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getting 33s under my 3.5" xj lift

dirtdogger17

NAXJA Forum User
hey guys,

I know i'll probably get the long arm answer dropped into my lap and i'll be told to "search", but i currently have 3" in the front and about 4" in the rear..hybrid lift with skyjacker lcas..stock uppers..its a daily driver so i dont wanna hack it up too too badly..if i spaced the front to 4.5" or got some coils and kept the current short arm setup, would it be an unbearably harsh ride?..dont wanna do drop brackets for a number of reasons...i figure adjustables and/or drop brackets will cost a good chunk towards a long arm setup... I believe the skyjacker 3" lcas are pretty close to stock length too..geometry nightmare or do-able?

Thanks,

Dirt
 
You're right.....drop brackets, uppers, adjustables will all cost WAY too much towards what will eventually be solid long arms anyway. Sssooooo.....to keep a good ride, keep your 3/4" lift, AND fit 33's......you better start cutting!! It's mega fun once you start.

Pull your flares, cut under 'em, and remount the flares a little higher. Still looks clean and stock, but you get more clearance. Search that one.
 
or get some good wide tires and cut it up and make some flares out of plastic garden or lawn lining. :D he doesnt lie when he says its fun once you start, I am just waiting to finish mine, except I dont have the right tools cause Im a cheap bastard and have to wait to finish mine. I have 3.5 in and 33x12.50s. Definately very do-able, just read up first and then go at it. I ran into a few problems, but nothing a bit of thinkign couldnt fix (although I didnt cut pinch seams, all were already broken or ended up breaking so I had to find a fix, and similar problems) Get out the saw and go at it, definately a feeling you cant get anywhere else ;)
 
Add that spacer and a lift shackle in the back, trim your fenders a little bit and BUMPSTOP accordingly. :)
 
will the ride suck really bad though?..i like listening to cds that don't skip haha..would a set of RE monotubes smooth it out enough to be comfortable and still take a bit of a thrashing on the weekends? :)
 
yeah i would just do the extra lift (spacers and shackles) and dont be afraid to cut a little. just rember that more issues pop up like the trackbar length as well as brakelines. its the setup im runnin right now, full 3 inch springs in the rear with a 2 inch shackle, 3in. coils in the front, 4.5 inch lca's and a rustys adjustable trackbar. with 33's it works really well flex wise, i only added 2 hockey pucks to the front for bumpstoppage and that was more to compensate for the lack of compression stroke in the bilsteins. o yeah and it rides great, even before i put the bilsteins on it.

DSC09145.jpg
 
Yeah dont be too afraid to do a a little cutting, I have about a 2.75" lift in the back of mine with about 3"s in the front and easily fit 33's, but I've cut and bent my rear fenders as far I can and cut my front fenders fairly high.
This pic was before I cut and rolled my rear fenders.

JeepPhotos.jpg
 
They actually have nearly no effect on the airflow, they're not as tall and crowded as it looks in that pic, and dont block airflow enough to make a difference, the top 4 actually sit above the rad so they dont affect anything. I'm actually getting a winch pretty soon which will go in place of the two bottom middle lights.
 
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Lift is a mixed batch that nets about 4-4.5". I cut the front 1.5" and cut/rolled the rear the same. I am running 33x10.5 TSL's with no issues other than a slight touch on the inside wheel well in the back under full flex.
DSC03970.jpg

IMGP0532.jpg
 
dirtdogger17 said:
will the ride suck really bad though?..i like listening to cds that don't skip haha..would a set of RE monotubes smooth it out enough to be comfortable and still take a bit of a thrashing on the weekends? :)

yes.
It is worth every penny to drop the 170 on JKS uppers.
Then when you go Long arm... Sell them..
You are gong to want at least one set of adjustables too. at 4.5in my jeep vibrated like nutz with solid RE arms.
I sold the RE fixed uppers and put JKS on... WORLD of differnce.

Once you do that the ride is fine.

PM muddyGP and ask him about stock uppers with 4.5in lift...he stopped drivng it untill he could get the uppers...
 
Something else to think about is that the actual size of the tire can vary from mfg to mfg, so check out the actual dimensions before you buy. I looked at the expense of fitting BFG 33's on my 2001 XJ and found that even with a 4" lift, I was hard pressed to fit them, so I went with Pro Comp 32 x 11.5's and am very happy with the look and ride - BUT, I will still have to cut metal if I do any serious off-roading.

Also, you need to check on the wheel back space as I saw someone mention in an earlier thread. I went with a 4.5" bs. Suggest keeping offset to zero. Though the tires stick out from under my stock flares a bit, I got back my turning radius from when I mounted 31 x 11.5' on my stock rims.

I do plan to add the Bushwacker cut-out flares when I get some more $$$. - Note to fit late model XJ's you'll need to remove the rear 1/4 panel trim.
 
For a period of about 18 months, I ran at around 4.5" lift with the following:

- Rusty's 3" coils / full leaf pack
- 1.5" coil spacers (this actually leveled it - kept stock shackle in rear)
- TeraFlex adjustable LCA's
- stock uppers
- Rusty's HD trackbar/bracket
- Stock draglink
- V8 ZJ tierod
- 33x12.5" Trxus MT's on 15x8s with 4" BS

trxus1.jpg


Drove it about 450 miles a week like that the entire time. No complaints at all about the ride or steering - in fact I sorta miss DD'ing it. Had decent flex too.

nf2.jpg


Never wore out any bushings prematurely, never had any death wobble. Definitely a great and reasonably economical setup.
 
They're definitely fittable on 3.5" of lift, I have around 2.75" of lift & run 33x10.5 tires, I used to run 33x1.5 TSLs, but sold them a while back. I like my flex, you just have to bumpstop & loose a little uptravel, but that can easily be made up by extending your downtravel a little.

I cut to fit TJ flares since they offered the most clearance & cutting possibilities.

newtires.jpg

STUCK.jpg
 
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