About to purchase my first Jeep - Black 2012 Sport S Unlimited w/hard top. I want to try and turn this thing into my rig as soon as possible and can probably spend up to abot 5k. I want to run it with 35" tires since it will not only be my weekend warrior, but daily driver as well. I do like a flash, but not one of those idiots who is going to run 20" rims on a Jeep.

So, with that said, what else should I upgrade? Especially with the tire size...

I'll do other exterior upgrades that I can figure out on my own, but it's the technical/performance stuff where I'm a bit clueless.

Appreciate it guys!

 

Lift around 3", gears around 4.88, onboard air is a plus, recovery gear and tools are a must, steel armor front, back and sides if you are doing any rocks. Rear tire carrier is a good idea, drive shafts if you have any money left. For wheels, 15's will give you more give in the tire for better traction but 17's will work well too.

 

Onboard air?

And what lift? I know there's a body lift and suspension lift but I do not understand the difference.

 

Suspension lift lifts your suspension through larger coils or pucks and shocks etc. body lift lifts the body off the frame a little higher.. As far as what kind of lift, that would depend on what u intend to do as well as what's more important to you, ie- flex, street ride.... Good luck :-)

 

Anytime you go off road you want to drop air pressure, better ride and better traction. On big rocks I go down to 10 psi. Mounting a compressor on your jeep means you don't have to pay a gas station like $6 or borrow someone else's compressor to get back to road pressure.

As far as a lift, 2.5" is minimum for 35's, 3" is ideal. A body lift is a waste in my opinion if you go off road. A suspension lift will give you taller springs and allowing your axles to flex keeping your rig level on uneven ground. A 4" will raise your center of gravity making you less stable. You can spend anywhere from around $500 for a cheap lift with stock extensions up to $5000+ for a coil over lift that will give you maximum flex. Rancho, AEV, EVO and a few others make reasonably priced lifts depending on how hard you want to ride and how well you want it on the highway. Shocks and springs get more expensive with a better ride but you don't need expensive shocks unless you want to go fast on trails. Adjustable upper control arms and front track bar are helpful to get your alignment correct. A stronger tie rod and a steering relocation kit is suggested for any rocks.

 

He pretty much hit it on the head; you can get all you want for under 5k, just starts getting expensive when you start looking at other suspension parts LCA's ect.

 

An entry level 8000lb winch would be nice. Can usually be had for around 3 bills.

 

If you want to stay on budget but build it right:

$1750-2250 (no new drive shafts, ect.) for a high quality 2.5" lift kit
$200 Spidertrax 1.5" wheel spacers
$300 EVO c-guessets and axle shafts
$1500-2000 Nitto Trail Grapplers (whichever)
$150 AEV Procal
$500 Teraflex tire carrier
Plus installation & shipping costs!

Make sure the Jeep has Max tow/3.73 gears with the Trac-Loc minimum.

 

Well said. Very educated advice.

 

The side walls of 35" tires curve out too much on stock 17" rims, even more so when aired down -- a tire can pop off the rim.
I'd suggest using wider 17" rims, which already have the proper backspacing (so no need for spacers).

For 35" wheels, 3.73 gearing is too low. 4.1 is minimum, 4.56 will be perfect.