Questions about a 2.5 inch lift kit

[Loki]

I have a 2001 Jeep TJ 4.0L I6 that I bought a couple months ago and is completely stock. The engine is very nice and well taken care of even with the 160,000 miles on it. The front end has almost been completely redone as well. I want some advice on getting a 2.5" RC lift with 33" tires and I had some questions. I do not plan on doing very much (if any) off-roading. I just use the Jeep for driving around town, pulling a small one-axel flat bed trailer with a pressure washer on it, and going to work. Probably will never do any serious trail rides, mudding, or anything like that, just want it to look good . Here's my questions:

1. Will 33" tires fit under a 2.5" lift?
2. Will I need to do anything other than buying and installing the lift and tires?
3. Will a $350 suspension RC lift last me a while?

 

[GeorgeB]

To properly go to 33's it's going to cost a lot more than $350 and require more than just the 2.5" lift.. Based on what you stated use will be, It would probably be best to just run 31's. Personally I would stay away from an RC lift. If budget is a limiting factor, you can do a spacer lift and run 31's. You could piece together a much better 2.5" lift for $700ish. You could even just run the 31s with no lift if you won't be wheeling. Nothing wrong at all with 31s...a lot of us run them.

 

[pagrey]

I'd try to avoid RC. Take a look at zone off road. They have some nice kits that don't suck. You'd probably do fine with their 3" kit. Plenty of options that's for sure.

 

[roverhi]

If you are only doing the lift for looks, a spacer lift is the way to go. It keeps the stock ride quality and only needs the spacers, longer shocks, and maybe increased bump stops and you might even get by with just the spacers. Biggest problem with 33" inch tires is the gearing. The larger tire will rob the engine of performance and increase gas consumption. It will cost you a couple large to regear the differentials to get back decent performance. Stick with 31" tires and you are only out the cost of the tires. If you get more serious about going offroad, a 1" body lift will probably give the additional flex clearance that you might need and only be out less than $200 additional.

I've been debating what size tires to get for my LJ. Think 33's look the best but will need a 2.5" spring lift and a 1" body lift to fit them in and may not be able to live with the performance hit. The 4sp with overdrive auto transmission will never see O/D lock up and probably live in 3rd gear slush box range on the hills hear killing the already poor gas mileage. I'm torn between going with 32" tires on 17" wheel JK/JL take offs that are available dirt cheap or 31" tires on stock rims. There are a number of people on this site who've gone to 33"-35" tires and want to or have gone back to 31". Do a search if you want more information.

 

[AndyG]

I had an 06 Rubi with 2.5 inch rear springs, 2” pucks in the front, 31” good year duratracs and had my 03 Rubi with 33” tires and 3.5” of lift at the same time-

the Lower TJR drove just as good, rode as good or better, and was just as capable off road and much easier to get in and out of. I still have the 03, but really enjoyed the 06 and hated to see it go.

The 33” tires and taller lift looks great, but the cost difference to make it all work as good as the 2.5” lift would shock you. The more you lift, the more changes you end up making.

Please take what I say with a grain of salt ( who came up with that stupid saying, here, add a grain of salt Earl)....I’m not the lift authority, but 2-2.5” to me is the safe zone for avoiding a lot of other changes.

 

[Fishtaco]

First you need to know what gear ratio is in your diffs before you even think about 33" tires.
Then you need to ask for experienced opinions about the daily driver and towing performance on 33,s with your diff ratios.
I am glad I didn't jump into 33,s and a lift and probably never will because in my opinion you really need to know your TJ quite well and know what you want from it before you start to head down the bottomless money pit.

 

[kiwi]

I lifted mine not too long ago, ended up making my own lift kit, OME 2.5” springs, Rancho 5000x shocks, track bar relocation bracket, and bump stop extensions. That is all i did for the lift and it costed around 650$. I luckily didn’t have any vibes so no need for a transfer case drop. I’m running 32” tires and it looks good and works good. Eventually i’m adding a body lift and going to 33’s. And then even farther down the road i’m making the jump to 35’s.

 

[TheBoogieman]

2.25" BB lift with 33s. Worked fine for street use and got 18 mpg highway with stock 3.73 gears. Even with the heavy bumpers and winch.

