The ultimate setup for 33 inch tires?

I daily my TJ on 33s.
Going from a sagged 3 inch lift to a 4inch lift is when drive line vibes, even with a tcase drop, started.

I went with the 4inch SL instead of a body lift because it was available to me and I am not super keen on BLs. I also am not keen on cutting my body. I like the original TJ stock fenders and I'm not a big fan of the high line flat fenders.

Now that I have adjustable rear control arms and my pinion angle is right, the rear trackbar is upset.

Tire width is 305 for me. I like the look and they've treated me well offroad.

I've cobbled all of this together over about 3 years and my Jeep is pretty happy:
  • 4 inch SL (generic)
  • Front jks track bar
  • Rear adjustable control arms(uppers at least)
  • Hack n tap sye (hasn't killed me yet. Working on getting a real one in soon. I needed one immediately after the 4inch lift was installed. That was what I could do with no access to a garage)
  • Regear(biggest and most important after an SYE)
Todo:
  • All round savvy adjustable control arms
  • Rear jks track bar
  • Real sye
  • Call Tom Wood
IMG_20190222_113950_929.jpg
 
jjvw said:
What constitutes a proper LCoG build? I could drop my 4" lift down to 2", shift the 6" up/6" down to 4"/8" down, but that would actually screw up my rear drive line more than it is, the coils could not support the down travel, stability would actually decrease from the decrease in up travel, the front/middle/rear would get caught more than it does. None of that sounds good to me.
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In my mind, a proper LCoG would be one that maintains the stock 4in up/down travel with as little lift possible. Think of the new JL Rubicon vs Sport for example. The new Rubicons have 2 inch higher fenders, 1.5 lift over the sport but run 33s.
 
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Jesse Marquez said:
In my mind, a proper LCoG would be one that maintains the stock 4in up/down travel with as little lift possible. Think of the new JL Rubicon vs Sport for example. The new Rubicons have 2 inch higher fenders, 1.5 lift over the sport but run 33s.
Click to expand...

You can probably do that with stock suspension, highlines and maybe opening up the rear a bit. Don't forget the regear. The result will be pretty good diff clearance with belly clearance similar to a 1.5-2" spring lift. It is what it is. There are real improvements over stock, but far from what many would call ultimate.
 
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@Jesse Marquez, I still have a little nostalgia for the flat fender look. I also like the hi-line on some rigs. But I stayed with a tried and true 33’s build. It works. It’s simple. It’s coherent.
 
jjvw said:
With one important caveat. If 33s really is the stopping point, absolutely stay with short arms. That missing inch or so of clearance from not having 35s is about as annoying on the control arms as it is on the diffs. :)
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Unless you do a savvy mid-arm
 
Hi all, I've been reading all the fantastic info here and I'll put forth some 33" builds for feedback- with the caveat that this is a 99.9% on-road, budget-conscious build. Also, on paper builds, I don't have direct experience with these kits:

* 11.2" width is intentional to minimize fender peek, my state has fender laws.

Shorter build:
Rancho 2.5" kit w/ RS5000X shocks
https://www.quadratec.com/p/rancho/2.5in-sport-lift-kit/rs5000x-shocks-rs6503b
with
285/75 16 tires (I'm thinking BFG KO2) (32.7" tall , 11.2" wide)
16x8 with 0mm offset wheel

OR

Taller: 3.5" Rancho RS5000X kit
https://www.quadratec.com/p/rancho/...-97-06-jeep-wrangler-tj-wrangler-unlimited-ljwith
285 /75 17" (33.8" tall 11.2" wide")
17x8 0mm offset wheel.

In either case, add SYE and steering stabilizer.

Should keep the build around $5k or less depending on rims & tire choices. Thoughts?
 
pirat3j said:
Hi all, I've been reading all the fantastic info here and I'll put forth some 33" builds for feedback- with the caveat that this is a 99.9% on-road, budget-conscious build. Also, on paper builds, I don't have direct experience with these kits:

* 11.2" width is intentional to minimize fender peek, my state has fender laws.

Shorter build:
Rancho 2.5" kit w/ RS5000X shocks
https://www.quadratec.com/p/rancho/2.5in-sport-lift-kit/rs5000x-shocks-rs6503b
with
285/75 16 tires (I'm thinking BFG KO2) (32.7" tall , 11.2" wide)
16x8 with 0mm offset wheel

OR

Taller: 3.5" Rancho RS5000X kit
https://www.quadratec.com/p/rancho/...-97-06-jeep-wrangler-tj-wrangler-unlimited-ljwith
285 /75 17" (33.8" tall 11.2" wide")
17x8 0mm offset wheel.

