Hey everyone i just bought my first jeep ever its a 2007 wrangler unlimited sahara! i sold my 2003 chevy silverado 2500 duramax with 8 inch lift and 37's hope i dont miss it! anyway i want to put a lift and tires on before i go to the beach in a week and a half and i would like some imput or pictures! i would like 35's or 37's but i dont know the first thing about lifts for jeeps...PLEASE HELP I DONT HAVE MUCH TIME TO GET THIS JEEP IN THE AIR!

 

Start with the FAQ's --> right at the top of this modified section.

Then move on to the Show-Off threads --> in JK show & tell, a few down from the modified threads.

If you plan on doing the work yourself, check out the Write-ups --> JK write-ups, top stickied thread is the index. (in Suspension & Steering, check out this one. Good pic and info!! "Basic Do-it-Yourself Jeep JK Wrangler Front End Alignment" )



One thing to keep in mind is that the JK does NOT need anywhere near the amount of lift that previous jeeps (or your full size truck) needed to fit big tires. Depending on how you set it up, you can run 37's with 3-4" of lift, or less with flat fenders/bumpstops)

Also note that you will not be happy with the engine after your big duramax. When you go to the bigger tires, definitely plan on re-gearing. Since you have a sahara, you have a D30 up front. The lowest gears you can put in are 5.13's, and I would definitely suggest them!! Plan on beefing up that front axle as well. 'C' gussets at a minimum.

 

i have a good off road shop thats going to do all the work for me so i just have to find the stuff i want lol. will i need to switch out gears in with 35's?? what brand of lift do you recomend??? if u cant tell im excited to get to work on my jeep!

 

o and my duramax had over 900 lbs of trq lol

 

Welcome to the forum, congrats on the Jeep purchase...

Lots of folks would recommend an OME (Old Man Emu) or Teraflex suspension lift kit. In my opinion if you were to go with the OME HD (Heavy Duty) or Teraflex 2 1/2" coil lift, front upper and lower control arms (helps with alignment and driveability), 2" bumpstop extensions, extended swaybar links, extended brake lines, 1 1/2" wheel spacers (if you reuse your OEM wheels) you are good to go for 35" tires. Add a set of Bushwacker flat fenders and you can clear 37" all the while maintaining a fairly LOG (low center of gravity).

As previously mentioned adding some reinforcement gussets on the inner "C's" would be cheap insurance. Also as previously mentioned regearing, depending on how you feel the jeep runs with the bigger tires, might be in the plan as well.

Just my $.02

Again congrats on your 1st Jeep.(Just Empty Every Pocket)

 

Your profile isn't filled in...

Auto or manual?

Auto's are dogs, totally under-geared straight from the factory. You'll want gears for an auto and 35's.
Some people with manuals are satisfied with stock gears and 35's. (but it also depends on what you have stock. 2door with 4.10's will do much better than a 4door with 3.21's...)

For the brand, it is totally personal preference. You'll find people that are happy with a particular lift, and you'll find people that hate it. Best advice is to look past the price tag and compare the components. (see "what components do I need for an xx" lift" in the suspension faq's) When you narrow it down, ask specific questions or search for other threads on it. Also, there is a big list of sponsoring vendors - call them, or send messages here on the site. They are all good to work with, and I believe they all have discounts for members?

 

KSU has the right idea... i would recommend going Teraflex 3in with the flex arms and the rest of what KSU said that way you guarantee you can fit 37s later or 35s now. Do the re-gear otherwise youll do it once you drive it for a week anyway.

 

You will learn to snicker at those who lift and put tires on pick-ups, especially those with 4WD emblazoned in huge letters on the side. That's because they have very little real 4WD capability compared to your STOCK Jeep. While they may be faster, they cannot go where you can go.

That's another reason you'll snicker at those lifted pick-up owners. Do your own work and save the money for more mod parts. You'll be in better shape when you're 50 miles out on White Rim Trail (that's a thousand dollar tow bill back to a garage) and something breaks.

 

What shop do you use? Im from Warrenton, Fauquier co. as well.

 

Good luck getting all that done in a week and a half! I ordered my lift 3 weeks ago and still don't have it. It was back ordered. Also the wheels I picked were back ordered, but only for a couple days. For tires and wheels, there is a guy on ebay by the name of westkycustoms that sells tire/wheel combos. He appears to have everything in stock ready to ship. Where ever you buy, if you buy a combo, they will (should) come mounted and balanced ready to go. You also get a better deal usually.

CE