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Help! 35's on an xj, how much lift??

ZMfx

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Boone, NC
Here's my current setup..'97 xj 4.0L 4.5" of lift full replacement coil and leaf springs. Adjustable trackbar, new lower control arms, brake line extensions, swaybar lowering brackets, 1" trans drop,SYE and CV drive shaft, 15X7 wheels with 32X11.50 Bfg at's

Heres the deal, i want to buy some Procomp 35X12.50's MT's while there still having there buy 3 get one free sale. How much more lift will i need to run these tires???

Heres my plan'd upgrades to fit these new tires on, tell me if this sounds like it will work or if i can cut out any of these upgrades??

New 15X8 wheels already on the way, i've already have bumpstop extensions just need to put them on, sway bar disconnects, ss break lines, new gears around 4.56, Bushwacker cutout flairs, 1.75" rear shackle and front coil spacer kit, new upper control arms, a heavy duty track bar brace,( the one that eleminates the tie rod end connection) drop pitman arm, and a new front bumper pref ABR bull bar.
i've added it all up and it will run around $2500 + tax and shipping

Will i need a new front drive shaft? How bad is breaking and acceleration with 35" tires? and will Bushwacker cuttout flairs work on '97 and newer xj's?

Thanks everyone, any help or pictures would be great!
 
ok, well i've looked at some pic's online of xj's with 35's and it looks like i'll need way more than 6" of lift to run those things, even with fender cutouts.. Still if its all possible let me know! and what else i'd need to do to get up to 35's


thanks
 
Its very possible. I was runnin a RE 5.5 kit with 35" BFG with just a little fender cutting. Go to Jeepin.com and Jason there is running his Jeep with 5.5 cutout and 35" MTR
 
I run an 85XJ w/35x12.50's and Bushwackers with a decent trim and have no problems with about 6" lift. If you are running 4.5", I might think of a poly coil spacer on the front and a set of shackles on the rear if you aren't already running them. Don't go blocks in the rear.

It takes a significant amount of brake force to stop with 35's. I went with the 96XJ dual diaphram booster and a Ford E350 master cylinder and it stops fine.

XJFront.jpg
 
We lowered Dirk's XJ (www.dpgoffroad.com) down to 5" with 35" MT/R's on 15x8's with 3.25" BS. I have the RE 5.5" kit with 37" MT/R's and 15x8" wheels with 3.25" BS. Trimming isn't the only thing to consider. Lengthening bumpstops is very important.

100_0042.jpg

100_0045.jpg
 
I heard you had to have 8" to run 35 without trimming but thats from some a$$ hat at 4WP so you know that a bunch of BS...6in would work fine but you'd need long arms i would think...and a coil spacer cause of the weight of the bumper...thats my 2 cents
 
First of all you will have to trim!! Second, cut enough to put em on with bumpstops, or lift it another inch at the most. Third, enjoy!!!1
 
Trimming is all about how much flex you have/want. You can get a 6" w/ 35's and put the bumpstops so you have 1" of compression and you wont rub :D

NOW, if you want it be performable (is that a word?!), I run a 13" lift w/ 35's (can easily fit 38's) and get a lot of flex and still have to trim, so It all depends on how much flex you want, not really as much a lift.


-Red
 
U dont NEED long arms, i run 10 inches of lift with RE fixed arms and drop bracketry and its fine. Also over the years i have seen the light that cut cut cut is the way to go. Do the exact setup you were saying and you will be just fine. Stopping power i recommend a disc brake conv. wether you are building it or buying it built it makes a hell of a diff. I have not experimented with the f350 MC so i have no opinion on that. Oh and only do the disc conv if that is the axle you plan on keeping.
 
ZMfx said:
1" trans drop,SYE and CV drive shaft,


WHY??? take the drop out. thats what the SYE and CV shaft are for.

ZMfx said:
drop pitman arm

are your steering angles off? i'd install everything and then check it out before i wasted money on a DPA.

ZMfx said:
Will i need a new front drive shaft? How bad is breaking and acceleration with 35" tires? and will Bushwacker cuttout flairs work on '97 and newer xj's?

Thanks everyone, any help or pictures would be great!

front driveshaft - probably OK
braking - rear disks would be nice
acceleration - totally depends on gears, consider 4.88's. they'd be very nice with 35's
bushwackers - they work fine on 97+, you just have to trim the bumper caps



i think 5.5"-6" is about perfect for 35's. its high enough to give good ground clearance and low enough to keep the COG down. with sufficient trimming you can still stuff the tires plenty.

here are a few pics of mine.

