I am new to the Jeeping world as an owner. I have 2dr rubicon and am looking at putting wheels and tires and a lift on.

What width tires would you recomend for a daily driver that will see some off road action in the summer time?

Also, if i went 35s, what other mods, other than lift, would have to be done?

 

A 3" lift, 35 x 12.5 will be fine, and some wheels with about 4.5-5" of backspacing. You could use your stock wheels with wheel spacers too.

 

What about gears, axels, shafts,...etc? Would any of those need to be changed?

What width would be good for a 33"?

Thanks

 

Your gears are (4.10s) okay for the 33's but a little to sluggish for the 35's. The consensus on gears and 35's are 4.88 or 5.13. The 5.13 seems popular because of the get up and go it gives your Jeep. Higher rpms at freeway speeds so mpg will suffer some. By the way I have 35's and still have my 4.10s I just turn off my overdrive and its not bad. But I will swap 'em when the money isn't an issue.

Axles,shafts etc are fine. You have the Rubi so you are good to go on these.

As far as tires go 12.5 seems to look good. I think the Toyos I have are only about 11.5 in the 33's. Also, if you are only going to 33's I am not sure how much of a lift I'd do. You could get away with some 3/4"spacers. I didnt go with 33's just because they were too close to what I already had (stock rubi 32's)and I felt I would want bigger before 40,000 miles. It just wasn't enough of a difference for me. Guys coming from 28's can justify it better.

 

You make good points on the 33"s

Now, lets say i decide to go 35s. I have been reading alot about some of the lift kits out there on this forum and am becomming warry of what to do. This will mainly stay on the pavement but will see off roading occasionally. What bb/economy lift out there is doing solid from a performance standpoint with no issues? As a college kid i don't have alot of money to spend on repairs and crap like that.

Would the RE 2" have a good fit for 35s and what has been said of this kit?

 

I like the name. I'm running a Skyjacker 4" with 35's. My wheels have 5.25" backspacing and no scrubbing issues. Best bang for the buck to me, would probably be the Black Diamond lift or the Superlift. You can clear 35's with 3" of lift and like Rubimon, I'm still running my 4.10's and don't know if I will change. After all, I'm not trying to beat anyone off of the line here. The only problem that I see is on the interstate where I can't hold my 75-80 MPH speed going up hill. Other than that, it's a none issue for me. Heck, my only point of reference is my old CJ that I hadn't regeared before seelling it. It was running 38-14.50-16 Toyo MT's with 4.10's and I only drove my Rubicon about 5 -6 miles before the lift and tires went on. One piece of advice, fix like you want it the first time and it will save you money in the long run.

 

4", although bad ass looking, is too much for me. Would a 2"or 3" work with 35"?

I did some searching on here and looked at the Rusty's kits, what have people heard about them?

 

I believe the consensus is 3" gets you 35's. Could you do 2", maybe if you don't really plan on wheeling it much, other wise you may have some rubbing issues.

I have the Full Traction lift which seems to have a good reputation and the parts I have used so far seem beefy and well made. I did the economy lift because that was the only one shipping when I got mine. I am working my way up to the ultimate kit as the parts become available. In current times as parts are starting to ship I would at least add the front upper and lower control arms as well as an adjustable track bar to any economy lift to give you much better handling characteristics.

Economy lifts come at a price, but they get you into bigger tires for less money. If you don't care for the new feel you can add parts as you go until you are satisfied with the ride. There are plenty of threads discussing the trade offs, try a search and read away.

 

This may be a stupid question, but what about a 34in tire? What companies make them?

 

There is a 34 which is a 305 70R 17 but it is a rear tire and the only company i know that makes one is Goodyear in a MTR, Nitto Grappler AT, and Maxxis MT/Buckshot mudder