mikemack98

Hey Everyone! Just purchased my first Jeep a couple weeks ago, a 2012 JKU Sport w/auto transmission. I will be using as a DD mostly, but plan to do a little offroading and trails, but no crawling. Looking to get a 2.5" lift and 35" Nitto Trail Grappler tires (17" wheel) and have been reading the forum and it seems I keep going around in circles with trying to get answers, so figured I would just start my own thread. Only considering a 2.5" lift to avoid have to make any other serious mods with lifts over 2.5".

For the lift, I am just at a total loss on which one to go with. The shops have recommended Procomp 2.5", but I have read that Procomp is not so good. Teraflex and OME seem to get good reviews. Based on the type of use I will be doing (see above), what is suggested as a good 2.5" lift to go for? If OME and the HD lift, will I run into any issues before getting bumpers since lift will likely be over 2.5" . Also, if shocks with lift kit, what shocks does everyone recommend?

Also, plan to mod the bumpers eventually, so do I need to worry about the lift dropping when I put those on? Should I do bumpers first then lift?

Also, what kind of issues should I expect with a 2.5" lift and 35's? Will I have a significant loss of power on the 3.73 gears I have? How bad will my MPG suffer? Will tires rub at all? Any spacing issues?

Thanks to all in advance for your assistance here an helping me feel more comfortable about which direction to go.

hypeiv

If by "the shops" you mean 4wheel parts, they recommend pro comp because the company that owns pro comp also owns 4wheel parts. That is not to say its a bad thing, as they might have the most experiance with that kit and 4wheel parts has never done me wrong, its just truth in advertising. The company that owns 4wheel parts also owns rubicon express. I don't have any experiance with either kit but they both look pretty good.

I think with the OME kit you need to step up to their 4 inch kit for 35's... their 2 inch kit might fit for 35's but according to them its only for 33's.

Teraflex is pretty proven on this forum so you can't go wrong with it. The basic 2.5 lift has tons of options (spacers vs coils, new shocks vs adapters) and you can add your own track bar. Full traction and Rubicon express have some nice looking kits that include the track bar, which you may or may not need. (Some people swear you will need an adjustable track bar eventually others go years without one).

For the tires if you plan on running them on your stock wheels you will need to buy some wheel spacers, otherwise find some wheels with 4.5 or lower backspacing.

for the 2012's there might be some issues with your front drive shaft. Some people claim its not a problem other say it is. Your options are to get the teraflex exhaust spacer or an aftermarket y pipe to move the exhaust cross over back, or just buy a new front drive shaft. A new front drive shaft will run you a little under $500. If you look on this forum you will see some threads that say they are running with the stock Drive shaft just fine but many people say you should go ahead and change it out. I decided to go ahead and get one but in fairness I never ran the OEM one to see if it would have been a problem.

Running a 35 inch spare on your stock carrier has also been known to cause problems. You mentioned you planned on doing bumpers so if you end up getting a rear bumper and carrier you won't have to worry about this. I have seen lots of mall crawlers run a heavy 35 on a stock carrier without problems but I have also seen a couple where they bend up their tailgate. So you might want to do some research on your own and decide how you want to handle that.

mikemack98

Thanks hypeiv!

I will be getting new XD wheels too, so I will make sure I get the correct backspacing.

Unfortunately last night I realized I only have the 3.21 stock gears and not the 3.73 gears. For some reason I thought the trac-loc option automatically came with 3.73 option, but I was wrong. Looks like I will need a regear with 35's too.

What is the best ratio for a 2012 automatic running 35's? I will not be towing anything right now, but always might down the line. I have read 4.10, 4.56, 4.88 and 5.10....not sure which would be the best option.

Also, what would be the biggest tire I could run on a 2.5" lift and not really need to regear?

hypeiv

Jury is still out about what gears are best... Ask three different people you get three different answers. If you are worried about your gears you could always go for some nice wide 33 which would likely fit with just a leveling kit.

Honestly if you are new to all this I would try and find a local jeep club that can show you how to do the trails. I ran my jeep stock on trails rated 1 to 3... Just aired down and disconnect my sways manually (via wrenches since I am not rubi). After doing that I had a better understanding about what I liked and what I wanted to do

Edit:I tought the trac loc was always 3.73 too... I think 3.73 is "free" for the trac lock bc on my window sticker it only shows the price for the track loc but not 50 for the 3.73 but mine is def 3.73

Liquid741

33's with 4.5backspacing and you will be golden..and if you are wanting 35s I would say min you would want is 4.10...I had 4.88 and 35's on my TJ, so my knowledge is limited to that...but with the TJ I was basically back to stock with 4.88.

me personally if going 35's, I would get a new front drive shaft, just to eliminate any worries...but i also plan to put gussets on my dana 30 as well for added strength.

good luck to you my friend!

mikemack98

Thank you all for the feedback, much appreciated!

My window sticker also does not show the 3.73 with the trac-Loc, but I will call the dealer to just make sure what I have, rather than just guessing.

As for the tires, I have had my mind set on the 35's for some time, but am willing to go to a 315/70 r17 as its a bit cheaper and looks just as good. I think the 33's might be a little to small for my liking on a 2.5" lift.

hypeiv

I checked my sticker... on the left side it says 3.21 as standard equipment but on the right colum with the options right above the TracLok it shows 3.73. There is no $95 charge for the 3.73 just the $295 for the TracLok

mikemack98

Called the dealer and they verified I have the stock 3.21 gears. Looks like a regear will need to be done if I am going to go with 34" or 35" tires.

JKNVA

I got 35 in trail grapplers with a 3 in BDS lift and 17 in wheels. I love it and have no issues. I also didn't have to make any gear changes. My jeep is a 2010 unlimited sport.

JKMudder

I had the 2.5" Teraflex on my 10 and have it ordered for my 12 JKU. You really can't beat it IMO. I ran 315/75R16s which are "35s" but generally run small. I don't think you need to worry at all with a track bar or driveshaft. You will need the exhaust extensions. I also ran the 315s on the stock carrier for a few months and noticed the tailgate taking a harder slam to shut so I'm leery of them and will run a bumper carrier ASAP on this go around. You've got a lot of great info here, so whatever decisions you make will be well guided and should turn out well.