So being the poor factory working, sport driving, second baby on the way, my house costs too much type a dude that I am. I'm looking for a cheap way to satisfy my jeep needs (lift n 35's) till I pay it off and can get the good sheet.

So first of all it's my dd, I know someone will suggest it but I'm not going 33's, and it's a 2011 unlimited auto with 3.73s. I do go on trails but I mainly stay on the light stuff. When it's paid off and I get the goods I'll move on to the more challenging stuff. No hurry.

Well this is what I've found for a cheap setup and I was wondering if I'll need anything else or any suggestions for it. Thanks for your time.
Rough country 2.5 series 2 bb
Jeep commander alloy 17 x 7.5 wheels (to be painted)
Goodyear duratrac 315/70/17

 

With those wheels and tires you will need some wheel spacers.

 

I grabbed a 2.5 TF bb off craigslist for 250 brand new. You might consider scoping cl and the for sale section.

 

I had 35's on a Rusty's 2" coil lift with a set of 3/4 in spacers and Spidertrax spacers. With 3.73s and a 6 speed, it sucked. I was in 4th gear on the highway, and my gas mileage was horrible. The JKU needs a regear with 35's. Especially with the auto trans.

 

That's a bit of an exaggeration. I ran a six speed with 35s and 3.21 gearing for nearly 3 years. It wasn't that bad on the highway. 5th gear worked great, never used 6th though. I run 4.88s now which are a bit much for highway driving. I think 4.10s would be perfect for a daily driver with 35s and a 6 speed.

As for the original post. If you are on a budget, grab a 2.5" budget boost and add in a 1" bodyllift. This will give you plenty of clearance for 35s and won't cost much. I'm not a fan of wheel spacers. I've never seen one fail, but there is something about them I don't like. Grab a set of wheels with the correct offset. The smaller the diameter wheel the cheaper your tires will usually be.

 

Sorry dude, I gotta agree with ArmyCop. I had 35s and 3.21s on my 6 spd and rarely ever saw 5th gear on the highway. It sucked wind going up long hills and blew goats off road unless u were in 4LO, but u couldn't crawl gracefully.

I'm rolling 4.56s now and am very pleased overall. First is a little low in town but on the highway it's quite nice. I can actually pass slow drivers now!

 

My 2010 is my dd and I have 2.5" lift, 1.5" wheel spacers and everything works fine. The front might be a tad more cause it is leveled out. On the highway if it is super windy or hilly I just turn off the overdrive. Works really good if your using cruise control also. Transmission doesn't hunt. Depending on the conditions, the mpg doesn't change. Bottom line is it will work fine till you have more cash.

 

Hey bro, I know what ya mean! I'm in the always poor catagory myself! I had to use some tax returns to buy my lift and 35's. I don't know what your budget is but I got the rough country 3.5 lift for $500, then some Mickey Thompson 35's for $1000, spidertrax spacers for $200, and painted my stock wheels black. It's the cheapest I could go with still being happy with what you have. Now I have a 2010 six speed and I have not regeared. Yes, uphill is slow but who cares! Later on, I replaced the exhaust with a $20 cherry bomb muffler from auto zone. (Sounds amazing and lets it breathe a lil better) Then for about $50 bucks I built my own could air intake. With those two other mods I have enough power to keep me happy for awhile without having to spend money to regear. If you do regear you'd probably want to pair that up with lockers since your diffs will be opened up anyway. Don't wanna pay the same thing twice! Good luck and post pics of your decision!

 

I'm not sure why you would want to spend 200 on spacers when you can get some for 15" soft 8s for about the same price. Tires are way cheaper for 15s too.

 

Because maybe he doesn't like rhw look of 15" wheels....