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242380_177_full.jpg


242380_287_full.jpg


242380_91_full.jpg


55625374106_0_ALB.jpg


99418374106_0_ALB.jpg


86153094106_0_ALB.jpg
 
Also i would do 4.88's if that 8.25 can do that b/c you'll always say i should have if u go 4.56. Mine rpm's just fine on the highway with the 4.88's and 35's. Redcbr007= 13" of lift, thats sick, got any pics and specs?
 
About the bushwacker cutouts! They will work on a newer Xj. They are only listed to fit up to like 96 or something. The reason is for liability, on the newer models there is a big risk of damaging the washer fluid resevoir inside the left front fender during cutting. I have a set to go on to my '99 and as far as measurements they match up fine. i'm not sure if the resevoir for the washer fluid will need to be relocated or not, but I know that's the reason they don't list the newer styles as an application. Good Luck with it!
 
K_2 said:
They are only listed to fit up to like 96 or something. The reason is for liability, on the newer models there is a big risk of damaging the washer fluid resevoir inside the left front fender during cutting.
I know that's the reason they don't list the newer styles as an application.

you sure about that? liability? that sounds kind of far fetched. i don't think there are any liability issues even if you did cut a hole in your washer bottle.

i was told by bushwacker that the reason they only list to 96 is b/c of the 97+ bumper end caps. they don't fit too swell with the bushwackers on.
 
sarvermr said:
you sure about that? liability? that sounds kind of far fetched. i don't think there are any liability issues even if you did cut a hole in your washer bottle.

i was told by bushwacker that the reason they only list to 96 is b/c of the 97+ bumper end caps. they don't fit too swell with the bushwackers on.

This is what I was told by both my local shop and Quadratec. Now I'm not saying they're the authority or anything, they could be wrong. I'm just saying what I've heard! And yeah it does seem to make sense it's my fault if I cut something up, but i don't have the authority to know for sure. The bumper caps are an issue too, like you said, they nee to me manipulate (so to speak) -- a heck just cut the crap out of it and duck tape it up-- ghetto style JK
 
I've been running 35" tires with about 6" SHORT ARM lift and stock type steering for at least the past 18 months. It's all about trimming and bumpstops. I have a friend I wheel with (well, back when I used to wheel) that runs an RE 5.5" kit with 35" MT/R's and some trimming.

I second the buy some coil spacers and maybe a shackle to get a little more lift and trim where you need to comment. Lower/wider is better and a lot more stable.
 
36's w/ about 3" lift


and yes, it does flex...

and no, there isn't much of the stock wheelwells left (especially in the rear!)

grow a set and start cutting ;)
 
Here’s an update on my progress... it seems the more steps I take the more questions come up~!!

This morning I went and got my Procomp MT 35x12.50's brand new for $560.97 and an ARB bullbar for $664

They guy at the 4x4 place said bushwackers won't fit on a '97 xj.. i knew they only made them for 84-96's but i figured they'd fit. His explanation was that the problem was with the back door, and on 97's the flairs didn’t meet properly?? Sarvermr’s jeep earlier in this thread looks fine to me. Can anyone help me with that? Oh, and Rustys has a larger flair kit, what are the thoughts on that, and will it offer as much clearance as bushwacker? Seccond the 4x4 shop said I’d need a front long arm kit. I was planning on getting one in the future, but not before putting on my 35's.
Does anyone know if I truly need a long arm kit to run 35's or is its necessity simply for better articulation? If I replace my stock upper arms do you think I can run my new tires until I get the money for my long arm kit? What do you guys think?
 
ZMfx said:
Here’s an update on my progress... it seems the more steps I take the more questions come up~!!

This morning I went and got my Procomp MT 35x12.50's brand new for $560.97 and an ARB bullbar for $664

They guy at the 4x4 place said bushwackers won't fit on a '97 xj.. i knew they only made them for 84-96's but i figured they'd fit. His explanation was that the problem was with the back door, and on 97's the flairs didn’t meet properly?? Sarvermr’s jeep earlier in this thread looks fine to me. Can anyone help me with that? Seccond the 4x4 shop said I’d need a front long arm kit. I was planning on getting one in the future, but not before putting on my 35's.
Does anyone know if I truly need a long arm kit to run 35's or is its necessity simply for better articulation? If I replace my stock upper arms do you think I can run my new tires until I get the money for my long arm kit? What do you guys think?


See three posts above for my opinion on the long arm/short arm thing.
 
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