Before some of you start ragging on me about using search because "this topic has been beat to death" let me just say that I have tried quite a few already and came up with nothing. If you know where this has been talked about previously, please just simply post the link to the thread.
Anyways, I'm going to be interested in running 38s on my new rig when I get it, but I'm not all that crazy about using a body lift, a shackle lift, or fender trimming. Going SOA, while by far the most difficult mod of the bunch, is the only option I would willingly choose. If I went SOA with 2.5" lift springs I think I could clear them, right? I guess I could always have National make a set that I could use as SUA and still run 38s with no mods (not sure though). But I was just wondering what your thoughts on this were. This will be on a YJ with a I6 and a winch.

Blake
93 YJ/33x12.50s/3" Heckethorn suspension/1.25" shackles

With the soa and 2.5 springs, you are still going to have to trim fenders, What do you want to use this jeep for?

There's an off-road club at the University of Texas that I will probably join when I go there next year. I'm not sure what kind of terrain they encounter though. It will also be my daily driver. To make it simple, let's just say it will be a 75% street Jeep and a 25% moderate off-road Jeep. But PLEASE let's keep the personal opinions out of this as far as "street Jeeps don't need big tires." I don't care what kind of Jeep it is, street or off-road, the bigger the tires, the cooler it looks, the more I like it. Period. Right now I would just like to stick with the question, how much lift (and what kind) to fir the 38s.

(Hoehand, this isn't directed at you at all. You answered my question just how I wanted it answered. I just wanted to post this other stuff before somebody started a war with me about how I was wasting a good off-road Jeep. Thanks again.)

Blake
93 YJ/33x12.50s/3" Heckethorn suspension/1.25" shackles

I think the only way to get 38s on a YJ would be a SOA, unless you had a company make some really big arches springs, but i'm sure it would ride like crap if you did that. My opinion, although you probably don't want to hear it would be a SOA and some good firm shocks in the front. SOA drives better than most SUA if it is done right.

JT

97 TJ Daily Driver
4.0 5spd 32X11.5 BFG MT KMs with 2.5" of lift.
87 YJ
Soon to be trail worthy

I'll second that. I don't feel there's any real way to stick 38" tall tires on a Jeep SUA. Plus, what the hell would be the point?! If you had springs that were arched that tall, it'd ride like crap and wouldn't flex more than a stock YJ. But that could just be me. Go SOA. It's not that hard, and rides like stock!!!

if you are going to be a longhorn, I would recommend a 1997 or older full size Chevrolet extended cab Z71. Make sure it doesn't have the third door.

it rains all the time, a convertible is not a real option.i'm not kidding. mold city!!

most of that area is real flat, rolling hills. there are a lot of real steep rain gullies that people like to climb, the long wheel base would probably be better. that and MUD bog. and a big old 350 is just the ticket for all that mud.

you should probably get a maroon one with a Texas A&M sticker in the window.


1989 jeep YJ,4.2L,5spd
room a zoom zoom!!!!!!!!
http://hometown.aol.com/gouldvolts/jeep/jeep.html

