2.5 or 3.5 ?!?!
02-01-2013, 06:07 AM
#21
Former Vendor
Given your situation and sticking with full OEM fenders, we would recommend a 3.5 for a 4 door. If it was a 2 door, a 2.5 would be more than fine!
If you want, give us a shout, we would certainly be more than happy to talk to you about your build!
RK
If you want, give us a shout, we would certainly be more than happy to talk to you about your build!
RK
02-01-2013, 08:55 AM
#23
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have been running my Rubicon Express 3.5 kit since about 2009 (just finishing-up changing my third set of bushings
). I think if I would do it all over again I would probably go 2.5 inches on the lift. With my kit I gained about 4 inches of lift up front with a full ARB bumper, a winch, and heavy Pure Jeep sliders. I wheel infrequently and I am not hardcore by any means. I generally use my Jeep to get to whitewater kayak destinations. Don't ever plan on 37s. Going the extra inch may give you extra clearance but creates some other problems.
With a 3.5 inch lift you will definitely need a new front drive shaft as your stocker will eventually puke its grease and is not sevicable. When you place a double cardin driveshaft on your rig, you have to pay close atttention to yor caster setting, otherwise driveline vibes could beome an issue and you could grenade your transfer case. If you are unlucky you could end up with a low caster settings, say aorund 3 degrees and will experience flighty steering. To solve this problem, you would have to upgrade to a dynatrac prorock unlimited with 10 degrees of built in caster and with gears that may set you back somewhere north of $4000. I put on my Coast 1310 last summer before a trip to Moab and left the caster setting conservatively probably arond 3 degrees. Recently I have become tired of the flighty steering and have got my caster to somehwere around 5 degrees which is a bit more than stock setting. I have not had vibes as of yet but am keeping a very close eye on this. I think if my lift was 1 inch less, because of the angles, I might not have as much of a concern. That being said I do have 5.13s so my drive shaft is spinning fairly fast, you say you are sticking with 4.10.
Another thing you will have to adress if you gain more than 3.5 inches is a draglink flip to keep bumpsteer in check and keep excessive forces off of your steering box. I have some bumpsteer but have not done this as of yet, my sterring box is damp at the bottom. The drag link flip will run 200-350, depending if you need a reamer. Putting on the drag link flip will require you run 3 inch bump stops so you will loose some upward travel.
My other reason for a little lower lift is that I tow a fold-up trailer and use a weight distributing hitch, a lower lift would make the set up ot hitch a little easier.
Just my unbiased 2 cents......Have fun
). I think if I would do it all over again I would probably go 2.5 inches on the lift. With my kit I gained about 4 inches of lift up front with a full ARB bumper, a winch, and heavy Pure Jeep sliders. I wheel infrequently and I am not hardcore by any means. I generally use my Jeep to get to whitewater kayak destinations. Don't ever plan on 37s. Going the extra inch may give you extra clearance but creates some other problems.With a 3.5 inch lift you will definitely need a new front drive shaft as your stocker will eventually puke its grease and is not sevicable. When you place a double cardin driveshaft on your rig, you have to pay close atttention to yor caster setting, otherwise driveline vibes could beome an issue and you could grenade your transfer case. If you are unlucky you could end up with a low caster settings, say aorund 3 degrees and will experience flighty steering. To solve this problem, you would have to upgrade to a dynatrac prorock unlimited with 10 degrees of built in caster and with gears that may set you back somewhere north of $4000. I put on my Coast 1310 last summer before a trip to Moab and left the caster setting conservatively probably arond 3 degrees. Recently I have become tired of the flighty steering and have got my caster to somehwere around 5 degrees which is a bit more than stock setting. I have not had vibes as of yet but am keeping a very close eye on this. I think if my lift was 1 inch less, because of the angles, I might not have as much of a concern. That being said I do have 5.13s so my drive shaft is spinning fairly fast, you say you are sticking with 4.10.
Another thing you will have to adress if you gain more than 3.5 inches is a draglink flip to keep bumpsteer in check and keep excessive forces off of your steering box. I have some bumpsteer but have not done this as of yet, my sterring box is damp at the bottom. The drag link flip will run 200-350, depending if you need a reamer. Putting on the drag link flip will require you run 3 inch bump stops so you will loose some upward travel.
My other reason for a little lower lift is that I tow a fold-up trailer and use a weight distributing hitch, a lower lift would make the set up ot hitch a little easier.
Just my unbiased 2 cents......Have fun
02-01-2013, 09:06 AM
#24
JK Junkie
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: CT
Posts: 3,440
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
^ yep.
Running 3 degrees caster for my aftermarket DS and steering is less to be desired. The highsteer kit did help though.
Seems 2 doors are affected more at higher lift heights :(
Do you find low caster to cause excessive tramlining ?
Highway for me is fine. The rutted/uneven roads is starting to become annoying.
Running 3 degrees caster for my aftermarket DS and steering is less to be desired. The highsteer kit did help though.
Seems 2 doors are affected more at higher lift heights :(
Do you find low caster to cause excessive tramlining ?
Highway for me is fine. The rutted/uneven roads is starting to become annoying.
Last edited by kjeeper10; 02-01-2013 at 09:08 AM.
02-01-2013, 11:47 AM
#25
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
^ yep.
Running 3 degrees caster for my aftermarket DS and steering is less to be desired. The highsteer kit did help though.
Seems 2 doors are affected more at higher lift heights :(
Do you find low caster to cause excessive tramlining ?
Highway for me is fine. The rutted/uneven roads is starting to become annoying.
Running 3 degrees caster for my aftermarket DS and steering is less to be desired. The highsteer kit did help though.
Seems 2 doors are affected more at higher lift heights :(
Do you find low caster to cause excessive tramlining ?
Highway for me is fine. The rutted/uneven roads is starting to become annoying.
02-01-2013, 08:40 PM
#28
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
With a 3.5 inch lift for an Unlimited: front shaft only, make sure your lift as at least one set of adjustable control arms front and back, consider drag link flip, consider sector shaft brace, you live in Colorado and have a 2010 so you are not going to be happy with 4.10s, you will want 4.88s or 5.13. Programer of some sort to tell your computer what your'e running.
With a 2.5 inch lift skip the drag link, adjustable control arms maybe an option although I would still want to dial in my caster, everything else is the same.
35s with a 2010 and 4.10s in Colorado is going to be a fail if you do any mountain driving.
With a 2.5 inch lift skip the drag link, adjustable control arms maybe an option although I would still want to dial in my caster, everything else is the same.
35s with a 2010 and 4.10s in Colorado is going to be a fail if you do any mountain driving.
02-02-2013, 07:08 AM
#30
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes no problem, can't remember the RPMs, but I know at 65 I am right about 2200. Another thing to consider is C-gussets for the front axle to avoid bending the Cs with the extra weight and levarge of 35s. Gussets are relatively cheap insurance.