08UnlimitedSahara810

I want to put 33's on my JK. I am very green when it comes to the modifications of a Jeep. I did it with my TJ (4" and 35's) but did not do it correctly and it caused all sorts of trouble.

I drive my Jeep 100+ miles per day and want to keep a nice riding vehicle.

I have read that there are tires that will fit the stock 18" Sahara wheels, which I want to keep, but then backspacing comes in and I have do nt understand what that is.

Should I put a 1 or 2" body lift on it? Should I do a 2" suspension lift? What will backspacing do? How will all of this affect my ride quality?

I do plan to take it off road whenever I can. Around here, there is a bnch of mud and some smaller rocks.

I am open to any advice, so please contribute.

BTW, if you have a setup similar to this, pics would be a great help for me.

Thanks.

Ctimrun

If you want to do it right and still keep the price down, I would highly recommend the Old Man Emu 2.5" kit. It looks really good with 33" tires and the ride is tuned for a better ride than the stock suspension has. I think you would be very happy with the outcome.

As far as wheels and tires, you can keep your stock 18" wheels and get some 33's to go on them. You will need to get some spacers (spidertrax 1.5") to space your wheels out 1.5" so that the bigger/wider tires do not rub when you turn and articulate your suspension.

This would be a very nice setup that you could keep and use for years to come! Let me know if you have any more questions.....

EDIT: Whatever you decide to buy, call David at Northridge 4X4. His customer service is awesome and he has a lot of the stuff in stock ready to roll!

kidjeep

Ctimrun is right on, if you wanted to go a little cheaper than OME look at Teraflex 2.5" budget boost and if your budget was really tight, you could use a 1" body lift from MORE for just over $100.

I've been running 1.5" spidertrax spacers with my 18s and 35" tires for over a year with no problems or complaints. When these tires are ready for replacement, I'll probably go with some aftermarket 17s and sell the spacers to offset the cost.

easttnruby

If your more concerned about looks and streetability, just go with a BB (plenty of good options) and some wheel spacers. Even with little mechanical experience these can be installed in an afternoon. Have a friend come help and pay him with beer!

08UnlimitedSahara810

Do the spacers only go on the front? The come in sets fo two, so do I need to buy 2 sets?

jk alberta

imo the teraflex 2.5 is a little large of a lift for 33's, I run this kit with a 1" bl and have 35's and could fit 37's. The teraflex is 2.5" front and rear. I have seen the 2" Rubicon express kit and think that would be a great kit for you, It has 2" spacers for the front and 1 1/2 spacers for the rear. It would look really nice with 33's and would level the jeep out without changing the drive line angles and steering geomitry(?) to drastic.

SH0RTBUS

I would just go with a 1" M.O.R.E body lift and call it good. This will give you plenty of room to clear 33" tires, and is very easy to install. You will not notice any difference in ride quality. It will require nothing more than a floor jack, 12" or so section of wood, socket set, and a hammer. The entire install should take about an hour. I think there are 33" tires that will fit factory rims without requiring wheel spacers. I know many people swear by them, and I have yet to see a failure, but I wouldn't do it. The more components you add, the more you increase opportunities for something to fail. Keep it simple and you will be much happier in my opinion. I run the 1" body lift and a suspension 2" spacer lift to clear 35" tires without any issues. I chose this combo because it gets the job done cheaply, and serves its purpose well. This is a daily driver.

08UnlimitedSahara810

If I do the 1" body lift, which I am not opposed to doing, will I still need the spacers to run 33's on my stock Sahara wheels?

I am leaning toward the BF Goodrich A/T's that are 275/70-18's. I would mount them with the black wall facing out for a more blacked out look.

Also, should I swap out my spare tire, or will my stock 32 be okay in a pinch.

Thanks for all the input!

SH0RTBUS

By spacers, are you talking about wheel spacers? If you can find a 10"-10.5" wide tire you will not need wheel spacers. You may even be able to go a little wider.

If you are talking about suspension spacers, you won't need them to clear 33s. The bodylift will give you enough clearance.

Hope this helps.

08UnlimitedSahara810

Previous post on this thread say to get spirdertrax 1.5" backspacers. If I do a 1"body lift, will those 1.5" spacers still be needed?

Is this what you are running? If so, do you have a pic or two?