What lift kit?

Igor Khmyz

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Hey guys, I need some help. I have a 2005 Jeep Wrangler. It is also the Rocky Mountain edition, so it has a Dana 44 in the back. I want to put a lift kit with 35's. I will be using this car for everyday driving and offroading. I was thinking about 3 inch lift, but many say that is too rough of a ride. What do you guys recommend? Also what brand of lift and what parts should I get? Will the jeep be fine with the stock gears or should I change them? Thank you.
 
The height of suspension lift has nothing to do with how good or badly it rides. You can have horrible riding 2" suspension lift and a great riding 4" suspension lift.

For 35's that will be used offroad you need 5" of additional clearance for the tires. A 4" suspension lift plus a 1"body lift would be an excellent way to to get that 5".

A Savvy or Currie 4" suspension lift would be my first choice of brands.

The three last choices of brands I'd ever run would be ProComp, Rough Country, and Skyjacker... all three of which have exceptionally stiff/rough rided.
 
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I am now thinking to do 33s and a 4 inch lift. I think it will look very nice. The 35s are too much now that I think about it. Or do you guys think a 3 inch lift with a one inch body lift is better? I am still taking the frame and body apart on my jeep and putting in a new one, just doing a complete rebuild. Is Currie lift kit the best to go? Will I still need to regear with 33s? How much would a complete Currie lift set cost? I still new to offroading, I only had a 1997 landcruiser before and this is my second offroader.
 
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I am now thinking to do 33s and a 4 inch lift. I think it will look very nice. The 35s are too much now that I think about it. Or do you guys think a 3 inch lift with a one inch body lift is better? I am still taking the frame and body apart on my jeep and putting in a new one, just doing a complete rebuild. Is Currie lift kit the best to go? Will I still need to regear with 33s? How much would a complete Currie lift set cost? I still new to offroading, I only had a 1997 landcruiser before and this is my second offroader.
I use the Zone 4.25" combo lifts with good results. Add some Rancho RS5000X shocks for a nice ride on a budget.
DARK BLUE JEEP2 (20.jpg
 
There are many fans of 2.5"-3" inch suspension lifts combined with a 1" body lift for 33's. I am one of them. Having the body lift allows you a greater choice of replacement skid plates to eliminate the stock one. If you have deep enough pockets Currie and Savvy are the gold standard. If you are newer to offroading I would recommend starting with springs, body lift, motor mount lift and shocks and build from there. Stock control arms are stronger than they look and work very well. Regearing would be very desirable also. Old Man Emu has very good 2.5" springs. They offer different rates depending on how your Jeep is set up.
 
I am now thinking to do 33s and a 4 inch lift. I think it will look very nice. The 35s are too much now that I think about it. Or do you guys think a 3 inch lift with a one inch body lift is better? I am still taking the frame and body apart on my jeep and putting in a new one, just doing a complete rebuild. Is Currie lift kit the best to go? Will I still need to regear with 33s? How much would a complete Currie lift set cost? I still new to offroading, I only had a 1997 landcruiser before and this is my second offroader.
Now you are thinking. Do your homework , most all lift height has ramifications , and the higher you go , the more you have to change. I know first hand.

Each TJ seems to work out a little different , but in my experience up to 2.5" and good components, 31-32 inch tires is a smart move , 33" and 3-4 inches looks good and means a regear, adjustable control arms, adjustable track bars, new sway bar links and possibly SYEand /or CV drive shaft (there's more to it than that , just a general statement) a transfer case drop may be needed and a few more tweaks....35 inch tires are generally all this and big brakes, heavy duty steering is a good idea and bigger axles...so with the tires and wheels you spend around 10,000.

You can skip certain steps, but not without consequences along the way.

@Jerry Bransford and @Boogieman know the territory , don't take all I say as gospel, I'm just giving you the general idea.

One of mine is lifted 2.5" and one is 3.5", the amount of changes is dramatic. The 2.5 is more pleasant if you daily drove it, the 3.5 looks tough and had been a job to get dialed in.
 
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Now you are thinking. Do your homework , most all lift height has ramifications , and the higher you go , the more you have to change. I know first hand.

Each TJ seems to work out a little different , but in my experience up to 2.5" and good components, 31-32 inch tires is a smart move , 33" and 3-4 inches looks good and means a regear, adjustable control arms, adjustable track bars, new sway bar links and possibly SYEand /or CV drive shaft (there's more to it than that , just a general statement) a transfer case drop may be needed and a few more tweaks....35 inch tires are generally all this and big brakes, heavy duty steering is a good idea and bigger axles...so with the tires and wheels you spend around 10,000.

You can skip certain steps, but not without consequences along the way.

@Jerry Bransford and @Boogieman know the territory , don't take all I say as gospel, I'm just giving you the general idea.

One of mine is lifted 2.5" and one is 3.5", the amount of changes is dramatic. The 2.5 is more pleasant if you daily drove it, the 3.5 looks tough and had been a job to get dialed in.
Thanks for the help. So would you say 2.5 inch lift with 1 inch body lift and 32s be good for offroading? Is it better to change the gears in this setup? Would you also have to change the driveshaft?
 
