Build the rig to fit the trail

The thing that stinks is I can't just get a TT and a BL. I would need gears, tires and a SYE. But I'm not gonna put money into that Dana 35 so then I'd need a Dana 44


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Why wouldn't you put money into a Dana 35? I know that the interwebs says that the Dana 35 is a disaster waiting to happen, but if it was truly that fragile of an axle we'd see Jeeps broke down all over the place, just sitting next to the road waiting for the circling vultures to land. Can you bust one? Sure. Anything can break with enough HP and torque applied at the wrong time. Dana 44's are expensive and hard to come by around here, so most of the folks run with the girl they brought to the party. That's a Dana 35. Some are upgraded with better axles and lockers. Most aren't. The Dana 35's that get broken seem to belong to the kids who believe the solution to any problem lies under their right foot. Send a note off to some of the locker manufacturers and ask them what they think of locking a Dana 35. Send a note off to Novak and ask them what they think of the Dana 35 and engine upgrades. You might be surprised. You may discover that it works just fine for the type of wheeling that you do and your driving style. Of course, you may also discover that it's a bomb waiting to go off as well.
 
"You might be surprised. You may discover that it works just fine for the type of wheeling that you do and your driving style. Of course, you may also discover that it's a bomb waiting to go off as well."

And this my friends is the key! The 35 does NOT do well in the "slick rock" of Moab. The 35 does do well in the PNW mud. It just depends on what you are going to do with YOUR vehicle. Build it for what you want to do. Not what somebody else's experiences is in their neck of the woods
 
Mud/water less then 6" deep. Mostly sand, dirt roads and flexy sand trails. On the pavement I have been known to do burnouts and in the dirt I tend to drift a lot (sometimes on pavement too). I have a heavy right foot and a fast left one


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Truth be told, a stock TJ Rubicon is pretty capable with a good set of tires.


I ran mine stock for 5 years. I hung with any and every jeep I went out with. With many trying to take trail to make me turn back. Not once was I ever out done by the built rigs. It blew there minds. Many times I would do things they didn't have the balls to do and on many things I was more capable. They used every excuse in the book as to why my jeep done so well. The best thing I can say and anyone that has run with me will tell you is I can drive and can pick a line.
 
I ran mine stock for 5 years. I hung with any and every jeep I went out with. With many trying to take trail to make me turn back. Not once was I ever out done by the built rigs. It blew there minds. Many times I would do things they didn't have the balls to do and on many things I was more capable. They used every excuse in the book as to why my jeep done so well. The best thing I can say and anyone that has run with me will tell you is I can drive and can pick a line.

I agree!

Give me a stock Rubicon with nothing more than the right tires and a winch, and I feel confident it would perform equally as good as most of these tools rigs you see on Facebook (you know, the ones with the light bars, snorkels and 35" tires) as long as the right driver is behind the wheel.
 
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All good points here. I ran my jeep for the first 5 years I've owned it on a 2.5" lift and 31's. Took me everywhere I wanted to go. I don't have the luxury of owning a trail only rig, and I need to feel comfortable my wife could drive my jeep at any given time and feel comfortable and safe.
 
I don't have the luxury of owning a trail only rig

Same here, I'm not loaded unfortunately.

That being said, I've got to keep my TJ at a happy medium. Somewhere between trail ready, but pleasant enough to drive on the street. I'm happy to say it is though! We regularly take it on 200+ mile road trips and it's great on the highway!
 
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I know I have 6" flares and 4.25" backspace but I honestly want SE wide flares and the original YJ 15x7 steel spokers. I wish BFG still made the 33x9.50x15 KOs.

And I agree completely... Build it to suit the purpose and quit building it to suit the EGO.

This is my old look.

View attachment 3036

That's pretty much what I'm about to do to my Jeep. Drop down to 31" tires, take off the body lift and MML, take off my aftermarket bumper, and go back to stock bumpers with stock steel wheels. It just looks and is simpler without all the extra bling.
 
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This is an interesting read. I'm assuming a lot of the wheeling in the PNW is like what Michigan is. Two-tracks/Fire roads, some mud and swamps, occasionally a few rocks, but only in secluded areas. That is precisely the reason I bought a Rubicon. I won't need to do much. I really don't see myself doing much more than 33" tires, if even that. I keep thinking, I need to lift it eventually, but then I think about what else that entails, and I wonder if I wouldn't be better off with tube fenders and a body lift. Keep the suspension the same and make room for bigger tires. It drives SO good right now.

