Increasing Breakover angle / frame ground clearance, JKU

ZeMax

ZeMax

New member
Alright , bracing for impact, noob , asking for a lift question. Under 10 posts (kinda hard to participate with limited knowledge/stories), tried the search and the google +wayalife trick. Here goes:

I have a JKU 2016, sport with stock rubicon tires and wheels. Started doing some noob rock crawling with the local jeep club. I keep rubbing the belly and I even bent a rear lower control arm bracket on the frame. It's kind of hard on the morale since the first oil change isn't done yet. But hey that's what I bought it for... still it's a wee bit more emotion then I can take, once the payments are gone it'll get easier.

That being said, love the way it handles so no big lift in sight until those parts wear out. I know that changing the tires it the way to go for over-all off-roading performance but the 32"KM2s are here to stay . From what I've been reading for the past weeks ,I'm thinking budget boost or leveling kit. Any other options I am missing ?

Budget boost are easy to figure: 2.5 pucks on all corner = 2.5 clearance, but might look a bit goofy with the stock tires. Then , how much of frame to ground clearance should I expect from a leveling kits ? most state 2 inches in the front and 3/4 in the back. I'm thinking you get 3/4 out of those ? or is there and average thing I am not getting.

Thanks ! Fire away
 
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just know that the more clearance you have, the bigger the obstacles will become!!! invest in some skid plates because rubbing the belly and the frame is always going to happen.
 
ZeMax said:
Alright , bracing for impact, noob , asking for a lift question. Under 10 posts (kinda hard to participate with limited knowledge/stories), tried the search and the google +wayalife trick. Here goes:

I have a JKU 2016, sport with stock rubicon tires and wheels. Started doing some noob rock crawling with the local jeep club. I keep rubbing the belly and I even bent a rear lower control arm bracket on the frame. It's kind of hard on the morale since the first oil change isn't done yet. But hey that's what I bought it for... still it's a wee bit more emotion then I can take, once the payments are gone it'll get easier.

That being said, love the way it handles so no big lift in sight until those parts wear out. I know that changing the tires it the way to go for over-all off-roading performance but the 32"KM2s are here to stay . From what I've been reading for the past weeks ,I'm thinking budget boost or leveling kit. Any other options I am missing ?

Budget boost are easy to figure: 2.5 pucks on all corner = 2.5 clearance, but might look a bit goofy with the stock tires. Then , how much of frame to ground clearance should I expect from a leveling kits ? most stake 2 inches in the front and 3/4 in the back. I'm thinking you get 3/4 out of those ? or is there and average thing I am not getting.

Thanks ! Fire away
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I've got to say, you need tires. At least 35" or 315/70R17. You will drag your differential, if you off road it, and that extra 1.5" of tire will make a difference.

I would look at an EVO leveling kit, if you aren't wanting a full lift. You still may drag your undercarriage, but to alleviate some of that, you would need a 3" lift. That being said, you can still drag bottom, depending on where and how you wheel.


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Wow you guys are fast ! and I got off easy :D

Notnalc68: That can't happen for a few years, I understand the importance/necessitydifferential clearance.

Benito: I'll try really hard to take it easy, just want to follow my 2 doors semi-stock buddies without cringing all the time and get some wheel time. Impossible, I know.

Granitecrystal: thanks ! 500+ replies quite a read ahead of me.
 
ZeMax said:
Alright , bracing for impact, noob , asking for a lift question. Under 10 posts (kinda hard to participate with limited knowledge/stories), tried the search and the google +wayalife trick. Here goes:

I have a JKU 2016, sport with stock rubicon tires and wheels. Started doing some noob rock crawling with the local jeep club. I keep rubbing the belly and I even bent a rear lower control arm bracket on the frame. It's kind of hard on the morale since the first oil change isn't done yet. But hey that's what I bought it for... still it's a wee bit more emotion then I can take, once the payments are gone it'll get easier.

That being said, love the way it handles so no big lift in sight until those parts wear out. I know that changing the tires it the way to go for over-all off-roading performance but the 32"KM2s are here to stay . From what I've been reading for the past weeks ,I'm thinking budget boost or leveling kit. Any other options I am missing ?

Budget boost are easy to figure: 2.5 pucks on all corner = 2.5 clearance, but might look a bit goofy with the stock tires. Then , how much of frame to ground clearance should I expect from a leveling kits ? most state 2 inches in the front and 3/4 in the back. I'm thinking you get 3/4 out of those ? or is there and average thing I am not getting.

Thanks ! Fire away
Click to expand...

what part of the belly? as suggested look a skid plate for the transmission and oil pan, Evap skid - if your 2016 already has those the stock skid plates should suffice until you actually need to replace them.

