My whole build is around $2600-2800. 2.5" TF bb ($250 from forum member, new in box), 4 35x12.5x15 KM2s and 5 15x8 MB TKO's($1650), free trail spare from local jeeper, purejeep truss and gussets ($130), and $450 for rubicon transfer case (traded them mine)

 

Nope mine are 15". See pic above. Not ALL 15's fit, don't think 16's are issue at all

 

I recommend the AEV (American Expedition Vehicles) 2.5" Dual sport lift kit. This gives a ride very similar to stock with added load capacity.

Previously I had a Teraflex 2.5" basic lift and the ride was horrible. I have bumpers front and back which definitely contribute to the situation.

For tires, I recommend the 285/70/17 if you don't have/plan for re-gear. I have the 4.10's and it does well.

Pics of my Jeep with the lift and tires... I have it listed for sale... time to upgrade.

FS: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon

 

15" and 16" steel wheels typically will not clear the brakes but most alloy wheel models with the correct offset do. Check out our 15" wheel thread linked below.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/spon...wheels-120933/

 

So performance wise, if I were to get 33" tires and 16" rims, or even 15" rims, would I find a noticeable improvement to get 35's? Remember, I won't be doing anything insane and most likely no crawling at this point. I live in Saskatchewan...if anyone knows where that is haha

 

Definitely not true... JK Sports (basic) come with 16'' wheels

 

A lift kit can radically change the way your Jeep feels and handles for better or worse, so I would choose carefully and put a larger chunk of your initial budget there since it is not cheap to change it. Tires and wheels are easy to change and there is always some one that will buy them.

For a DD and occasional wheeling, I would limit it to a 2.5" lift. It's a good practical compromise and it looks proportional with anything under 37" tires. There are several high quality lifts including TF, AEV and Rancho seems really popular lately.

I've run 2 AEV lifts and try to ride in as many other lift brands as I can and my 3rd lift is going to be AEV. For ride and handling IMHO they are the best. For crawling, flexing and more demanding terrain they can be outperformed by several.

Just have fun learning about the options to build your Jeep and enjoy the ride. BTW, there is a good video on the web from TF on how to choose you lift kit.

 

I just bought wheels from discount tire and they asked me if I was a jk forum member. I said yes and they took an additional $50.00 off the price. Not bad.

 

How can I run 35s with stock ride height?

 

Flat flares, backspace, bumpstops, trimming.