JKU Sport build advice

N

newblood

New member
Howdy JK owners!

I’ve had my JK Unlimited Sport for about three years now and I’ve finally saved up some scratch for a serious upgrade!

Having made a rather pathetic attempt at Hollister Hills SVRA I decided the first thing I wanted to do was wheels and tires, and I understood those would necessitate a lift.

I don’t drive my Jeep often since I mostly walk to and from work. It’s a 2011 and has 8k miles on it. After a lot of going around and around, I had settled on a pair of flat black Pro Comp wheels and either 35” ProComp MT/2s. I was expecting to only need a spacer lift. Something like 2”-2.5”.

Then I had stopped into the local truck store. I was told not to get 35s without a re-gear. I found myself settling for 33” ProComp ATs, something about a chip coder being added, and a Rubicon Express lift.

I asked for my friends’ opinions and started searching around online. One friend suggested I just cut my losses and get out of the Jeep. (Never!) Another also said stick with 33s. Another said I’ll need a body lift and short arm suspension. Another said do the re-gear and upgrade my lockers(what? Do I need those?)

I’m fairly overwhelmed at this point. Yes my Wrangler is my daily driver, but I really don’t drive it all that often. Mostly its for errands on the weekend and for fun! So I would imagine 35” tires wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

I’d eventually like to have something I could take to Hollister Hills, Oceano Dunes, and one day the Rubicon. So I know my little Sport has quite the build list ahead of it! Wheels, tires, short arm suspension, bumpers, lockers(I think?), gears. yikes.

I was hoping to make these upgrades in smaller, more affordable steps; not in two or three expensive ones! Now I'm having second thoughts about getting a Sport.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!
 
jeeeep

jeeeep

Hooked
newblood said:
Howdy JK owners!

I’ve had my JK Unlimited Sport for about three years now and I’ve finally saved up some scratch for a serious upgrade!

Having made a rather pathetic attempt at Hollister Hills SVRA I decided the first thing I wanted to do was wheels and tires, and I understood those would necessitate a lift.

I don’t drive my Jeep often since I mostly walk to and from work. It’s a 2011 and has 8k miles on it. After a lot of going around and around, I had settled on a pair of flat black Pro Comp wheels and either 35” ProComp MT/2s. I was expecting to only need a spacer lift. Something like 2”-2.5”.

Then I had stopped into the local truck store. I was told not to get 35s without a re-gear. I found myself settling for 33” ProComp ATs, something about a chip coder being added, and a Rubicon Express lift.

I asked for my friends’ opinions and started searching around online. One friend suggested I just cut my losses and get out of the Jeep. (Never!) Another also said stick with 33s. Another said I’ll need a body lift and short arm suspension. Another said do the re-gear and upgrade my lockers(what? Do I need those?)

I’m fairly overwhelmed at this point. Yes my Wrangler is my daily driver, but I really don’t drive it all that often. Mostly its for errands on the weekend and for fun! So I would imagine 35” tires wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

I’d eventually like to have something I could take to Hollister Hills, Oceano Dunes, and one day the Rubicon. So I know my little Sport has quite the build list ahead of it! Wheels, tires, short arm suspension, bumpers, lockers(I think?), gears. yikes.

I was hoping to make these upgrades in smaller, more affordable steps; not in two or three expensive ones! Now I'm having second thoughts about getting a Sport.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

auto, manual? and hindsight, If you do plan to wheel your Jeep you probably would've been better off with a Rubicon, IMO too many guys are under the illusion it's so easy and cheap to upgrade everything on a JK Sport and that all stock components are junk. if you have deep pockets and compete off-road for a living then I would say it's true but you wouldn't necessarily be looking to take a brand new Jeep and gut it. The additional items you get on a Rubicon cannot be had after market for less than or equal to the price difference between it and a sport.

Do you know what diff gears you have in your rig now? the D30 in front will need gussets, I wouldn't spend any more money on it aside from a regear once you decide what size tire you really want. Keep in mind the D30 R&P is smaller than the D44. IMO I wouldn't go taller (numerically higher) than 4.88 - the pinion gets thinner and becomes a weak point

While tires help provide traction and a little more clearance, it's not so much the tires that will get you over more obstacles like lockers and a lower range transfer case will. With lockers the wheel on the ground always has full power unlike the limited slip that provides some power. The Rubi transfer case ratio is great for crawling when the differentials are locked up. you may want to consider investing in a least a rear locker, the D30 with it's smaller ring and pinion isn't really worth the locker upgrade investment.

If you have an automatic, a tuner will be needed to set the shift points for the new tire size - if you don't do this you increase the possibility of early transmission failure. It also calibrates your speedo and can provide other options depending on the tuner you choose.

IMO I wouldn't recommend a body lift, the lower you can keep your center of gravity the better. A body lift does nothing for ground clearance - just a makeshift way to get taller tire clearance but a fender trim and proper suspension is the better way to go.

If you go with a taller suspension and 35's you will need at minimum front lower adjustable control to adjust the front caster angle and rear upper adjustable arms to adjust pinion angle, possibly a front drive shaft, and an adjustable trackbar - again, it all depends on how much lift you decide on.

