2004 LJ: I’ll take all the pointers!
- Thread starter LJtheunicorn
- Start date
OP
With stock 3.73 gears and the 42rle. It will work but you will be happier with 4.88s minimum. As @Irun has stated, if the end goal is 35s, maybe get the lowest gears you can and lockers so you do it once and move on.
also stick with a 15x8 wheel. You could also keep your stock ravines (which are already 15x8) and run a wheel spacer.
If you're considering re-gearing, and have a 42RLE automatic, go straight to 5.13 for a Dana 30.
OP
OP
I am looking at dirt worx bumpers as @Jerry Bransford and others highly recommend them. How well does their tire carrier hinge system and latch hold up? They come with a good warranty and the price is right just looking for some more feedback specific to the tire carrier set up.
Thanks in advance!
I'm not a fan of bumper-mounted spare tire carriers but some are better than others. I'd expect the Dirtworx to be better than most. I've had great luck with their bumpers which are top-notch quality... though none of them had a tire carrier on them.
Don’t get hung up on trying to not do driveline mods… they aren’t a big hurdle.
The tummy tuck is important for break over ground clearance. I personally would do it first.
Don’t waste your time or money going from 32” to 33”
Tummy tuck(requires small body lift) + hi line fenders will give you plenty of clearance for 35” tires.
Gears and lockers are your friend. It will drive like dogshit on 35s and stock gears.
The tummy tuck is important for break over ground clearance. I personally would do it first.
Don’t waste your time or money going from 32” to 33”
Tummy tuck(requires small body lift) + hi line fenders will give you plenty of clearance for 35” tires.
Gears and lockers are your friend. It will drive like dogshit on 35s and stock gears.
OP
OP
We are wanting to switch wheels and a more aggressive tire so that is why we are thinking about moving to 33.
I really want 35’s but I don’t want to buy gears lockers shafts fenders and everything else that is needed to runn35’s efficiently.
Once I switch to the wheels I want and 33’s I will start with the metal cloak fender/rock rail kit and then gears and lockers before buying 35’s. I just don’t want to spend all that money yet. My current set of wheels and tires have tons of tread left so I should be able to sell them for a good price to help with the new wheels and tire purchase.
my hesitation with the tailgate mounted tire carriersvs bumper mounted is I haven’t seen any of them with the cargo rack that goes over the tire, I have only seen these on bumper mounted tire carriers. Something like this
I didn’t realize you had the 4 inch lift on when I posted. You could fit a 35 under there. I would still do gears. The shafts and lockers can come in time, as the fenders. But I still wouldn’t waste money on a set of 33s unless you pick up a used set of wheels and tires of Facebook marketplace or something. You’ll want 35s a lot sooner than you think.
The bumper mounted hinges are the weak point. Not all but a lot of them break and you’re screwed. A cargo rack and 2 jerry cans will only exacerbate that potential. You already have way more storage than most of us 
Do you plan to access the back frequently? If so, any bumper mounted carrier that has a separate latch sucks. It means every time you go into the back you have open the latch, open the tailgate, then try to keep both from opening or closing on you, depending on how the Jeep is parked. You may think you'll live with this, but it will get old!
Cancel the squishy JKS body lift and get something made from aluminum or reenforced nylon.
OP
i bought the DPG old man emu jks kit 2.5 inch spring lift and 1.25 body lift. Oh I already want the 35’s but I want to only pay for labor to open diffs once so when I do gears I plan to do lockers at the same time.
this is a third vehicle for the wife and I, we plan to take it to Colorado and Utah a couple times a year but mainly a weekend/date night ride. I understand the extra step to access back hatch but I’m not too concerned with it.
I’m wanting to be able to trail ride with 4 adults and a 70 pound dog in the Jeep so the space over tire carrier will be a must. This won’t be every outting but definitely will happen from time to time.The bumper mounted hinges are the weak point. Not all but a lot of them break and you’re screwed. A cargo rack and 2 jerry cans will only exacerbate that potential. You already have way more storage than most of us
I personally would not mount any kind of exterior jerry can carrier and rack over the tire like that. That type of setup unnecessarily raises the center-of-gravity and just makes it too easy to carry extra unneeded junk.
Wish I had seen this one before as my 05 LJ has or had a lot of the setup you were considering. When I bought it had 4” Currie lift and 33s. No driveline changes, no vibrations. I do have 6 spd so gearing isn’t as big factor.
I too wanted every change to build toward 35s. My first additions were Savvy BL and BrownDog MML. Again no vibrations or other issues.
My second change was not in order planned but walked into deal to trade my 33s for 35s that were IMO better rim and tire. The only downside was 15x10 rims so I did it. Definitely notice the gearing as basically have 5 spd now. But no vibrations etc.
I’ve made a couple other changes but really just have large parts pile growing waiting for funds to add last few things to catch the jeep up with its shoes. Oh and my mechanic (brother
) to stop spending time on buying a new home and his Chevelle.
I too wanted every change to build toward 35s. My first additions were Savvy BL and BrownDog MML. Again no vibrations or other issues.
My second change was not in order planned but walked into deal to trade my 33s for 35s that were IMO better rim and tire. The only downside was 15x10 rims so I did it. Definitely notice the gearing as basically have 5 spd now. But no vibrations etc.
I’ve made a couple other changes but really just have large parts pile growing waiting for funds to add last few things to catch the jeep up with its shoes. Oh and my mechanic (brother
) to stop spending time on buying a new home and his Chevelle.
OP
The internal fight between 33 and 35 is driving me nuts. I could probably get by with the old man emu springs, body lift, and a lot of bump stop until I get fenders and the rest. I just don’t want to regear yet. The way tire prices are I won’t be buying any tires until they normalize. The set of method double standard 15x8 and stt pro 35x12.5x15 I have been looking at was $1980 back around April, now it’s around $2600-2700Wish I had seen this one before as my 05 LJ has or had a lot of the setup you were considering. When I bought it had 4” Currie lift and 33s. No driveline changes, no vibrations. I do have 6 spd so gearing isn’t as big factor.
I too wanted every change to build toward 35s. My first additions were Savvy BL and BrownDog MML. Again no vibrations or other issues.
My second change was not in order planned but walked into deal to trade my 33s for 35s that were IMO better rim and tire. The only downside was 15x10 rims so I did it. Definitely notice the gearing as basically have 5 spd now. But no vibrations etc.
I’ve made a couple other changes but really just have large parts pile growing waiting for funds to add last few things to catch the jeep up with its shoes. Oh and my mechanic (brother