Suspension lift for 35's

[moranda]

I have been planning on putting 35's on my jeep for awhile. I just would like to see what other people have done. I am thinking about going with a Rubicon express 4.5" lift because it has the most parts and my old suspension needs to be replaced entirely. With this lift it says max tire size is 33's. Could I squeeze 35's in or could i also add something else to help get the 35's tucked in? I think I would like to keep it SUA. Also I have stock cj wide track axles.

 

[tarry99]

I have been planning on putting 35's on my jeep for awhile. I just would like to see what other people have done. I am thinking about going with a Rubicon express 4.5" lift because it has the most parts and my old suspension needs to be replaced entirely. With this lift it says max tire size is 33's. Could I squeeze 35's in or could i also add something else to help get the 35's tucked in? I think I would like to keep it SUA. Also I have stock cj wide track axles.

4.5" inch lift with wide tracks should not be an issue.........for street and trail ......under full compression a little fender trimming or a body lift may be needed.......33" will fit under narrow tracks with a 3" suspension and 1" body lift no problem......If your buying new wheels for the 35" might considered a different offset or sometimes a narrow wheel spacer will work......Only going to hit if any on the extremes.

 

[the chief]

I took the plunge awhile back. I certainly don't regret it but found out it involved more than I anticipated. I ended up adding a 2" body lift (in addition to the 3.5" I already had), adding 1.5" wheel spacers (I put 13.5x35s) so the tires wouldn't rub my leaf springs when turning tightly, taking the sawzall to every wheel well to some extent, added fold down nerf steps so people could climb into the damn thing and had to change my gearing to 4.88 (35s are tall). Thousands of dollars and many hours of labor later I'm a happy guy.

 

[Torxhead]

I installed a 4" lift, 1" body lift', 1/2" spring shackles, with fender and some body trimming. It still rubbed, so I installed bump stops. Plus 4.10 gears, cv joint, and axle rotation. Now 35s are not worth replacing, so I am going back to 33s.

 

[Petescj]

I bought mine with 4 in springs , 1/2 in lift shackles and 35s. Theres no body lift or trimming. Mines narrow track but it should give you an idea of what your looking at. You can see that I need some trimming of sheet metal on the front fenders as well as open up the rear a bit. You can use Tj flares to accomplish this pretty well or go tube style fenders.

 

[Old Dog]

I have the RE4.5" springs, 1" body lift and half inch shackles with 35's.
I had to trim the wheel wells front and back, and use extended bump stops
to keep from rubbing when off road. On the highway it probably would have been ok.

 

[moranda]

Awesome thanks guys I appreciate all the quick replies. I was also curious of your lift required any sort of drive line modification? I just want to know what i am getting into so i can be prepared when i get around to it.

 

[Hedgehog]

Look at Petescj's picture. Mine was exactly the same. The back of the front wheel and the front of the back are a tiny bit out of the wheel well and there's no getting around that with standard axle spacing. I suppose you can do some cutting, but there isn't much material to cut at the rear. Sure it can be done and done right, but is it really worth the money? For some the answer is yes, for others, even those that have been running 35's is no.

 

[tarry99]

Look at Petescj's picture. Mine was exactly the same. The back of the front wheel and the front of the back are a tiny bit out of the wheel well and there's no getting around that with standard axle spacing. I suppose you can do some cutting, but there isn't much material to cut at the rear. Sure it can be done and done right, but is it really worth the money? For some the answer is yes, for others, even those that have been running 35's is no.

Awesome thanks guys I appreciate all the quick replies. I was also curious of your lift required any sort of drive line modification? I just want to know what i am getting into so i can be prepared when i get around to it.

All Jeeps are not created equal.......your drive line needs will be determined once the lift is installed.....you should first talk to whomever is supplying the lifted springs......most will either supply spring wedges or make suggestions in regard to what may be needed to correct driveline angles.......perhaps even lowering your Transfer Case a little to correct the angle.....or using a different style drive line U-joint. Steering is another issue that needs to be addressed as will as castor in the front axle. Talk to the suppliers.

As far as the reason the axles are out of center as mentioned above has nothing to do with axle spacing......it has to do with the starting location of the axle and the direction that each axle travels under compression......the axle will always move towards the direction where the shackle is located......anywhere from a 1/2"-1.00" inch under compression. A taller tire will automatically reduce the clearance from the starting fixed location.

