I'm not going to say it was a piece of cake. Having good spotters was key. It was challenging but a blast at the same time. Damage was kept to a minimum thanks to good spotters, patience, and some technique. Under armor was helpful. I did manage to bend my ZJ tie rod. If I had Currie's steering it would have been a non issue.
The nice thing about the 17's is the better back spacing. It will look just fine on 33's, kind of a sporty look. You'll lose a little sidewall, true, but it won't be a deal breaker, and street handling will be good, IMO. Stick with your 4" lift. I'm guessing your lift will come with adjustable control arms? Get a double cardan rear drive shaft and adjust your pinion angles to suit.
Good luck on the cross over steering. I have no personal experience with it, and maybe your setup will be the exception to the rule.
Keep in mind, a tire's lifespan for how we roll is 5 years, so you won't have to wait long if you decide to bump to 35's down the road. I started on 31's, then progressed to 32's, and am now on 33's as I wore each set out, learning along the way.