Any Pointers?

[Chris S]

Im in high school, on a permit, and working a summer job saving up for a lift kit and other mods for my 97 Wrangler Sport. Its all stock except for some kc lights up top and various speaker upgrades.

Im currently looking at some new wheel/tire packages they offer on quadratec and am aiming for 31" tires with a 2.5" lift kit.

Any pointers on what you would have done differently modding your tj?

(mostly a to/from school/work ride with some offroad fun on the weekends)

Thanks

 

[Chris]

Hands down, the smartest decision you can make is to save your money.

1) Do not buy a Wrangler with rust on the underside (or any rust at all if you can avoid it).
2) Do not buy a cheap quality lift kit such as Rough Country, Skyjacker, Zone, etc. If you plan on keeping it a long time, do it right from the start and get a quality lift like OME, Currie, or even Metalcloak.
3) Don't get in over your head. Most guys only run 35" tires because they think it looks cool. I get that, but it's a waste of money, and to do it right, you'll need to spend a ton of money. My advice is not to go bigger than 33" tires and stick with a 2.5" suspension lift with a 1" body lift. That's all you need to clear 33" tires and look good, and you won't break the bank like you would if you had a 4" lift or more with 35" tires. The only reason you should even consider 35" tires and 4" more of suspension lift is if you are planning on doing some really serious wheeling with it (notably rock crawling). For typical trail stuff, 33" tires and a 2.5" lift (with 1" body lift) will be more than you need to do well.

 

[bobthetj03]

Welcome to the forum! Consider yourself one lucky kid to have such a great platform to learn from. 31's and a 2.5" sounds like a solid plan for what you are wanting the jeep for. Q-tech can be ok for some stuff, but you won't find any great deals there. Check Discount Tire Direct for good deals on tires, and start off with a all terrain tire like the BFG KO2. Good street manners, and has an aggressive look . Get a wheel with a back spacing of 3.75" to 4". That will give you the clearance you need to run 31's without rubbing on the control arms. Wish I would have stayed with 31's.

 

[Chris S]

Hands down, the smartest decision you can make is to save your money.

1) Do not buy a Wrangler with rust on the underside (or any rust at all if you can avoid it).
2) Do not buy a cheap quality lift kit such as Rough Country, Skyjacker, Zone, etc. If you plan on keeping it a long time, do it right from the start and get a quality lift like OME, Currie, or even Metalcloak.
3) Don't get in over your head. Most guys only run 35" tires because they think it looks cool. I get that, but it's a waste of money, and to do it right, you'll need to spend a ton of money. My advice is not to go bigger than 33" tires and stick with a 2.5" suspension lift with a 1" body lift. That's all you need to clear 33" tires and look good, and you won't break the bank like you would if you had a 4" lift or more with 35" tires. The only reason you should even consider 35" tires and 4" more of suspension lift is if you are planning on doing some really serious wheeling with it (notably rock crawling). For typical trail stuff, 33" tires and a 2.5" lift (with 1" body lift) will be more than you need to do well.

If I was to run 33s would I need to change the gearing or would I be okay stock?

 

[UpperMI]

If this is your only car keep your lift to 2" and stop at 31" tires. A 97' sport has 3.55 gears and you can use 31" tires without having to regear. 33" and larger tires need more lift, new gears and more stuff to make it right. Plus a jeep with 31" tires is more than capable off-road. Keep it simple and use quality parts. If you want to go bigger, then save your money and do your modifications in a few years when you'll have more coin and more time running your jeep.

 

[TJScott]

I was running the oem gearing for a year when I bought my Jeep used, it came with 33's. It was gutless on the highway and 5th gear was basically a gear I couldn't use, it wasn't very good for off road either. I have a manual transmission. I ultimately went to 4.56 with mine, it has worked well overall, off road is much better now too. But, I think you're doing it right. Keep it simple to keep costs in check. I don't have much info on my Jeep because I bought it used, but best I can tell mine has a 4" lift of some kind and at least a 1" body lift. I love driving it, but tires are almost a thousand dollars. These guys can certainly tell you what the best gearing for the tire size is based on engine, transmission etc., is. I think you're safe running 31's and stock gearing though, from what I've read anyways.

