Had you been properly geared for the tire size and transmission on the very good TJ you had for a short time, would your thoughts be different?
Cut off for well mannered, street-able TJ?
- Thread starter Bowhunter
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Had you been properly geared for the tire size and transmission on the very good TJ you had for a short time, would your thoughts be different?
Travis05Rubi
TJ Enthusiast
My 05 rubicon does 70 all day, no shakes, no shimmy, no "shit, how fast am i going?" moments. Brakes are solid, steering is spot on.
5 inch long arm, 1 inch body lift, 35 in Baja Boss M/T. Crossover high steer. I'll go to 5.38 and 37's over winter and expect the same comfort.
It should be noted that maintenance and upkeep on it is my hobby so literally every nut, bolt, and bushing is in top shape.
5 inch long arm, 1 inch body lift, 35 in Baja Boss M/T. Crossover high steer. I'll go to 5.38 and 37's over winter and expect the same comfort.
It should be noted that maintenance and upkeep on it is my hobby so literally every nut, bolt, and bushing is in top shape.
Hey man, hope all is well your way.
My TJ's 35" setup that will do 85+mph and hit curves like we're in a sports car (my buddy lost his damn mind laughing when I took him for a drive in the twisties). That's simply the reality function wise after adding boost to a well built rig, but it ignores budget constraints that you haven't yet constrained us to.
@Chris had a rig built up to a fantastic level (e.g., brakes, suspension, steering) that I went for a ride in, but he admittedly didn't do himself any favors by not re-gearing the diffs (from 4.88s) after the auto swap, and he sold the rig before he added more power.
There are guys in here who are happy with driving a 100hp rig on the highway, but you never struck me as one of those folks. Given your concerns for wanting performance, I believe you'd be better off boosting or stroking a 4.0L or buying a well built rig with those performance items or a V8 already included.
If that doesn't fit your budget, then that changes the calculus more towards a smaller tire build where you'll be asking more about off road limits.
Edit: I don't recall...were you geared correctly when you had the 33s? I would run 5.38s with 33s and a 42RLE if you do it again. But only you would know if that would make you happy enough to not need more power.
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My TJ drives like a sports car on 35s. I can do 90 up a hill without breaking a sweat if I need to.
Stroker really helps. Tons of Black Magic Brakes parts...big brake kit. Curry Correctlync steering and track bars. Savvy short arms. Outboarded rear shocks.
My big thing for now is adding lightness. Trying to replace heavy things like my Morryde tailgate reinforcement and hinges with Fluxor aluminum.
-Mac
Stroker really helps. Tons of Black Magic Brakes parts...big brake kit. Curry Correctlync steering and track bars. Savvy short arms. Outboarded rear shocks.
My big thing for now is adding lightness. Trying to replace heavy things like my Morryde tailgate reinforcement and hinges with Fluxor aluminum.
-Mac
When we both say our jeeps handle like sports cars, we know what we both mean when we say that.
Sure,i explicitly said shocks don't matter. Or i addressed it earlier in the thread. Including that you can't raise center of gravity with no consequences. The way i can tell you are just playing games is the way you don't address anything i say. You redirect and play victim
Hey man!
Thanks for the info. With my last TJR, it was stock 4.10s with 33”s so power wasn’t overwhelming by any means lol.
I think what I was most disappointed with that TJR was just the performance at hwy speed. It was much better than the few other TJs I rode in but they were cobbled together so not a fair comparison.
Most of my vehicles have been half ton trucks. Currently mine is on 35”s (comes from the factory with that size) so I’m not accustomed to say a sports car ride but the TJs I’ve had felt somewhat unsafe at high speeds (no death wobble) so I simply didn’t do much of that driving which limited by use case to around town
I was considering either going the route of a TJ or something like a 4 runner for a vehicle that is capable on basic trails, fun to drive around town (big win of the Jeep) and in the mountains but can also be reasonably driven a 100 or so miles on the freeway/hwy
Here's the deal. Regardless of the specific lift height and tire size, the baseline goal for any level of build is to make sure the components are setup as well as they can be. The means the shocks are sized for a roughly 50/50 travel bias from ride height. It also means the steering is adjusted for toe and a centered steering wheel. Pinions are the correct angles. The brakes are functioning well and predictable for the tire size. And what so many refuse to do- regear for the transmission and tire size. This means a minimum of 3k rpm at 75mph, when possible.
Get those out of the way, and you will have a TJ that will perform and handle pretty well anywhere you take it, on or off road. The rest is up to you for however far you want to go.
Told ya you’d get a lot of responses
To the small build (31s max) discussion: A 1.25” body lift, tuned stock length shocks and the largest tires that would fully articulate (30s?) would be interesting. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it.
This is what I'm trying to achieve, but with OME springs instead of a body lift.
Especially on smaller lifts, I'm not a fan of body lifts. I'd much rather use springs to get the frame and all the attachments up as much as possible.
