You should be able to run 35's without any more lift. In fact, you could probably go with just the 2.5 TF lift and toss the spacers. I wore out a set of 35" Goodyear Duratracs with a 2.5" Rock Krawler lift. The trick is, if you have stock fenders, to get wheels that have enough backspace so the tire will stuff inside the fender flare. I have 4.5" of backspace so the wheel never toughed the fender edge when stuffed.

It is not until you go past 35's that you start to have real problems. The position of the wheel forward or back, the width of the tire, and the backspace will all be trying to make the tires rip parts of the Jeep.

This is why it is important to figure out what you want to do long term. If you will eventually want 37's then you may also want to extend the CA's to position the tire so it has better clearance. This would cause more spring bow. If you are never going bigger than 35's then you may toss the spacers and tweak the pinion angle so that the wedges are good enough and you don't need to weld on new spring perches.

Personally, I think you have a setup that is driven by an idea of a REQUIRED pinion angle. This is causing other factors to be out of whack. I think that most of the changes we make to our Jeeps are compromises. If you adjust one thing to the optimal angle, it puts something else out of adjustment. Therefore we have to balance both adjustments so that no one component is so far off that it causes a problem. I commend you on getting your pinion perfect. I have never seen one that was that straight. However a couple degrees of angle would not cause harm. It might also fix your spring bow. I do agree with replacing the drop bracket with an axle side bracket. However if you lowered the Jeep by removing the spacers, maybe even the drop bracket might be OK.

Just my thoughts. I hope it all works out for you in the end.

 

Thank you for the post and comments. All appreciated.

I originally lifted my JK using coils from a JKU Rubicon and got a very nice lift from that. I probably should never have changed to a TF lift but I read the ride was better and I got to kind of believing the hype that an aftermarket lift was key to Jeeping nirvana, or something like that. The 2.5" TF kit I swapped in actually lowered my ride height by over and inch, thus the spacers. Now, all things being fair in the web, I do have aftermarket bumpers and a not so light weight Warn winch up front which adds a lot of sag to the TF coils ALTHOUGH not so much with the JKU 18/59 coils I had. Wanting to keep my previous ride height and add 35's down the trail I went looking for more lift and that, of course lead me to all this monkey business. I get it. Itsa Jeep and an on-going project so I'll deal with it. I just want it all done correctly.

Seems everytime I come back from a wheeling trip I find something I want to/have to alter on my Jeep so make it better/more prepared/better equipped for next time. Maybe I just suffer from JK-OCD?

My current plan is to add the 35's and build the JK around what I need to make those work appropriately, efficiently and safely. I'm close. But I'm impatient. Good thing I like to wrench on my own Jeep. Well, most of the time. Ugh...

I do not intend to go larger than 35's. For the "look" and the wheeling I do they will be perfect. 37's do intrigue me, but no go unless I get into a Rubicon someday.

I am tempted to alter the pinion angle just a bit to see how that affects the coil bend but it might just as easy to change the perch angle. Choices, choices...

Lowering the JK to just the coils might work IF and only IF the perch angle works out with the 2.5's. I know the front wheel wells have more than enough room for 35's the way it is. Dropping the spacer might just give me a slight bit more room from the pinch seam in the rear well.

 

Your rear coils dont look all that bad. Heres mine with RK 3.5 coils, axle moved back .5 and pinion at - 2°

 

Sounds like you are on your way to some decisions. One other point. Don't forget, with the axle rotated like you have it, you need to raise the level of the differential fluid so that the front pinion bearing is not starved of oil. My apologies if you already have this covered....

"I heard that" about wanting new stuff after each wheeling trip. Each time I go, I want something more challenging and that means more changes to the Jeep. Last year I decided I wanted to take a trip to MOAB this year and so I have been building for that event. Trail Cage, 37's, 5.38 gears, 1350 U Joints, skids, 4 point harness... And the list goes on. Shhhhh. Don't tell the wife that some of that might just be overkill.

 

Moab is one of the easiest places to wheel. You rarely have to run lockers and other then proper gearing a stock jeep should do most of the trails there. Building a jeep on 37's it total overkill for Moab.

 

Kind of depends on where at in Moab. Pritchett canyon and area bfe are not easy for most people.

 

You did note the "most" in my comment. And most JK daily drivers are not going to be running expert trails at BFE anyway, no matter how much they are built. Most of Moab is steep climbs, narrow trails, and off camber. Your tires stick to the rocks like you have suction cups on them. Traction is insane and steep stuff you climb there is crazy easy where in the East you would likely never even attempt.

 

Utah is on my list. Just need the time.

What might you guys recommend for a first timer there? Nothing extreme yet some challenge.

I have wheeled all over Colorado. That is what I am used to doing. Scenery and camping. Hard to beat that in the San Juans...

 

A stock rubicon will do 90% of the trails there. Golden spike, hells revenge...The place is huge and you will find trails to run.

 

Yup it is traction city, I have been there once or twice a year it is incredible and never gets old. We did golden spike in the dark and hells revenge in the snow. I have 35's and there were parts of golden spike that I was pining for 37's but 35's did fine. Rose garden hill was another that 37's would have been nice but not necessary.