Thanks for the help. So would you say 2.5 inch lift with 1 inch body lift and 32s be good for offroading? Is it better to change the gears in this setup? Would you also have to change the driveshaft?

I ran the Rubicon trail, along with other trails on a very similar setup, so yes, you can offroad just fine with that setup, and can postpone the re-gear for a bit. Assuming you have 3.73's or 4.10's.
 
Thanks for the help. So would you say 2.5 inch lift with 1 inch body lift and 32s be good for offroading? Is it better to change the gears in this setup? Would you also have to change the driveshaft?
I don't know enough about your setup... And I'm at work so I'm not getting too deep into your profile at the moment... But I would investigate that that's going to be about the most effective lift for the money probably

I tend to deal with rubicons so the gearing is pretty close for that... You're going to want 4: 10 gears with those size tires with most transmissions... but remember different transmissions affect the final drive you choose.
 
Thanks for the help. So would you say 2.5 inch lift with 1 inch body lift and 32s be good for offroading? Is it better to change the gears in this setup? Would you also have to change the driveshaft?
If you do a 2 1/2" lift with 1-1.25" BL you will not have any trouble running 33" offroad. I have a 2 1/2" OME lift but no BL yet with 33" tires and am not have any issues mild offroading so far (probably will have issues on more interesting trails)
 
35s and a 3" lift?

No, no, no, no, and no again.

I'd suggest a Savvy short arm 4" lift combined with a 1.25" Savvy body lift. This is a perfect recipe for running 35s.
 
Yeah, I am thinking back to that idea and now it seems rather stupid.
No worries, we all have to start somewhere. The ideal setup for 35s is a 4” suspension lift and a 1.25” body lift.

There’s a lot of options to choose from, but you can’t go wrong with anything from Savvy or Currie, that I promise you.
 
No worries, we all have to start somewhere. The ideal setup for 35s is a 4” suspension lift and a 1.25” body lift.

There’s a lot of options to choose from, but you can’t go wrong with anything from Savvy or Currie, that I promise you.
Yeah, I think it was your Black Rubicon I saw earlier today with 35s and a 4 inch lift. I thought it looked very clean. I think I will settle for 33s or 32s with 3 inch lift with 1 inch body lift. Also I think I will have a professional regear it. I don't have enough experience. I only installed a lift once before on a 97 landcruiser and it was HARD. I have 2 forklifts and still it was hard. I took the lift off a parts lexus of 450, and the brake line nuts kept stripping even with line wrenches. It did not take too long, but it hurt some fingers. I think a brand new lift should be easier.
 
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Yeah, I think it was your Black Rubicon I saw earlier today with 35s and a 4 inch lift. I thought it looked very clean. I think I will settle for 33s or 32s with 3 inch lift with 1 inch body lift. Also I think I will have a professional regear it. I don't have enough experience. I only installed a lift once before on a 97 landcruiser and it was HARD. I have 2 forklifts and still it was hard. I took the lift off a parts lexus of 450, and the brake line nuts kept stripping even with line wrenches. It did not take too long, but it hurt some fingers. I think a brand new lift should be easier.

That black Rubicon of mine was actually 33s and a 4” lift.

Installing a lift takes me at least 3-4 days. It would go much quicker with a shop lift, but I don’t have one. I am pacing myself though and taking my time, as I find that yields the best results.
 
That black Rubicon of mine was actually 33s and a 4” lift.

Installing a lift takes me at least 3-4 days. It would go much quicker with a shop lift, but I don’t have one. I am pacing myself though and taking my time, as I find that yields the best results.
Agreed. I would also like to take my time and make everything as perfect as possible, but I don't always have the time. I think this Jeep should turn out much better in performance and looks than the landcruiser. I loved my Landcruiser and it was a monster. It had a 6 inch lift with 37s or 38s, don't quite remember. I did not do the lift completely and properly and when I took it out on the street it had the death wobble when you went over 45 mph. I used it only for offroading and had a lot of fun. I think its too long for offroading, but is better for overlanding/expeditions. Another question, would an aftermarket bumper with a hitch reciever be okay for towing? I think it should be fine since it is attached.to the frame, just as long its nothing too heavy.
 
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Agreed. I would also like to take my time and make everything as perfect as possible, but I don't always have the time. I think this Jeep should turn out much better in performance and looks than the landcruiser. I loved my Landcruiser and it was a monster. It had a 6 inch lift with 37s or 38s, don't quite remember. I did not do the lift completely and properly and when I took it out on the street it had the death wobble when you went over 45 mph. I used it only for offroading and had a lot of fun. I think its too long for offroading, but is better for overlanding/expeditions. Another question, would an aftermarket bumper with a hitch reciever be okay for towing? I think it should be fine since it is attached.to the frame, just as long its nothing too heavy.
Get frame tie ins and a hitch in the bumper that is through-welded and you can tow fine.

On all your other plans, if you go to 33’s you will want to regear someday, and even 32’s. You can wait awhile.