Advice on setting up my 2011 JK
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Guam
Advice on setting up my 2011 JK
It’s been a long time coming but after 10 plus years I'm officially a Jeep owner. It’s a black Unlimited Sport, 6 Speed and its begging me get those awful stock wheels and tires off. Obviously I'm newbie but I'm pretty set on the look I'm trying to achieve with my new JK. I visited a local shop last week which is part-owned by my cousin-in-law and he threw me some numbers as to what it was going to cost. And it looks like I'm going to be able to get the work done in a few weeks. I just jumped on this site a few days ago and have been going through thread after thread trying to get as educated as possible, so I know these type of "What should I do" threads get a little redundant for you vets. I just thought I'd try to reach out and get some feedback from the community. So any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I live way out in the Pacific on the island of Guam and the off-roading here is pretty sick. With that being said I don't plan on doing anything too extreme but I like to be able to hit the back roads and get into some mud once in a while. Out here on our small island (population 145,000) there is a large contingency of Jeeps and the community is pretty close. So getting support locally is not a concern.
Okay, so on to the set up. Keep in mind this was just put on the table at the shop, we really haven't gone into the details yet. The package deal includes a 4 inch Pro Comp Lift (the Pro Comp Lift is the only 4 inch he carries for JK's), BF 35's (not sure what series) and 17x9 Pro Comp Steels.
So what do you guys think? What else should I do to insure I get the best out of the lift in terms of ride and handling quality? Is the Pro Comp lifts one of the best on the market? What about the BF's? And what about gearing? How much should I expect to pay and should I just do it with the package? Should I be concerned about the dreaded DW right off the bat?
Obviously I'm aware that my MPG's is going to go down but it’s not much of a concern. Like I said, very small island, no highways, lots of stop and go. So crap MPG's are inevitable. Besides before getting my Jeep I was driving a '07 G35 Coupe and I was able to mange with the MPG's that put out.
Here's a picture I came across that's kind have been my model for a while now. I believe these are close if not the same wheel and tire combo that are in the plans. Basically this picture has had me sold!
Thanks for reading guys! Hope to hear from some of you!
I live way out in the Pacific on the island of Guam and the off-roading here is pretty sick. With that being said I don't plan on doing anything too extreme but I like to be able to hit the back roads and get into some mud once in a while. Out here on our small island (population 145,000) there is a large contingency of Jeeps and the community is pretty close. So getting support locally is not a concern.
Okay, so on to the set up. Keep in mind this was just put on the table at the shop, we really haven't gone into the details yet. The package deal includes a 4 inch Pro Comp Lift (the Pro Comp Lift is the only 4 inch he carries for JK's), BF 35's (not sure what series) and 17x9 Pro Comp Steels.
So what do you guys think? What else should I do to insure I get the best out of the lift in terms of ride and handling quality? Is the Pro Comp lifts one of the best on the market? What about the BF's? And what about gearing? How much should I expect to pay and should I just do it with the package? Should I be concerned about the dreaded DW right off the bat?
Obviously I'm aware that my MPG's is going to go down but it’s not much of a concern. Like I said, very small island, no highways, lots of stop and go. So crap MPG's are inevitable. Besides before getting my Jeep I was driving a '07 G35 Coupe and I was able to mange with the MPG's that put out.
Here's a picture I came across that's kind have been my model for a while now. I believe these are close if not the same wheel and tire combo that are in the plans. Basically this picture has had me sold!
Thanks for reading guys! Hope to hear from some of you!
JK Jedi Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 11,463
Likes: 165
From: Austin <--> Colorado Springs
Your first stop should be the FAQ's (stickied to the top of this modified area)
Lots of info to get you pointed in the right direction. Lift height vs tire size, wheel backspacing, which components you will want for various lift heights, driveshaft recommendations, caster information, gearing information with some good charts, etc
4wheelparts house brand, they push it on everyone. It doesn't get a lot of great reviews on this forum, but I can't say whether that is due to quality or past experience or people just jumping on the bandwagon and recommending certain other brands.
What you need to do is get a parts breakdown and compare components.
The biggest issue: Does it include caster correction? Pretty sure that the cheap Stage 1 kit does not!! At 4", this is something to look into. (see the suspension faq's for more on this) Your options are Cam Bolts, which have some drawbacks. A Bracket, which has some drawbacks. New "fixed' arms, which have some drawbacks. Or new Adjustable Arms. (adjustables are the most expensive, but arguably the best option)
Does it include components to re-center the axles? The stage 1 may have a rear bracket, but no front correction. (new adjustable trackbars front and rear would be the best option)
Another big consideration is driveshafts. You have a manual, so you won't have an issue with front driveshaft hitting the tranny. But you will want to keep an eye on the joints at the tcase ends of both front and rear shafts. The steeper angles from the lift causes those joints to pinch. When they wear through, you lose grease, and it will eventually get noisy and seize. They are not rebuildable, so aftermarket shafts are the 'fix'. And if/when you move to an aftermarket shaft, you will need a set of adj control arms to set the pinion on each. (my front shaft started spitting grease at 3.25", so just a heads up to crawl under and look every once in a while...)
