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Ground Clearance vs. Flex

J

jeepster91

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Reading, Pa
I'm just curious at too which one you guys think is more beneficial in offroad situations? Would you go with medium size lift(3-5") and the largest tire size(33-35's) you can fit, with trimming and minimal flex for max ground clearance....or medium size lift with a 31-32" tire so that flex is and articulation are better. What's your opinion and why?
 
what's better - red or blue??

your question is just about unanswerable. terrain, driving style, personal opinion.... too many variables. think about it all, and you can answer it yourself.
 
Personally, I think the egg came first...and I like blue better. That's is why I asked what your opinion and why? I don't expect to get a "correct" answer on this one, just opinions.
 
I would say ground clearance, but thats just because I just beat the crap out of my XJ at paragon last weekend, those rocks dont play nice!! More ground clearance would have saved my tie-roc and front axle from the beating they took!! Flex helped in a few spots, but more ground clearance and less flex would have been a world of diffrence!!

Untitled-34.jpg
 
I would say that armoring the underside is the most important, followed closely by gearing and lockers. :D No matter how big you go, there are always too-big rocks and logs out there for you to find.
I'm running 33s on about 5" and for now have adjusted the bumpstops to keep the tires from tearing up the stock fenders (which I'm keeping cause I like them). When I can afford 4.88s and 35s, I'll then trim the fenders for bushwackers (and push my axle forward a bit more) instead of adding any more lift. But I have fullsize axles filled with 4.10s to accomodate the tires. If the rig in question has stock gears, I would say 31s are the max tire that should be considered. Running a too-big tire is hard on the drivetrain. Throwing on 33s to gain that lousy extra inch over 31s at the cost of burning up the tranny or clutch (or all that cursing at the now "sluggish" engine) just doesn't seem too wise.
Jeep on!
--Pete

ComancheClub.com

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mud- clearance helps

rocks- flex is nice

good rig- balance of both

but what is a good balance? Its like how many licks to the center of a tootsie pop.....the world may never know.

I was wheeling a few weekends ago in the woods. We incountered mud, ditches, logs, off camber, and hill climbs. On 31's I got stuck easier, but flexing over ditches it didnt lift a tire.... on off camber my lower center of gravity was nice, but the soft suspension made it lean easily. 31's didnt effect my crawl ratio and control as much as the bigger tire'd guys. I dont think there was a perfect setup, but 32x10.5's would be a nice add to my xj, except for power lose, and crawl speed.

I dont know... my old yj was well balanced and work great for me.
 
My jeep flexed like crazy with 4" lift and 31's but my axles were like anchors in the mud pitts I went through. Now I have 33's with explorer flares and am in the processing of lifting to 6" and adding 35's so I can have clearance and flex.

My recommendation is always a 4.5 lift with 33's gears and lockers.
Pretty much the happy place for a cherokee: price, flex, ability and onroad manners.
 
RalphXJ said:
I would say ground clearance, but thats just because I just beat the crap out of my XJ at paragon last weekend, those rocks dont play nice!! More ground clearance would have saved my tie-roc and front axle from the beating they took!! Flex helped in a few spots, but more ground clearance and less flex would have been a world of diffrence!!

Untitled-34.jpg
Click to expand...

Lift ain't gonna do nothing for that; you'd need bigger tires.

My motto is lift low trim high. I like stablity.

With trimming you can stuff quite well; balance everything out and you can have the best of both worlds.

Pay attention while wheeling and you can minimize the damage caused.
 
Small lift...big tires.

Flex is overated. Rigs that flex allot are driven by people compansating for something else little. :D

My rig does not flex, I need no such compansation.

Rev
 
Rev Den said:
Small lift...big tires.

Flex is overated. Rigs that flex allot are driven by people compansating for something else little. :D

My rig does not flex, I need no such compansation.

Rev
Click to expand...

Thats what I was thinking, not just lift, but ground clearance!
 
My ideal lift is 5-6" (tops) running 33's. But then again I look around at the terrain too. You start getting top heay and loosing your center of gravity and you might as well put tires or your doors. I'm sitting at about 5" right now on my 31's with lots of trimming and went out this weekend and stayed with guys running 35's and lockers. I use my brakes to help lock up the axles since I run open diffs presently. Lift wise I'm as high as I want to go. Tire size, I will go to 33's next until I regear and eventually go to 35's but I will armor from front to rear first. All the lift won't help if you punch a rock right through your oil pan. Armor makes all the difference to surviving the trail.
 
I had 7.5" of lift 35's and a roofrack my COG was for sheet
now Im runnin 33"s 4.5" lift and when I go to 35's again I will go to 6"

they way I wheel its all about COG

and trim trim trim
 
4" 33s and hellla cut fenders gives me a good mix of both i feel. thinking about going to 35s and trying to chop a little more, but not sure if i can get any more.
my vote is for small lift big tires.
 
I'd agree with T&A and GS.

Keep it low and trim. It's only sheetmetal. :) Our rig is currently running 4.5" and P285s but will take 33 X 12.50 all day. It started life with 3" and the P285s with no issue, we've recently raised it to install the Y-Link kit on it. After a little more fine tuning we intend to lower it back down to 4" to go with the 33s

Bob
 
I'm running about 6" and 35's. Trimming, bump stops, and bushwackers.
 
I'm stock with trimed fenders and 31's and can keep up with the big boys on 4 and 5 (8-10 depending on the scale used by you) rated trails
 
smallest lift possible, biggest tires possible. I have always been a fan of fiberglass fenders to create as much room as possible.


I would say get the flexiest 3.5-4.5" lift you can find and run some 33x12.50's-35's.



and this is my advice: DO NOT LET SOMEONE TELL YOU IT CANT BE DONE.

keep your COG low, get the true "lift/ ground clearance" from the tire height, not from bigger springs.


L.R.
 
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