to all daily drivers running 35's, what's your axles/gears/lift?

[XJ_Jeeper01]

Lift: About 6" comprised of RE 3.5" Springs with 1.75" shackle, RE 3.5" XJ Coils(my coil buckets sit 2" higher than stock so it sits level.) RK 3-Link, RE Monotubes.
Axles: Waggy D44 Front with 4.88's, Lockright, and Warn locking hubs. Yota 8" with the E-Locker ad 4.88's.
Tires: 35" BFG AT's.
MPG: About 15. I haven't really checked yet.
I think it rides great at that height and 35's. The AT's make a huge difference and so do the long arms.

-Matt

 

[Bones]

I am really trying to thoroughly see what kind of setups people are running before I do my own build and make "wrong" choices. I have a pretty good idea of what I am looking for now, but I would like anyone with 35's on their daily driven XJ to list their tire size/width/brand, front/rear axle setup, amount of lift (exact brand, etc.), and gearing, along with any comments reg. highway driving, power, and stability on and off road.
Thanks much

Thanks for the posts, but why can't anyone post pics w/ their stats. Pics are GOOD.

'91 XJ: AW4, 4.6L stroker, >250K miles on body and tranny, nothing else stock. It's been a daily driver for me since I bought it at ~80K miles and has been going off road in some form of lift for 150K. It was our primary vehicle until last March when we bought a newer car.

Presently 6.5-7" of lift (RE drop brackets and U/L adj control arms and National springs F&R), 35x12.5's GY MTR's (second set), a set of MTR 33's before them and two sets of 30's before that. Alloy axles and 4.56 gears in a D30 front, D44 rear. Terra disks and a '99 XJ/ZJ MC/booster/prop valve set up, custom over/under steering with high misalignment heims. 13.6 mpg around town, 10-16 mpg highway depending on load, wind and speed, and an occasional 19-20mpg in the mountains. Good power with the stroker around home, did better on 33's in the mountains but can still stay out of the slow lane most of the time as altitude. I Wish I had 4.88's with the 35's.

Big lift and 33's went on in 2000. I'm on my second set of front gears otherwise every driveline (excluding engine) issue has been driver induced. Drives as good as any lifted vehicle I've driven.

Pictures:
Colorado (Loaded for 2 week trip)


New Mexico, Arizona trip (loaded for another two week trip):


Bones :skull1:

 

[53guy]

Lift: About 6" comprised of RE 3.5" Springs with 1.75" shackle, RE 3.5" XJ Coils(my coil buckets sit 2" higher than stock so it sits level.) RK 3-Link, RE Monotubes.
Axles: Waggy D44 Front with 4.88's, Lockright, and Warn locking hubs. Yota 8" with the E-Locker ad 4.88's.
Tires: 35" BFG AT's.
MPG: About 15. I haven't really checked yet.
I think it rides great at that height and 35's. The AT's make a huge difference and so do the long arms.

-Matt

I gotta say, that sure doesn't look like 6"...more like 7 or 8, but it sure looks good!

 

[badron]

Try to get a ride in one with 35s. (IMO) they handle poorly for a street drive. Are hard on steering gear and the cost is out of sight. Wear out way to fast.
Had a set on the CJ it spent very little on the road for many reasons.

 

[Overdriven]

88 XJ
4.0, AW4
'98 D30 Front, 4.56's, lockrite
'87 D44 Rear, 4.56's, detroit
4.5"s lift w/ decent bumpstops and lots of trimming
35' BFG MT's with 8 oz airsoft pellets

drives like a dream, 20 miles to and from every day at 70mph.

 

[53guy]

Try to get a ride in one with 35s. (IMO) they handle poorly for a street drive. Are hard on steering gear and the cost is out of sight. Wear out way to fast.
Had a set on the CJ it spent very little on the road for many reasons.

If they ride like shit, then they aren't set up right. In a rig that is built for 35 or larger tires, I personally don't feel any differance. I've ridden in rigs with 32's that rides worse than mine does. The tires aren't any more expensive than more popular sizes. Often times you can get 35's as cheap if not cheaper than 32's or 33's. Wear on the steering gear box is true, but not any more so than wheeling it or running it around with 33's or something larger than stock. The ware rate will increase as the tire size does, but to many, that's not a concern. I've been running 35's for a few years now without issues. It all depends on the rig.

 

[Bones]

Try to get a ride in one with 35s. (IMO) they handle poorly for a street drive. Are hard on steering gear and the cost is out of sight. Wear out way to fast.
Had a set on the CJ it spent very little on the road for many reasons.

