im about $200 away from finally having enough money to get my lift and im starting to get nervous about stuff like regearing and new driveshafts and a bunch of other things. If i run a 3' lift with 35's on 18' rims will i need new drive shafts or to regear or anything like that? its my DD. and saving up money is taking long enough as it is just to get the actual lift. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks

-Connor

 

I'm running 3.75" lift with 35's and oe shafts. works great for now, been a yr. What all does the lift you're looking at come with?

 

It all depends on brand of lift you do and if you have a 2dr or 4dr. Some 3" lifts will lift 2dr almost 5" so you will need driveshafts. It also depends on how you wheel. Safe side of a lift is under 3" to stay away from driveshaft issues. Once again it all comes down to brand of lift. Once you decide on brand, then you will know what lift to get to stay away from multiple upgrades and OE failures

 

Replaces these before getting 35s because they will fail, you will get death wobble, and you will have to come up with money when you don't have it. I just maxed out my credit card because Death wobble was making my DD undrivable.

Ball joints
Grade 8 bolt kit for track bar
Tie rod
Track bar

When one goes, they all go. I bent my tie rod which cause death wobble which ate up my Ball joints which wore out my track bar bushings which wobbed out my track bar holes. Aka, having weak factory parts with 35s is expensive. It's better to replace them first. I wish I had.

 

I see you have a manual 07 Sahara JKU... I ran the same setup on my 08 JKU for 2 years with no issues. You won't need new driveshafts(at least not right away), just keep an eye on the front d/s if you disco when offroad. As far as regearing... if you have 3.73s now (or maybe 3.21s) it will feel like a dog turning those bigger 35s, especially on the freeway, but with your manual it's easier to deal with than an auto. Enjoy your lifted jeep!

 

Sounds like you had a bad experience with your lift. What brand? Did you get an adjustable trackbar with your lift kit? That would've replaced the stock one as well as the hardware.

Plenty of happy jeepers have installed a lift and run 35s without any of the problems you described. I wouldn't want the OP to get discouraged on lifting his jeep because you're most likely just a victim of bad luck.

 

It's all about planning and patience, not "luck." Let the mods come to you. Body lifts get a bad rap. 4.88 gears are the best mod we've done.

 

I have a 2011 auto JKU with a 3.5" RK lift. Stock drive shafts and I flex the bejesus out of it with no problems (for 10000 mi anyhow).

 

Not at all. I am all for lifting. Make that known LIFT YOUR JEEP. But I just want to let the OP know what I wish I had known. They say they are saving up for a lift, which would imply they don't have piles of disposable income. Who does? I just went with a budget boost. 2in pucks and shocks. But I want to make sure that the OP knows 35s, even with a new track bar, and even with a top quality 2k lift will wear out inferior OEM parts. The mopar ball joints and tie rods that come stock have plastic inserts that people have worn out with stock tires and no lift, and the trak bar bolts are too small and cause problems when they come out of torque spec. I'm simply saying address these problems before they become problems, and before you have 90 lb tires pounding on them. Because even top quality lift kits don't come with BJs and tie rods. I wish I had upgraded my steering before lifting. It would have saved a bunch of headache. Just my two cents. I love my lift, and I love my 35s, but as of today, my DW is so bad I'm not driving it til Friday when my new tie rod and track bar arrive from northridge.

 

A 3" lift is on the edge of having issues. Depending on the actual amount of lift you get, you may need adjustable front control arms, and there is still a chance you will need a front driveshaft. Whatever lift you go with, I recommend getting adjustable track bars