Need Advice on body lift

Hi Guys;

I have a white 97 TJ sport with p225/75R15 tires and it's time for new tires. I'd like to make the jeep look better so I talked with a local guy who lifts Jeeps. He recommended the following options:

Option 1: Get 15 x 8 wheels with 31/10.5 BFG AT tires.

Option 2: Get a 3" body lift and 33 inch tires.

To be honest, I've done little off roading and the Jeep is my daily highway car (it has been for the last 127,000 miles) BUT I really want to give it a new cooler look. I know NOTHING about the pro's and con's of a body lift. Could you guys please answer a couple of questions?

  1. My college age kids want to drive my Jeep and I'm a bit worried that the 3" lift would make the jeep more tipsy by raising the Center of gravity. Is this true and can it be offset by wider tires?

  1. Is there any downside (other than price) for option 2?

  2. Would a 2" body lift be a better compromise - he said he wouldn't recommend it. Basically, he said if you're going to do it might as well do 3".

Thanks for your help! (Any links to pics of two or 3 inch body lifts would be greatly appreciated as well!

Joe

Reply to
joet11
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I wasn't going to respond till I read this. Any one recommending anything much over 1" body lift should have their head examined. It looks bad (IMO) and can be unsafe as it causes more stresses on the body mounts.

I'm not having luck finding pictures, but I'm sure someone will post up soon. n.

Reply to
Nathan Otis

Reply to
L.W.( ßill ) Hughes III

My 97 TJ ran fine with 15x8 rims and 31x10.5 tires with NO body lift. Got

33's now after a 4" suspension lift.

If you want to run 33's, then get a suspension lift, but please don't go over 1" on the body lift. Please.

Dennis

97 Wrangler
Reply to
Dennis Cox
1" body lift is ok, but only if you need the extra clearance. 2" is marginal, radiator mounts, shift linkage, will need some work. IIRC, 2" and A/C are not compatable in an TJ. 3" is a BIG **NO**. It stresses the body mounts, after a while (sooner if you have any sort of accident!), the tub will start bending the mounts and the tub will shift. It usually goes forward but no gurantees.

If you are try> Hi Guys;

Reply to
RoyJ

Did the shop also remind you that changing to taller tires will lower your RPMs? Formula is:

rpm = ( gear_ratio * 336 ) / tire_diameter_inches

For example, assuming you have 3.54 ratio differential gears and an auto transmission, you should be turning about 2070 RPM @ 65 MPH in overdrive (0.75) with your 28" tires. That drops to 1880 RPM for 31" tires and

1760 RPM for 33" tires. Engine starts lugging and drinking gas, you get annoyed because it has no zip.

The cure for bigger tires is replacing differential gears. This can cost big money, perhaps more than you're willing to spend for just 'looks'.

If you have a manual trans, you may be able to live with taller tires by cruising in 4th instead of 5th. Maybe another option to consider is

15x7 rim with 30x9.50 tire.

Steve

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snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net wrote:

Reply to
Steve

I'll echo what everyone else said -- no more than 1" body lift.

Go for a 2" coil spacer lift (about $80, at the most), and a 1" body lift. That's 3" total lift and you can fit 33's under there without a problem -- as long as you don't take it offroad and disconnect your swaybars.

Reply to
Eric

Sometimes, the paint job is uglier than the body lift.

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Steve
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Nathan Otis wrote:

Reply to
Steve

And even then you can wheel it and not worry about the body mounts failing or anything. 2" spacer and 1" body is a good, low dollar way to 33's. You'll rub the tires while flexing offroad but the functionality is there AND you can keep both items when you decide it's time for a real suspension lift. n.

Reply to
Nathan Otis

Oh Man - I obviously didn't know what I didn't know! Thanks a lot everyone for the great advice - looks like you guys helped me avoid a bad situation!

I apologize for the next question because I'm totally new to this but:

If I keep it simple and go with option 1, Steve indicated that my RPMs will drop to 1880 (my TJ is a 6cyl manual 5-speed), is that very noticeable? Would I have to change gear ratios? (Or is that still stupid and I should just go with 30's)

Thanks again everybody!

Joe

Reply to
joet11

Okay, you likely have 3.07 diff ratio. Your AX-15 transmission ratios are: 1st:3.83, 2nd:2.33, 3rd:1.44, 4th:1.00, 5th:0.79, Rev:4.22

So, with 28" tires in 5th at 65mph:

(3.07 * 0.79 * 65 * 336 ) / 28 = 1892 RPM

That's already pretty sluggish, so you'll not use 5th much if you get

31" tires (1700 RPM @ 65mph). Nice thing about a manual though is that you can live with it - just cruise in 4th:

(3.07 * 1.00 * 65 * 336 ) / 31 = 2162 RPM

... which is a nice cruising RPM at that speed with heavier wider tires.

You'll also kiss 5th goodbye with 30"s, so may as well try the 31"s.

Steve

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snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net wrote:

Reply to
Steve

I have created an online resource for anyone new to lifts who is looking to put on bigger wheels that should answer most of your questions.

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Reply to
linux24

linux24 - Thanks for an awesome site. Very informative and I like your writing style!

Joe T

Reply to
joet11

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