I have owned many Jeeps overs the years including 2 CJ7s (1983 Laredo and 1986 base), and 3 JKs (2007 2 door Sahara, 2007 4 door Sahara and my current daily driver, a 2013 4 door Sahara.  Although I have owned a number of Jeeps, I have never customized beyond adding a bug guard.  Well all of that is about to change as I have recently purchased a 2013 Unlimited Rubicon 10th Anniversay edition. I decided to create this page not only to track and memorialize my build, but also so that others may benefit.  I am not an expert and do not claim to be one; I am making my decisions based upon personal preference combined with all of the great advice from others who have done this before and know much more than myself.  I want to personally thank all those that have taken the time to answer questions and post pictures in the various forums that I spent many an hour reading. Special thanks to my Wife who has a creative eye and assisted with some of the final decisions and to my friend Robin who is one of the nicest, most knowledgeable Jeep, tire and build experts around. The information was priceless in helping with with my choices.  

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What are my Goals and Plans?

I have always wanted to lift a Jeep and install a slightly bigger set of tires. I am not undertaking this venture to build an extreme rock crawling monster.  I simply want to it to look a slight bit bigger, but at the same time maintain a stock look and feel.  What does that mean?  Well to me that means tires not sticking way out far past the fender flares and a ride that is still compliant on the street, and not so harsh as to keep my wife from ever wanting to ride in the Jeep.

 

After spending countless hours reading through forums, I am convinced that many Jeep owners want to do the accomplish the same thing as me. Hopefully this page will help. 

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Considerations:

• How high to lift?  

• Which lift kit to go with?

• What about tires?

  • How big should I go?

  • All Terrain (AT) vs. Mud Terrain (MT)

  • Will they rub?

  • What will it look like when finished?

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Lets take a closer look at each one of the above questions and share my results and insights.

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How high to lift?

There are numerous factors that go into such a decision, but the 2 important ones are: what are your plans for the Jeep and how big of a tire do you want to run.  Like I mentioned above, I am not building an extreme off road machine, I want a slightly bigger look, but want it as stock looking and feeling as possible. There are also numerous brands to consider and also numerous opinions on which lift kit is best, but one particular lift kept being mentioned as high quality and also offering what matched close to my build goals.  

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Which lift kit to go with?

My lift choice: The AEV 2.5 inch DualSport XT.  After reading hundreds of forum posts, this lift consistently came out as the one that offered the features closest to my build goals.  This lift is known for its straightforward installation which is basically bolt on with no other modifications required such as exhaust or brake line extention.  It is also known for delivering an over the street ride and handling that many (including the manufacturer) say is better than stock.

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Results after install:  Totally love this lift.  The Jeep handles far better than stock (nose does not dive down and its amazing how level the Jeep stays while going through corners & turns.

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Tire size

This is the one that I struggled with the most as the choice here will significantly impact how the Jeep looks and drives. Keeping my goal in mind of not wanting tires sticking way out past the fender flares, I turned to the forums to view pictures of other builds.   After reading through many a forum post and looking at many pictures of Jeep builds with my specific lift choice, I narrowed the tires down to 3 sizes: 285/70/17 (33 inch tire) , 285/75/17 (34 inch tire) and 35x12.5x17 (35 inch tire).  My tire research included in person research in Corolla, NC where I recently vactioned.  There are alot of nice Jeeps driving on the beach there which provided a great opportunity for me to see different tire sizes on Jeeps in person.

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Results: My personal opinion is that 285/70/17 was a bit too small and that 35/12.5/17 was too big (mainly too wide) for my liking.  My tire size choice: 285/75/17 which I think offers the most balanced look with the AEV 2.5 lift.  I know that this has been debated much in the forums and that many may disagree with my opinion here and that is fine by me.

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Results after install: I feel I have accomplished my goal.  This tire size offers a great balanced look.  This tire sits nicely within the stock wheel well & fender flares. 

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Tire Type:

Lots to consider here and questions to ask yourself such as:

1. your budget?  

2. is this vehicle a daily driver?

3. are you concerned with gas mileage?

4. what kind of off road performance are you expecting?

5. what kind of on road performance are you expecting?

6. Looks

Even though this vehicle is not my daily driver, I orginally started out not wanting a mud terrain tire, but an aggressive all terrain.  After settling on my tire size choice (which admittidly narrows your choices) I had a hard time finding an aggressive looking AT tire in this size.  For example BF Goodrich does not make the AT KO2s in 285/75/17. So, I turned to considering a MT tire again, but compliant road manners were a must here.  I will also mention here that a mud terrain just looks good on a Jeep.  Again after much research online and talking to tire shops and Jeep experts, the Toyo Open Country MT kept coming up as a tire that should be at the top of my list; and that is what I ended up choosing: the Toyo Open Country MT  Hint: these tires are expensive. Do your homework and check prices on the internet.  I was able to save ~$200 by asking a reputable Jeep site to match a price I saw elsewhere; they readily and happily did so.

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Results after install: Now I know why everyone was recommending these tires.  Not only do they look great on the Jeep, they are amazingly smooth and quiet over the road.  If you are considering a mud terrrain tire but have some fear about road manners, definitely choose this one.  Also, a major improvement over the BF Goodrich mud terrains that were on the Jeep previously.

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Will They Rub:

Rubbing refers to the front tires hitting or rubbing against the the suspension components such as sway bar brackets or control arms. Note: Wheel backspacing and offset are factors here, and I suggest consulting the AEV website and looking at the specs for their wheels.  AEV specifically designed their kit and wheels for the Jeep JK and the wheels are designed to minimize tires sticking out beyond the stock fender flares while at the same time allowing proper clearance to run up to a 35 inch tire.  The front plastic air dam may have to be trimmed a bit depending on what size tire you end up choosing.  So, if you are choosing a tire smaller than a 35 inch like I am and as long as you choose a wheel with proper backspacing, you do not have to worry about tire rub. You will not be able to use your stock Jeep rims without also using wheel spacers.  There is much debate about wheel spacers on the internet; everyone that I spoke with advised to stay away from them if possible. I followed that advice and purchased Tuff A.T. wheels (statuswheels.com). The guys at Status Wheel were both very friendly and helpful.  Give them a call, they are great! I saw these wheels on a Jeep on the 4WD beach in Corolla, NC and liked them alot.

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What will the Jeep Look Like When Finished:

All I can say here is to do your research.  I would suggest at a minimum looking through the AEV 2.5 inch lift picture thread which is loaded with extremely valuable advice and pictures to assist you with your build choices.  I would also suggest speaking with some experts such as those at 4WD.com, Quadratech, AEV and your local resources such as tire shops or a business that specializes in Jeep customizations and lift installs. As mentioned above, nothing beats seeing an actual Jeep with in person with your desired tire size and lift combo.