So I want to re-do somethings on my jeep after not touching it for a few years. I mainly want to get back my drive-ability and not have to worry about hydroplaning at highway speeds in rain.

I have a rough country budget lift and run 35X12.5 trail grapplers. I'm not happy with the ride, it all seems very loose in the steering wheel and dives into grooves in the road easily and hydroplanes anytime I go over 25 while its raining. Budget is 3k or more if need be. I'm not opposed to going back to 33s but want suggestions for a lift that is great for daily driving but will help me clear objects in sand (I use my jeep for fishing locally). Anyone else experience these problems and how did you sort them out? I can spend more $. I just don't want to keep sinking more and more $ into it.

 

The 12.5" width of your tire will cause you fall into the grooves of the road more, I'm running 35" toyos but have found no issues with hydroplaning. What is your tire pressure at? And what all does your "budget lift" consist of?

 

I ran mud terrain tires for a couple of years ( Baja Claws) and they were terrible in the rain. I slid around corners and had to stay under 50 on the highway when it was raining.
I switched to 35" BFG AT/KO a couple years ago and they are fine in rain and snow. Feels like they are glued to the pavement, and they last a long time.

 

Is the caster dialed in? What about the toe, has it ever been aligned?

 

The kit didn't include control arms so I know they couldnt dial the caster in all the way back to spec. I'm probably going to re-do the lift first and consider new tires/wheels after driving it a bit like that. I'm pretty sure I know what I need (probably AEV 3.5 Dualsport SC setup so I get the procal as well, my girl is short and has a hard time getting in the jeep as it is). The kit was installed in 08 and it's been this way the whole time. Recently my fiance drove it and got pissed at me for driving it this way for the past 6 years (its been paid for for four, rofl).

I searched for hydroplaning at road speed and didn't see much but it rains all the time and sometimes our downpours are so bad that our roads can become small streams. Just want it to be more stable and want to make sure I'm on the right track to fix the problem.

 

Your hydro planing issue is all 100% tire related.

Switch to a tire with some siping like a MTRk and that will help.

The flighty feeling can only be truly cured by getting a good set of adjustable control arms. I recommend Metalcloak lowers. Dial in 6-8 or so deg of caster and enjoy your all new jeep.

You can make your handling a little better right now by overdoing the toe in just a bit. You want ideally about 1/16 toe in but to cheat your bad caster situation a bit, you can run up to 1/4" toe in. It can cause premature and odd tire wear over time though.

 

Or get your tires siped. Some tire shops have the machine to do it. Her in Winnipeg Canada it's only 20 a tire