WheelinWillyFifteen

the way you break things down is basically what I require. I do not know what I’m doin for sure and I believe I need to start slow. I have a mechanic for a father but not the kind that’s adventurous lol. He’s more of the kind that believes an engineer was paid a lot of money to build that truck and messing with it is opening a can of worms. 35s may be a future goal but I NEED TIRES .... I believe I want the bf ko2 285/70/17 for now so I guess 33s will do I’m afraid they will look silly with the mopar 2 inch lift but first I need to clean the willys up underneath as it’s ugly under there and I should have fluid filmed from day one when I took her home. I’d like to clean her up underneath and make it look as new as possible .... shocks are bubbling tho 🤮..... so I plan on doing that first just feel I need a lift to really do the job right and not destroy my lower back which has few good days now. Goal would be to rid some surface rust then paint it let dry and following week fluid film. Maybe I can run the 33 ko2s with spacers for a while ...... oh I read something about using springs from a 4 door rubicon would give a little height. Btw my truck as a willys has the lsd but I read they will wear out rather quickly

karls10jk

Lift height depends on the spring tag numbers and miles on the vehicle. I've used a dozen sets of coils from various 4dr's and sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I thought it was a worthwhile venture, some don't agree.

On the 2" and 33's, it's not terrible if you keep the full flares and the tires have a little meat to them. I've got stock tires that I run to keep wear off the wheeling tires (and increase has gas mileage) and they look goofy as can be with the lift, but cut flares, and aftermarket bumpers. I've seen worse, but it's certainly not a "good" look. I had the 2.5", 33's, and full flares- wasn't too shabby. It's tough to step away from 35's now but low wages and lower gas mileage suggest I just be happy I'm still in the jeep.

Naddanme

Have you considered just going with a leveling kit for starters. It a lot cheaper and will give you a little more clearance. I’m running stock 255/70/R17 on a leveling kit with a wheel spacer and like the look. I have 295/70/17 tires going on soon. That should look even better.

Rednroll

Always try to keep the longer term goal in mind. If you want 35s now, then go with the 35s and don't let any of the stuff I listed scare you. I just wanted to make you aware of the potential down-sides that are typically associated with running stock parts with the larger tires. Most of them can be done in steps and don't need to be done at the same time as I posted earlier. I didn't replace my tie-rod and drag link until my factory tie-rod needed to be replaced and then decided that was the time for the upgraded HD steering parts. I didn't add a big brake until my factory brakes needed to be replaced. I actually did the BBK before lifting and installing the larger tires because I had my longer term plan laid out, where my thought was why waste money on replacing stock parts when I knew I could benefit by replacing with some brake upgrades for when I added the larger tires? I didn't upgrade my ball joints until the factory ball joints needed to be replaced...etc, etc. It's better to evaluate without the upgrades and then decide for yourself in the future and make the upgrades when it's time to replace the factory parts. Sometimes we don't know what we don't know and the reasons things feel a certain way, where my intent was to let you know what could be added once you've had time to experience the potential down-sides for yourself.

nthinuf

JK Show & Tell.

It's full of some huge threads of pictures, many of which are divided up into categories by lift height, tire size, body color, etc etc. Spend some time browsing through pics of 33" and 35" tires and see what you think. Not as good as seeing it in person of course, but maybe enough to help sway your opinion one way or the other. (some of these were moved to the Tires area, so just try a few searches based on lift height and tire size, there are plenty to find)

What you don't want to do is buy 33's, decide they are too small and sell them for a loss, then buy 34's (that's almost a 35, right, so yeah, I'll upgrade to those!!). Then sell those for a loss and buy the tires you knew you should have started with from day one. Think about how many people on this forum that applies to, for both lift height and tire size...

karls10jk

Guilty. I've had more sets of tires on one vehicle than most folks have ever driven on. Lift kits are another one where it hurts to buy and replace each year because it's not "quite right".

WheelinWillyFifteen

looks like I may have questions for you step by step thru this. I have to decide what my plans are and stick with em. big brake kit is not something I thought about ...... ooo surprise lol. Did you need a new master cylinder and reservoir and or was it part of the kit

Rednroll

I got the Mopar BBK about 5 years ago which came with a replacement MC/reservoir. From threads I read, the Mopar kit is now hard to find. Unsure if they discontinued it, or if it's been on back order. @resharp001 has recent experience he may be able to share since he recently went down that rabbit hole. Most kits besides the Mopar kit don't come with a larger MC and just upgrade by increasing the rotor size, where some will often try to purchase the Mopar MC kit separately in addition to the kit they got. Crown and Teraflex BBK's come to mind. Then there's the Dynatrac Kit which also doesn't include a MC replacement. I tend to stay away from Dynatrac products because they all seem over priced for what you get vs what is needed. Not saying DT products are bad, but when you're a value shopper like myself and I look at the prices vs what you get, I don't seem to be their target customer.

Rednroll

I tend to live vicariously through Karl's and Resharp's upgrade experiences by following what has worked for them and avoiding what hasn't.

resharp001

You don't need a BBK for 33s or really 35s IMO. It's really just more headache. You're few threads have really created a lot of responses.....many more than most threads get these days. I think the real lesson to keep in mind is there is no 100% perfect for everyone. You're looking for a modest build to do some light wheelin'. Realistically, you will be good with a wide range of things, but you (in general, not YOU specifically) can really scrutinize till you feel like this -



It's easy to get paralysis by analysis. Pick something of decent quality, leave room in the budget for few things you forget or don't realize (like steering), and go have a blast with that thing. Nothing you are looking to do is some permanent decision.