Ok, I have never owned a Jeep before, but that will be changing soon as I have just ordered a Silver 4-door/half-door, JK Rubicon which will be ready for pickup when I return to the states in January (I currently live in Japan). I have gone rock-hoppin' with a friend only once before, and to be perfectly honest, my mechanical expertise does not extend beyond putting gas in a vehicle and maybe changing the oil filter if I have someone there to guide me through the steps. I guess you can say that I am a freshman 4-wheeler.

Regardless, I would like to begin my rock crawling journey, but realize that a stock Rubicon will not fulfill my needs. Moreover, cosmetically speaking, I feel that the 4-door JK Rubicon with stock wheels looks disproportionate and really needs a lift. But, with that said, I do not want to go overboard as my Jeep will remain a daily driver.

So, I need some experts to step up to the plate here and give me some clear and concise advice. What kind of lift do I need, and furthermore, what kind of mechanical ramifications will putting a lift on the JK cause? What other changes will I need to make as a result of putting on a lift/budget boost? Finally, will the warranty be void for the whole vehicle, or just the suspension components?

 

Hey, congrats on the JK man. Im Living in Japan right now too and am moving back to the states in a month. Picking up my JK on Oct 27th! Bought mine through the exchange new car sales guys up in Misawa. I have the same question on the warranty issue. I just talked to the guys up here about it and they said that if the dealer installs the lift for you that it shouldnt void the warranty, but that it'd be a better question to ask the dealership that im picking up from. Sorry I dont have any advice for ya cause I just bought my first Jeep myself.

 

The warrenty can not be voided unless the manufacturer can demonstrate that the modification was the direct cause of the claim, or more than 50% at fault for the claim. So, if your engine blows a head, they really can't point to the tires and say that was the cause. However, if you break a driveshaft, they probably can point to oversize tires.

My advice is to build as your skills improve. Wheel it stock for a while. Learn how to find the path you can take. Learn where lockers can be used. This way, if something does break, the factory has no claim as you were just doing what it was designed for.

THEN, build up the parts you found lacking.

The machine can never make you a better driver, but a better driver can certainly make the most of a lesser machine. When I had my YJ, it had 3" of lift and only 31" tires. Yet, I could go places where rigs far larger than mine would get stuck. It all had to do with the driver. I could put the little jeep up on stuff and keep it there. I knew when to ease and when to nail the throttle. With the exception of deep mud, I went everywhere the rest of the club went and amazed quite a few doing it.

The other reason to build slowly is that the aftermarket hasn't had time to really develop products. Trust me, you don't want to be the first on the block with a new suspention or other major modification as it takes time to work out all the issues. Go slow, see what works and what doesn't and then use your experience to guide your decisions.

As we learned on the TJ, the Dana 44 isn't as strong as the 44 used in the Jeeps of the 50's. Well, they supposably altered the axles again. Stronger? Weaker? Who knows.

The Rubicon has 32" tires from the factory. But how is the suspention? Does it travel? Perhaps the first upgrade isn't larger tires, but making the ones you already have move better.

The vacuume disconect on the 90's Jeeps was a terrible system. What part of the new JK is going to give us trouble?

The early CJs were terrible on steep slopes due to the fuel sloshing around int he carb. While all the engines are fuel injected now, that doesn't mean we won't find something that that causes the JK to stumble.

Its a brand new machine. This is one of the most extensive reworks ever. Its going to take people time to find all the good and bad points.

 

On the warranty issue - what CJ2a said. But then, it's been my experience that any warranty work you might need to have done is suspect for scrutiny and can be a battle, stock or not.

On vehicle performance - again, I would have to agree with CJ2a. A calculator is worthless unless you understand the principles of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Likewise, a lifted and locked up Jeep is only as useful as the driver is experienced to use them.

On building your Jeep up - this is where I would have to disagree with CJ2a a bit. If you're just installing something like a 2" budget boost or even a 3" coil lift, you really aren't making any major modifications and there shouldn't be any issues to be worked out. Polyeurathane spacers are polyeurathane spacers and coils are coils. At worst, the coils might sag a bit over time, be too stiff or be too soft but then, depending on who you talk to, stiff for one guy is just perfect and vice versa - ride comfort is pretty subjective. Now, if you're installing things that require hacking, welding or even drilling, that's a major modification and I would have to agree, you might want to hold off for a bit there.