In either case, add SYE and steering stabilizer.

Should keep the build around $5k or less depending on rims & tire choices. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Without studying the details, the 2.5" option needs a small body lift.
 
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Just wanted to poke this in here so i don't clog up the "ideal for 32's" thread. I have a 1" BL+MML and a high clearance skid, that part I want to keep. My question is my MC 3.5" springs. They seem to be sagging inconsistently of each other, and as a hypothetical: would it be beneficial to drop to 2.5 or 3" springs? Say, savvy/currie 3" spring?
 
Vasq said:
Just wanted to poke this in here so i don't clog up the "ideal for 32's" thread. I have a 1" BL+MML and a high clearance skid, that part I want to keep. My question is my MC 3.5" springs. They seem to be sagging inconsistently of each other, and as a hypothetical: would it be beneficial to drop to 2.5 or 3" springs? Say, savvy/currie 3" spring?
Click to expand...

Have you measured how much the MC springs are actually netting?
 
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Also, do the MC springs require bump stop that is otherwise unneeded for a decent setup?
 
bobthetj03 said:
Have you measured how much the MC springs are actually netting?
Click to expand...
15" in the front which if i remember is 3" over stock. For measuring the rear, is it more accurate to measure off of the front of the pads, or the rear? My arc is strong, I've got 10/12" f/r respectively. Also while we're on the topic of perches, would the rear spring relocation brackets be beneficial?

jjvw said:
Also, do the MC springs require bump stop that is otherwise unneeded for a decent setup?
Click to expand...
This is also a topic that I've been kinda playing with. I have almost 3" bump stop extension in both the front and the rear to keep the MC springs from being damaged. I think you helped me with that pointer before (thanks for that info again).

Just for more information, the lift has only seen MAYBE 1000 miles on pavement.
 
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Vasq said:
15" in the front which if i remember is 3" over stock. For measuring the rear, is it more accurate to measure off of the front of the pads, or the rear? My arc is strong, I've got 10/12" f/r respectively. Also while we're on the topic of perches, would the rear spring relocation brackets be beneficial?


This is also a topic that I've been kinda playing with. I have almost 3" bump stop extension in both the front and the rear to keep the MC springs from being damaged. I think you helped me with that pointer before (thanks for that info again).

Just for more information, the lift has only seen MAYBE 1000 miles on pavement.
Click to expand...

The rears can be tricky with the bow. I measure forward then aft and split the difference. Sounds like you are getting the 3" of lift you desire, but the bump stops need some attention, and it may require a different spring to fix that.
 
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Relocating the upper, or lower, perches will increase ride height, so you'll need to consider that with you spring choice.
 
yeah it does seem like i've got an even 3" lift all around. It just doesn't look right i guess. My garage is flat and aside from the forward rake, which is bad (but i'm really light in the rear), the passenger side just seems low.. according to my calibrated eyeball.
 
bobthetj03 said:
Relocating the upper, or lower, perches will increase ride height, so you'll need to consider that with you spring choice.
Click to expand...

Relocating the uppers shouldn't add ride height unless you want it to. I was able to lose a bit by trimming the seat to better fit the frame arch. Flattening the lowers will also decrease the ride height gained by raising the pinion.

A reason to decrease ride height when moving spring seats is that it allows spacers to be used to make adjustments if you are concerned about adding too much lift. I made the longer Currie 4" LJ coils work on mine by doing this and still have some adjustment.
 
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jjvw said:
Relocating the uppers shouldn't add ride height unless you want it to. I was able to lose a bit by trimming the seat to better fit the frame arch. Flattening the lowers will also decrease the ride height gained by raising the pinion.

A reason to decrease ride height when moving spring seats is that it allows spacers to be used to make adjustments if you are concerned about adding too much lift. I made the longer Currie 4" LJ coils work on mine by doing this and still have some adjustment.
Click to expand...
I don't want to add ride height, I solely want my bump stops to function like they should and have no arc. I'm probably jumping the gun way to fast, but my overall concern for all these questions is that the MC springs might be pain and i also might have too much lift..
 
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