I currently have the OME HD with a set of JK moab take offs and BFG 32" tires. The OME is honestly the best bang for your buck lift for the WK. I would avoid the spacer style lifts like the RRO and Rough Country. You will definitely be sacrificing some ride comfort even with the addition of nicer shocks. The OME costs around $750 with springs and shocks, this cost can go down some by using the OME springs in combination with bilstein 5100 shocks. I will soon be one of those people CUZZIN talked about that will use my current OME lift in combination with the 4" Superlift to fit a 37" tire. The Superlift is costly, but worth it if you want to fit larger than a 33" tire.
There are several companies that make skid plates (Mopar, 4xguard, Steel Armadillo, and Asfir). I currently have full skids using both the stock 3 skid plate system (front, transfer case, and gas tank) along with 4xguard (front, belly, and rear skid). The only exposed area is my muffler, but that is a simple fix by having a new one welded/tucked up higher to the body. As far as winch plates, you can either make one (there's a great write up if you google it), or you can buy one from Steel Armadillo. They all use a hidden winch design behind the stock front bumper. I plan to do this mod very soon after I install my new lift. The Steel Armadillo and 4xguard both make rocker guards as well, but they are pretty costly. They attach to the unibody by bolts/nutserts. There are cheaper options such as the style offered by RRO and soon to be JCR. This style attaches to the frame rather than unibody, and goes under the stock side plastic rails.
I also have a 5.7L, and wheel my rig rather often. Make sure you install a billet catch can with any hemi, its a must do in my book. You could also install a larger 85mm throttle body to add a bit more WOT power. The biggest limiting factor to the WK hemi is the stock exhaust manifolds, they are honestly the biggest choke hold to the engine. Installing an SRT or LX style manifold will help bring some low end power back. The stock air box has been tested and will out preform most CAI's on the market. Remove the large noise restrictor box that goes between the throttle body and the stock air box will let the hemi breathe a lot better. I'd suggest replace it with a straight tube from Airaid as your most cost effective option. A great power upgrade would also include the super chips tuner with advanced transmission tuning app. Being able to adjust shift points and torque % greatly helped throttle response for me. A cheaper option to help with throttle response is an inline pressure booster, these have been shown to improve throttle response with the drive by wire system by others I know.
I tend to usually go wheeling with mostly JKs that have anywhere from 32-37" tires. The QD2 system will surprise you with the proper lift. The only true limiting factor even with a 3" lift and 32-33" tires is ground clearance. I have no real issues clearing the same rock/ledge obstacles (Missouri wheeling) just like my friends with JKs. You just can't be scared to 3 wheel a bit. The only area I run into problems is deeper water obstacles (Florida wheeling) which is to be expected. I'm not saying by any means that my rig is a true rock crawler, but it is a good base for weekend style wheeler like myself. I believe both you and your wife will be happy with it.:thumb:
P.S. A deflated 32" tire will fit in the current spare tire area with modification to the rear hitch.
