JCR highline fenders
- Thread starter Eddie Greenlee
- Start date
Westbrook
TJ Enthusiast
Love my JCR Highlines, I got the Crusader mid-width fenders. They look great and the extra clearance can't hurt. I like that highlines are the kind of thing that you may not notice unless you're a Jeep person, and you likely even need to be a TJ person in order to see whats really going on.
OP
In the picture , I’m doing one of those concrete ditch test. And the ditch was pretty deep. The tire that’s down in the ditch is barely touching
OP
OP
Those are interesting, there like a merge between the more “pointed”. Highlife and the boxy standard fenders, not bad and I imagine waaaay less of a headache to do.
I wonder if there’s a minimum tire size for highlines / aluminum’s to look good.
I wonder if there’s a minimum tire size for highlines / aluminum’s to look good.
Without a doubt on the rears - I'm still new to TJ's and was amazed how true-to-size 35"s when centered in the wheelwells don't even come close to touching. Some of my full-sized rigs have trouble with that!
Also agreed on keeping bias in mind. Maybe it's because I spend most of my days reading and writing technical documents and talking with lawyers, but I tend to keep conversations in context, at least in regard to the OP's question(s). Since the OP didn't mention modifying upper/lower mounts, I think it safe to assume that he's talking about a balanced setup, typical of a TJ, on stock geometry and within the confines of stock shock mount locations, or did I read this wrong? (wouldn't be the first time
)To this, it seems that the only realized benefit is to have the ability to run typical 11" travel shock, at or near-factory bias of 4.5"-5" of up and 6.5-6" down, with lower lift and less additional bumpstop length - or alternatively - gives the ability to run common lift height springs for 35"s (3.5-4") with longer-than-typical shocks (though not considerably more since you start running into other issues). Would this be an accurate statement??
Without a doubt on the rears - I'm still new to TJ's and was amazed how true-to-size 35"s when centered in the wheelwells don't even come close to touching. Some of my full-sized rigs have trouble with that!
Also agreed on keeping bias in mind. Maybe it's because I spend most of my days reading and writing technical documents and talking with lawyers, but I tend to keep conversations in context, at least in regard to the OP's question(s). Since the OP didn't mention modifying upper/lower mounts, I think it safe to assume that he's talking about a balanced setup, typical of a TJ, on stock geometry and within the confines of stock shock mount locations, or did I read this wrong? (wouldn't be the first time
To this, it seems that the only realized benefit is to have the ability to run typical 11" travel shock, at or near-factory bias of 4.5"-5" of up and 6.5-6" down, with lower lift and less additional bumpstop length - or alternatively - gives the ability to run common lift height springs for 35"s (3.5-4") with longer-than-typical shocks (though not considerably more since you start running into other issues). Would this be an accurate statement??
Ignore the fenders and understand that they aren't changing anything about where the tire can or can't go compared to stock.
Mine is a fairly typical 35s build with a 10.75" travel front shock with just under 6" of up travel. One important difference is that the front upper shock mounts are raised a little over an inch, meaning my tire can stuff a little higher than a stock shock mount.
What good would highlines get me? There is a real answer to that question. But it isn't what most would think it is because it has little to do with the top of the tire.
For my eyes - it's about tire-to-lift ratio. My 35"s seem a tad undersized (depends on the angle) with my GR Hi-Fenders (and unlike BFGs and some others, these Grabbers are actually fairly close to 35") and 3.5" springs.
Ideally I would run a 2" spring on 35"s or the 3-3.5" springs on 37"s for a very "balanced look". I have some future mods planned that will allow proper utilization of the extra space, but with a family move planned in spring/early-summer of 2021, I will have my hands full getting the paint job and Hemi/auto-conversion done with enough time to get our stuff packed up!
I like the look, but will the 3 Inch lift give you enough flex w/ 35’s when you hit the dirt?
Two things to think about. 3" is about 2" less than the typical recommendation of a 4" spring, 1.25" body lift. The lower spring lift also doesn't allow for as long of shocks, meaning there is less flex compared to the typical recommendation for 35s.
Add that all up and now factor in the added clearance of a highline.
Shocks are the key to so many aspects of our builds. Not enough people pay enough attention to them.
OP
Yeah I have a 4” suspension with a 1.25” body lift. , so a little different
The (LJ) Dude
New Member
Not even close to each otherHow is the clearance on these vs MetalCloak arched I wonder...
Well now you have me intrigued so I'll play along with the Guessing Game to see if my understanding of the TJ suspension/limitations is moving in the right direction...
So let's see, you've moved the upper mount up an inch, but are using an ~11" shock. This seems like a lot of work to keep the same amount of overall travel but shift the bias some (even though IIRC most builders, including Blaine, say it's not worth it). From my buddy's experience and some basic research, it seems that most rubbing issues I've seen occur on 35"s happens at the back of the fender, not the top. This correct? My guess is that a high-fender would allow a longer shock to take advantage of some droop left in your control arms, plus likely give you more space at the rear of the fender. Am I close??
In these pics I’m on the bump stop on the driver side (I have about 1/2” of shock shaft remaining so I can trim some more) and on the passenger side the spring (a 3.5” RK triple rate) is loose in the bucket (it had dropped completely from the bucket at points on this trail).
These are 10.92” Rancho’s with 4.75-4.85” of up travel.
OP