Hi Guys,

I'm new to the Jeep world. Just bought an '08 Sahara Unlimited and am looking into adding some height and 35s and was hoping I could get some help.

My plan so far:
Teraflex 2.5" Coil Spring Kit with Shocks
1" Body lift (for a little extra height)
Skyjacker Dual Steering Stabilizer Kit
Pro Comp 15x8 Rock Crawler wheels 3.75" backspacing
35x12.50x15 BFG KM2s

I'll be using the Jeep for daily driving as well as weekend fun but i don't want to break the bank and go too extreme.

My main question is, will I need any additional parts for brake lines, exhaust, track bar, steering linkage or other?

Any input would be appreciated.

 

Probably going to want to add gears to the list. I just went from 33's to 35's and it's sluggish and went from 15-16 MPG's to 12Mpg's, this is with factory 3.73's.

I'm regearing to 5.13's first of the month when I'm on vacation. I'd Also recommend a bumper and winch if your going to wheel monthly like I do. Best investment I've made on my jeep next to my MTR's

 

Personally I'd ditch the body lift.

 

Start with the faq's and lift thread stuck to the top of this modified area.



Will you be chopping your stock flares or moving to flat flares? Nothing wrong with a 1" body lift, but trimming the flares may be the better option.

The stock stabilizer should be fine, generally there is no need for the dual setups. Get a relo kit instead to move the stabilizer up out of harms way.

Depending on actual use, get prices for new gears and front housing weld-ons (gussets and/or truss and/or sleeves).

The stock steering setup leaves something to be desired as far as strength and longevity go, so price out all new components, plus ball joints. You may not need any of it, but at least you'll have a better idea going in of what you might end up replacing.

Caster correction is a good thing. Drive it with the lift and then decide.

At 2.5", your driveshafts should be ok, but make a habit of crawling underneath and looking for torn boots and grease splatter, especially on the front shaft.

I think that kit has brakeline extensions. If not, they are easy to make for a few bucks at your local hardware store.

It should come with a rear trackbar bracket. If you want the front axle centered, add an adjustable trackbar. (do not go for half of a drop pitman setup!)

 

Yep x2 on the steering stabilizer stock is good enough or I went with Teraflex after mine were out.

 

Thanks for the info.

I'm planning on doing flat flares with stubby front bumper and rear bumper with carrier as the next step in my build but budget dictates that I won't be doing that until next summer. That way it'll give me lots of time to decide what I want to get exactly. I'm pretty picky when it comes to exterior/body mods.

For now, I think I'll stick with the body lift since it's pretty cheap and I don't want to cut my painted flares.

I'll be ditching the stabilizer and look for an adjustable track bar.

As for re-gearing, I'll try it out as is with the 3.73 after the initial upgrades and decide where I go from there. MPG is not a big issue since I don't do that much mileage and the sluggishness will keep the speeding tickets to a minimum which is a big plus lol.

 

I'd let the tires rub occasionally on the flares until the flatties get installed before I'd use a body lift. There is not much reason to raise the center of gravity by separating the body from the frame by an inch. If you've ever run an off-camber trail with exposure on the downside, then you'll understand. Also, there is little or no ground clearance advantage with a body lift.

There is way more to lifting a Jeep than looking good in the parking lot.

 

Ditch the body lift, trim the stock flares back. You really only need a single steering stabilizer.

 

If you plan on four wheeling it, recovery should also be a top priority and protection after that. I agree with everyone else, ditch the body lift and dual steering stabilizer ideas for sure. The TF 2.5" kit is a great kit to start for sure. Also, you have a greater spectrum of choices if you stick with the 17" wheel and will make balancing issues much easier. Maybe put a winch on your list to go along with the sweet stubby bumper... give yourself some confidence to explore

 

I trimmed my fenders as well... Can't justify spending $500-$600 on flat fenders, I spent $50 on a dremel and spend $6 on striping tape and after 5hr I had the look I wanted. Not to mention the functionality, I wheel my Jeep 1-2 times a month so I had no choice but to trim the fenders.
To the op though you can fit the 35's w/o trimming if you set on the flat fenders, just don't wheel it otherwise you will rip one off like a friend of mine did..lol