JKUR on order - Have some questions

C

Coda

New member
New guy to Jeeps and the site.

In what seems like a previous life I used to wheel pretty hard by east coast standards. That is not my intent with this Jeep but having the capability if I desire and having zero issues remote camping is. I will also use it to tow a boat that is around 3000#s. So when it arrives at the dealership it will be getting some massaging to fit my liking appearance wise. My plan is either a 3.5" Series 2 Rough Country lift or their 4" X Series with control arm replacement (leaning this way). Initially I will be running 35x12.50r17's, I want to go 37's but I want to get a feel for the vehicle before I regear and go that route. There is another option for that as well mentioned later in the post. My girlfriend has the Series 2 3.5" kit and I am very happy with so I don't need to hear about other lift manufacturers, my personal experience tells me that their products are sufficient for me.

My questions are as follows:

Is there any benefit to a long arm kit other than better road manners? I have searched and read what seems like hundreds of threads now and that seems to be the consensus. What is everyone's opinion on that.

I have been debating aftermarket wheels. I really like the look of the factory wheels, especially with the Granite color I ordered. Anyone have any issues running that size tire on the factory wheels? I know the tire manufacturer recommends wider wheels, I don't need to be told that. I also know that spacers are required. I really want to hear real life experiences as they are what matter.

As far as 37's are required. Has anyone ran 37's with the 4.10's and a supercharger as opposed to regearing? The additional horsepower seems like it would easily accomplish this, and crawl ratio is not a huge concern, will not be wheeling this rig very hard.

Thanks for the opinions guys, I don't have a lot of knowledge of JK's or Jeeps in general other than what I've read online. I wheeled a full width straight axled Ranger so that's where my hands on experience comes in and that type of wheeling is not in my future.
 
Coda said:
New guy to Jeeps and the site.

I have been debating aftermarket wheels. I really like the look of the factory wheels, especially with the Granite color I ordered. Anyone have any issues running that size tire on the factory wheels? I know the tire manufacturer recommends wider wheels, I don't need to be told that. I also know that spacers are required. I really want to hear real life experiences as they are what matter.
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Welcome to WAL. As far as this question goes, a lot of people run 35s and some even 37s on factory Jeep wheels until they are able to get the aftermarket wheels. Some shops will not mount larger tires on these wheels, but a lot of people here have done so successfully including myself. You will need to run a 1.5 hub centric wheel spacer due so that you will not rub. But you'll be fine going this route until your able to get aftermarket wheels.
 
I've run factory Rubcion wheels with BFG KM2 35's and had no problems wheeling or on the street with them. Other than needing wheel spacers, which you are aware of. I ran those for almost 2 years on my 2 door.

4" of lift is a lot for 35's and I'm sure more will chime in here that 3.5"s is a lot of lift for 35's as well. With that said, I run the Rock Krawler 3.5" Flex on my 4 door with 35's and like the look and feel of it.
 
Oy vey, lotsa questions here.

1) If there are better options as far as lift brands, wouldn't you want to hear them? I mean, you're already asking about LA vs. SA kits...
2) If you are only wheeling on trails you don't need a LA kit
3) Just adding more power doesn't mean better performance. If you go 37's you should regear otherwise you're wasting that power.
4) Haven't heard too many good supercharger stories. Maybe someone else can say they're great.
5) What size tire are you asking the wheel question about? You mention 35's & 37's.

Welcome to WAL by the way....You mention you don't have much knowledge about JK's. I'd suggest leaving the "don't want to hear about it" stuff off the posts as guys here will be happy
to give you advice as long as you'll be receptive to any answers they give you. Just sayin....
 
xxJWPxx said:
I've run factory Rubcion wheels with BFG KM2 35's and had no problems wheeling or on the street with them. Other than needing wheel spacers, which you are aware of. I ran those for almost 2 years on my 2 door.

4" of lift is a lot for 35's and I'm sure more will chime in here that 3.5"s is a lot of lift for 35's as well. With that said, I run the Rock Krawler 3.5" Flex on my 4 door with 35's and like the look and feel of it.
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Thanks.
I've been through God knows how many pics and the photos with this set up with both 35's and 37's appeal to me. I'm not going to wheel this hard, if I was I would certainly be more concerned with keeping the COG lower. I do not want to cut my fenders or install flat fender's. It will be a 90% pavement queen, 5% hunting club and 5% camping rig so I don't want to scrub either.
 
No offense, but it kind of sounds to me like you should have ordered a Grand Cherokee. Wranglers are not very good tow vehicles, especially with 37 inch tires and a 3000 lb boat. To answer one of your questions though, superchargers are junk. You would be far better off using that money to buy a better lift, proper gears, appropriate wheels, and a Dynatrac brake kit (this last one is especially important if you are really going to be regularly pulling 1.5 tons.)
 