Prices vary wildly from area to area. No clue what it will cost in Guam. Mainland U.S., anywhere from $650 to $1800. That is gears/parts/labor for both front and rear, out the door. You will want gears and an overhaul kit for each axle.
As far as which ratio, 4.88's are popular for manuals with 35's. Since you are on an island, you could jump to 5.13's for better off-road performance.
A lot of manual guys are running 35's on stock gearing, consider if you want to wait and see if 'you' need to re-gear before dropping the money.
This is generally due to install error or worn components. Since your jeep is brand new, guessing it won't be due to the latter, so just make sure the installer does his job and torques everything down to the proper specs.
Have you considered chopping the flares or going to flats? A smaller lift and flat flares will be great for 35's, keep the cog low, and will need less components/fixes.
One more note: Assuming you are getting the cheap stage 1 with no adjustables, you might consider skipping an alignment. You'll need cam bolts or adjustable ca's to adjust the caster, adjustable trackbars to center the axles, camber is not adjustable - so all you can do is re-center the steering wheel, and set the toe-in (which may not even be needed). Check this write-up...
http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-...-end-alignment
Lots of info to get you pointed in the right direction. Lift height vs tire size, wheel backspacing, which components you will want for various lift heights, driveshaft recommendations, caster information, gearing information with some good charts, etc
Is the Pro Comp lifts one of the best on the market?
What you need to do is get a parts breakdown and compare components.
The biggest issue: Does it include caster correction? Pretty sure that the cheap Stage 1 kit does not!! At 4", this is something to look into. (see the suspension faq's for more on this) Your options are Cam Bolts, which have some drawbacks. A Bracket, which has some drawbacks. New "fixed' arms, which have some drawbacks. Or new Adjustable Arms. (adjustables are the most expensive, but arguably the best option)
Does it include components to re-center the axles? The stage 1 may have a rear bracket, but no front correction. (new adjustable trackbars front and rear would be the best option)
Another big consideration is driveshafts. You have a manual, so you won't have an issue with front driveshaft hitting the tranny. But you will want to keep an eye on the joints at the tcase ends of both front and rear shafts. The steeper angles from the lift causes those joints to pinch. When they wear through, you lose grease, and it will eventually get noisy and seize. They are not rebuildable, so aftermarket shafts are the 'fix'. And if/when you move to an aftermarket shaft, you will need a set of adj control arms to set the pinion on each. (my front shaft started spitting grease at 3.25", so just a heads up to crawl under and look every once in a while...)
And what about gearing? How much should I expect to pay and should I just do it with the package?
As far as which ratio, 4.88's are popular for manuals with 35's. Since you are on an island, you could jump to 5.13's for better off-road performance.
A lot of manual guys are running 35's on stock gearing, consider if you want to wait and see if 'you' need to re-gear before dropping the money.
Should I be concerned about the dreaded DW right off the bat?
Have you considered chopping the flares or going to flats? A smaller lift and flat flares will be great for 35's, keep the cog low, and will need less components/fixes.
One more note: Assuming you are getting the cheap stage 1 with no adjustables, you might consider skipping an alignment. You'll need cam bolts or adjustable ca's to adjust the caster, adjustable trackbars to center the axles, camber is not adjustable - so all you can do is re-center the steering wheel, and set the toe-in (which may not even be needed). Check this write-up...
http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-...-end-alignment
Last edited by nthinuf; Dec 4, 2010 at 01:53 PM.
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Guam
Your first stop should be the FAQ's (stickied to the top of this modified area)
Lots of info to get you pointed in the right direction. Lift height vs tire size, wheel backspacing, which components you will want for various lift heights, driveshaft recommendations, caster information, gearing information with some good charts, etc
4wheelparts house brand, they push it on everyone. It doesn't get a lot of great reviews on this forum, but I can't say whether that is due to quality or past experience or people just jumping on the bandwagon and recommending certain other brands.
What you need to do is get a parts breakdown and compare components.
