Newby here on the forum. Hi all!! --I know everyone buys aftermarket wheels when they get new tires, lift, etc., but I kinda like my stock wheels. I have an 07 JKU Sahara 82K miles with factory 18" wheels and almost bald "stock style" tires w/ death wobble between 50-58mph....... I had the stock wheels powdercoated flat black and like the way they turned out.. I have purchased and am going to install the Mammoth 3.5" lift and am considering the BF 35x12.5R18 KO2 tires. Does anyone see a problem using the stock wheels? What will be necessary?..... I don't guess I understand the positive or negative offset, etc. and am pretty sure I'll need to get wheel spacers? Thanks in advance!

 

If it's any help, I had to run wheel spacers with stock Rubicon wheels/tires after my 3.5 lift was installed. Tires rubbed on new sway bar links in rear, had to buy spacers just to drive it home. New tires and wheels were put on following week. O||||||O

 

Yes, you will want wheel adapters to move the new 35's out further. You want the kind with two sets of bolts (Spidertrax type), not the thin ones that sandwich between. Read the instructions, follow the steps, and check them as part of regular maintenance. Don't just forget they are there!!

You may also want to touch base with your tire shop. Some will not mount wider tires on the narrow stock rims. If they won't, there are other shops that will. And once you get them mounted, you will want to run a chalk test to find the proper contact patch.

Offset is a formula to determine how far into or out of the wheel wells the rims sit. Positive is further tucked in, negative starts moving further out of the wheel well. Offset uses the specific rim width in the formula, so is not a straight forward number to use when comparing rims. You may find it easier to plug the numbers into an online calculator and convert offset to backspace. For backspace, stock rims are around 6.25" (a few people are indicating theirs are 6.00". not a big difference, just noting the discrepancy). As that number goes down, the rim moves further out. So a 4.75" backspace is 1.50" further out than stock. Or if you add a 1.5" wheel adapter to your stock rim, you end with the same 4.75" effective backspace.

 

Does lift kit come with: brake line extensions / front and rear corrections for re- centering axels/ correction for front caster? Read up on bump stops and drive shafts. Usually 2.5" is the max threshold for lifts with minimum added issues.

When you install wheel spacers make sure you remove the OEM lock washers on studs. Very important to do this so the spacers sit flush when torqued down. You don't want to lose a wheel at speed.

 

I installed the AEV 2.5" DualSport XT Suspension with AEV Geometry Correction Front Control Arm Drop Brackets and Spidertrax Black 1.5” Spacers with Factory Willys Wheeler 17” Wheels and Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac 315/70/R17 Tires. No problem with the wheel spacers and purchased the tires from Discount Tires and they retorque my spacers and mounted tires with no questions. Make sure you buy quality wheel spacers like Spidertrax or Alloy and torque per instructions and use Red Loctite.

 

Good information..... Thanks for your input!
The kit I bought includes the following:

3.5" Lift. Increase the ground clearance of your 4-door Jeep JK Wrangler by 3.5 inches with a Mammoth 4x4 Extreme Duty Lift Kit. This heavy duty suspension lift kit will allow you to run tires up to 35 inches in size, making it perfect for both on and off road use.

Kit Includes. The Mammoth 4x4 3.5-inch Extreme Duty Suspension Lift Kit includes Skyjacker Nitro 8000 Shocks, Coil Springs, Rear Track Bar Relocation Bracket, Bump Stop relocator, and Cam Bolts.

Skyjacker Nitro 8000. The included Skyjacker Nitro 8000 shocks are perfect for rugged terrain or smooth street use. They are 150 PSI nitrogen gas pressurized and feature multi-stage velocity sensitive valving, twin tube construction, and bonded iron pistons. This design provides better handling, improved stability, and maximum comfort on and off road.

Mammoth 4x4 Coil Springs. The included Mammoth 4x4 coil springs are shot peen harden to increase tensile strength for a stronger longer lasting spring. Every Mammoth 4x4 spring is cycled, set and spring rate verified, so you get the expected ride height right out of the box with no settling.

I'm assuming I will also need steering stabilizers? I think I'm going to look at just going ahead and getting the 2" wheel spacers to be on the safe side. --Nothing is available here in this small town at the last minute if you need it...... Which is why I'm trying to get everything ahead of time.
Anything else I might need to look into?

The kit has received 100% positive reviews from everyone who has bought/ installed it, which should be a good omen.
http://www.extremeterrain.com/mammot...eviews-section

Thanks again for your continued input!

 

Do a quick search on Cam Bolts and read the reviews.

When you get past 3" or so, many people start thinking about the steep angles on the front trackbar/draglink. Just for informational purposes, go ahead and read up on draglink flips and drop pitmans.

The rear driveshaft should be fine, but make a habit of crawling underneath to check the tcase joint on the front shaft. Don't be shocked if/when you find a ring of grease, just have an idea of what you want to do about it.

Wouldn't be difficult to find posts about cheesy rear trackbar brackets adding extra leverage and ripping the stock mounts off.

There is no adj trackbar for the front, so don't be surprised when that axle is noticeably offcenter.

I have never run anything skyjacker, but I'm sure it won't take long for a few comments on quality...

The further you move the tires out, the more stress you place on the flanges/hubs/joints. Not saying there is a huge difference between 1.5" and 2" adapters, just something to be aware of.

The stock steering stabilizer should be fine, wait for it to fail before replacing.

 

You will need/want a front adjustable track bar or bracket. I think 2" wheel spacers is to much,1.5" is fine.
Why 3.5" lift? You going to off road a lot? 2.5" is plenty for 35" tires on a JK especially if your not off roading. The higher you go the more problems you will have and money you will need to spend. Ask me how I know...........

 

I noticed the reference to "death wobble" in your first post. Do you mean the steering wheel shakes some at that speed, or does the entire front end try and rip itself apart at that speed sometimes?

I had an 07 JKU that was fine until I put a 4" lift on it, then the scary, rip the front end apart type started. After many parts and lots of time I fixed that, but I always had a shake at 50ish MPH. I installed wheel spacers, and the shake got worse. I took them off, it got a little better, put a different set on and it got worse again. I replaced the stock balding tires with 35s, and it got worse again. With the big tires, it was almost undriveable at 50MPH.

I replaced and/ or tested all the rolling parts- nothing changed. I took it to a shop that works exclusively on Jeeps, especially lifted ones. They said "Wow, Jeeps do funny things sometimes". The only way I Fixed it was to trade it in on a new one- now I don't have a wobble.....

I would strongly recommend you make it roll straight and true without any shakes before you spend anything else, because the lift, tires, etc. will only make things worse until then.

Just my 2c-

Gregg

 

OP- is this build for street looks or are you going to wheel? This kit does nothing for your brake lines. If build is looks for street and zero articulation you may get away with the brake lines. If you flex the axels, your brake lines are too short. If cam bolts were up to me, I'd stay away.