Hello to all the experts, and those who have been down this road. I bought a 2009 Wrangler X about 6 weeks ago. I have been reading the forums and looking at ads and have got the point of total confusion. How hard can it be to lift the jeep 2.5" and put on some good 33" tires. I have the stock steel rims on the vehicle now. I though I was all ready to go buy a TeraFlex 2.5 budget boost but the guy at the 4x4 shop says there is a lot of potential for squeaks and noise from this kit as well as a grater chance of shearing a shock mount due to the extentions. The guy at the shop pointed me toward a Rough Country 2.5 spring and shock kit and at first the simplicity of the kit made sense until I started to read reports of those springs sagging and the shocks leaking. As for tires I favour the tall skinny approach such as a 33/10/16 or something similar. I would like to use the stock wheels or purchase inexpensive steel wheels (appearance isnt too important). I know plenty of people on this forum must have been down this road before and I really need som opinions as to the best route to take with my upgrades. As for the type of driving I will do, it will be mostly on road (paved and gravel) and some light to medium trails. I would prefer a tire that performs well in the snow as well. Thanks in advance.

 

If you're going to be driving on the road most of the time and only want to run 33's I would suggest a Teraflex leveling kit. It will raise the jeep and level it out and you'll have more than enough room for 33s. As for a tire that looks aggressive and performs well in the snow I would suggest the goodyear duratrac. Since you have a basic wrangler you could buy cheap 4 door coils (18/58 or higher spring rates) and it will raise your Jeep a bit as well. Do some more research and you'll find what you're looking for.

 

I ran the teraflex 2.5 lift on my 2dr jeep and ran the 3" inch lift on my 4dr. i have no complaint about squeaking, I did run longer shocks not too sure about shock extension. i have no experience with rough country but have heard mix reviews on their products. Like the above post states Goodyear Duratracs are a good all terrain tire that have good rating for snow use.

 

I think a lot of shops have a deal with rough country and this may be why he's pushing it. Like the post above said a TF leveling kit may be all you need. If you are going to wheel it hard though teraflex seems to have a better rep than rough country.

As to tall skinny not many choices. 255/85r16 is 33.5x10 and there seems to only be about 5 tires to choose from. The Cooper ST would be a pretty good all around a that comes in that size.

 

If you just want to run 33's then no need to lift it at all. As long as you space the wheel properly or run aftermarket wheels with less back spacing then you will be fine.

If you plan on wheeling it then you will want to do a good lift. With a 2.5" lift you can run 35's with stock flares and 37's with flats as long as you have the bump stops properly set up.

PM us if you have any questions.

 

I have run the rough country 2.5 lift with 33s for almost two years and love my set up... rough country makes a good product and they will replace it if anything breaks... great product for the money

 

I dont do any serious trails but do alot of easy ones. I love my set up which is a rock krawler 2.5 stock mod lift with bilstein 5100 shocks. For tires i have good year duratracs 285/70/R17 and they do amazing in the snow.

 

I may not give the best advice here but I will speak from experience. Lifting the vehicle 2.5 whether budget booster or springs is just about the same amount of work involved as far as dropping the axle, inserting new parts, etc. swapping shocks is easy and again, extensions over new, about the same involvement. As for noise.... Not sure. Just don't pre grease. That will collect grit and eventually make noise as you are allowing more movement. Tires....... I hate GY. One of the Worst tires out there. Uneven wear, too soft of rubber (depending on application), wear too quick for a daily driver, sidewalls are weak, etc. even with Kevlar, the rubber can still pinch on the sidewall and go flat. I favor Nitto tires for trucks and SUVs. My personal experience is they last longer, hold up better, wear more evenly, and require less balancing on the wheel. They are heavy though.
The budget lift may be cheaper to purchase, but if your paying to have it put in, my experience has shown to be about the same cost. If you are putting it in, again, about the same amount of work involved. The plus side, with just 2.5, you may evade messing with the lower control arms.

 

I have zero complaints with my teraflex budget boost and 35's

 

Love my budget boost!