Did a quick trail behind my buddy's house this weekend (he has a test and tune track). It sees quite a bit of use on nights where he has a party, so a LOT of inexperienced, heavy footed drivers head out and rut the trails really badly. I took mine out, and managed to get it up the most rutted out hill he has. Lockers are awesome. I did hang up on the T-case skid...so, maybe the best way to run MY rig is with high clearance fenders and a tummy tuck. Save money on a lift and spend it on other things. I have anther buddy with a TJ on 33's. He's running a 2.5" lift, I believe, with open diffs on both axles. He keeps calling my jeep the "baby jeep." I keep telling him that I'll outwheel him anytime, anyplace. Then we'll switch, and I'll beat him with his own rig... :)
 
If I were to do it all over again, I'd find a Rubi, add a 1" BL, 1" H&R springs/Bilsteins or OME shocks, tummy tuck the skid, and armor up the rest of the undercarriage, then run 31's. Then, proceed to wheel the piss out of it! No gear changes, no silly driveline vibes, no linkage issues. Just a well oiled machine!
 
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If I were to do it all over again, I'd find a Rubi, add a 1" BL, 1" H&R springs/Bilsteins or OME shocks, tummy tuck the skid, and armor up the rest of the undercarriage, then run 31's. Then, proceed to wheel the piss out of it! No gear changes, no silly driveline vibes, no linkage issues. Just a well oiled machine!
That, right there, is worth writing in stone on a wall.
 
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Just about done with my rebuild. When I bought my TJ last October it was on some wore out 35's with an even more worn out Skyjacker 4" lift. Nothing else was done to it to run the 35's. I replaced the entire lift right away with a RC 4" X-Series lift. Ran it until now. It would go through and over everything that I ran on no problem. Never once needed to pull winch line as I am not rock crawling in Northern Michigan.

Well I knew this spring I wanted to replace the tires. All of my buddies told me to just buy new 35's. But I hated the way it drove on the street. They were loud. I had to run stupid amounts of air pressure or it felt like I was driving on Jello. So I decided to downsize. I found a set of factory Ravine wheels at the local junk yard and they are being powder coated as I type this. I also bought a set of 32x11.50r15 BFG KO2's to wrap them in. I ordered a set of 2" lift springs to replace the 4" springs on it now.

With my 3 speed auto and 3.73 gears it should run pretty good down the road now as well as the trail. Looking forward to the new reboot. The only downside is that I don't have a big lifted Jeep anymore. But to me it's a small price to pay to have a better handling, driving, safer and more practical vehicle.
 
Just about done with my rebuild. When I bought my TJ last October it was on some wore out 35's with an even more worn out Skyjacker 4" lift. Nothing else was done to it to run the 35's. I replaced the entire lift right away with a RC 4" X-Series lift. Ran it until now. It would go through and over everything that I ran on no problem. Never once needed to pull winch line as I am not rock crawling in Northern Michigan.

Well I knew this spring I wanted to replace the tires. All of my buddies told me to just buy new 35's. But I hated the way it drove on the street. They were loud. I had to run stupid amounts of air pressure or it felt like I was driving on Jello. So I decided to downsize. I found a set of factory Ravine wheels at the local junk yard and they are being powder coated as I type this. I also bought a set of 32x11.50r15 BFG KO2's to wrap them in. I ordered a set of 2" lift springs to replace the 4" springs on it now.

With my 3 speed auto and 3.73 gears it should run pretty good down the road now as well as the trail. Looking forward to the new reboot. The only downside is that I don't have a big lifted Jeep anymore. But to me it's a small price to pay to have a better handling, driving, safer and more practical vehicle.

Good thinking. I always laugh at those guys who think they need 35" tires when all they do is on-road driving. You and I both know that the on-road manners of a huge tire like a 35" are horrible! They're loud, they're expensive, and they're worthless for anything except the most extreme off-road situations.

So yeah, what you did buy down sizing to the 32" tires is a wise move if you ask me! I still think that 31" or 32" tires look good on a TJ in all honesty. Heck, I like the look a little more than the huge tires, because the huge tire look is so overplayed.
 
I like where you're going here! And don't think you can't wheel some of the more serious stuff on your new setup. It's totally doable if you have a cool head and take your time.
 
Thanks guys. I wheel the crap out of it, it's not a pavement queen. I have to drive it to the trails though. Around here the trails are mostly sandy fire roads hence why 35's were pretty much overkill.

I am hoping though that I will want to drive it more once it's done and more street friendly, even if just to run into town. I have a feeling it's going to be fun with the top off.
 
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It's coming along. Wheels are at the powder coater. Top pic is before with a 4" lift and 35's when I first bought it. Below is 2" lift on 32's.
 
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