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Modified JK TechTech related bulletin board forum regarding subjects such as suspension, tires & wheels, steering, bumpers, skid plates, drive train, cages, on-board air and other useful modifications that will help improve the performance and protection of your Jeep JK Wrangler (Rubicon, Sahara, Unlimited and X) on the trail.
PLEASE DO NOT START SHOW & TELL TYPE THREADS IN THIS FORUM
So, I'll just doublecheck my CV joint and if all is good, just keep an eye on it to replace in the future.
the common sound of a bad CV joint is that you'll hear rotational clicking. if you're ever looking under the jeep, just glance at the underside of the tub right over that joint. you'll see a nice line of grease if the boot ripped. this isn't anything to get too concerned about. DS could last a long time, could be a ticking time bomb. either way, if it does start clicking on you it's not one of those thing that puts you dead in the water with an unusable jeep. they take a decent bit to really crap out, and/or you can always pull the front DS till a replacement comes.
Originally Posted by TCampbell
I assume I can upgrade the rear axle shafts along with the lift and tires, then add the locker a bit later.
No, you'd do this at the same time. the axle shaft splines need to match the carrier in the diff. right now you have 30-spline axle shafts going into a 30-spline open carrier. when you install a 35-spline locker, that is the time you'd need your axle shafts to be a corresponding 35-spline. you're fine on the factory axle shafts till you do the upgrades. a bent axle shaft flange is a common thing though. since your brake rotor bolts up to that flange as well, what you often hear is brake pads dragging on the rotor as the rotor is rotating through the brake caliper a bit wonky.
Originally Posted by TCampbell
If I planned to do the lift, tires, axle shafts, ball joints, and new gearing all at once, along with bumpers and whatnot that I have no problem doing myself, I should be in decent shape for a bit at least. Then add in the rear locker in a bit later. Or is it worth it to just get it done together since the shop will already be regearing?
some of this stuff overlaps. for example, in order to replace ball joints you need to have the front axle shafts out. in order to change gears, all the axles shafts come out. I'm a big proponent of doing as much work on your jeep as you're capable of doing. if you can't fix the jeep while in the garage, then you're gonna be up the creek if something goes wrong out in the wild . I do understand though that not everyone is capable. If you are a DIYer, things like ball joints are a good home project and doing the labor yourself helps pay for the actual ball joints. I think most shops around me charge $350 in labor alone to do the job. regear on the other hand....best left to the pros unless you know what you're doing. so, locker/regear/axle shafts at that time in one swoop.
I think the best thing would be do whatever lift you're gonna do, put tires on it and use the heck out of the jeep. i did a ton of wheeling back in the day with an open front and rear diff. These things are really capable. When you start to get to a point that you need traction control, it's clear as day. Don't overlook a winch in regard to recovery. A lot of times when you're stuck, the traction control needed is so minimal. if you have a winch and know how to use it, that is often just as good......though maybe not as "cool". We all use our jeeps differently and in different geographic areas. It's always hard to tell someone you need this, or don't need that.....but as you use the jeep more and more you'll get a better idea of your own path. Outside of that, everything is a mere suggestion.
the common sound of a bad CV joint is that you'll hear rotational clicking. if you're ever looking under the jeep, just glance at the underside of the tub right over that joint. you'll see a nice line of grease if the boot ripped. this isn't anything to get too concerned about. DS could last a long time, could be a ticking time bomb. either way, if it does start clicking on you it's not one of those thing that puts you dead in the water with an unusable jeep. they take a decent bit to really crap out, and/or you can always pull the front DS till a replacement comes.
No, you'd do this at the same time. the axle shaft splines need to match the carrier in the diff. right now you have 30-spline axle shafts going into a 30-spline open carrier. when you install a 35-spline locker, that is the time you'd need your axle shafts to be a corresponding 35-spline. you're fine on the factory axle shafts till you do the upgrades. a bent axle shaft flange is a common thing though. since your brake rotor bolts up to that flange as well, what you often hear is brake pads dragging on the rotor as the rotor is rotating through the brake caliper a bit wonky.
some of this stuff overlaps. for example, in order to replace ball joints you need to have the front axle shafts out. in order to change gears, all the axles shafts come out. I'm a big proponent of doing as much work on your jeep as you're capable of doing. if you can't fix the jeep while in the garage, then you're gonna be up the creek if something goes wrong out in the wild . I do understand though that not everyone is capable. If you are a DIYer, things like ball joints are a good home project and doing the labor yourself helps pay for the actual ball joints. I think most shops around me charge $350 in labor alone to do the job. regear on the other hand....best left to the pros unless you know what you're doing. so, locker/regear/axle shafts at that time in one swoop.
