Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

You will need at a minimum a two inch spacer lift sometimes known as a budget lift, this will probebly cause you to need new shocks because your stock shocks will be fully extended or near to it. Since you are using the stock wheels you will need to adjust your turn radius so that your tires do not rub on the frame and front sway bar. Before you do any of this I would check with your dealer as it will most likely void parts of your warranty. You will not get much compression travel at all as the 33's will fill the wheel well quite well. You should be able to use either 10.5 or 12.5 inch wheels but with the 12.5 you will have an even wider turn circle than with the 10.5's
Good Luck,
John

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

What do you guys think about the RE budget boost? Will that fit with 33's or will I need anyhting else? Also will they work on the 7in wheel?

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Any of the 2inch budget kits will work all of them are a polyurethane spacer that sits on top of the spring I use one along with 2inch springs and I get more travel than with any 4inch kits available. Like I said before you will need different shocks I don't know if the RE kit comes with them or not. 33x10.5 will fit on 7inch wheels 33x12.5 will be a hell of a squeeze onto a 7inch wheel if you can get them on I can almost guarranty you'll never blow a bead. With 2inches of lift you should be able to fit 33's but like I said before you will get next to no upward articulation.
John
juffey97tj@yahoo.com

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

2" Spacers are all about the same. Most folks go with a 1" body lift as well if they want 33's. Most of the Rubis I have seen that go this route don't have any vibration problems, and it seems pretty trail worthy. 305/70R16 MTRs will fit on your stock wheels, but rub quite a bit if you keep the stock lower control arms. 285/75s have less of a problem. FYI your Rubicon rims are 16 x 8

Atached is a pic of mine with 305s and a 3.5 inch RE lift, a 2" spacer and 1" body lift would be pretty close to this

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

pardon my ignorance, but what was the intention behind spending the extra $$ on the rubicon if your intention was to add aftermarket modifications? would you not have come out ahead by getting the stripped down version and having more $$ for mods?

and a tire with a 12.5" section width is NEVAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR a good idea on a 7" rim

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

The Rubicon has Dana 44 front and rear and a rock trac transfer case which is 4:1 low gear. The rubicon also sports 4 wheel disc brakes. The Dana 44s have tru Lok air actuated differentials. The rubicon also has cold forged u-Joints on heavy duty driveshafts. The rear drive shaft is slip yoke which improves on the angle. And the list goes on.

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

SkyJacker makes a lift kit just for the Rubicon, Check it out. There are 2 kits available a 2.5" and a 4". There are some modifications involved if you just buy a TJ kit.

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Ok here is the way that it affect the warranty.

If you replace shocks with a non factory spec shock it voids the warranty.

If you modify the suspension it is void.stc....
Adding a lift kit does not void your warranty on the engine or tranny etc.....

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

I put 33's on mine with a 2.25" budget Boost from Rockyroad.com Their kit comes with shock pins which prevent you from having to replace shocks. I also bought their 1" wheel spacers to place my tires out a little to prevent rubbing on the inside of the frame. Without the wheel spacers my right tire would rub on a hard right turn.
I have been off road and I am very pleased with this setup.
I have the 285's MTR's on my original rims.

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Redjeep, the fact that you already own what appears to be two well-built Jeeps, a CJ and a YJ, and now a new TJ Rubicon makes me value your opinion when you say you are very pleased with the setup. I'm thinking hard about getting a Rubi myself. How would you compare the new Rubi to your CJ or YJ in off-roadability? Obviously on-road comparisons are a no brainer.

There are many new Rubi owners out there who will tell me that it is awesome off-road, but many times it is the first 4x4 they have ever owned. Your opinion is more valid.

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Off road I was very pleased. The only problem I ran into was tires rubbing on fender flares. But if you take it easy it should not be a big problem. Also, the skid plate is a little low. I have been watching other Rubi owners to see what skid plate will work out the best to replace it. This should add about 2 inches of clearance in that area.
I have not done any very extreme trails yet such as Helicopter Pad or Guardrail at Tellico, You would probably need a real 4" lift to do those without any problems.

