Tooadvanced

If you do a 4 inch lift the belly clearance is raised 4 inches. Go from a 32 inch tire to a 37 and u gain an approx 2.5 inch more. Breakover angle will be gained with tires a lift and of course a combo of both. Now a body lift will not net you any clearance but just room for larger tires which gives axle clearance. But as stated a suspension lift always and I mean always gives more chassis clearance

Mark Doiron

EDIT: I apologize if anyone saw my first response here. I am not feeling well, and irritable because of it. I have rewritten it to be a bit more polite.

Chassis clearance isn't something folks normally compare. The four key numbers are approach angle, departure angle, breakover angle and ground clearance. While I could see where one might argue that raising the chassis while keeping ground clearance the same offers certain scenarios where an obstacle could be crossed, this is simply not a number that folks normally bother to compare. In fact, if Jeep (or any other manufacturer) were to start doing so, they'd quickly by called out by the off-roading community for padding their performance numbers to mislead the consumer. Please don't give them any ideas. ;-)

GJeep

I get the feeling that your post is more argumentative than to-the-point comments. I'll say it again, maybe a bit differently:

In all my offroading years, I don't remember ever hitting a differential or getting stuck because of it. I do remember quite a few times when I could use a smaller break-over angle, or more belly clearance, or whatever you wish to call it.
Reducing the chance of hitting something with Jeeps belly, or 'sitting' it on something, is what lifting does, inch per inch.
(take into account that I do pretty tough terrain, but not extreme rock crawling.)
However, to get a belly lift of 4" by using bigger wheels, would take ~40" wheels, which is not what the vast majority of Jeepers here would do.

I did not talk about the same lift for 2-dr and 4-dr...
I said --
"As for the break-over angle, I think that a 2-dr overall handling is much better with 2.5" lift [vs 4"], while a 4-dr handles nicely with 4" lift -- this decreases from the ground clearance [read -'belly clearance'] advantage of the 2-dr."

I did not say that "lifting automatically increase articulation".
This is what I said --
"Unlike larger wheels, a lift also allows increasing the articulation."

GJeep

In that case, "de-read" my reply, and feel well.

Tooadvanced

It it very important in offroading. If u lack the belly clearance you'll get high centered alot

sea bass

Great illustration!


Both my brothers have tj's and a guy I wheel with a lot has a tj on 36’s. I out-climbed them time and time again with my old jku with open diffs. I would however hang my belly on the crests of those climbs sometimes but hey - at least I would make it up :-)

The statement "the only thing a 4-door can do better is pull a boat" is just plain ignorance.

Now stretch a 2- door by 10" - now that's a different story :-)

GJeep

And the vote goes to... :


Directional Stability: 4-dr

Steep inclines/declines: 4-dr

Break-over angle: 2-dr, when both the 2-dr and 4-dr are with no (or the same) lift and wheel size.
Turning Radius: 2-dr. However... we have a lot of narrow woody trails here, and it's not often that I need 3-point turns with the JKU.

Storage Space: 4-dr

Bottom line... :

Overall, the 4-dr is more capable and less prone to get stuck or capsize, in more offroad situations than a 2-dr is.
It's also less jumpy and more comfortable to drive both on and off road.

The 2-dr has unrivaled unique charm.

Both are very capable, so respect the 20" shorter/longer Jeep... and have fun

whiterave

Thanks for the summary that was very useful

Whiterave

BucYouUp68

Remember, It all is how you wheel. Some are good at it, some are not. Just be smart and you will bring your rig out of most situations.

GJeep

Couldn't agree more.
I've seen Jeeps or even SUVs cross obstacles, while better modded Jeeps had difficulty at the same spot.
Driver experience, skill and judgement are more important than the vehicle. Picking a line a few inches to the right or left, exact use of gas or brake pedal, etc', patience rather than brute force attack on an obstacle, make more difference than the type of Jeep.
Remember that offroading driving and obstacle crossing is a learning curve that never stops.
Recovery, too, is a subject about which you can always learn new methods or improvisations. Just a small example: The jeep is stuck on soft sand on the beach and there's absolutely nothing to put under the wheels? -- You got the floor mats, or a blanket.
Watch the other drivers, analyze why did one Jeep cross smoothly while another spins wheel or slides sideways.
It takes a lot of practice before you can materialize the full potential of either the 2 or 4-dr Jeep.