 

[Chris]

If I was to run 33s would I need to change the gearing or would I be okay stock?

You don't have to change the gearing, but you'd want to. Different models of TJs have different gearing, so depending on which model you end up with (and what gears) you may be better off than others. For instance, if you get the 3.73 gears that come stock in some TJs, you'll be miserable with 33" tires. However, if you got a Rubicon model with the manual transmission, 4.10 gears, and 33" tires, then you wouldn't be nearly as bad off.

But either way, to get it to be a perfect mix of highway and city driving, you still would want to swap out the gears at some point, yes. A typical gear installation with parts and labor is around $1200. That doesn't need to be done right away though. Many of us go for several years without replacing the gears.

 

[UpperMI]

You don't have to change the gearing, but you'd want to. Different models of TJs have different gearing, so depending on which model you end up with (and what gears) you may be better off than others. For instance, if you get the 3.73 gears that come stock in some TJs, you'll be miserable with 33" tires. However, if you got a Rubicon model with the manual transmission, 4.10 gears, and 33" tires, then you wouldn't be nearly as bad off.

But either way, to get it to be a perfect mix of highway and city driving, you still would want to swap out the gears at some point, yes. A typical gear installation with parts and labor is around $1200. That doesn't need to be done right away though. Many of us go for several years without replacing the gears.

His first post stated that he has a 97' sport. The lowest gears in 97 were 3.55. Not as bad as the x model and the 3.07 highway gears, but i would still reccomend a gearing upgrade if he went to 33's.

 

[bobthetj03]

31's on 3.55 gears isn't horrible. He could roll that way for some time and be ok.

 

[Chris]

His first post stated that he has a 97' sport. The lowest gears in 97 were 3.55. Not as bad as the x model and the 3.07 highway gears, but i would still reccomend a gearing upgrade if he went to 33's.

I meant to say 3.07, not 3.73... Doh!

But yeah, I also missed that part about the 97 sport.

3.55 gears will suck on 33" tires, but not nearly as much as 3.07 gears would.

 

[bobthetj03]

Luckily he's going with 31's, which is smart to start off with.

 

[Chris S]

Would I need to get a SYE if I went for a 2.5" lift with 31s? If I dont NEED to would it still be recommended? I want to try and get it right the first time so I don't run into other problems down the road.

 

[Chris]

Would I need to get a SYE if I went for a 2.5" lift with 31s? If I dont NEED to would it still be recommended? I want to try and get it right the first time so I don't run into other problems down the road.

Most likely not. You could possibly get by without doing anything, it sometimes varies from vehicle to vehicle. I know some guys who have went to 2.5" and didn't need an SYE or TC drop. However, I've known others that have needed it. You'll just have to wait and see. Worse comes to worse, you may just need to throw in a few washers on the transfer case skid plate and you'd be vibration free for only a few dollar!

31" tires are a good choice, check out my Rubicon on 31" tires and a 2.5" OME lift:

Honestly, I think it looks good this way. Not too extreme, but not too wimpy. You won't break the bank like this at all, and believe me when I say that even on 31" tires, you'll be more capable than you can imagine off-road with just the addition of a winch and lockers!

Don't be fooled, the 33" or larger tires won't do anything more for you off-road other than give you more ground clearance and more traction when you air down.

