I've got a 4 door Rubicon, still pretty much stock.

I wheel frequently in the summer, on moderate trails in the foothills. Rocks are what it's about for me, but mud is fact of life in the areas that I frequent. I`m pretty happy with the amount of travel that I get right now, but I want to fit 35`s and also get my frame further away from the rocks. Even when they`re gentle, I never like hearing rocks kiss the bottom of my rig

I also need to use my Jeep as my daily driver, putting on about 1000 miles in a month for my commute. These are mostly highway miles, on a 4-lane.

I'm going to be adding a Shrockworks mid-width bumper and a Powerplant up front. I haven't fitted them yet, but I know that adding a pile of weight out front affects what I`m doing with the suspension. I know that it makes sense to "do it once, and do it right", but my budget will not stretch to high end suspension upgrades at this point...at least not with the other upgrades that I'm planning right in the near future.

I`m going to run 33`s on 16`s in the winter, and 35`s on 17`s in the summer to ensure that my sidewall dimensions will be reasonable for both on and off road. I haven`t chosen specific tires or wheels yet, but I am aware that I need to watch my backspacing to avoid rub. I'll probably end up with steelies for both seasons (although there are some gorgeous black alloy wheels out there in 17")

I`m thinking that I`ll probably go with either a Teraflex 2.5" BB with adapters, or a 2.5" TF coil lift. I've also heard many good things about RE, but they don't seem to make anything that would let me run 35's without breaking the bank.

Here are my questions:

#1. Will my off-road performance be substantially improved by going with the coil lift instead of the spacers? Intellectually I understand that longer coils will get me more travel, but I don't know how much and what sort of difference I'm going to see and feel.

#2. Will my on-road handling be much affected by going to coils? I still want to have good high-speed on-road manners?

#3. If I want both of these things, will I need to go to a long arm kit to get the best of both worlds? If so, is it prudent to get the BB with adapters now, and then save my pennies to go to a TF or RE long arm in the 3-4" range? That may or may not be a long-term goal, but it's still a ways down the road.

#4. Will going with the spacer lift make it difficult to reduce the rake that I'm going to induce by adding a heavy bumper and winch?

#5. Would keeping the factory coils with a spacer lift make me more susceptible to long-term spring sag once I add extra weight?

#6. Is there/are there one or two components that are not in the kit(s) that would make a big difference to my lift experience (i.e. something that will substantially reduce bump steer), again without breaking the bank.

 

Well ill just tell you i got the teraflex 2.5 coil lift, and 35's and i have no problems at all. Highway or city.
One thing you just definitly invest in as you buy the lift is a heavy duty steering stabalizer.
Bump steer and wobble was a bitch until that.
besides spacers are lame lol go legit

 

agree with you about the spacers, but they seem to work fine for a lot of people, regarding the ss, I still have the original one and it does fine with 35s, there's a whole thread about this one. but whatever works for you.

 

you have way too many questions for anybody to answer, and also for you to understand all at once. what I can tell you is that it had never been easier to fit 35s on a jeep. You don't need a LA lift.

 

I am using Rusty's coil springs now and I had a 1.75" BB before I put in the coils. The ride with the BB was the same as stock, no problems with my 33's. When I went to 35's I used the Rusty's 2" coils and a front 3/4" spacer to keep it level. With a coil spring lift, you usually get a lot more height than advertised. The Rusty's springs are a bit "softer" than stock for better flex. They have a smooth ride on road.

The coil lift will be better for ultimate off-road flex, but if you are on a tight budget and are using your Jeep as a daily driver and for light trails, go with a spacer lift.

 

no, not necessarily. depending on your personal preferences, it may be slightly better and it may be slightly worse. typically, taller coils tend to offer a slightly firmer ride than stock. being that you have a rubicon, i would recommend that you just stick to the coil spacers and save the cash for when you go bigger.

no. taller coils will not effect your on-road handling high speed or otherwise. most X and Sahara owners will tell you that if anything, their ride got better.

no. a long arm kit is just not necessary on a JK as it already has much longer arms than the old TJ.

no. you can always stack a spacer if needed.

no. it will not make a difference. installing your lift without bump stop extensions will make it possible for your coils to over compress and that can cause spring sag.

i personally would install an adjustable front track bar. if you go with the coil version, you will get closer to 3" of lift and at that height, you might want to consider getting adjustable lower front control arms so that you can add a little more positive caster.

 

X2...I would stay away from the 2.5" BB with that extra weight you have up front. Your front-end will be doing a nose dive... go with the HD 2.5" coils all the way around instead. The nice thing about this size lift is you can fit 35's if you want and you don't need to get involved with other suspension components like control arms and track bars etc $$$ It rides great too

 

My main concern in terms of kissing rocks is breakover angle. With the Unlimited, I can climb better than the stock 2 doors, and find it very stable...but I seem to kiss hte rock rails in the center of the vehicle when the stock 2 doors don't. I know that this is to be expected, but it doesn't mean that I have to like it

I'm not yet looking to get into trails that are a big step up from what I'm running now...mostly looking to run the same difficulty without dragging anything, and get bigger tires on to reduce the quantity of winching that I end up doing in the unavoidable muddy spots. I know that none of this is a magic fix, and that I'm still going to end up winching sometimes.

Thanks to everyone for the great input!