Help deciding on lift and tire size for 4 cylinder TJ

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Urbanlegend17

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Atlanta, Georgia
So my dad got me a wrangler as a graduation gift and I need help deciding what lift kit to install and what’s the biggest tires I may use without losing any power or much at all. By the way it’s a stick shift:) JEEP is completely stock unfortunately:/
 
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Totally forgot to mention but I don’t want it for off roading just for cosmetics.. was thinking 3.5 inch lift but what’s the best option without having to regear?
 
Welcome to the clan of the four angry squirrels.

For a reasonable cost you can put 31x10.50R15 tires on, H&R springs, a good set of shocks of your choice and wheel the snot out of a very reliable and fun vehicle. Looks good as well. The cost about doubles for every inch of additional tire height beyond that if it's done correctly.
 
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Listen to @StG58, he knows what he's talking about.

Anything larger than a 31" tire on your 4 cylinder and lift does indeed start to suck.

As far as re-gearing goes, truthfully, I think that you might even want to re-gear on a bone stock 4-cylinder, as the extra gearing really helps in terms of power.

For a 31" tire, you'd be best off piecing your own lift together. Something like OME 2" springs, Rancho RS5000X shocks, etc.
 
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Thanks for the quick replies and warm welcome guys:) so stay with 31 tires at most and for lifting at most 2”? Also for regearing what’s the price range on that and what should I move up to if I may ask?
 
You won't want anymore than 2" of lift with 31s, it will look silly. So yes, I would stay with 2" of lift and 31s.

As for re-gearing, is yours an automatic or a manual?

A typical re-gear is probably around $1000-$1400 in labor, and around $500-$600 in parts.

To tell you what gear ratio you should go to though, we need to know if it's an automatic or a manual transmission.
 
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Sorry put stick shift cause it’s what I get told it’s called lol but it’s a manual previous owner said it had a new transmission in but she never told us what hearing it had if that’s the right term
 
Regear to 4.88 or 5.13, put a Zone 4-1/2" combo lift on, stick some 33x12.50R15 tires on it with 15x8" wheels if you want it to look cool around town. Probably cost around $4,000 all in. It'll drive just fine, as well.
 
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Here’s my wrangler on 31s and a 2” pro comp lift. It looked great, sat tall, and was more than capable of the stuff I threw at it.

Unless you’re doing some EXTREME rock crawling, 33s and up are generally more for looks, and cost a lot more to accommodate properly.
553C7BC5-27FF-490D-A362-A6D886FB4FA8.jpeg
 
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The tire weight issue is something to keep in mind with the 4 squirrels. As an example, Cooper makes several 31x10.5 AT tires, most of them in the 45 pound+ range, but the also make a very similar tread in 265/75/15 which is nearly identical in width and diameter, but are 38 pounds. Inertia makes a difference. Light tires and wheels really help with the 2.5 for daily driving.
 
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Rob5589 said:
Sure about that? Stock SE tire vs a 31x10.50; roughly 4" taller and 2" wider. Not to mention heavier as well. You will notice a drop off in performance.
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The day you switch, if you’re still on the stock tire size, it’s not that drastic. 31s and 4.10s are fine. Stop suggesting people regear the 4cyl for 31s.
 
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@Urbanlegend17 I got the little 4 banger too with the 5 speed stick shift (manual) . Mine came stock with 31's and 4.10 gears in the axles and it drove great. No need for a re-gear if staying with the 31's. It pulls up hills just fine. A 2 inch lift would be all you need like what everyone else is saying especially if you aren't going to go off road. But ask yourself if you ever will because you are really only going to want to do a suspension once in terms of cost and time it takes. Make sure to ask yourself all the questions before you dive in.

I jumped up to 33's and the 2.5 inch OME lift and it 100% needed to be re-geared. 5th became pointless and i had to be in 2nd to get up any kind of hill. Looking back I should have jumped to 5.13 gears. (drove it like that for a year before I did the regear and wish I would have done it sooner.

Now that I am on 37's the 4.88 does work but i'm kicking myself for not getting 5.13's.

If you are going to jump to 33's I would recommend doing 5.13's and not 4.88's.
 
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Fughuert said:
31s and 4.10s are fine. Stop suggesting people regear the 4cyl for 31s.
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Say what!?

I have personally experienced, on many occasions, where 4.10's were inadequate with 31 inch tires in a TJ SE, 5 speed, 2.5 liter.

Yes, you can make it work on the street most of the time. You pay for it in gas mileage, performance and clutches.

Is your experience different?
 
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