The biggest issue: Does it include caster correction? Pretty sure that the cheap Stage 1 kit does not!! At 4", this is something to look into. (see the suspension faq's for more on this) Your options are Cam Bolts, which have some drawbacks. A Bracket, which has some drawbacks. New "fixed' arms, which have some drawbacks. Or new Adjustable Arms. (adjustables are the most expensive, but arguably the best option)
Does it include components to re-center the axles? The stage 1 may have a rear bracket, but no front correction. (new adjustable trackbars front and rear would be the best option)
Another big consideration is driveshafts. You have a manual, so you won't have an issue with front driveshaft hitting the tranny. But you will want to keep an eye on the joints at the tcase ends of both front and rear shafts. The steeper angles from the lift causes those joints to pinch. When they wear through, you lose grease, and it will eventually get noisy and seize. They are not rebuildable, so aftermarket shafts are the 'fix'. And if/when you move to an aftermarket shaft, you will need a set of adj control arms to set the pinion on each. (my front shaft started spitting grease at 3.25", so just a heads up to crawl under and look every once in a while...)
Prices vary wildly from area to area. No clue what it will cost in Guam. Mainland U.S., anywhere from $650 to $1800. That is gears/parts/labor for both front and rear, out the door. You will want gears and an overhaul kit for each axle.
As far as which ratio, 4.88's are popular for manuals with 35's. Since you are on an island, you could jump to 5.13's for better off-road performance.
A lot of manual guys are running 35's on stock gearing, consider if you want to wait and see if 'you' need to re-gear before dropping the money.
This is generally due to install error or worn components. Since your jeep is brand new, guessing it won't be due to the latter, so just make sure the installer does his job and torques everything down to the proper specs.
Have you considered chopping the flares or going to flats? A smaller lift and flat flares will be great for 35's, keep the cog low, and will need less components/fixes.
One more note: Assuming you are getting the cheap stage 1 with no adjustables, you might consider skipping an alignment. You'll need cam bolts or adjustable ca's to adjust the caster, adjustable trackbars to center the axles, camber is not adjustable - so all you can do is re-center the steering wheel, and set the toe-in (which may not even be needed). Check this write-up...
http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-...-end-alignment
Lots of info to get you pointed in the right direction. Lift height vs tire size, wheel backspacing, which components you will want for various lift heights, driveshaft recommendations, caster information, gearing information with some good charts, etc
4wheelparts house brand, they push it on everyone. It doesn't get a lot of great reviews on this forum, but I can't say whether that is due to quality or past experience or people just jumping on the bandwagon and recommending certain other brands.
What you need to do is get a parts breakdown and compare components.
The biggest issue: Does it include caster correction? Pretty sure that the cheap Stage 1 kit does not!! At 4", this is something to look into. (see the suspension faq's for more on this) Your options are Cam Bolts, which have some drawbacks. A Bracket, which has some drawbacks. New "fixed' arms, which have some drawbacks. Or new Adjustable Arms. (adjustables are the most expensive, but arguably the best option)
Does it include components to re-center the axles? The stage 1 may have a rear bracket, but no front correction. (new adjustable trackbars front and rear would be the best option)
Another big consideration is driveshafts. You have a manual, so you won't have an issue with front driveshaft hitting the tranny. But you will want to keep an eye on the joints at the tcase ends of both front and rear shafts. The steeper angles from the lift causes those joints to pinch. When they wear through, you lose grease, and it will eventually get noisy and seize. They are not rebuildable, so aftermarket shafts are the 'fix'. And if/when you move to an aftermarket shaft, you will need a set of adj control arms to set the pinion on each. (my front shaft started spitting grease at 3.25", so just a heads up to crawl under and look every once in a while...)
Prices vary wildly from area to area. No clue what it will cost in Guam. Mainland U.S., anywhere from $650 to $1800. That is gears/parts/labor for both front and rear, out the door. You will want gears and an overhaul kit for each axle.
As far as which ratio, 4.88's are popular for manuals with 35's. Since you are on an island, you could jump to 5.13's for better off-road performance.
A lot of manual guys are running 35's on stock gearing, consider if you want to wait and see if 'you' need to re-gear before dropping the money.
This is generally due to install error or worn components. Since your jeep is brand new, guessing it won't be due to the latter, so just make sure the installer does his job and torques everything down to the proper specs.
Have you considered chopping the flares or going to flats? A smaller lift and flat flares will be great for 35's, keep the cog low, and will need less components/fixes.
One more note: Assuming you are getting the cheap stage 1 with no adjustables, you might consider skipping an alignment. You'll need cam bolts or adjustable ca's to adjust the caster, adjustable trackbars to center the axles, camber is not adjustable - so all you can do is re-center the steering wheel, and set the toe-in (which may not even be needed). Check this write-up...
http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-...-end-alignment
I'll keep you posted once I get the details. Again, thanks for taking the time out to respond to my post! Great Stuff!!