I know it's your opinion, but do you run a XJ on 35's?

CJ's and XJ's are apples and oranges.

Mine handles good on the street. While I will concede that it takes a lot of money to do it right, since 2000 I have been on one set of 33's and two sets of 35's with a XJ that's been to Tellico, Attica (multiple times), Colorado (nearly every year), Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah (multiple times). I live in central MO for point a of origin.

In that time (other than routine maintenance and a driver induced destructive day on Double whammy while on 33's) I have replaced one front ring and pinion do to installation problems (shop got the set up off a bit), one track bar mount (manufacturer defect), two heims, had to upgrade my steering box, and I now need to replace my control arm Johnny Joints. Not bad for over six years of wheeling and daily driving duties on a XJ that has over 250K miles on the odometer.

Proper maintenance goes a long way. Hasta

Bones :skull1:

 

[wishihad1]

35 inch kumho MTs, dana 30 locked, chry 8.25, 3.55. its a dog. doesn't do bad offroad at all, every thing i do is 4-lo anyways. waiting to regear to when i get a dana 44, and lock it

 

[zfinger]

Close, but not 35's

34" Super Swampers
6" Lift
4" Superlift Coils, 2" Daystar spacers
4" S-10 Bastard pack, 2" Daystar Shackles
Bone stock D30/8.25 @ 200,000 Miles
Rustys track bar, lca's and tie rod
K&N Filter
Flowmaster Exhaust

8-10MPG

 

[XJ_Jeeper01]

I gotta say, that sure doesn't look like 6"...more like 7 or 8, but it sure looks good!

Yea, it kinda does..... hmm. Oh well, thanks though! Your rig is awesome as well. I definitely have used your build as an influence. It looks really clean, but mean.
-Matt

 

[cLAYH]

I'd don't DD mine, its a trailer queen but if you do run 35" on a DD plan on putting some money into a steering box brace or frame reinforcment, or even better ram assist. I ripped the steering box right off the frame while driving to a trail head on a gravel road. Things just got looser and looser and when I pulled off the road to check things out suddenly the steering didn't work at all. I broke one steering box bolt and pulled the other two right thru the frame, heads and all. Its amazing how thin that unibody really is!

Would be very bad to happen on a busy highway.

 

[old_man]

35" BFG TA K/O's. Radius Arm D44's full width front and rear. 4.7L Stroker 4.56's

 

[aparke4]

i run my 35's all over atlanta and love it its a jeep not a car and if i wanted great handling and a smooth ride i would drive my sisters A4... i have gotten used to the truck like ride ... i am bumping up to 36's and a 44 up front and still going to DD it its my only ride anyways

 

[razorbackxj]

I ran 35's for a little while , went back to 33's cause I pull a trailer alot. I put 4.56's in mine and with 33's my speedo is about 6 miles per hour fast. With 35's it was real close , maybe 1 mph slow. I loved the way mine looked and drove on 35's and again if this wasn't my DD , I even work out of it, I would still be running them.

 

[MR. XJ]

this is my dd 6.5" lift on 35" d30 and d44 with 4.88, i like it alot.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p292/MR_XJ/offroadbrazosvally3154.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p292/MR_XJ/offroadbrazosvally3211.jpg

 

[XJsurf]

Crap people are getting 15-18 mpg on the highway. That's crazy. Hell I'm running with a
97' XJ
Dana 30 w/ 4:56, ARB Locker
Chry 8.25 w/ 4:56, ARB Locker
RE 4.5" w/ spacers on front coil.
285/75/16 Terra Grapplers

I think I barely get 15 mpg on the highway

 

[goXJ]

hp 30
c 8.25
4.10 w/no slips f&r
4:1 NVG241OR RockTrac
35x12.50x16 SSR
RE 7.5 short arm w/drop bracket
8.5-10.5 mpg (city-hwy)

 

[53guy]

hp 30
c 8.25
4.10 w/no slips f&r
4:1 NVG241OR RockTrac
35x12.50x16 SSR
RE 7.5 short arm w/drop bracket
8.5-10.5 mpg (city-hwy)

Nice! Looking great Greg. Been waiting on you to post up!

 

[Johnnybegood_5]

anyone else on 35s with only 3.5 inchs of lift, i know theres one guy on this site with it anyone else ever try it?

 

[53guy]

anyone else on 35s with only 3.5 inchs of lift, i know theres one guy on this site with it anyone else ever try it?

It can be done and all, but I still think that you need about 4.5-5.5 to get the most benifit from 35's. I run about 7" and I wish it wasn't so tippy. I might go a bit lower, I have plenty of room.