Regarding the Dana 44, any weekness that it might of had (in the past 6 years, I have not experienced any problems with mine in my TJ) could be addressed with new chromoly shafts. And, the new Dana 44 in the JK are bigger and stronger than before.

The biggest stumbling point on the JK and the biggest reason you might want to hold off on upgrading your JK is the factory ESP. So far, there is no good solution offered to disable it or reprogram the unit in a JK and early test show that lifting a JK may cause it to work improperly. A lot of manufacturers are looking into this now including AEV and Full Traction but a good solution has yet to be found. But, I have no doubts that one will be found and found soon

In the end, I believe that building up and working on your Jeep is just as much a part of wheeling as driving your Jeep on the trails. You gain valuable experience from doing both and I would encourage you to do both.

 

So you would consider the Full Traction 2007 3″ suspension lift a "plug n' play" modification with minimal impact to the rest of the vehicle with the only ramification being the impact on the ESP (which to me is a major impact)? I hope that this solution is found soon, or else there will be a lot of displeased jeepers.

For a non-mechanic type of guy (e.g. me), would you recommend someone else installing this suspension? Does the dealership do this kind of work? Does the Jeep need any sort of alignment after this type of suspension kit is installed?

 

Yes, the Full Traction 3" suspension lift is a basic "plug-n-play" kit and should have no impact to the rest of the vehicle. Now, that is not to say that larger tires wouldn't have an impact to the vehicle as they most likely will (i.e. speedo gear will need to be replaced, you might want to consider chromoly axle shafts and if you can afford it, new gears might be something to consider as well but not necessary).

Regarding the ESP system, I just got off the phone with Full Traction and it looks like it's not going to be a problem after all. Read more here: https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modified-jk-tech-2/esp-not-problem-after-all-129/

Personally, I would recommend you doing the install yourself as it should be really easy to do. Heck, if you live in my neck of the woods, I'll install it for you for free And, if not, I'd be willing to bet that you could find a club in your area that would be more than happy to help you out. As far as alignment goes, the steering wheel MUST be re-centered as it will cause your ESP system to have issues but due to the cross over steering design, the toe-in will not need to be adjusted.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

I can't rememebr where I saw it, but one of the automotive news rags I get talked about a dealer option for removing the ESP system for those wanting to modify the vehicle. Since the ESP will not be required by the feds until 2012, this is perfectly legal.

You could also just turn it off.

 

CAREFUL! CAREFUL! Wayolife, Free installs! Yippee! And I do live in your neck of the woods! I have a bone stock 06 X sitting in my garage. Actually it is my son's to school transportation and my wife won't let me get my grubby paws on it. "Go get your own if you want all that stuff" Did I mention I have a cool wife! Needless to say, shortly after that comment I had an 07 Rubi on order.( I am the guy who emailed you about the nice people at Tustin Ranch Jeep)

But seriously, the kids Jeep needs a little muscle added to it. Maybe some 31"s(don't want much more because of mileage reasons), and maybe a 2"BB(does that change the ride at all!) Don't want to put too much $$$ in it as that will take away from my mods! (Thoughtful Dad) Maybe you have some better ideas for me. I actually have all the tools and can wrench on things pretty well, but might need a walk through when it comes to spring loaded devices such as coils and shocks. Let me know your thoughts. By the way, Great Forum!

 

LOL!! So that's who you are. Well, the offer still stands or at the very least, I'd be more than happy to help you out especially if I can take pics and do a write-up on it.

As far as your son's TJ goes, a 2" BB is a great lift to install and is super easy to do. Here is a write-up I did years ago that'll help you out:

2" Budget Boost Write-Up

Or, if you would like some help with it, just let me know and I'd be more than happy to lend a hand. I have installed plenty of these and it can be done in no time at all.

Eddie

 

Ok... so let's consider a 2" BB like you just mentioned. Full Traction has one for around $280 that includes front and rear spacers, front track bar bracket, billet aluminum bump stop extensions, and Full-Traction 5100 Hydraulic Shocks. Full Traction's site says that this boost will comfortably support 33" tires.

What is the tire size on a stock Rubicon JK? Would 33" tires require speedo gear replacement, chromoly axle shafts, new gears, etc. as mentioned above for 35" tires?

In short, I want to lift my 4-door so that it is more aesthetically appealing without having to change other major components on the Jeep. I fear that you put on a lift and it will act like a domino-effect forcing the owner into upgrading other components. I can't afford it, and moreover, I want take some time for my skill level to improve before I invest in upgrades that will make Big Foot look like a toy Tonka Truck.