Also, Becareful of the lockers. A lot of dummies out there are using the lockers all the time and have even found a way to bypass the low 4wd mode and to use the front locker at any 4 wd position at any speed. DO NOT DO THIS. You will break the front axles. They are designed to only be used if you are totally stuck. I ran Tellico all day in rain and mud back in April and did not engage the front locker at all and the rear only twice. The Rubicon handled great. It definitely is a lot smoother than the CJ or older Wrangler.\

Of course on the road it drives better. I drive mine everyday.

The reason I did the Budget Boost Lift was because I did not want to change the suspension out. It had nothing to do with warranty. I worked at a Jeep dealership the last 16 years. As long as the Jeep is not totally abused, my service dept will cover lifted Jeeps.

Also, I plan to keep this Jeep a long time and when my son starts driving I did not want it to be lifted too high for him.
Hope this helps.

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Redsanddog, (Sorry a bunch of questions), did you need wheel spacers and did you also need new shocks for that kit? If so what type of shocks did you get? Did you go with the 285's or 305's? Do you have a problem with your 33in spare not fitting now?
Thanks,
Chris

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Let's see. No I didn't do spacers, but I did give up a little turning radius. I went with 305s, and I rubbed a LOT on the stock control arms, just a little on the RE arms. Doetsche (sp) Tech 3000 shocks, and I like 'em. Spare didn't fit. Could have gotten a bracket to make it fit, but running the trails in AZ there are a lot of rocks, canyons, ledges etc, (as in really bumpy) TJs seem to break the tail gate hinges when putting on big tires on the stock spare carrier, so I got a Bestop tire carrier, like it. I also wound up putting in adjustable UCAs and a Tom Woods drive shaft. Made a big difference in vibes. The RE kit runs a little high (so far) but I ran it last night on a Lunar Eclipse Run in the desert that our club did and I have to say it was very nice. For the cost you could almost as easily got to a 4.5 kit and 35s, but the 4.5 has a little harsher ride, and the 35s (IMHO) are more than I want for freeway riding (too much angular momentum and too much sidewall for my taste when avoiding idiot Phoenix drivers at 80 mph in rush hour).

Over all very pleased with what I have.

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Jeeper99xj, is running 32" sx on his 97 TJ w/ a used 2inch coil spacer lift, and has plenty of room. But that's beside the point now since he destroyed his Jeep. But the 2" coil spacer should work fine on the rubicon. And the rims are 8" wide so you should be okay on 12.5" Lets see some pics when you get this done.

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Hey Redsanddog, I'm thinking about doing the exact same lft you have done. With the 3.5 superflex what else will I need? I saw you bought a driveshaft, is it necessary? Did you use wheel spacers? Do you like the shocks you have better then Old Man Emu? What was the exact tire size you used? Do you have any complaints?
Thanks for all the help,
Chris

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

The driveshaft was necessary for me, I had vibes with the T/C up, and plan on putting in a flat skid kit once everyone has their designs figured out. Plus, I flex out the suspension to the max, I don't want to bind up the DS on some rocks out in the desert and shoot a universal joint into the night. The 3.5 SF kit is really tall in back (I am about 4.5 over stock with a 33" tire, highlift jack and full tank of gas in back). Not everyone needs a DS to take care of the vibes from what I hear on the 'net, but everyone I run with here has gone with a new DS with the RE kits.

No spacers, 305/70R16 MTRs. A new spare tire carrier is required, those pups are hefty and crack stock TJ hinges.

The Doestche Tech 3000s seem nice so far, very good on the trail, good on the highway, a little rough at 35 mph on beat up Phoenix city streets. Can't complain for the price.

GO D'BACKS!!! WOOOHOO! HOMER BABY!!! Sorry, got the Diamondbacks game on. anyway.

Don't have any experience with OME shocks, don't know anyone running them. DT 3000 or RS9000s around here.

Complaints? Still have a little pulsing vibe at 58 to 62 mph, not bad but I feel it. Smooth at 70. I could have gotten into a bigger setup for the money, but I am driving circles around most rigs on the trail. I like the lower center of gravity vs a 4.5 kit and 35s. Plus, dates have enough trouble gettin into the rig as it is (gotta love summer dresses), but nothing a milk create step can't handle. Nah, no complaints, I can dial it in from here. The trail perrformance is really quite fantastic.

