After much reading, I think that I am not sure of all the facts regarding a 2-2.5 lift. I am torn between Skyjacker 2.5 (standard Lift), Teraflex 2.5 BB and the Rubicon Express 2" BB. I do plan on running the stock wheels/tires until I go bigger. When I go bigger, I will try to keep the tire size around 33".

So my question is, do all 2 or 2.5 lifts rub with factory tires/wheels (32" tires)?

Thanks

 

It's not a factor of the lifts, but a factor of the width of the tire (assuming a factory rim). Usually, when people upgrade their tires they're going to 35 with 12.50 width. That'll rub.

 

It's definitely a width issue. The easiest (cheapest) fix would be spacers if you are going with stock wheels. If you go with a BB the money you save over the standard lift would go a long way if not the whole way to covering the cost of spacers. Just my $.02.

 

I put the Skyjacker 2 inch Budget Boost under mine and fit 33 X 12.50's EASY with the original wheels and 1.5 inch wheel spacers (Spidertrax - about 100 bucks a pair). Looks great and I have PLENTY of room underneath with no rubbing at all. I've unhooked the front sway bar links to get maximum travel just to see if the tires would clear and I didn't have any problems with rubbing at all.

 

I do understand (and would expect) a wider/bigger tire to rub with articulartion. However I plan to run stock (17 x 7.5 Rim w/ a 255/75/17) for a while; does this alone cause rub when a lift is added or is it a tire size change?

thanks

 

The lift won't affect your tires at all. You won't get any rubbing with the original tires and wheels, no matter how high you lift her. Rubbing won't happen until you start looking at larger tires and then you need to consider what backspacing your wheels are (usually between 3.5 and 4.5 inches is what you want to clear larger tires). My stock wheels are 6 1/4 inch backspaced, so I had to get 1.5 inch wheel spacers to push the wheels out an extra inch and a half to clear my 33's.

 

Tire size change is what makes the difference, a lift alone will not cause any rubbing.

 

You will get rubbing from the rear sway bar links on the teraflex lift with stock tires and wheels. I dont think the other kits include new rear links. The new teraflex links have a wider profile because of the bolt head sticking out. The stock one has a stud. Rear axle shift also adds to this. I know people have said they only have rubbing on one side and sometimes only at full drop. Several people have installed the new links on the inside of the bracket to fix this; however I think somebody broke a brakeline because the links were on the inside. Im not sure if that was on an 08 or an 07, I just remember recently reading it. Another option if you do not have an e-disconnect front sway bar, is to not install the new links. They were added to the kit to prevent over extension of the front e-disconnect sway bar, which can cause damage. Even though WayofLife has a rubicon, he ran his like this for a while and never had any problems. But others with rubi had problems. So if you do not have an e-disconnect you should be able to get away with just keeping the stock sway bar links. Ok, I think thats all the info I have gathered from personal experience and being on this forum way too much lol. I hope it helps you.

Oh, I have the tera kit and wheel spacers, so I do not have any rubbing issues. I think either spacers or a different backspaced wheel are the best way to run this lift.

 

Let's also specify that there is two different areas of rubbing. First being the rubbing if you have big tires and not enough lift. That would rub on the inside of your fenders when your tire sticks up in there.

The second rubbing is when you are on level ground and turn your wheel. The tire rubs against your control arm. If you are buying new tires and rims just make sure you have enough backspacing to push your tire out far enough so it won't rub when you turn your wheel fully left or right. If using stock rims you may find you need to purchase a spacer. I have heard that 4.5" of backspacing is enough for a 12.50 width tire.

 

I indeed do have the e-disco (Unlimited X) so aparently I would need the spacers.