Retired Ranger

Hey all. My one and only vehicle, and last companion , after I've run off my girlfriend and my dog died is a 2014 JKU. I've already been on a 3 month 14 state tour of the west camping trip with it. Time has past and Ive got the itch again. The experience has relieved deficiencies that i want to correct for this next epic adventure. I have a stock suspension and 18" wheels along with the OEM tires that I've wrung out 51000 miles on and it's time to "retire". I have a recovery front bumper and winch and a genesis dual battery which probably has the front stock springs somewhat bound. I've decided to go with a Terra Flex 2.5 spring lift with shocks I will also be replacing the shiny OEM 18" rims with Mammoth 88 17" rims in black ,wrapping them in slightly larger tires (33"). I have watched every U Tube video I can find on installation of this lift and possible issues.
wondering if anyone out there running a similar set up has any insight in to these questions that I can't get answered on the internet.
1) How big of a concern are the need for extended brake lines, They say it's optional? What say you?
2)How likely do you think I would get a "wobble" with this 2.5 lift?
3)Any other issues with this lift that I don't know about?

Tires:
1) going from stock 31" to 33" I've been told I do not need to worry about regearing, However, wondering about shift points on the auto tranny. Of corse I will recalibrate my speedo and reuse the censors from my old rims, and I expect I will suffer some fuel mileage drop and some power or acceleration decrease but how much?
2) I don't like spacers/adapters and I think the new rims provide enough back spacing ( the stock rims virtually none) to prevent any scrubbing at full turn left or right? Any information or insight on this issue also appreciated, like how much back spacing for a 12" wide tire?

Finally, I live in South MS and there don't seem to be many shops around for install so I'm thinking I might tackle this myself, I'd appreciate a life line to a shop or a jeep club that might have access to a lift, or even if someone knows of a shop around this area that i'm not aware of. I'm about ready to move on this since I want the rig ready for spring. Any helpful thoughts appreciated.

nthinuf

The need for brakelines will depend on how you set it up and use it. Disconnecting the swaybar? Running extended length shocks? The further the axles can droop, the more you need to think about the lines. You can disconnect/reroute the lines to add more slack, or use cheap relo brackets if they are tight.

Wobble isn't because you chose lift A vs lift B. It's more likely to be because the tires aren't balanced, or components aren't torqued properly or are wearing out.

Regearing is a personal preference/opinion. With a 3.6 and only going to 33's, you should be fine, but you won't really know until 'you' drive it.

What is the bs on the rims you chose? Stock rims have around a 6.25" backspace. So 5" would move the new rims out 1.25" further, 4.5" moves them out 1.75", etc... Also remember that as the tire size goes up and the tires move further out, they are more likely to contact the middle edge of the fender flares when stuffed.

Don't limit yourself to just videos and write-ups of that specific lift. They are all installed basically the same way, with a little variance for specific components that are included. You are likely to find more tips and tricks you can use if you watch more videos regardless of mfg.

DJ1

Post up in your staging area sub-forum.....

The South

You can probably find someone in your area willing to help you with the install....

Tilly

The only advice I have is to anticipate the front end wear showing itself. When I lifted my jk with similar amount of miles I chased a wobbled that was only appeased after new tie rod, drag link ends, front and lower ball joints, grade 8 bolt kit, trackbar, and control arms. Not saying you will need all this, just be aware that eventually the stock parts will present problems that show themselves more as you alter your geometry.

cjnomo

I installed a 3.5" Metalcloak lift recently. The only advice I can give you is to NOT use their installation video as a guide. Rather, if you feel comfortable enough to do your own lift, I suggest watching bucko videos until it makes sense. If you can watch the Metalcloak video and not have any questions, meaning any questions about what to do when you get stuck or hung up about what to do to keep moving forward, then ur ready. Until then, soak up all the video installs you can. There are tons of little odds and ends you will have to deal with during the installation. If ur not ready to deal with that stuff, you aren't ready. I'd love to get my hands on the PDF install file that MC seems to think is adequate, and overhaul that puppy big time. Anyhow... I digress!!!!

Retired Ranger

Thanks for the info and advice, Guess I got the back spacing thing backwards, More inches equals a tire rim combo that fits more like a mushroom over the axel, les equals closer to a tulip! Okay got it! I have no balance or wobble issues now but I've come to understand these things tend to appear the more the geometry changes, so my question referred to the height of the lift more than to the brand. The reason for the brand choice (terra flex) was the heavier bracket components the completeness of the kit and the numerous videos by different folks installing it along with the testimonials which I have watched dozens of times now. The reason for the 2.5 inches, and maybe you can help me here, is I understand that geometry changes more than that really require adjustable track bars control arms driveshaft angel issues etc. Is this also a mistake? As far as the tire size the 33's again I know I could get 35's under there with this set up and ( now as I begin to question everything again) understand that issues of shift points on (auto tranny) and speedo calibration are simple computer adjustments, however 35's require re-gearing (right??). Not ready for that now. Have I been mis-informed on this as well?

TheDirtman

Your thinking is correct as the higher you go the more things you need to address/replace. 35's would be a better tire to go to in terms of off road performance and looks. A simple flashpack or a more expensive tuner will adjust shift point and correct the speedometer/odometer. Gears will give you the power back you will loose from going to a bigger tire. 33" is a minimal change and you might be fine without the programming but with 35's you will feel some poor loss and it will throw the electronics off a bit.

Not much of a fan of teraflex, at that lift height you have tons of options as far as coils and shocks are concerned. Don't know your budget, the completeness of your suspension, or why you are doing the upgrades but at that height I would look into other brands.

Longlegs

2 1/2 on 33's sounds like a good step up from factory without going into control arms and track bars. I don't think the tires will give you any problems. Are you doing shocks or extensions. Your kit may come with brackets to let the brake lines hang lower. But longer brake lines are preferred. That set up will take you a lot of places. Run it a while and see what YOU NEED, not what everybody thinks you should do. 35's on 2 1/2 is doable too. But you should start looking at fenders and bumpers before that point.

Retired Ranger

Thanks to all for the great advise. To clarification I'm outfitting for a long term camping overland. Other mods will include a sleeping platform in the back with storage underneath. The rig will need off road capability at destination points without sacrificing too much road handling for the antipathy long stretches of hwy in between. While the look of the rig is important it's got to function both ways. Thanks for all the great advise the more time i spend here the more I learn.

SpicedCrusher

What do bumpers and fenders have to do with a 2.5 lift and 35's??? You need neither. In fact you can even squeeze on 35's without even lifting if you want to do some cutting and trimming.

I would go to 35's and skip the 33's unless you are really set on them. Its not that big of a jump and you will likely just regret not going to 35's right off the bat. I had the 2.5 TF coil lift on my last jeep and it ran for 4 years without a single issue. I added a front adjustable trackbar to recenter the front. I also added front adj control arms to dial in the caster a little better but with 2.5 you really don't need them. Drive it and see what you think, it might feel a little flighty and CA's or brackets (AEV etc.) will correct this.