Advice lifting Wrangler Sahara?

Hi, I'm Jamie and I'm new to this forum. I'm not good with technology, so I'm probably doing this wrong.

I have a 2015 unlimited Sahara. Now that it is out of the warranty, I'm looking to lift it. I don't know enough about this and am seeking advice.

My mechanic says I should do no more than a 3 1/2 inch lift...no more because I use this jeep as my daily vehicle. He also recommended I go with 33's. I mentioned I wanted 35's, but I don't remember why he was pushing the 33's.

Are there more modifications and expenses if I go with 35's as opposed to 33's?

Looking forward to learning more about this.

 

I mostly agree with your mechanic, if it's a daily driver and you want to maintain stock road manners a smaller lift with smaller tires would be best.

I disagree on the 33s, you can have 35s and run pretty smoothly, it's more dependent on the lift you get. Anything over about 3-3.5 you have to start correcting geometry. I would look at old man emu or AEV lifts for retaining good manners.

 

Welcome! Nice looking naked JKU! A 2.5 lift and 33s make a nice starting point. Progression towards 3.5 lift + 35s or bigger tends to happen for some jeepers depending on how they plan to use the Jeep or its capabilities. Some cons are expense, contact at max articulation, re-gearing, mpg etc. If you're doing it for looks then all the power to ya.

 

Bob, she LOVES riding in the naked jeep. I edited my post adding a pic.

 

I guess I'm more of a poser...I am doing it for the look. I don't go off roading...yet anyway. She's naked allllll summer; thankfully I have a car to drive in the rain or when going somewhere I feel things might be stolen.

My desire is a 3 1/2 inch lift with 35's. Would that require re-gearing etc? I want to do things properly and safely. I have $5,000 put aside at this point. If I need to put it off a little longer to save more, I will do so.

 

Re-gearing is totally optional depending on what stock gears you have and your honest expectations as DD or whom you jeep with. As a DD the 35s will look awesome but you will initially need to invest in a programmer as your AT shift points will be incorrect affecting overall performance.

 

Thank you so much for your help! I will look into a programmer as well now.

 

Welcome to the forum Jamie. Naked JKU looks awesome. Did you pick out Bob's drivin glasses. Or did he. Lol. I can add my 2 cents. But you already got some great advice from a few very knowledgeable, although questionable, members.

Just for comparison. I have a 2 inch lift with 33s. Aletani, another new member with a really nice JK. Has a 2 1/ 2 lift with 35s. You can do a 3 inch lift with the 35s. And, as mentioned. You should recalibrate your tranny. .

 

I love her build. The stance, the look. Awesome. I I'd go with her build.

 

If you get flat fenders you can run 35s on a stock chassis. I feel that 35s look best on a 2.5 inch lift. You might have to trim your stock fenders a little if you're going to wheel it hard or get some flat fenders. 35s are streetable without regearing, but you will feel sluggish. A programmer designed just for correcting speedometer for tires and gears is less than $200. Teraflex makes my favorite lift kit.

 

I am looking to do a similar upgrade on my 2013 JKU Sport. I am leaning towards the Teraflex 2.5” with Rancho 9000 shocks. This lift seems to be pretty popular and most of the comments on it from those who have installed it are very positive. Having a sport my gears are 3.21’s so I need to re-gear. Not sure what gearing you have but I have a coworker who has a Rubi with 35’s an automatic with 3.73 and is very happy with the performance. Someone gave me a chart that is pretty handy for gears related to rpms. The chart is calculated at 70 miles per hour.

 

I'm not criticizing the chart. I've seen several. And they all to be some what different. At 65 or 70 mph. They vary by 50 to 75 rpms. Not a big deal.

This is my experience. I have a 2 inch lift. I'm running 33s. I have a Sport also with 3.21s. I didn't regear. I picked up a Superchip reprogrammer, and reprogrammed the tranny shifting points for the tire size. From everything I've seen and read. I can go up to 35s without regearing. And so far...so good.

As of now with my 33s. I love it. Getting almost 21 mpgs. Quick response, from either a stop light, or passing on the Highway. I have no complaints. Not sluggish in any way. My biggest suggestion. Find out what your tires actually measure. And get as close as you can with your reprogrammer. My tires measure 32.60. Superchip...3.50. I found my Jeeps sweet spot. .. And you can find yours.