Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I have just brought a 97 wrangler and want to take it off-road. It currently has a 2 inch lift and nothing else, not even a slip yolk. I want to go to 33's (currently on 31) but some people have advised against it saying 31 is the jeeps limit. Is this correct?

I am thinking I will have to do a 2 inch body lift as well for articulation clearance but worried about going to high on a short wheel base as I love hill climbs.

All advise is appreciated.

31's are only the limit if you dont want to spend money.

you can run 33's easy, but will be a dog to drive with out changing gear ratios. it's like a patrol running on 35's with standard ratios. just not fun to drive.

2" suspension and 1" body lift is usually enough for 33's,

but a 3.5" spring lift is perfect for them

what ratio do you suggest. And do i need a slip yoke?

for a manual TJ get 4.56 ratios to go with 33's. perfect set up

and if you plan on wheeling then yes get SYE. The standard output shaft is week and stuffs up even when the car is not lifted. you will have piece of mind after you put it in.

thanks mate, I appreciate the advise. Looks like I have a small project this weekend and Im looking forward to it. Your advise has also saved money as diff locks were my next purchase but I had better change the ratios first.

Can only go 31's!

31's used to be the norm but now most are getting aropund with 33's or bigger!

TEEJAY has 38's on his how much money you have is the limit with jeeps! You will find that out!

4WDJUNKY wrote:thanks mate, I appreciate the advise. Looks like I have a small project this weekend and Im looking forward to it. Your advise has also saved money as diff locks were my next purchase but I had better change the ratios first.

trust us. if you do your ratios then do your lockers at the same time or you will pay twice for labor costs.

this is a no option thing.

stu wrote:

4WDJUNKY wrote:thanks mate, I appreciate the advise. Looks like I have a small project this weekend and Im looking forward to it. Your advise has also saved money as diff locks were my next purchase but I had better change the ratios first.

trust us. if you do your ratios then do your lockers at the same time or you will pay twice for labor costs.

this is a no option thing.

X2

trust us. if you do your ratios then do your lockers at the same time or you will pay twice for labor costs

Also if you are choosing a locker which replaces the carrier (eg ARB, Detroit) then do some research on "carrier breaks" for the D30 and D44. An ARB for a stock TJ (3.07 ratios for manual) is not the same as an ARB for a 4.56 ratio. So as Stu said you may need to save twice as long but you will pay and pay again if you do them separately. If you are just looking at lock-rite, lock-right etc etc lockers then it is not as bad but you still need to buy a new carrier.

YankeeDave wrote: The standard output shaft is week and stuffs up even when the car is not lifted

x2

i destroyed one on a stock as a rock tj with less than 20k on the clock

keep the advise coming guys. I got started on the weekend and the project is getting more ambitious by the day. I have taken it back to standard (just the 2 inch coils lift) and found a cheap body, engine and gearbox lift kit. I will start with that and then do the driveshaft. This way everything except the pumpkins are above the chassis rails. The diff locks/ratios will come when I have saved some more money and taking your advise i will do it at the same time.
Anyone think the body, engine and gearbox lift is a bad idea?

Gearbox lift? Or Transfer case spacers to lower it down?

If you coil lift a TJ 3" or beyond the standard SY / rear drive shaft angle becomes too steep and you get vibes and wear out unis. The 3" is a rule of thumb some wranglers have vibes stock, others at 2" or 3" and beyond.
The common solution is transfer case spacers to actually lower it and reduce the angle and get rid of vibes. Some people do a motor mount lift only or in conjunction with tx spacers. Or adjustable top rear control arms (or all adjustable control arms!) to adjust the pinion angle.

Ultimate fix is SYE and double cardin rear drive shaft...then no spacers required.

If you are actually raising the gear box then is this part of a "belly up" skid plate....else IMHO the low points on a TJ are still low - the pumpkin clearance, the rear fuel tank skid, and the stock transmission crossmember / skid.

If you are fitting 33's soon - I would say go the body lift (I assume 1") but you may find lifting the gearbox introduces vibes. An engine lift should come with a radiator lift or fab something.

Personally, depending on the terrain you drive (esp if rocks), I would maybe invest in a D30 diff guard (eg Snake Racing, Warn etc etc) as the front diff hat is made of alfoil, sliders (I have ARB body mount sliders and there are numerous similar US brands) or decent chassi mounted ones, and front sway bar disconnects (or google for mods to the stock mounts to make them disconnectable)....and maybe a rear fuel skid (I still need to to this). First mod if not done already (or front factory one missing) is front and rear recovery points.

Lifted Jeeps are nice but the alternative is to keep the COG low and lift the front guards and cut the rears to fit 33's.

Have fun!

Edit : just remembered if you like rocks then you can get steering box guards too.

Consequences are only for those who have a timid right foot.

Sounds like you need some 37's!

Anyway some good advice above. The main thing you need to, which you have is determine what size tyre, obviously 33's in this case.

Which means +3" lift, with some adjustment to bumpstops to stop the tyres from hitting the underside of guards. I ran 2"Spring a 1.25"Body with 33's for a while with stock Bumpstops and she rubbed like a bastard with swaybars disconnected

+33's generally means 12.5" wide tyre which will require an 8" rim with 3.75 - 4.5"backspacing (or you can use a 33x10.5R15 on a 7" rim, which limits you to BFG's). Running a 12.5"wide tyre with new 8"rims will have your tyres sticking out about 2.5" from the fenders ie: unroadworthy! To fix this with the monsterous aftermarket world that Jeeps have available, you just dig deep into pocket and buy some 7" flares (standard are 4").

Need to think about how your going top carry a 33"spare tyre, 33 is to heavy for the rear tailgate, causes sag after about a year :-(, and as with any 4by rear bar with tyre carrier = +$1000
A really cool option is to cut your fenders and raise them up a few inches to give you the clearance for bigger tyres without a big lift.

Here is how one bloke went about it.

http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/sho ... fender+cut

With Motormount lifts, great idea to get your sump up a bit higher, also gives better driveline angle in the rear.

My advice for someone going to 33's is just do a Rubicon Express 3.5" Superflex lift kit, SYE, Front Adj Panhard rod, Teraflex rear shock relocators (shocks will hit against the rear spring mounts when lifted), 4.56:1 diff ratios (if manual, 4.11 if 3 speed Auto), 7"flares.

Enjoy.