I think the best thing would be do whatever lift you're gonna do, put tires on it and use the heck out of the jeep. i did a ton of wheeling back in the day with an open front and rear diff. These things are really capable. When you start to get to a point that you need traction control, it's clear as day. Don't overlook a winch in regard to recovery. A lot of times when you're stuck, the traction control needed is so minimal. if you have a winch and know how to use it, that is often just as good......though maybe not as "cool". We all use our jeeps differently and in different geographic areas. It's always hard to tell someone you need this, or don't need that.....but as you use the jeep more and more you'll get a better idea of your own path. Outside of that, everything is a mere suggestion.
Always happy to do some DIY. And a very good point there. If I can't fix something with all the tools at my disposal, I will be stuck in the middle of the woods without them. So, if the ball joints are doable myself, that's great. I just know the gears and locker are above my skill level, and I will be using a shop to get them done properly. A winch will probably be a later on addition as well.
Will there be any issue with the stock gears (I think 3.21 if I remember correctly) with the lift, tires, bumpers? Will they handle the weight and size of all that alright for a little while while I gather the other pieces?
you're just gonna be riding a sluggish pig is all. it will become your new normal. the jeep is not gonna blow up or anything. You didn't mention auto or manual. either way you'll lose top gear on the high end as it will be essentially worthless. in a manual being overgeared isn't near as bad since you get to dictate what gear you are in. in an auto, what starts to drive you bonkers is the constant downshifting and lack of high end power. around town and low end speeds it's not as aggravating cuz jeep is just a slow rig to start with. you'll be fine though, and you'll adjust accordingly for the time being.
you're just gonna be riding a sluggish pig is all. it will become your new normal. the jeep is not gonna blow up or anything. You didn't mention auto or manual. either way you'll lose top gear on the high end as it will be essentially worthless. in a manual being overgeared isn't near as bad since you get to dictate what gear you are in. in an auto, what starts to drive you bonkers is the constant downshifting and lack of high end power. around town and low end speeds it's not as aggravating cuz jeep is just a slow rig to start with. you'll be fine though, and you'll adjust accordingly for the time being.
Mine is a 6 speed manual with the 3.6L, so I guess it will just be some adjusting. Will it be alright on the highway? My work sometimes has me driving about 2 hours away for customers. I don't need to be making there in record time or anything, but how much performance will I lose there before the regear?
most 35's are going to measure out at 34", or even less. these gear charts are based of ACTUAL tire diameter, not what is on the sidewall. So, with a 35 and 3.21 gearing, at 70mph you're gonna be rolling around a bit under 1800 rpm. again, with the manual you are in the cat bird's seat cuz you get to dictate your gear.
The jeep will be fine. whether or not you want to deal with the situation for however long is up to you. talking 6 months? 9 months? nbd, you'd live with it. talking 12-18 months? meh, idk. my personal threshold of dealing with being overgeard is 9 months.
Good advice here from some senior members. Agree too that 3.5" is too much and causes a lot of wear and tear that will work on you eventually. 35" tires are a good mid line diameter and I only run 34" and seem to go where I need. Can't remember seeing any mention but with any lift I recommend at least adjustable lower control arms all around (some say top adjustable for the front) to get driveshaft and caster angle correct and adjustable track bars front and rear to center the diffs. Also you may want to level out the rear TB with levelling bracket and that will get rid of the ass wobble on angled bridge abutment joints etc. If you lift you will see what I mean about ass wobble. So in summary you are looking at quite a few thousand dollars to get 2.5", tires, lockers etc. What I suggest you do is put a list of items you want to change on a spreadsheet and post it here. Then some sort of priority can be set by helping members and I am pretty sure if you stick to it you will only do things ONCE. I wouldn't worry about lockers too much so that takes $2500 or more out of the equation. A winch is a better choice for now. I would just make sure you can disconnect the front sway bar and get the flex that keeps wheels planted better. A few friends up here use JKs for many years and stay with the locker guys and they have none. Just good suspension and good driving skills. Also don't spin the shit out of the wheels when you come to an obstacle. Just realise you are not going anywhere and try another approach. Spinning and bouncing is the fastest way to break the front diff in some form especially running large and heavy tires. Might be cool for the bull at a gate approach to obstacles but not cool to walk miles out of the bush. I have never had trusses on any vehicle and yet to bend a diff and have been wheeling for 48 years. Bit long winded but just trying to help.
