I have had my 4 Door X for 2 months and have been reading a lot about my options for a small lift and new tires and have convinced myself (and have almost convinced my wife) that I need to start upgrading. My Jeep is a daily driver with a 15 mile daily roundtrip commute. I run highways sometimes, but mostly back roads. I have been up to Rausch Creek a couple times and have had a blast with my stock setup but I think I need to be a little taller and definitely need to get rid of the stock GoodYear SR-A tires. Here is what I am currently thinking:

2.5" TeraFlex coil lift kit w/shocks
TeraFlex Monster HD front trackbar (not sure on this)
TeraFlex front swaybar disconnects (not sure on this either)
1.5" Spidertrax spacers
GoodYear Wrangler MT/R w/ Kevlar 305/70R17 tires running on stock 17s

I also have the stock 3.21 gears which I will probably upgrade in a few months since I am sure I will hate the loss of power with the 34" tires

Any suggestions on my proposed setup?

 

GREAT first step, However, I would just get 35's for tires.
You will want to re-gear eventually.

 

You may also want to consider adressing caster with a pair of adjustable front control arms - either uppers or lowers (or both if you've got the moolah)

That is of course if you're not already looking at a TF kit that has control arms.

An adjustable rear trackbar or a rear trackbar bracket might also be a good choice.

 

That is a great start, go for it.
A word of caution modding your jeep is addictive a lot like tattoos.

 

At least you have a manual to hold you over with the 3.21s until you install new gears. I would not recommend it with an auto and the stock shift points.

 

sorry to hijack...but I suppose this is a common newbie question

I've got the tools and jacks to do something like this myself. The only thing holding me back is the alignment. Will any place do a good job or do you need a 4X4 shop?

 

Suggestions.. do it right the first time... you will be much happier in the end...

Add to your list...

Rear adjustable trac bar.. with front and rear adjustables you can keep axles centered.

Front lower control arms... to adjust caster... trust me on this it will make it ride a hell of a lot better.

alignment... do it yourself... wayoflife has a great write-up on how to do this.. very easy. To answer your question. yes any good alignment shop can do it.

Go with 35's from the get go... you will want them....

To regain power back/adjust speedo/set lower tpms and all those other goodies... Superchip Flashpaq <- awesome

Call David at Northridge 4x4... he will shoot you strait and tell you what you need and give you options as well.

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I am sure this is a typical newbie thread, but I have been struggling to get the best setup I can for the $2k I got approval to spend and I respect the opinion of all the experienced wheelers on this site. I picked the 305/70R17 tires instead of the 35's to fit better on the stock rims. Has anyone had issues with the 12.5 width tires breaking the bead on rocks? As for the control arms and rear trackbar, if I go without for 3-6 months will I have a poor ride on the highway?

 

Read the "how to" on the project JK website. You can do the alignment your self if you have at least enough knowledge to do the wrench turning on a lift kit.
http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-...-end-alignment

 

I'll speak for this one from my experience. I started by installing the TeraFlex 2.5" coil kit w/shocks with the included rear trackbar bracket. No adjustable rear trackbar, no adjustable front trackbar, and no adjustable control arms - and like TeraFlex says it is all you NEED. I ran it that way for about 2 months, and it was a little flighty at highway speeds but nothing dangerous - no dreaded death wobble. My castor was also not where it should have been so I added a front adjustable trackbar and front lower adjustable control arms. Those 2 additions tightened everything back up to drive better than stock IMO. If I had known better and had the cash I would have just installed everything from the get go. I just added TeraFlex disconnects and can vouch that they are a beefy product worth adding too.

Hope that offers some help!