So I have a 2013 JK Unlimited Sport. I originally had a 2 inch levelling kit installed and am running 33's. In the beginning I was very happy with the lookas it is my first Jeep and I am working with a smaller budget. And lets be honest. I will take it on the trails during camping trips and trips to Tahoe, but for the most part it is a daily driver.

I am now t a point where I want to do some modest mods to the suspension. I tow a couple of jet skis and cant stand it when the ass end sags. What I would like to do is get your opinions on a suitable kit to lift it three or four inches. I don't want to do a lot of drivetrain changes, just something simple. Something that I can put 35's under, have some additional clearance for the trails, and good ride for daily use. And above all level ride whether I'm towing my skis or not. Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

read the sticky thread in this modified section at the very top by dirtman. You will probably get a lot of useful info there.

MY OPINION ( not that it may matter or be of any use )

1). Sense you are only wanting 35s i wouldn't get a lift above 3 inches. Reason being is most lifts around 3+ will/should require a new front driveshaft and other steering modifications will need to be done.

2). It might be hard to have your vehicle leveled while towing and not towing. Springs are going to settle even on the Jeeps own weight (also depends on how much additional weight you have). So having a leveled Jeep and towing at the same time is something i am not too familiar with so maybe someone else can help out on that.

3). If you are currently running 3.21 gearing than i would look into upgrading those due to running 35s and pulling additional weight. My 3.21s and running 35s made my Jeep feel sluggish so i finally upgraded to 4.88s (still breaking them in but feel the difference already). The physical location to where you live and travel too can play a factor in this as well. Such as mountainous areas or flat.

4). In your situation i would go with a 2-2.5 lift and some 35s. You can fit them perfectly along with the proper backspacing ( ie new rims or wheel spacers ).

5). There are several lifts out there you can get for under $1,000 that will suit your needs as far as suspension wise but not sure about towing.


Goodluck

 

You are looking for someone to just tell you to 'buy this kit from this mfg' and you're all set. Not really the best way to go about it. Start with the two threads stuck right to the top of this modified area, then move on to as many lift related threads as you can find.

--> If you don't want to do any drivetrain mods, don't add more height <--

Getting 35's on is as simple as spending an hour or two chopping your flares.

If you choose to add more height anyway, see my first suggestion and read. Get a handle on the issues that 'can' happen at various heights (not necessarily will happen, but can happen), what the various components actually do, and at what heights people are finding themselves replacing them.

 

I have the AEV 2.5" dual sport lift and couldn't be happier. I towed the trailer and scooter below to Florida and it pulled it great with no sag. The Bilstein 5100 shocks are awesome and ride great.

 

Sorry for the horrible picture quality

 

All great advice. Especially that if you don't want to complete drivetrain mods, don't lift anymore. Unless you're weighted with heavy bumpers/winch, etc, most 2.5" lifts will yield 3.5" or even more.

If you've already lifted it 2" and you don't see off road much and rocks, you should still be able to go with 35s. Cut the pinch seams and add air bags inside the rear coils so you can control the sag when you tow.

Concerns with running 35s is wheel backspacing for rubbing in turns, increased balljoint wear and adding C gussets to avoid future camber issues. If you don't have one already, you'll also need a Procal or the like to recalibrate......then you'l likely want to regear....then.....

 

Budget and big lifts are not good together unless you like headaches and spending lots of extra money down the road to fix everything you screwed up by being on a budget.

 

This^^^^

Enjoy your JK, it will do amazing things in stock trim. There's no "budget" way to do this stuff right. Research, plan, buy quality parts & kits that make up a logical system, do it once.

 

ditto....