With a little further rambling there is a forum member from Nevada called Dirtman. He is one of the top Jeep JK suspension guys around and custom builds suspension. The point here I wanted to make is Dirtman would read a post where a guy says he wants 37" tires. Dirtman would respond pretty much truthful and say to go to that size and have reliability will cost $10,000. Shocking but true and you do find gentle wheelers that run 37" on lifted stock setup and seem to get reliability as they go real slow and careful. Point is it costs a lot to properly make modifications to stock JK and JL Jeeps. There is a lot of advice out there and some is incorrect. EG drop pitman arm is a bad thing. And also remember on road handling is important because 95% of your driving is there. Nothing worse than a death wobbling and wandering JK.
Yeah I didn't lift until I went to 37s, and even then only 2.5" (which netted me 3" or so). I think a great option to get started and to figure out what you really need is to just do flat or trimmed fenders, wheels with the right backspacing, and tires up to 35". This is a fully stock suspension with trimmed fenders and 35s:
Good advice here from some senior members. Agree too that 3.5" is too much and causes a lot of wear and tear that will work on you eventually. 35" tires are a good mid line diameter and I only run 34" and seem to go where I need. Can't remember seeing any mention but with any lift I recommend at least adjustable lower control arms all around (some say top adjustable for the front) to get driveshaft and caster angle correct and adjustable track bars front and rear to center the diffs. Also you may want to level out the rear TB with levelling bracket and that will get rid of the ass wobble on angled bridge abutment joints etc. If you lift you will see what I mean about ass wobble. So in summary you are looking at quite a few thousand dollars to get 2.5", tires, lockers etc. What I suggest you do is put a list of items you want to change on a spreadsheet and post it here. Then some sort of priority can be set by helping members and I am pretty sure if you stick to it you will only do things ONCE. I wouldn't worry about lockers too much so that takes $2500 or more out of the equation. A winch is a better choice for now. I would just make sure you can disconnect the front sway bar and get the flex that keeps wheels planted better. A few friends up here use JKs for many years and stay with the locker guys and they have none. Just good suspension and good driving skills. Also don't spin the shit out of the wheels when you come to an obstacle. Just realise you are not going anywhere and try another approach. Spinning and bouncing is the fastest way to break the front diff in some form especially running large and heavy tires. Might be cool for the bull at a gate approach to obstacles but not cool to walk miles out of the bush. I have never had trusses on any vehicle and yet to bend a diff and have been wheeling for 48 years. Bit long winded but just trying to help.
Good call on the spreadsheet idea. I'll have to start one later today.
I had heard from some people I asked that lockers should be installed before a winch, but it seems I may have been led astray there. Especially for the cost, a winch seems much more appropriate for my planned use. At least for a while until I get the itch to tackle more advanced trails.
I had been recommended Rock Krawler lifts from a friend as they loved theirs, and they said to go with I think the X factor. I also remember hearing good things about MetalCloak as well. They recommended to not cheap out on the lift since it will still spend most of it's life on pavement, and that should be comfortable as well.
most 35's are going to measure out at 34", or even less. these gear charts are based of ACTUAL tire diameter, not what is on the sidewall. So, with a 35 and 3.21 gearing, at 70mph you're gonna be rolling around a bit under 1800 rpm. again, with the manual you are in the cat bird's seat cuz you get to dictate your gear.
The jeep will be fine. whether or not you want to deal with the situation for however long is up to you. talking 6 months? 9 months? nbd, you'd live with it. talking 12-18 months? meh, idk. my personal threshold of dealing with being overgeard is 9 months.
Thank you for the help. I'll probably be referring back to this chart quite a bit.
I guess I will only find out my threshold once I experience it.
09-05-2024, 10:22 AM
. I do understand though that not everyone is capable. If you are a DIYer, things like ball joints are a good home project and doing the labor yourself helps pay for the actual ball joints. I think most shops around me charge $350 in labor alone to do the job. regear on the other hand....best left to the pros unless you know what you're doing. so, locker/regear/axle shafts at that time in one swoop.
it will become your new normal. the jeep is not gonna blow up or anything. You didn't mention auto or manual. either way you'll lose top gear on the high end as it will be essentially worthless. in a manual being overgeared isn't near as bad since you get to dictate what gear you are in. in an auto, what starts to drive you bonkers is the constant downshifting and lack of high end power. around town and low end speeds it's not as aggravating cuz jeep is just a slow rig to start with. you'll be fine though, and you'll adjust accordingly for the time being.
