I am new to this forum. I never owned a Jeep. Never ever really wanted one. Always liked jeeps but when the unlimited came out it really caught my eye. But still never thought of buying one.

Anyway, we just had our first baby and my wife and I are realizing that an SUV would be best with a child and all the paraphernalia Ironically we looked at various SUVs and we couldn't agree on any of them for various reasons Then my wife says I always like the look of jeeps. Because while she was growing up her uncle had that had a CJ and she loved it. So that's when my obsession began. So I have been obsessed with the JKU ever since. So we are waiting for the 2012 to come out then looking to possibility purchase one. But I want to lift it and want to run at least 35's. So here is the dilemma my wife works where there is a parking structure and it is limited height of 6-3 or 6-6

So how is the JKU as a primary family car??

What brand and size lift would you suggest?

How is the safety factor with my new baby riding in the jeep???


I know this forum is biased. But I am biased also cause I wanna get one. Lol.

So whatever input and suggestions would be greatly appreciated


Thanks and I enjoy this forum.

 

my opinion is that the JKU would make a nice family car as long as you are conscious of its purpose. you have to remember that you are driving a solid axle vehicle that was designed to perform on the trail not the road. it wil be fin as a daily driver but by no means is it luxurious. Further there are definitely safer vehicles out there. But the Jk is still a larger SUV with airbags so it is by no means a unsafe choice. there are lots of people who have children and drive jk's. the lift comes down to what you want to do with the vehicle. how much trail use do u want to put the vehicle through? this will really determine the size of the lift. brand wise there are a number of solid options..... AEV, Teraflex, Rock Kralwer, Full Traction, EVO, Racho ... the list goes on. very much personal preference.

 

Normally I would say that the JKU is a pretty poor choice for a family vehicle. It is slow, one of the more dangerous vehicles on the road (side collision), and pretty cramped for 5. I have had 4 adults and a very large car seat in there for an all day trip and it was doable - but much less comfortable than a Cherokee, (gasp) minivan, etc. The climate control is very lacking for a family vehicle. The heater and AC kick ass, but that is reported by the driver. For a rear seat passenger it is cold or hot until a good ways into the trip. They get bad gas mileage, sit high enough that a car seat is a pain, on and on.

The main issue for me would be the side impact.

Now I said "normally". If you lived in LA, NYC, etc - a bad choice IMHO. There are some places where it makes way more sense. Colorado mountain area - yeah it makes better sense - plenty of places you need it or a similar vehicle to get there. Others the same way.

But Honolulu - definitely makes sense. You guys have slow speed limits, not too much road period, no temperature issues, many many opportunities for top down, etc. The big issue I would see would be the parking structure. The last time I was there our hotel parking garage would not have fit a JKU with a lift. The rental JKU X fit in all right (the not being mine helped), but I would not have taken my Rubi in there. Just an inch and a half, but there was only an inch to spare. Toss 1 1/2" of tire radius and 3" of lift and it would not physically fit.

But, be honest - you ask on a place like this and you have already decided. Ask for the specific justification that you want or your wife needs to hear, I am sure someone will give it.

 

Side impact is ok as long as you have side airbags installed in the seats. I would not lift the Jeep if it is your wife's drive. Work out how hard it would be for your wife with kids just getting in and out let alone parking the thing also it is not safe for general driving. A lifted Jeep has a high centre of gravity which means it will be dangerous for most drivers.

 

That is true I kinda have decided, but I wanted to hear other like minded people's rationalizations. Lol. Well being new to jeeps in general I noticed there are so many brands and types of products and lifts. I know everyone has there own favorites but wanted to know the most reputable companies. The products all look so similar.

 

We use our jku as a family JEEP. I have two boys 6 and 3 and we find that the jeep works fine. The one comment on the climate control is true but then again we are being too soft on kids in general. Who doesn't remember sweating their ass off in the back of your parents car sitting on the vinyl seats?

 

I was in the exact same spot that you are in. New baby and needed more room. I had only had an xj in the past but no wrangler, (wanted one since high school). We decided on a JKU and it was the perfect choice. We traveled all over the south in it, small 2" budget boost and 33's. Did pretty well on mileage and did great on the trails. Trust me if you are worried about side impact, do like we did put the baby in the middle seat, it is the safest place in any automobiele and certainly in a jeep. I have since traded my jku and am currently modding my 2011 jk and I can say I will own nothing besides a jeep anymore.

 

I of coursel love mine, but have no kids. But IMO a family running around in a built up JKU looks badass! Kind of says "screw you minivans"!!

 

Kids will love it - Wife liking it is always a plus (unless she takes it). I asked my daughter (3 years) what see and Daddy were going to do this weekend while Mom had some volunteer meetings to attend. She replied without hesitation - "Go to the Jeep Thing" - I took her to our Spring Fling meet and greet back in March and it definitely made an impression.

Get a stock JKU and see how it works as a family vehicle, check clearances at the garage, how it functions for you and your family.

Once you know the wife wants to keep it. Then start with the mods. A teraflex leveling will give you clearence for 33's, maybe 35's while only adding a couple of inches and make a word of difference in the look. Add other mods as you like.

If the wife doesn't want it, buy her a Cherokee as the everyday family car and lift it as high as you want for yourself as the weekend family car. I know this is not always an option, but we can always dream.

Good luck on your new purchase.




PS: You could always lift it and just "air down" for crawling in the parking garage

 

I have a 3 yr old and a 7 yr old. Here is my take. Kids love Jeeps, therefore it makes it easier to overlook some of the little things. That said, you might want to hold off on a lift. Stuffing tires in there will give you an aggressive look without causing you to have to lift your kids in til their 12...LOL! kidding! The biggest inconvenience when my wife is using the Jeep as the family vehicle is grocery time. Normally want to keey the top on so stuff doesnt blow around, and the softtop bar limits access into the cargo area. True, she could unzip it and gain more access, but that is what makes it less convenient. Overall, excellent family vehicle for me and my family. My 3 yr old used to cry in the mornings when my wife didn't take him to school in the Jeep, he's been trained well!