A lift only allows clearance for taller tires - taller tires provide actual ground clearance. since you mentioned the stock tires are here to stay and won't be getting larger tires I don't see the need for a budget boost unless you're rubbing the fenders during articulation. then you can get the budget boost to allow the tire more room or trim your fenders (free option) but otherwise it will do nothing for ground clearance.

you can try to brace up the rear control arm brackets. Rancho makes a set of rear control arm skids that bolt from both sides to give the brackets support. Also since you're running a lower stance on the rocks, picking your lines will more crucial, as a general rule getting your tire on top of the rocks not straddle over them :thumb:
 
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Jeeeep: Transmission crossmember, the frame, light rubbing but really annoying to me right now. I'm doing ok getting my wheels at the right spots and keeping the differential safe. Keep in mind I'm doing beginner's trail. My understanding is a BB or a leveling kit would make the coil "longer" therefor moving the differential away from the jeep. So belly clearance will increase no ? did I miss something ? Most of the time I'm getting my tire to go over the rock and that'S when the rubbing starts.

Braces are in the plan for springs, nice Fab shop near where I live do custom work www.FrogFab.com
 
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ZeMax said:
Jeeeep: Transmission crossmember, the frame, light rubbing but really annoying to me right now. I'm doing ok getting my wheels at the right spots and keeping the differential safe. Keep in mind I'm doing beginner's trail. My understanding is a BB or a leveling kit would make the coil "longer" therefor moving the differential away from the jeep. So belly clearance will increase no ? did I miss something ? Most of the time I'm getting my tire to go over the rock and that'S when the rubbing starts.

Braces are in the plan for springs, nice Fab shop near where I live do custom work www.FrogFab.com
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Your ground clearance will remain the same with any lift - that will only push your body up. In order to increase ground clearance under the differentials you need larger tires

Edit: you will gain clearance between the ground and your body with a lift, but not the differentials.
 
Just drive smart and you will be fine. I took my stock Rubicon down a rocky creek bed which only has traffic on it during the toughest part of what is considered one of the toughest dirt bike races in the country. Sure I drug the hell out of it and it seemed sketchy at times, but it made it relatively easy. You would be surprised at how well they stock skids hold up. I was more worried about peeling the rear diff cover and losing fluid.
 
ZeMax said:
Jeeeep: Transmission crossmember, the frame, light rubbing but really annoying to me right now. I'm doing ok getting my wheels at the right spots and keeping the differential safe. Keep in mind I'm doing beginner's trail. My understanding is a BB or a leveling kit would make the coil "longer" therefor moving the differential away from the jeep. So belly clearance will increase no ? did I miss something ? Most of the time I'm getting my tire to go over the rock and that'S when the rubbing starts.

Braces are in the plan for springs, nice Fab shop near where I live do custom work www.FrogFab.com
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you'll gain a little in the breakover angle but IMO not enough to make the difference you're looking for, you'll likely still rub.
 
DDays: Good that's what I understood, Jeeeep got me confused for second.

Anybody knows the rule of thumb for leveling kit body to ground clearance increase ? I'm tempted to consider that the thickness of the rear suspension spacer is all that the jeep is actually getting.
 
ZeMax said:
DDays: Good that's what I understood, Jeeeep got me confused for second.

Anybody knows the rule of thumb for leveling kit body to ground clearance increase ? I'm tempted to consider that the thickness of the rear suspension spacer is all that the jeep is actually getting.
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yeah I just caught the ground to frame clearance.

I believe most leveling kits just raise the front at a 2" front, 1" rear or just a 1" front spacer. There seems to be a lot more kits available then when I was 1st looking at them 5 years ago
 
ZeMax said:
I'm tempted to consider that the thickness of the rear suspension spacer is all that the jeep is actually getting.
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Well thats all you can get from any lift without changing tires. 2.5" BB = 2.5" increase in BODY lift height. To figure height gain from adding taller tires take difference in existing tires and taller tires and divide by half.
 
I've taken a slow path to where my Jeep is today. I only recently got oup to 35's. Prior to those, adding the full EVO Protek skids was a huge relief to me. If your budget is tight, you can get them one piece at a time. (There are 3). RockHard 4x4 also has a nice skid system from what I've read.

My build thread is linked at the bottom too. If you have more questions, ask away!!!


.......................................................................
Overall "build thread"
http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?26097-I-guess-it-s-the-quot-Super-Stocker-quot-build

DIY trail/tube door build http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?24449-My-DIY-Doors
 
Guys , please , stop linking your build. 2nd evening in a row I have to read through 50 + pages of awesomeness. Make it a week-end thing, I have no will power :)

Well one build with a budget boost and one with a leveling kit. Guess I'm back on the fence. Read that some people claim 1.5 extra clearance with a leveling kit but I'm thinking they're just doing an average on the pucks they've installed. But I could see a little more then one inch happening with the rake elimination.

Goos thing is, I got the whole winter to think about it.
 
I did the budget 2.5 in lift at first......yeah it was on for maybe 6 months then right about when I was going to buy 35 in. Tires I don't know what happened? I took the lift off and put a 4 in lift and 37 in tires lol....but I would go with the budget lift over a leveling kit any day. My 2 cents.

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Portal axles. [emoji848]. No seriously though, good for you for getting the Jeep out there like this. Nothing is going to change your ground to diff height except bigger tires. If you're worried about the diff Rancho makes a skid, but I've never seen it in person. I've read a lot about the transmission skid and I think a lot of people will agree the stock is pretty good. I think that control arm protection might be a good call for you as well as rock sliders. Get the evap skid as well & you should be in ok shape.


Sent from my duck blind.
 
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