 

[TheBoogieman]

Please take what I say with a grain of salt ( who came up with that stupid saying, here, add a grain of salt Earl).

“This suggested that bad effects could be counteracted by a grain of salt. The more metaphorical meaning – that incorrect information might be made easier to accept by taking it with a grain of salt – did not become widely used until much later, in the 17th Century. For example, in 1647 John Trapp said of his own writing “This is to be taken with a grain of salt”. More recently, the idiom has been modified from a grain of salt to a pinch of salt, and we can now use either grain or pinch in this saying …”
In my own dialect, “take it with a grain of salt” means to be skeptical of something, not to take it too seriously or to believe it is true.

 

[Fishtaco]

“This suggested that bad effects could be counteracted by a grain of salt. The more metaphorical meaning – that incorrect information might be made easier to accept by taking it with a grain of salt – did not become widely used until much later, in the 17th Century. For example, in 1647 John Trapp said of his own writing “This is to be taken with a grain of salt”. More recently, the idiom has been modified from a grain of salt to a pinch of salt, and we can now use either grain or pinch in this saying …”
In my own dialect, “take it with a grain of salt” means to be skeptical of something, not to take it too seriously or to believe it is true.

Wiki is a beautiful thing lol

 

[Fishtaco]

2.25" BB lift with 33s. Worked fine for street use and got 18 mpg highway with stock 3.73 gears. Even with the heavy bumpers and winch.
View attachment 261378

I am doomed to the dreaded 3.07 gearing! I now have serious gearing envy A thing I never thought possible as I swaggered towards all the 4 banger Rice grinders and said "Its a Jeep" !

 

[Mike_H]

I have a 2001 Jeep TJ 4.0L I6 that I bought a couple months ago and is completely stock. The engine is very nice and well taken care of even with the 160,000 miles on it. The front end has almost been completely redone as well. I want some advice on getting a 2.5" RC lift with 33" tires and I had some questions. I do not plan on doing very much (if any) off-roading. I just use the Jeep for driving around town, pulling a small one-axel flat bed trailer with a pressure washer on it, and going to work. Probably will never do any serious trail rides, mudding, or anything like that, just want it to look good . Here's my questions:

1. Will 33" tires fit under a 2.5" lift?
2. Will I need to do anything other than buying and installing the lift and tires?
3. Will a $350 suspension RC lift last me a while?

1. Not well.
2. Yes.
3. Probably not.

First, check you gear ratio. It would need to be at least 3.73 with a manual to get 33s. If you have an auto, and want 33s, save up some cash for changing gears.

2.5 inches of lift really isn't enough to rub 33s. I ran 2" of lift plus a 1.25" body lift for a good long while, and it would be what I recommend in your case. Shocks are easier to find for a two inch lift, you won't need much bump stop over factory, etc.

That cheap of a kit won't come with everything you need. Unless you re-drill your track bar mounts, your axle will be off center. You'll need to check bump stops or risk tearing up fenders and blowing shocks out. Probably need to regear. I'd also recommend budgeting for an adjustable track bar unless you don't mind your axles being off center.

Rough country doesn't make the highest quality stuff. The big thing you'll notice if you ignore all the advice here and install that kit is the Jeep will ride like garbage. The shocks are junk and will ride really rough.

Have you read the sticky post "beginners guide to lifting your Jeep?". It's in the resources section.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/a-beginners-guide-to-lifting-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.733/
There is also this thread...

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/a-recipe-for-an-affordable-but-quality-2-5-lift.41687/

 

[AndyG]

“This suggested that bad effects could be counteracted by a grain of salt. The more metaphorical meaning – that incorrect information might be made easier to accept by taking it with a grain of salt – did not become widely used until much later, in the 17th Century. For example, in 1647 John Trapp said of his own writing “This is to be taken with a grain of salt”. More recently, the idiom has been modified from a grain of salt to a pinch of salt, and we can now use either grain or pinch in this saying …”
In my own dialect, “take it with a grain of salt” means to be skeptical of something, not to take it too seriously or to believe it is true.

Here is the real problem with a 2-2.5 ” lift - you end up here:

I’m at Monster Jam