Ddays said:
Oy vey, lotsa questions here.

1) If there are better options as far as lift brands, wouldn't you want to hear them? I mean, you're already asking about LA vs. SA kits...
2) If you are only wheeling on trails you don't need a LA kit
3) Just adding more power doesn't mean better performance. If you go 37's you should regear otherwise you're wasting that power.
4) Haven't heard too many good supercharger stories. Maybe someone else can say they're great.
5) What size tire are you asking the wheel question about? You mention 35's & 37's.

Welcome to WAL by the way....You mention you don't have much knowledge about JK's. I'd suggest leaving the "don't want to hear about it" stuff off the posts as guys here will be happy
to give you advice as long as you'll be receptive to any answers they give you. Just sayin....
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Second that motion.We are all here to learn and explore our options.
 
With what you describe you're wheeling is gonna be I'd stick with 35's. 37's are a whole different animal. They look great, yes, but 35's look awesome too and will get you to where you want to go.
Look at the Cooper STT Pro tires.

eidt: Sharkey has an excellent point on the Dynatrac big brake kit. I think a lot of us here are guilty of neglecting this area. I was until I tested my brakes couple weeks ago. Stopping distances suck with these bigger tires suck...adding a trailer?
 
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Please please please consider getting a quality lift. You get what you pay for! When got my first jeep 10 years ago I got the cheapest lift I could afford and it rode like crap, and the bushings wore out all the time. I have no experience with the "2.0" lifts though.
 
I've had my eye on the Dynatrac or Mopar BBK already, thanks for the suggestion. Have also been looking at the drag link flip kits as well as utilizing the RHD JK drag link and the Synergy insert. Thanks for the pertinent responses so far.

I can appreciate everyone's responses in regards to brand of lift but I have spoken with plenty of people who are happy with their RC lifts and have ridden in and driven my girlfriend's. The only reason I have even considered a long arm kit is for superior road comfort, absolutely no other reason. If I were mainly concerned with off-road performance I would build another SAS Ranger. Price isn't the driving factor guys, my personal experience is.

To clear some things up that apparently weren't clear in my initial post, and no disrespect is intended, however I may be new to Jeep ownership but not to 4wd's. I have a pretty good understanding of most of what I am asking about from first hand experience. I have also been reading this forum and about 4 others for several weeks prior to asking for first hand experience.

I will be running 35's, not 37's initially. I may at some point decide that I want 37's. I was leaning towards Trail Grapplers as I have ran these in several sizes on 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks since they were introduced. I have been impressed so far with the Atturo tires on my gf's Jeep though, so much so they are in serious contention at this point.
I want to keep the factory wheels because I like them. It's not a cost issue, it's an appearance issue. My concern with them is tread wear if they are just too narrow. Never had an issue with 8" wide wheels in the past so didn't think the additional 1/2" would cause a major issue but wanted to hear some first hand experience.

I have read extensively on the supercharger kits. Adding that much power absolutely changes the situation as far as it applies to axle ratio. If a stock motor turns 37's with 5.13 gears they are not needed with a SC added, you would be wasting fuel by over revving the motor for the needed speed. I didn't regear my Super Duty with 40's because it had the power to turn the tires with ease. MPGs went up in town, down on the interstate. Adding that much power to the JK will result in the same scenario, it won't need those gears to turn the tires so regearing will result in the motor running at a higher RPM at the same rate of speed. However, the possibility of this being installed is very slim.

This is not a DD, i have a company truck so it may see 10,000 miles a year. I may tow my boat a half dozen times of year when I decide to pull it out of the marina to take to another lake or Florida. Several weeks to go before delivery. Thanks again.
 
You have it all figured out so why are you even asking?

BTW - Ripp recommends 4.56:1 with the 3.6 and 37's for highway driving and 4.88:1 for a more aggressive powerband...but since you know everything you already knew that. Don't forget to buy aftermarket driveshafts (front no matter what, rear if you get rear adjustable control arms).

You should probably also get a dual steering stabilizer...you seem like the kind of guy who would get use out of it. :thumb:
 
Sharkey said:
You have it all figured out so why are you even asking?

BTW - Ripp recommends 4.56:1 with the 3.6 and 37's for highway driving and 4.88:1 for a more aggressive powerband...but since you know everything you already knew that. Don't forget to buy aftermarket driveshafts (front no matter what, rear if you get rear adjustable control arms).

You should probably also get a dual steering stabilizer...you seem like the kind of guy who would get use out of it. :thumb:
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^^^This....
 
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