I'm not gonna warn you about "wasting" a good off-road Jeep; I'm gonna warn you about the cost and implications of what you are trying to do. A "been there, done that" kinda deal. You are getting ready to make the exact same mistake I made at your exact same age. I'm a 19 now and a sophomore in college. I had a '88 4x4 Toyota pick-up through out HS. During the summer between my jr and sr years, I came into some $ and bought a '80 CJ-7 with a 4" Superlift, 1" body lift, trimmed fenders, front D30 with a Lockright, rear model 20 with a Lockright, dual stick D300, modified Chevy 350, TH350 auto, 35x12.50 BFG MTs, and the list goes on and on. I wanted to keep this Jeep until I got out of college and then go nuts with it and keep my Toy to drive in the mean time. Anyway, I blew the front axle up wheeling it and instead of taking my Dad's advice and shortening a Wagoneer or Scout D44 and just replacing the front axle, I decided to go nuts with it right then. I budgeted myself to $2500. I went SOA with the 4" leaves with the 2cd leaf removed and a stock leaf used in its place (made soft 2.5" springs) and front and rear Scout D44s (detroit rear, lockright front). Anyway, by the time I was done, I had spent about $4100 and broken my wallet. Then, the driveshaft blew and I had to go to a CV joint (there's another coupla hundred $). Then the shifting cable went ($50), then the valve cover gaskets ($20). Then I bent my tie rod (coupla hundred for a custom). My point is, when doing such extreme modifications to a Jeep, you run into costs you never see coming. Always have twice as much as you think you'll need when starting something like this. I assume you also have stock axles? These will never hold up to 38's and you'll need a D60 rear and at least a D44 front. I dunno if the transmission or transfer case is up to the task either, you'll have to ask some YJ guys. You'll need to regear to probably 5.13 or so and probably still need to do engine upgrades to have the power to turn those meats properly on and off the road. You'll need a slip yoke eliminator and CV driveshaft (probably close to $1000). Then, when you get done with all of this, you'll still have those insurance bills, upkeep of the vehicle (which will have increased many times fold), gas money (whill also will have increaded many times fold), and so on. I just want to warn you of the money you'd have to spend to make this happen and what you'd continue to spend to keep it on the road. I don't even know if it would be street legal; it would be in NC, but I don't know about all of the states. If I were you, I'd leave the Jeep the height you have it and use the money to add a rear locker and winch. Trust me, most of these college guys are broke and will not have near the off-road vehicle that you have now and the ones that have better ones are just for show and are too p#ssy to even take them off-road. Eventually, I ended up rolling my Toyota on a patch of black ice, the insurance company was gonna give me like $3500 for totalling it and my rates were gonna sky rocket. So, what I had to do was sell it to a salvage yard for $1200 and take the beating to the wallet to keep my rates from rocketing (I wouldn't have been able to afford them in college). Well, guess what that situation forced me to do? Yup, sell the CJ. I found out very quickly that it just wasn't economically feasible to pay the upkeep on a vehicle like that when it's used for everyday transportation. Due to the money I'd put into it I was broke save for the $1200 I got out of the Toy; so, I had no choice. I sold it, even then still unfinished, for $5500. You can ask anyone, you never see the money back out of these vehicles in a resale if you're forced to do so. So, what I suggest to you, is that you keep the Jeep pretty much the way it is except for the mods I suggested and maybe a few other affordable mods. I wished I woulda listened to my Dad, if I had, I would probably still have my CJ today. Although, in the end I did end up finding a KILLER deal on a '97 4 banger TJ that a guy HAD to sale to afford tuition. I added 15x8 wheels and 31" MTs to it and that's all I've done so far. This summer I'm gonna add a 2" coil spacer lift, 32's and a few minor intake/exhaust mods and then, I'm gonna wait until I'm out of college and have the time and money to build extreme. So, don't do like me and learn the hard way, just build yourself a nice, moderately built Jeep that can still handle the highway (which you'd have) and save the extreme build-up for after college when you have the time and money. But, I didn't listen to my Dad so I sure as hell don't expect you to listen to me. Just do me a favor and take what I have said into consideration.

P.S.
If you decide to go through with the build-up, print this out and keep it so you can see that I tried to tell ya.

ah, sweet, I see it already has a winch
that'll leave $ for the lockers

and I see now that you're just getting it! Learn to drive and operate it the way it is, I promise you that you'll be AMAZED and what this vehicle will do right now. My Toyota and now the TJ constantly amaze me more with what they do that the CJ ever did. With an extremely built vehicle you EXPECT yourself to be able to do some extreme stuff; when you do some pretty tough stuff in a near stock or more moderate vehicle, not only do you impress yourself more, but you LEARN alot more about driving off-road.

i would think my 4.5" susp and the 1" body along with MASSIVE fender cutting will fit 38's and look like this guys i wheeled with on upper woodpecker.

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Hey, thanks for all the posts. Yeah, I would have to agree with you guys that if I wanted to run 38s SOA would be better. I just wasn't really thinking clearly when I thought that an SUA lift would work. I mean, I know it could, but I forgot about how rough the ride would be. And if you say 2.5"/SOA will require fender trimming, I think I'll just get at least 4" springs because I suspect much of it will sag (winch, security trunk in rear, hard top). By the way, the hard top will have to be as close as I get to a closed cabin vehicle. I know that 38s and an SOA will require many subsequent mods that will undoubtedly be quite expensive, but so be it. We're not going to last on this earth forever, so if you've got the funds, I'd say just go and do whatever makes you happy. My current problem is that I don't have any funds. [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] Therefore I think east_beast is correct on telling me to wait a little until I get out of college and into life before I start going all out. Because I know how Jeeps just magically seem to constantly suck up money. Guess I'll just have to see what happens. Anyways, thanks again for the advice.

Blake
93 YJ/33x12.50s/3" Heckethorn suspension/1.25" shackles