing what people are doing, and knowing i have a 4 banger, my ultimate goal on this jeep is 33inch tires, super35 w/ regeared at 5.10 or 5.13 i dunno which one is correct sorry, about 3~4inch suspension lift. I want to be able to join jeepjamboreeusa some day, as my wife and i love camping, and hopefully that is enough to get me to go mudding little and crawling rocks a little. what are your thoughts? how would u spend the $600? thanks in advance
I read through several of the responses and see where you want to go.

For now, what I’d do with $600.

Sell the 4” lift.

Get the Zone 4.25” lift. It’s a combo lift. Don’t install the body lift that comes with the kit yet. Run the 31’s for now

When you get the money, install the body lift, get the TCase shifter, and 33’s, regear
 
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hahaha no, im not saying i dont believe you, i just realized i didnt see 2.5l on that post i mentioned, hahahaha that was huge mistake on my part, since i have 2.5, i thought that post was for 2.5's hahahaha im very sorry. guess 33's and the 3~4 inch lift is out of the picture. thank you. does 2.5's with 31's do ok on rock crawling and mudding? is it worth investing moneY?

Don't get me wrong, you CAN put 33s, 35s, or whatever on a 2.5 equipped TJ. I'm just telling you it's going to suck big time unless you really only plan to use it off-road. The moment you get it on the highway you'll understand.

To be totally honest with you, you have to be real with yourself. Are you going to be doing some serious rock crawling and mudding, or just exploring and going off the beaten path? 31s and a 2" lift are more than enough for 95% of us. The only time you need 33s or 35s is if you plan on doing some serious wheeling, at which point I'd probably tell you you bought the wrong vehicle and should sell it for a 4.0 equipped TJ, at least if you plan to drive it on-road.

Hell, even my 4.0 equipped TJ with 35s and a re-gear sucks big time to drive in-town and on the highway. It's not that it drives bad, it's just that it's seriously lacking on power. But that's what happens when you upgrade to bigger, heavier tires and all that.
 
Add a $100 1.25" BL to your 1.5" BB if you want more height without screwing up anything else.
p.s. You'd better ask your wife what she wants before you screw up HER Jeep. She might want a new pair of shoes for $600.
 
Don't get me wrong, you CAN put 33s, 35s, or whatever on a 2.5 equipped TJ. I'm just telling you it's going to suck big time unless you really only plan to use it off-road. The moment you get it on the highway you'll understand.

To be totally honest with you, you have to be real with yourself. Are you going to be doing some serious rock crawling and mudding, or just exploring and going off the beaten path? 31s and a 2" lift are more than enough for 95% of us. The only time you need 33s or 35s is if you plan on doing some serious wheeling, at which point I'd probably tell you you bought the wrong vehicle and should sell it for a 4.0 equipped TJ, at least if you plan to drive it on-road.

Hell, even my 4.0 equipped TJ with 35s and a re-gear sucks big time to drive in-town and on the highway. It's not that it drives bad, it's just that it's seriously lacking on power. But that's what happens when you upgrade to bigger, heavier tires and all that.

well, after i bought the jeeps, and did some youtubeing on off road, since i never owned a vehicle to go off road with, and saw jeepjamboree. to be honest, i just wanna be able to do the jamboree runs... looked fun. so if im keeping the tire size at 31s would i be ok with just the lockers front and back? no regear, or upgrade axles?
 
well, after i bought the jeeps, and did some youtubeing on off road, since i never owned a vehicle to go off road with, and saw jeepjamboree. to be honest, i just wanna be able to do the jamboree runs... looked fun. so if im keeping the tire size at 31s would i be ok with just the lockers front and back? no regear, or upgrade axles?
I wouldn't lock a Dana 35 rear axle with any size tire.
 
I read through several of the responses and see where you want to go.

For now, what I’d do with $600.

Sell the 4” lift.

Get the Zone 4.25” lift. It’s a combo lift. Don’t install the body lift that comes with the kit yet. Run the 31’s for now

When you get the money, install the body lift, get the TCase shifter, and 33’s, regear


luckily i didnt buy the 4inch lift just yet, i think im gonna stick with 2" if any, no body lift, dont wanna run into having to cut chassis to fix broken bolts, shocks i already have, i guess i'll use it when i get the 2.5" lift.




Add a $100 1.25" BL to your 1.5" BB if you want more height without screwing up anything else.
p.s. You'd better ask your wife what she wants before you screw up HER Jeep. She might want a new pair of shoes for $600.


lol if i ask her, she won't approve anything LOL, just do what i wanna do, and get yelled at later is my way haha

I wouldn't lock a Dana 35 rear axle with any size tire.

oh? so just lock the fronts? will it perform well?
 
I wouldn't lock a Dana 35 rear axle with any size tire.
OP, there are plenty of locked Dana 35's out there that are performing well. Every axle has limitations, just keep those in mind and build accordingly.
 
luckily i didnt buy the 4inch lift just yet, i think im gonna stick with 2" if any, no body lift, dont wanna run into having to cut chassis to fix broken bolts, shocks i already have, i guess i'll use it when i get the 2.5" lift.







lol if i ask her, she won't approve anything LOL, just do what i wanna do, and get yelled at later is my way haha



oh? so just lock the fronts? will it perform well?
In my opinion, if you have to make a choice between locking one or the other, I'd lock the rear axle first.
 
OP, there are plenty of locked Dana 35's out there that are performing well. Every axle has limitations, just keep those in mind and build accordingly.

In my opinion, if you have to make a choice between locking one or the other, I'd lock the rear axle first.



so locking the stock Dana 35 with 31s would be ok or would it be on the edge?
 
That really depends on your style of wheeling and how heavy your foot is. If you're talking Super35 on 31's, no problem. If you're just adding a locker to the stock axle shafts then refer to my first sentence. Keep in mind that common sense goes a long way on any aspect of your Jeep build.
 
I read through several of the responses and see where you want to go.

For now, what I’d do with $600.

Sell the 4” lift.

Get the Zone 4.25” lift. It’s a combo lift. Don’t install the body lift that comes with the kit yet. Run the 31’s for now

When you get the money, install the body lift, get the TCase shifter, and 33’s, regear

This is a good plan but without installing the body lift and motor mount kit I would be worried about driveline vibes.
 
That's a good point. Perhaps the Zone 4.25" lift includes a transfer case drop?
 
This is a good plan but without installing the body lift and motor mount kit I would be worried about driveline vibes.
Install the MML, but not the body lift. Zone includes the MML for the vibe issue. He could just trim and raise the fan shroud 1” for the time being.
 
That's a good point. Perhaps the Zone 4.25" lift includes a transfer case drop?
No, 1” MML. I don’t have experience with the Zone kit, but it would be interesting to get some user experience regarding whether they ever need to add a small drop to eliminate any vibes.

I went 2.5 years on a 2.5” lift and MML without much vibes
 
No, 1” MML. I don’t have experience with the Zone kit, but it would be interesting to get some user experience regarding whether they ever need to add a small drop to eliminate any vibes.

I went 2.5 years on a 2.5” lift and MML without much vibes
Same here. 2.5" lift with just a MML - no vibes.
 
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