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Redsanddog, Did you need a T-case lowering kit? Where did you get the cv driveshaft? How much do you think the total cost was? Last one, how bad is the rubbing?
Thanks for all the help,
Chris

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

I tried the t-case lowering kit, but it didn't take care of the vibes, and the Rubi T/C skid really doesn't need to any closer to the rocks around (IMHO), so I took it out and went with th CV DS.

Tom Woods drive shaft. They have the best set up right now. Its is an easy bolt on, and if it ever breaks, you can put the factrory unit in as a spare to get ya home.

Total cost. Boy I have trying real hard not to look a that.

Tires (305/70R16 MTRS) where $1100 installed minus $450 that igot for the factory tires.

RE 3.5 SuperFlex lift was $780 w/shocks.
I ended up getting the adjustable front track bar for $150 I think.
Adjustable upper rear control arms where $210 and the Tom Woods drive shaft was $385 including shipping.
So that what $1525 (yikes), plus an alignment. I did all the work myself except for the alignment.

For another $150 or $200 you could easily be in a 4.5 kit with 35s, if that is the way you want to go.

Rubbing is minimal with the RE lower arms, I really notice it, usually only on the trail.

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Thanks again Redsanddog, I'm ordering my kit today and am going to copy your setup. I have one last question before I start, Do I need adjustable front track bar and the
adjustable upper rear control arms? If I do doesn't the 4.5 kit come with these and would it be better to just go with that then?
Thanks,
Chris

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

If I had top do it over again, I would have ordered the 4.5 kit and subbed in the 3.5 springs (pretty common to do). I am not sure what kind of wheelin you do out east there (mud and woods I am guessing), but low center of gravity is important to me for running some of the way off camber stuff that is required around here. I keep pointing that out because the way I set this up is very specific for things like Moab and some other extreme trails here, many prefer the 4.5 kit and bigger tires in other parts of the country.

Good luck, man. you are gonna love they way the RE kit makes you Rubi into a trail monster.

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Hey Redsanddog, just wanted to thank you for all your help. I ordered my 3.5 superflex kit today. I also ordered adjustible traction bar. The guys I oredered from say they rarely have vibrations with this kit on a Rubicon so I decided to wait before buying the driveshaft. I also ordered the Goodyear MTR 305/70/16's. Now I just have to figure out how to get the dammn spare on without paying all that money for the whole new bumper and carrier. Do your tires still fit under your flares?
Thanks again,
Chris

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Huh, guess I was one of the lucky ones to have vibes. Oh well.

Yes tires fit nicely under the flares, even when fully flexed out.

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Redsanddog, did you need the shock relocation brackets? I've been hearing of some people needing these.
Thanks again,
Chris

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Not sure yet. I did go after the spring tub that sits on the axle with my grinder pretty good, and had to flip my shock so the can is up. If you wind up have to go the CV driveshaft route and adjustable UCAs I would plan on putting in relocators will you are doing it. I am going to pull everything apart this weekend and see how my shocks clearing

 

Re: 33\'s on a Rubicon????????

Hi RedSanddog

question why did you chose to go with the RE kit ?
Is this the kit that is 1200.00.
I am looking at the rock ready double flex that skyjacker offers.
I also have seen where they are now making a kit specifically for the Rubicon.

You always hear of people saying this is the best or that is the best and say that something is not any good with out ever owned but 1 kit or their lift kit has the coolest logo you know what I mean. It is kind of like 15 grand and 15 miles don't make ya a harley rider..
This is why I am asking you because you actually have a lift on the Rubi Is the lift kit any different being for a TJ or have they made it for the DANA 44.

I had put a stage 2 lift 3" on my 4wd RAM and it was awesome and you hardly ever hear good things about PRO -COMP

So I guess what I am getting at is I want to buy a kit but I do Not want any regrets or I want to get the best kit for my money.

I am going to go with 33's 0r 35s

The 245s are nice but just don't cut it on the trails.