I'm sure this has been answered before, but I had a hard time finding a satisfying answer. So I'll ask:

What are the best mods to get offroad friendly 37's on a 4 door 2007 X? I'm not looking to make a poseur, but I like the stability of a lower ride. Flat fenders are good; what about the ones I saw in JP magazine that are made to remove for offroading? (wish I could remember the brand) Obviously getting the right tires, wheels and backspacing is key; any recommendations? I read once that if you trim the fender well plastic just right, you can cut way down on rubbing. After that, I'm stumped. How much lift will I still need? I'm thinking Lower 40, only not nearly that extreme, but still very capable. Advice?

 

For 37s and flatties you could get away with a 3" lift.

You could also just remove your stock fenders before offroading
Chopping them is really easy to do at home.
As for the wheels and backspacing it depends. If you don't go over twelve inches wide, 4.5"BS should be pretty good if you plan on trimming some fender material either way to take the LCG approach. dont forget to increase bumpstops as well, that is just as important
Are you talking about those removable mudflaps from Teraflex???

 

That is a damn good last line, it will be very helpful

that is also a very economical and practical way to get to the setup you desire

 

Ok now I feel dumb. As much time as I wasted on trying different combinations in the search engine without checking the noob q's. Oh, well. I did find some google searches that suggested my budget is more 35-friendly anyway.

Almost forgot, thanks, guys.

 

I've actually been wondering this my self lately. So with a 3" lift and some flatties your good to go? Do you still get the full range of articulation you would with a 4" lift? Is there an advantage of doing a 4" lift over this LCG method?

 

I have ~2.25" of lift (Unlimited coils + 1" coil spacers), trimmed stock flares, and I cut the rock rails and pinch seams for tire clearance. I added longer shocks, extended bump stops, extended brake line brackets, extended sway bar links, a rear trackbar bracket, rear adj. upper control arms and adjusted my steering stops. With the suspension parts and 1.5" wheel spacers I have ~$750 in it (without tires) and it works awesome for what I do. The LCOG is great for offroad handling in the sand and blasting down fire roads. The 37's give me enough clearance to hit mud holes with confindence as well. If I ever make it to a place with rocks I'll be able to comment how it does in that environment. I also have my stock driveshafts and the angles and clearances are good even when it's flexed.

 

Seems like the amount of lift would still effect the amount of articulation you net.

Obviously ground clearance is determined by the lowest point which is the parts on the axle, so taller tries would be the determinate on this. But it would seem there might be some negative effect to a LCOG set up.

 

I'll start by saying I am no expert in high articulation setups. With that said; a LCOG lift probably won't have as much travel as a higher amount of lift becuase of interferrence with the body / fenders. In my case, with the bump stops adjusted so it won't rub I have close to stock "up" travel even with 37's. With my extended brake lines, sway bar end links and longer shocks I have ~3.5" more down travel than stock so it does flex quite a bit better. In the real world the LCOG lift allows me to run 37" tires with 2.5" more ground clearance (under the axles) and keeps my overall height as close to stock as possible so when I'm running on a sand dune or driving too fast on an off-camber trail I can only decribe that it handles pretty close to a stock Jeep. My TJ had 38's with a 6" lift and while very capable offroad it was prone to getting tipsy in some situations that my JK doesn't. A LCOG probably isn't for everyone and I'm sure there are a lot of applications that it is not preferred but where I live I am completely happy I went this route.


This is my Jeep on 37's next to a stock JK so you can see how I tower over it.

 

I'm running 37s with a 2.5" lift and flat fenders. No body lift.


You need to trim the pinch seam at the front of the rear fender opening. My Jeep has 2 1/2" extended bump stops to go with the 2 1/2" lift, and here is a picture with the suspension fully stuffed, as far as it will go. The bump stop is compressed all the way so that the metal cup that holds the bump stop is touching the bumpstop extension on the axle. So, 37s, 2 1/2" lift, flat fenders, trimmed pinch seam, and no tire rub. If you can't tell by the picture, there is 1/8" of clearance between the rear fender sheetmetal and the tire. These are tall 37" tires as well, they measure 36 3/4" tall without the weight of the Jeep on them.


Here is a rather poor angle of the front suspension fully stuffed. There is 1/4" clearance between the top of the tire and the fender flare support.

 

breakover angle is the biggest advantage to a taller lift. The clearance in the middle of your jeep will be 1" less using the body lift vs just getting a 3.5" suspension lift. I have never been a fan of body lifts for that reason. I run the 3.5 midarm with 37's and jigsaw cut stock fenders and it handles better than stock ever thought about. If you are not going over obstacles that require additional center undercarriage height, you should be fine with 2.5" + 1" body lift. Otherwise I would suggest getting a 3.5" suspension lift. I am still running stock driveshafts with no issues. The other problem with driveshafts is if you are running an auto tranny, the skid plate sticks out so far that when you are fully drooped, the ds hits the skid plate. This will happen even with the 2.5" lift. If you have a manual, you are fine. just my 2 pennies but I recommend a 3.5" suspension lift.