As noted in Rickys post above, I have zero need for 35s. With rare exceptions, my off roading consists of Forest Service roads and trails.
As I get older, the ease of getting in and out of the seat is becoming more and more important. I also don't have deep pockets, and they're usually empty except for some pocket lint and a knife.
My idea of perfect is going with a 2" or 2.5" spring lift with 31s or maybe 32s.
I would like to investigate the shocks that JJ has. My guess is they're very expensive so it may just have to be Rancho 9000s as currently planned.
I'm still working on it, and just like everyone else on this forum I do have my goals.
But 35s aint it.
If you want the shocks I have, you need to fit them. Be they coilovers or separate coils and shocks like mine. Figure that out and you will be down a path far away from OME coils. I know, because I started there a long time ago. There comes a point where the rig is built around the shocks and making the shocks able to function properly. Doing so will transform everything about the Jeep. The process is a massive education that extends far beyond building a Jeep and into many other areas of life. If you value certain things, then these are what you pursue.
When you posted that earlier, I thought you were joking.
Now, you've got my curiosity up.
I've never owned or even ridden in a Jeep of any flavor that goes down the highway like you guys describe.
To say Im envious would be an understatement.
Like I said in my previous post, I have no need for 35s but I do hope I can get a good ride and performance out of 31s.
Blow 500$ per corner on shocks,be prepared to cut and weld to make them fit. And have the shock tuner scratch his head a bit as you insist you have a wrx road racer
Setup what you have to function the best it is able to. I can't and won't recommend a specific bolt on shock. There isn't enough difference between them to matter as much as many pretend it does. But sizing them correctly is extremely important. It matters as much as the baseline setup of everything else. Do that, and you are leaps and bounds beyond what most will ever do.
The information is here and widely available.
I too did not like the idea of a body lift, but I got over it because it has so many advantages in a TJ. A stock TJ has something like 7” of shock travel, which is actually pretty good. It also has control arms, track bars and steering in pretty ideal locations to work well. Spring lifts mess with all of that. The main benefit of a body lift is maintaining stock suspension and steering geometry while still allowing full articulation with larger tires.
The worst hangy downy thing is your stock T-case skid. A body lift allows you to tuck the skid and case up pretty easily if you wish (I think 2-2.5” of tuck would be no problem with a 231 case). A tuck does create driveline angle issues just like a spring lifts so MML, SYE kit and adjustable rear upper control arms are still likely necessary, just like a spring lift. A cable shifter for the T-case may or may not be required given the T-case and body both move up in the scenario.
Since keeping good road driving characteristics are the point of this thread, using a 1.25” BL and stock suspension is an economical and effective way to get there, with or without the tuck.
One final comment: Although you can make a decent handling TJ, it will never be a sports car. My TJ on 35s has come a long way compared to when I got it on 31s. Road manners and the fun to drive meter are hugely improved. But when I get in my fairly pedestrian sports car (‘12 Mustang GT with some mild track oriented mods: tires, suspension, brakes and driveline) the comparison is ridiculous.
It seems some people have opinions. I think you need to ask yourself what you are trying to achieve? A certain stance, a look, certain trail capabilities. Then who is doing the work. If you have a deep pocket and you can find a good shop, they can dial in whatever you need. If you are doing the work, how much are willing to learn to dial in your ride? Realistically, the bigger you build, the more you are fighting physics. A 31" tire is going to handle road conditions so much better than a 35". It's easier to make a well behaved rig that is closer to stock. I have 35's on my TJ and can't wait to get 33's. The 35 is too heavy. I've had my wheels off a few times working on it and the 35's are no fun to lift into place. My TJ is my daily and my weekend explorer. I also have a tight budget so I'm doing it a bit at a time.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you upgrade only the rear to Fox 2.0 w/DSCs, which means your front corners haven't been upgraded yet to match the tuned rears?
If that's the case, then I'd complete the suspension build. Otherwise, I'd consider dialing in the tune or going for a ride in a rig built by Blaine before poo pooing the comparison as being ridiculous. The handling at speed, especially when pushing it in boost, is the biggest thrill of the experience.
To a much lesser extent, I noticed an improvement in handling after pairing 35s with 17" wheels instead of 15" wheels. It all adds up.
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Iv been thinking about this lately. Jeep feels a little wonky at higher speeds. Lots of rubber on a 35 with 15” rims. How much that tire squish’s and moves on turns being a factor. Nevermind the increase in tire options at 37’s
Iv been thinking about this lately. Jeep feels a little wonky at higher speeds. Lots of rubber on a 35 with 15” rims. How much that tire squish’s and moves on turns being a factor. Nevermind the increase in tire options at 37’s
Hopefully your steering is in good shape. I'd check up on it to be safe.
BTW, any worries I had regarding ride quality with 17s proved to be laughable when the ride quality improved along with the handling. I can't explain it other than to say tire technology has come a long way and results may vary.
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speeding_infraction
TJ Addict
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