 

[JMT]

Good plan. For your desired set-up I would do the following;

1) save for a good 2-2.5" lift. BDS has a 2". The Old Man Emu (ARB) advertises for 2", but the Heavy Duty version will give you 2.5". If you're wondering, you can't use the stock shocks, you will need to get longer ones. These come with the lift kits, but if you're piecing it together you need to know what you're doing. Guys on here can help you find the right size shocks.
2) Get 15" wheels with 3.66-4" of backspacing. Thie backspacing makes the wheel dish set a little deeper so your tires stick out further and can clear and not rub. The 15's are cheaper tires, look best on a TJ (IMHO), give more bulge to protect your rims when airing down for a little off-roading, and can easily hold a bead on a 12.5" wide tire.
3) Find you an A/T with good street manners that can still go off-road, or if you want more aggressive go with an M/T (just know you may get road noise)
4) An adjustable front track bar to keep your front axle centered from the lift. This may not be necessary at 2-2.5", but it was for me. My guess is most who lift to 2.5" or more get an adjustable front track bar at some point.
5) Have fun. You have a great plan. It's smart!

Here's a not so great pic of mine with a 2.5" OME and 31x10.5r15:

 

[Chris S]

Any recommendations for getting tires and wheels as a bundle or is it easier just to get them separately and have them mounted and balanced?

 

[JMT]

Any recommendations for getting tires and wheels as a bundle or is it easier just to get them separately and have them mounted and balanced?

I've seen some pretty good deals on wheel/tire combos from Q-tech or Extreme Terrain, et al. They mount and balance them for you (the first time). After that you're on your own. A balance can run $8-10/tire. TJ's can be notorious for needing perfect balance. It may work for you but you don't have the convenience of just taking it to where you bought them and getting them balanced free. In my case, I can get a set of four 31" tires for around 800-1000 and aluminum wheels for 400-500 and free lifetime balance

 

[UpperMI]

Any recommendations for getting tires and wheels as a bundle or is it easier just to get them separately and have them mounted and balanced?

How quickly do you need tires and wheels? I bought my set of tires during a memorial day sale from Americas tire (same as discount tire back east). I bought a set of 245/75/16 (equivalent to a 31" tall tire) for about $123 per tier after a $200 dollar rebate from America's tire and another $70 rebate from Goodyear. I then had those tires mounted to a set of Rubicon Moab rims I already had. Do you know what tires and rims you want?

 

[Rob5589]

Welcome to the forum Chris! You can run a 31 on stock suspension. How much money you have to spend will dictate what you can do to your TJ. What you do not want is Rough Country, Pro Comp, Skyjacker, or other poorly built lifts. If you have 900+ the OME lift has a stellar reputation. If on a tighter budget, a set of 2" BDS springs mated with Rancho 5000X shocks would make a great budget lift. You will need some bump stop spacers most likely but those are pretty cheap and go in during the spring swap. At that height you won't likely need a front track bar. You may need to lower the transfer case or install a motor mount lift even at 2". I am at 2.25ish and installed motor mount lift blocks to get rid of driveline vibration. I chose that over lowering the tc and taking away much needed belly clearance.

If on a tight budget, some JKS sway bar disconnects will maximize suspension travel. The Currie Antirock sway bar is a preferred set up but at three times the cost.

Staying at 2" and 31's will avoid most common headaches and further modifications to your Jeep. Your current gears will also be adequate with a 31 but will be horrible with a 33.

I have used Americas Tire for nearly 20 years and have gotten nothing but excellent service. Buying online is cool too, my only issue is having to send back a wheel and tire must be a pain in the azz, where as buying local I can just run down if I have an issue. They have stores all over so a warranty issue can be handled even if out of the area.

The other things needed would be some vehicle recovery gear, lists are all over online, and some buds to wheel with. Keep it simple in the beginning, go have some fun and test your Jeeps limits, and make changes if necessary.

 

[Chris S]

I dont need wheels and tires super soon, Im just trying to plan everything out a little more in advance so I know what to save for and a little more of what Im doing instead of wasting time and money.
So far I think I have decided on going ahead and saving a little more for the OME 2" heavy duty lift and Im going to try to find somewhere local to buy wheels/tires. I may even buy the 31s before the lift to see if there are any rubbing issues but I will more than likely try and install everything together so Im not constantly finding issues.

 

[Rob5589]

The OME is a great choice. 31's will fit, stock wheels may need a washer or two behind the steering stop to prevent rubbing at full lock. Aftermarket wheels with 4.5" or less backspacing won't rub at all.