Here's the order I did mine in - in changing the suspension you can hardly change one thing without it affecting another:

Full 3.5" suspension, 35" tires and tuner - I already had 4.10's with my Rubi so I know I would be ok to run 35's without a regear - it was sluggish off the line as a DD but did fine on the trail. tuner for trans shift points and other changes
Rock sliders - more clearance = more confidence = more challenging obstacles = protect the sides as much as possible
regear - 4.88's
front driveshaft - I got almost a full year of use from my stock shaft before it failed - the boot got ripped off pretty fast but it lasted pretty long time anyway, rear DS still fine
I've got more goodies to install but the initial build list was based on how I planned to use it

I think the key phrase I picked up from your post - "I found myself settling..." stop and think about the type of wheeling you will be doing and how often - don't be tempted to settle, it's better to save a little extra and get what you want, it's always cheaper in the long run.

welcome to the Jeep family! :beer:
 
MR.Ty

MR.Ty

Token East Coast Guy
^^^ I agree with the advice of a rubicon because you said it is just a weekend warrior. If you look up gearing chart you will find all of the info you need about regearing for bigger tires. And as ready stated, body lifts are not needed. Cut fenders with a lift will most of the time fit the next tire size up.

2014 JKUR
 
sean.m.adams33

sean.m.adams33

New member
If you're not going to do anymore driving than what you say, you should be fine without regearing. 35's will also be plenty!
 
KingCopperhead

KingCopperhead

New member
I'll pass along the advice that I've been given by friends in the past and it's served me well:

Take it out wheeling and see what you NEED.

Did you not have enough ground clearance or flex to clear a certain obstacle or complete a run? Would a lift or larger tires (or both) have helped the situation?
Did you find yourself in spots where you didn't have enough traction? You might want lockers, better tires.
Are you playing in rocks or near trees? You might want some armor/skids
^^These are just examples of things that people commonly upgrade, you might not need any of these things^^
There's so many options with these jeeps, and if your budget allows it, the sky is the limit. Most of us don't have unlimited budgets, so next time you're out try to take note of what is keeping you from doing what you want to do. Once you decide what you need, then you can work on which lift, which tires, which lockers or axles or gear ratios, and there's a ton of good info here.

I'm in a similar situation as you are. Just bought a new JK and figuring out my upgrade path.

Best of luck to ya, definitely throw out the specifics of your rig on the forums so we can all help guide you to make a more informed decision.
 
Panda

Panda

New member
newblood said:
Howdy JK owners!

I’ve had my JK Unlimited Sport for about three years now and I’ve finally saved up some scratch for a serious upgrade!

Having made a rather pathetic attempt at Hollister Hills SVRA I decided the first thing I wanted to do was wheels and tires, and I understood those would necessitate a lift.

I don’t drive my Jeep often since I mostly walk to and from work. It’s a 2011 and has 8k miles on it. After a lot of going around and around, I had settled on a pair of flat black Pro Comp wheels and either 35” ProComp MT/2s. I was expecting to only need a spacer lift. Something like 2”-2.5”.

Then I had stopped into the local truck store. I was told not to get 35s without a re-gear. I found myself settling for 33” ProComp ATs, something about a chip coder being added, and a Rubicon Express lift.

I asked for my friends’ opinions and started searching around online. One friend suggested I just cut my losses and get out of the Jeep. (Never!) Another also said stick with 33s. Another said I’ll need a body lift and short arm suspension. Another said do the re-gear and upgrade my lockers(what? Do I need those?)

I’m fairly overwhelmed at this point. Yes my Wrangler is my daily driver, but I really don’t drive it all that often. Mostly its for errands on the weekend and for fun! So I would imagine 35” tires wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

I’d eventually like to have something I could take to Hollister Hills, Oceano Dunes, and one day the Rubicon. So I know my little Sport has quite the build list ahead of it! Wheels, tires, short arm suspension, bumpers, lockers(I think?), gears. yikes.

I was hoping to make these upgrades in smaller, more affordable steps; not in two or three expensive ones! Now I'm having second thoughts about getting a Sport.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

I think I know what "truck store" you've gotten advice from I've wasted my money there also.. Don't let them sell you what they make more $ on, first off you will not be happy with 33's in the long run and if you wana do the rubicon someday you'll really wana be on 35's at least on a 4dr, take the advice of the posts above you can run 35's on 2.5 lift with trimmed fenders & trimmed pinch seams but you'll want to regear & get a programmer for your sport especially with an auto trans, your drive shaft will last a little while you can do that down the road, for the rubicon & similar places you'll want rock rails & oil pan/transmission skid plates, also I must tell you the rubicon express lift is a very harsh ride on the road I have one & wish I would've chosen differently so be patient & save $ to be happy in the long run! Good luck sir and hit me up if you need help trimming fenders :thumb:
 
N

newblood

New member
jeeeep said:
auto, manual? and hindsight, If you do plan to wheel your Jeep you probably would've been better off with a Rubicon, IMO too many guys are under the illusion it's so easy and cheap to upgrade everything on a JK Sport and that all stock components are junk. if you have deep pockets and compete off-road for a living then I would say it's true but you wouldn't necessarily be looking to take a brand new Jeep and gut it. The additional items you get on a Rubicon cannot be had after market for less than or equal to the price difference between it and a sport.

