Ive recently gotten a Rubicon 6spd. Right now its completely stock. I really want to start doing some more serious off roading and am looking to get some 35" tires and a winch/bumper. I'm fairly new at all this stuff and wanted to see if you guys had suggestions on what I should do. For the bumper/winch, I want an LoD front and one of the cheaper Warns ( are they worth the money like everyone says?) Also I was wondering what the cheapest, but also effective, way to lift it so I can install some 35's. I know that BB's are the cheapest but are the suspensions lifts that much better? Whats the difference between long/short arm lifts and are they really worth it even if Im only gonna lift like 2.5/3". And when I get the bumper does the front need to be little higher, say 3" front, 2.5" back? Sorry for all the questions but all this info and options are killing me right now and I wanna make sure I do it right without spending to much.

 

Welcome to Project-JK! Most of your questions can be answered HERE:, please read through it, it will really help you understand what it all means.

Before you modify your rig too much, you should probably read up on everything and then go from there. Lots of people have different ideas of what serious wheeling is, my buddy thinks serious wheeling is driving fast down a dirt road, I think serious wheeling is pushing my rig to the limit and mangling factory skid plates and cross members.

I finally went with a long arm to accommodate 35's and better on/off road performance, but you can get 35's on a Rubi with some fender chopping./

 

X2 and a budge boost might be something to look at so you get a little more flex and fit the 35's more. Food for thought if you don't plan on jumping into a lift kit right away. Oh and welcome!! You'll find everything you could possibly need on here except the money lol!! Even thought there is all kinds of give a ways and contest on here for parts and kits.

 

If you're new and not sure, don't rush this.. I put on the 2.5" Teraflex Coil/Shock lift last year.. bought the 35's and am deciding what to do next. Keep in mind you should probably include a rear tire carrier at some point. I had my tires on for 4 months and my tailgate sounded horrible so I took them off. Also, you'll need new wheels or spacers with 35's.. in other words.. do some research and start writing down what you'll need first.. unfortunately the front bumper/winch are probably going to fall a little bit.. As some of those above said.. it all depends on how much flex, articulation, clearance you want. determine that and then pick your lift. In my opinion, I would go 2.5" or 4". Also think about protection (skid plates, rockers) and other suspension components (trackbars, quick discos).. Decide how you want to wheel, tell us, and we'll give you more opinions..

 

well my idea of wheeling definitely isnt "going fast on a dirt road" I wanna mud, rock crawl and nearly anything they have in Utah. (Im moving there next year) So that means Moab and some pretty intense stuff, or at least thats how the youtubes make it look.

 

How much would it even cost to do this stuff anyway

 

I running a 2.5 teraflex bb with 35 bfg km2 and stock fender flares. I have wheels with 4.6 bs

 

I have a 2.5 teraflex BB with coils and shocks.
Problem is I wanna be a little higher. What is the easiest cheapest way to get say an inch more of lift? Anyone

 

If you go with a 2.5" lift, you can get away with a fairly inexpensive lift. 3" or more is going to cost you, if you want to do it right, and not have to replace broken parts all the time.

I bought a 3" Full Traction Premium Plus lift w/ Bilstein 5100's and JE Reel driveshaft for $2K (just the parts.) 16" black alloy rims were $900. 35" tires (DuraTracs, still waiting on them cuz they're on backorder) were about $1200. Front / rear bumpers were close to another $1K. Bushwacker flatties and rock rails close to ANOTHER $1K.

For me, there was also the cost of auxiliary lights (two windshield mounted, two bumper mounted, two rear mounted); an AEV ProCal (computer programmer for calibrating speedo after the new tires, etc); a DEPENDABLE winch...

You get the picture.

What I'm saying is this: it's not going to be cheap. You can buy cheap stuff, but you'll pay for it, in the long run. Especially if you plan on wheeling your Jeep hard.

Best bet is to do as others in this thread have advised: Research. Decide EXACTLY what you want to do with your Jeep (case in point, I bought the DuraTracs – not the best offroad tire –because they last a long time, are excellent in snow and rain, and will suit the Daily Driver aspect of my Jeep, while still allowing me to wheel fairly hard). Do more research. Decide what you want and do YET MORE research to find the best prices.

If you buy once, and buy right, you'll save yourself a whole lotta $$ in the long run.

My two pennies.

Enjoy!

 

1" body lift??? So far everyone that's done it that I've seen in person looks really good and not too obvious...