Ask The Expert- 17 JKU Sport Lift advice needed

[TwistedTerrainJK]

Hi Experts!

I have asked around a couple of places and I have been getting conflicting answers. My goal is to be able to run 35s with a lift and stock flairs for now but upgrade them in the future. I plan on wheeling at least once or twice a month and this is my daily driver.

1. Will a 2.5" lift get me where I want to be? (I have been told 2.5" will be good and others suggest 3.5". With the 3.5" I know that I will need an exhaust spacer and front and rear track bars or relocation kits and still others are telling me that I will need at least lower control arms with the 3.5" kit but not the 2.5")

2. My stock wheels are 17x7.5" and I really like them but to put a 35" tire on them (35x12.50r17 ot 315x70r17) is not possible. I have seen other Jeeps running both types on factory wheels and I am not too sure why I am not able to run them according to 3-4 tire shops that will not even install them without a 17x9 wheel.

3. I have 3.21 gears and I was also told that I will NEED to upgrade these once I put a 35" tire on it since they will not work. I understand that I will not have performance from it anymore (duh! performance in a Jeep) but I was told I need to go to 4.88 gears right away. I do not plan on EVER going bigger than 35s so What gears should I be running if I even need to change them out?

4. I know I do not have everything covered in terms what I need so please add anything that is necessary to run this setup? I know I will need a speed cal so...

Thank you!

 

[WillysJKJeeper]

1 Look at getting the gamechanger 2.5 kit keep in mind that 3.5 will give u more clearance.
2 If ur sport just has the regular steel wheels then yes i wouldnt recomend running 35 on the skinny of wheel main reason is back spacing isnt gonna be right for a 35 and turning would be a problem since there no
backspacing so 35 going to be hitting the frame on the front and back sides when u turn. So u can seach craiglist or ebay for a set of stock willys or rubicon wheels for fairy cheap and then u will still need wheel spacer space it out little bit.

3 The gears will suck having 3.21 but u can drive it fine just keep in mind its gonna be lacking power to get up and go. So if u live in a hilly or Mountain area gears will be pretty high on list cause u wont like driving up hills in such low gears. 4.88 is a good choice for 35 and if u decide to go to 37 u still be good with those gears.

 

[Cloaked Willys]

Thank you for asking.

1. Ehe Metalcloak coils are designed to provide advertised height on a fully build jeep. This being said you can get up to an inch over that number on a stock jeep. To ensure drivability you will need a pair of adjustable front control arms or alignment brackets. I would recommend looking into a kit so that you have what you need and do not run into issues. Both the 2.5 and 3.5" kits will need either exhaust spacers, an aftermarket Y-Pipe or a new driveshaft due to the way the exhaust is routed from the factory.

2. The stock 17x7.5" wheels will need 1.75-2" spacers to not have rubbing issues due to the 6.25" backspacing. You are also correct that the width is under the spec for that tire size although some smaller shop will mount them. I would recommend an aftermarket wheel with no more than 4.5" of backspacing for you.

3. Yeah the 3.21 gears will feel a larger tire and have a big hit to the mileage. With the 35's a 4.56 or 4.88 gear would be recommended.