Bought a 2012 wrangler sport last November. I'm looking to start using it like a jeep needs to be used but not sure where the best starting point would be without putting 10k into it. Had a yj in high school but never had money back the to modify it. Some guided suggestions would be helpful.

 

I work in a metal fab shop and thought I might start with powdercoating the rims flat black at work for free. Do I need a big lift or will straight fenders give me enough room for bigger tires and clearance.

 

You can run 35" tires just fine with flat fenders and wheel spacers ( Spidertrax or Rough Country) on the stock wheels.

You'll want to trim your pinch seam in the rear if you go to 35"s.

A Leveling Kit such as Teraflex's would be good to gain an inch of height also if you have a forward rake.

 

All of this is great. I think new tires and no lift would work great at first. Once I get on some trials I can go from there. Thanks guys. Maybe 33s, flat fenders for clearance. Now would wheel spacers be a must for bigger tires? Also, what does a leveling kit do?

 

Leveling kit would raise the front and make your Jeep more level to get rid of the rake. I have seen Jeep's with 285's on 16" aftermarket wheels with correct backspacing, budget boost and flat fenders....that is stock fenders trimmed. They can look very nice and Wayalife has a write up on Project-JK. That can also save you alot of money instead of purchasing flats. Wheel spacers would work too with factory wheels provided they are installed right. I guess you have to look at what type of wheel you are looking at when considering spacers. I've read excellent reviews on Spider's and can set you back @ $200. Now I have seen steelies going for @ $59-$79 new. In that case you can get correct backspacing and for a little more get new wheels. These are some of the options I am looking at.

 

I heard that the 35s on a 12 isnt that bad anymore. Obviously 3.73 is better but I wouldn't assume it's just a sloth like it was on the old engine.

Also you might want to look into a good winch incase u or someone gets stuck.