Rubicon lift project 3 inch for 33s

Andrés Uribe

Andrés Uribe

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Hi Friends, for my Wrangler Rubicon TJ 2006, lift / tires plan, after checking some reviews, I am planning Teraflex 3 inch lift kit with sway bar dissconnect, together with Falcon Piggy Schocks Series 3 as in the pictures. Then I am planning 33s tires on stock wheels 16 inches, may be 305/70/16 or 285/75/16

Do you think it is a good definition? I plan to keep my Rubicon for many years and have some fun, also I always prefer the good quality. Of course also planning to use it for daily driving .

At this stages I don’t like additional mechanical modifications, so May be not yet thinking on 35s

Please let me know your comments and advices, will appreciate !

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I'm pretty sure 285/75/16 is about the largest tire you can fit on the stock Rubicon rims, and even then you may need to adjust the steering stops. The 305s would require wheel spacers. You also need a front adjustable trackbar to go with the lift. I've never heard of anyone using those shocks, it seems way overkill and expensive for a 3 inch lift. I wouldn't be surprised if they caused clearance issues as well. The shocks you listed are 1300 dollars, and the lift kit is also. You could buy most of the suspension parts you need individually for half the cost (atleast here in the U.S.). Make sure you cycle the suspension thoroughly to determine what works and what doesn't, bumpstop needed, etc.

Boogie is right, if you intend to wheel it hard I would do a combined total lift of 4 inches for 33's. The best way to do that without going too overboard with the suspension is 3 inch suspension lift and 1.25 body. The body lift will become important as you lift the jeep's suspension, the TJ may suffer from driveline vibration issues. The bodylift will give you the space you need to do a motor mount lift and many other important upgrades.
 
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not everyone moves to a bigger lift and tires. theres plenty of guys here who have a small lift and small tire. maybe this gentleman will be happy with his choice of lift. sounds like hes looking for something that will last a long time, which tells me he doesnt plan on making any changes for quite some time.

just my $.2
 
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thedustyboot said:
not everyone moves to a bigger lift and tires. theres plenty of guys here who have a small lift and small tire. maybe this gentleman will be happy with his choice of lift. sounds like hes looking for something that will last a long time, which tells me he doesnt plan on making any changes for quite some time.

just my $.2
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Not trying to knock anyone's choice of lift/tire. It is entirely dependent on what a person is doing with their Jeep. There's nothing wrong with 33's and 3 inch lift. As you already know it just tends to lead to a situation where the 33 becomes the first limiting factor to suspension travel, especially up front if cycling for full flex and full lock. The body lift literally nips that in the bud by moving the interference point up without any other alterations to suspension, and gaining back any loss of uptravel that occurred. There's also nothing wrong with running 31s and a 2 inch lift and just getting really good at wheeling and seeing what the Jeep can do relatively stock before going bigger. That's what everyone's debating over in the "Truth" thread.
 
thedustyboot said:
not everyone moves to a bigger lift and tires. theres plenty of guys here who have a small lift and small tire. maybe this gentleman will be happy with his choice of lift. sounds like hes looking for something that will last a long time, which tells me he doesnt plan on making any changes for quite some time.

just my $.2
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4" of additional clearance for 33" tires is a long-standing recommendation for the TJ, which can be from a 4" suspension lift or a 3" suspension lift plus a 1" body lift. 3" is the bare minimum for 33's but the tires will rub with that when offroad unless a 1" body lift is added.

Less than 3" is not recommended for 33's on a TJ.

Even the long-defunct Jp Magazine published a chart recommending 4" for 33's. We're not making this stuff up.

Jp Chart.jpg
 
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Andrés Uribe said:
Hi Friends, for my Wrangler Rubicon TJ 2006, lift / tires plan, after checking some reviews, I am planning Teraflex 3 inch lift kit with sway bar dissconnect, together with Falcon Piggy Schocks Series 3 as in the pictures. Then I am planning 33s tires on stock wheels 16 inches, may be 305/70/16 or 285/75/16

Do you think it is a good definition? I plan to keep my Rubicon for many years and have some fun, also I always prefer the good quality. Of course also planning to use it for daily driving .

