TRAIL MOM BETTER FIT!!!!

that is an awesome list though. I would love to go that hard out on it, are you going to buy a DD to keep the Jeep safe?

 

I'm hoping that the stock side steps will be enough for the wife to be able to get in, but you're right - she'll probably need a boost. Maybe I'll carry a small trampoline in the back, just to be safe.

I'll be running 35"s eventually... haven't decided on a brand yet, and am trying to decide if I should buy 16" wheels (tires are cheaper for 16 wheels than for 17s)... I'm torn between BFG KM2s or ProComp Xtreme M/Ts - any idea which would give me more tread life on the road?

I'm pretty much a rookie when it comes to wrenching (and don't have many tools or much workspace), but a good friend of mine is an amateur mechanic and has restored old Chevelles and older cars in general... he's agreed to help out, as long as the Jeep can fit under his garage door when we're done.

I want to learn how to do all this stuff, so I'm hoping that with his help I can do most of the work... and I'm excited - can't wait to get all this stuff and put it on!

I figure I'll have to pay someone to do the gears, and possibly the exhaust (which I haven't ordered yet). Any suggestions for decent 4x4 shops in/around Central CT?

 

She'll fit... even if I have to buy a side rail with a saddle-step!

The Jeep's my DD, and it's going to stay that way... that's why I'm only going with a 3" lift and 35" tires. I'd love to go all-out like Red Rubi, with a huge lift and 37"s, but it's not practical for me (and there's NO WAY the wife would be able to climb up then!).

Luckily for me, I get to work from home 2-3 days each week, so I don't have to rack up too many miles commuting... with gas prices being what they are, I'm very lucky indeed!

 

Nice list, MJS. I'm jealous - I've got the OK from the co-pilot, now I'm in that frozen state where I can't decide what to do or how much to spend...

I've asked this question before (and got ignored) on other threads: does anyone know how the jeep will drive w/5.13's on 32 (or smaller) tires? You say 35 "eventually" - does that mean this summer, or might you be running 5.13s on 31's for a while?

 

That's a great question Scott, and my wife asked me that same question last night.

Oh, and BTW, I just ordered last night, so I'm still waiting on everything... David @ Northridge4x4 told me that the lift is backordered for 2-4 weeks, and the gears and bumper are backordered for about the same (maybe longer on the bumper)... so it'll be at least a month before I put on the lift.

I think 5.13s are probably a little much for the 32" tires I'm running now, but I'm willing to give it a shot. I haven't decided when I'm getting tires, but I'll probably have the gears installed before the tires are upsized... I'm figuring that, with the Hypertech programmer, it'll work pretty well.

If I go that route, I'll definitely let you know how it works out!

 

I don't know about the procomps, but I've heard the km2's are really soft. Picking a tire is always a hard decision, especially one that will work year round.

Clayton Offroad does gears, they're in Waterbury. I really don't know of anybody else around here. When I do gears, they'll be the ones I go too.

 

question from the dumb-dumb-
are you doing the gear thing because of the tires? or is that something different? sorry to ask..i'm trying to learn everything i can about new tires, lifts and all that fun stuff!

 

I haven't heard of many MT tires getting much beyond 35K. My next set will depend on the depth of the pockets but I'm thinking the BFG AT at 35". Several guy's in the club I'm in have said they last forever. 50K plus. If not those then I'm goign with the toyo Open Country. My Tacoma had these I beleive and I was at 45K before trading for the jeep. They worked awesome in the mud also.

 

Must people change the gear ratio when they go to bigger tires. The more a driveshaft spins, per one rotation of the tire, the quicker the acceleration but slower overall top speed. The less a driveshaft spins, per one rotation of the tire, the slower the acceleration but higher overall top speed. The rear end ratio, say 4.1 for the rubi's, means the driveshaft has to spin 4.1 times to make the stock 32" tire spin one full rotation. If you increase to a 37" tire and keep the same 4.1 rear end ratio, the driveshaft will spin 3.54 times per one rotation of the tire. This gives you slower acceleration but greater over all top speed. So to get a 37" tire back to the same acceleration as a 32" you would need to regear to a to a 4.74 ratio. Hope this helped out a little bit.

 

Hey guys, I'm looking at buying a ninja 250. Just wondering any one here ride a street bike? also where did you do the safety classes? I know I don't need them but I want them and a the 250 is the smallest bike to choose from so it shouldn't be to hard to learn on. Just wondering any advice? I figured some of you hear would know, you all know every thing else.