And as far as 35 inch tires or something smaller or larger go........it's only about how much clearance you are trying to obtain between the axle and ground.......... nothing more! A compromise at best! If you never see yourself off road in a place where ground clearance may be an issue with a 30" tire then perhaps the whole exercise is a waste of time. Folks put 40 " + tires on for a reason and that is to give them ample space between the axle and suspension and the terrain they are driving through..........nothing more.

 

[the chief]

No driveline modification was neccessary for mine

 

[Petescj]

Nice CJ5 . I have to Hijack this thread for a moment. What flares are you running? Id love to run what you have. The have a nice wider stock look , at least on the front.

No driveline modification was neccessary for mine

 

[the chief]

Sorry, I'm rackin' my brain and can't remember where I found the fender flares. I do remember they're 7" and just cover the 13.5 tires even after widening the stance by 3".
They came from a common supplier. Could have been from 4 whl. parts or JC whitney.

 

[BusaDave9]

To avoid going too high I cut my fenders to avoid rubbing. The rear fender well in particular is too small to fit 35's inside it. I know a lot of members would never cut the body like this.

 

[the chief]

Nice CJ5 . I have to Hijack this thread for a moment. What flares are you running? Id love to run what you have. The have a nice wider stock look , at least on the front.

I think the flares are the wide High Rocks. After cutting the wheel openings I remember having to put slices in the flange of the flares which attach to the Jeep in order to bend them to fit my new openings.
Those step/nerfs are High Rock too. They only come for a CJ7 so I made a template and cut both ends to fit my 5. When I hit a rock or snow they suck up and in, (they're tensioned with a bungy inside), just pull them back out and down again later. After raising the Jeep high enough to accommodate the big tires it was a challenge getting in and out. These steps double as a strong nerf bar and are great for no loss of clearance.

 

[the chief]

I have been planning on putting 35's on my jeep for awhile. I just would like to see what other people have done. I am thinking about going with a Rubicon express 4.5" lift because it has the most parts and my old suspension needs to be replaced entirely. With this lift it says max tire size is 33's. Could I squeeze 35's in or could i also add something else to help get the 35's tucked in? I think I would like to keep it SUA. Also I have stock cj wide track axles.

I ended up trimming the wells more than I thought. I finally put my Jeep in a 4' ditch and torqued it out of shape in severe angles. I set the E brake and got out with a marking pen. This saved a lot of time guessing.
I also kept my springs under the axel, just kept lifting it until it worked.
The CJ was definitely not designed for 35s but I'm glad I went through all the steps to make them work. My Jeep is a much more serious crawler now.

 

[tarry99]

I ended up trimming the wells more than I thought. I finally put my Jeep in a 4' ditch and torqued it out of shape in severe angles. I set the E brake and got out with a marking pen. This saved a lot of time guessing.
I also kept my springs under the axel, just kept lifting it until it worked.
The CJ was definitely not designed for 35s but I'm glad I went through all the steps to make them work. My Jeep is a much more serious crawler now.

There will never be enough room in a CJ style body to stuff 35's up under the fenders either front or rear........and especially the rear without some radical cutting.

People looking to improve the travel and articulation on a CJ should concentrate more on droop ( the amount the tire & axle can hang) and work with bump stops to limit upward travel along with some trimming of the sheet metal.

A very capable spring under Jeep with a Low COG can be had with 35"s when you employ these principals.

 

[moranda]

Oh yes very aware that sheet metal will need to be rearranged. One more question the kit i am looking at does not come with shocks does anyone have a suggestion or a preference to a shock or company?

 

[Torxhead]

They way I see it, a modified suspension CJ is quite sensitive on the ride on and off the trail requiring a good shock, which means expensive. I run the Rancho 9000s, but the are a few others that are good also.

 

[tarry99]

Oh yes very aware that sheet metal will need to be rearranged. One more question the kit i am looking at does not come with shocks does anyone have a suggestion or a preference to a shock or company?

The Rancho 9000 as Torx mentioned is a great shock based soley on the fact that it is an adjustable shock with 9 settings.

Most folks tend to "Over Shock" ( to stiff ) the vehicle because that is what the manufactures like to sell...........Once on the vehicle with lifted springs which are already stiff the firm shock makes the Jeep ride like a Tank..........If your not into the cost of a Rancho 9000 and crawling under there to adjust when going from Pavement to Dirt a stock valved shock will do a very nice job controlling the the compression and rebound in most cases.

 

[moranda]

I do like the sound of the adjustable shock. Do you have the remote control for yours torx?