At this stages I don’t like additional mechanical modifications, so May be not yet thinking on 35s

Please let me know your comments and advices, will appreciate !

View attachment 474975

View attachment 474976
Click to expand...

Jks is supposed to be a good lift. Keep in mind no "kit" is 100% complete. You'll need to choose bumpstops and shock length very carefully to maximize travel
 
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TheBoogieman said:
Do you have their names? :unsure:
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On the opposite spectrum you have the guy who bought my 97' 4 popper. First pic is when I had it, 31s and no lift. Second pic after the guy who bought it from me, flat fenders, 35s, and maybe something with suspension? God knows. That guy was an idiot. I tried to explain to him that the Jeep had many, many issues, was honest and upfront about everything and was asking only 2500$ obo, and was willing to go lower and sell it for a loss. He proceeded to laugh in my face like I was the problem, had this macho redneck attitude. After a few weeks he was messaging me bitching about the issues, sorry bud, it's sold as is. Then he did all this work and posted it for sale for 1500. Those are beadlock rims on 35s. :oops: Sorry for the off topic rant, I just had to.

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All good information. I'd argue about 4" being the minimum for 33's though. I have 2" of lift and 1" BL and a 33/12.5 tire, no clearance issues at all
 
thedustyboot said:
All good information. I'd argue about 4" being the minimum for 33's though. I have 2" of lift and 1" BL and a 33/12.5 tire, no clearance issues at all
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I have a similar setup and while it might fit the articulation is extremely lacking to the point its very tippy offroad. Heck the previous idiot who had it managed with 35s and lots of rubbing. Just because you can doesn't mean it works well.

Go wheeling with someone using a good 4" lift and 33's. You'll find out just how bad your setup is pretty quick
 
I am puzzled by the lift requirements. If a 2 inch lift is adequate for 31 inch tires (or 31.6 inch tires in my case) why is 4 inches needed for 33 inch tires? The radius of the 33 inch tire is only 1 inch larger yet 2 more inches of clearance is required? Why?
 
Rickyd said:
I have a similar setup and while it might fit the articulation is extremely lacking to the point its very tippy offroad. Heck the previous idiot who had it managed with 35s and lots of rubbing. Just because you can doesn't mean it works well.

Go wheeling with someone using a good 4" lift and 33's. You'll find out just how bad your setup is pretty quick
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id actually get better flex if i bought aftermarket CA's. at the end of the day everyone has their own unique needs and tastes so it really just comes down to what a guy uses his jeep for and what recipe works best for them.
 
TurboTJ said:
I am puzzled by the lift requirements. If a 2 inch lift is adequate for 31 inch tires (or 31.6 inch tires in my case) why is 4 inches needed for 33 inch tires? The radius of the 33 inch tire is only 1 inch larger yet 2 more inches of clearance is required? Why?
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Mo' articulation, mo better? I mean there's no reason why you couldn't do 31s and 3 inch lift.

I almost feel like we are chasing the wrong rabbit when it comes to ride height because suspension travel is the more important thing to analyze. You could use for example the Rancho Rs55239 with a 2.5 inch lift, or with a 3.5 inch lift. The 3.5 inch lift results in roughly 5.25 uptravel and 4.25 down, the 2.5 I think would be the inverse of that.
 
TurboTJ said:
I am puzzled by the lift requirements. If a 2 inch lift is adequate for 31 inch tires (or 31.6 inch tires in my case) why is 4 inches needed for 33 inch tires? The radius of the 33 inch tire is only 1 inch larger yet 2 more inches of clearance is required? Why?
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It has a lot to do with shocks and the pivot point at the axle where the control arms attach. More lift necessarily leads to shocks with longer travels. The longer the shock travel, the greater the axle articulation. The greater the axle articulation, the more the raised tire will pivot up into the fender and tip in towards the frame.

These recommended lift heights for a given tire size are not hard numbers. There are many contributing factors and variables that will add up into a tire fitting and the suspension being able to move without interferences. Or not. However, these lift heights are good approximations for what typically works.

This is why a 4" spring lift does not automatically provide room for a 4" taller tire. It is also why a 4" spring lift doesn't automatically result in 4 additional inches of shock travel over stock. The tires are moving through their travel arcs far more than one might expect because of the locker shocks.
 
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