Do you know what diff gears you have in your rig now? the D30 in front will need gussets, I wouldn't spend any more money on it aside from a regear once you decide what size tire you really want. Keep in mind the D30 R&P is smaller than the D44. IMO I wouldn't go taller (numerically higher) than 4.88 - the pinion gets thinner and becomes a weak point

While tires help provide traction and a little more clearance, it's not so much the tires that will get you over more obstacles like lockers and a lower range transfer case will. With lockers the wheel on the ground always has full power unlike the limited slip that provides some power. The Rubi transfer case ratio is great for crawling when the differentials are locked up. you may want to consider investing in a least a rear locker, the D30 with it's smaller ring and pinion isn't really worth the locker upgrade investment.

If you have an automatic, a tuner will be needed to set the shift points for the new tire size - if you don't do this you increase the possibility of early transmission failure. It also calibrates your speedo and can provide other options depending on the tuner you choose.

IMO I wouldn't recommend a body lift, the lower you can keep your center of gravity the better. A body lift does nothing for ground clearance - just a makeshift way to get taller tire clearance but a fender trim and proper suspension is the better way to go.

If you go with a taller suspension and 35's you will need at minimum front lower adjustable control to adjust the front caster angle and rear upper adjustable arms to adjust pinion angle, possibly a front drive shaft, and an adjustable trackbar - again, it all depends on how much lift you decide on.

Here's the order I did mine in - in changing the suspension you can hardly change one thing without it affecting another:

Full 3.5" suspension, 35" tires and tuner - I already had 4.10's with my Rubi so I know I would be ok to run 35's without a regear - it was sluggish off the line as a DD but did fine on the trail. tuner for trans shift points and other changes
Rock sliders - more clearance = more confidence = more challenging obstacles = protect the sides as much as possible
regear - 4.88's
front driveshaft - I got almost a full year of use from my stock shaft before it failed - the boot got ripped off pretty fast but it lasted pretty long time anyway, rear DS still fine
I've got more goodies to install but the initial build list was based on how I planned to use it

I think the key phrase I picked up from your post - "I found myself settling..." stop and think about the type of wheeling you will be doing and how often - don't be tempted to settle, it's better to save a little extra and get what you want, it's always cheaper in the long run.

welcome to the Jeep family! :beer:
Click to expand...

Wow what a great post. That's some of the best advice I've gotten thus far.

Yeah I should have mentioned. It's an automatic. With the basic gearing in the back. So it's 3.21 or 3.73. I don't have the tow package. I also have the 16" rims and basic 28" tires. :doh:

I had a feeling I'd be kicking myself for not getting a Rubicon. But you gave me a great starting point. I suppose I could sit down and figure out all the upgrades I'd have to make that I'd be sorely missing on a Rubicon, and see if that justifies selling mine to buy a Rubicon. You think it might pay to upgrade the front axle to a Dana 44? I wonder if I could find one used.
 
N

newblood

New member
KingCopperhead said:
I'll pass along the advice that I've been given by friends in the past and it's served me well:

Take it out wheeling and see what you NEED.

Did you not have enough ground clearance or flex to clear a certain obstacle or complete a run? Would a lift or larger tires (or both) have helped the situation?
Did you find yourself in spots where you didn't have enough traction? You might want lockers, better tires.
Are you playing in rocks or near trees? You might want some armor/skids
^^These are just examples of things that people commonly upgrade, you might not need any of these things^^
There's so many options with these jeeps, and if your budget allows it, the sky is the limit. Most of us don't have unlimited budgets, so next time you're out try to take note of what is keeping you from doing what you want to do. Once you decide what you need, then you can work on which lift, which tires, which lockers or axles or gear ratios, and there's a ton of good info here.

I'm in a similar situation as you are. Just bought a new JK and figuring out my upgrade path.

Best of luck to ya, definitely throw out the specifics of your rig on the forums so we can all help guide you to make a more informed decision.
Click to expand...

This is a great angle to look at it. I haven't made it to the other two parks I mentioned but I have been to Hollister Hills. And my biggest problem was traction without a doubt. It was December and had rained a bit so all the trails were a bit muddy. Needless to say, I was having problems going up the first hill that led into the park. Though that may be a problem of traction and experience.

My funds aren't unlimited unfortunately, but I'm trying to build a road map of upgrades. Kind of like a business plan. I'll probably be done with it in about a decade or so. :cheesy:
 
N

newblood

New member
Panda said:
I think I know what "truck store" you've gotten advice from I've wasted my money there also.. Don't let them sell you what they make more $ on, first off you will not be happy with 33's in the long run and if you wana do the rubicon someday you'll really wana be on 35's at least on a 4dr, take the advice of the posts above you can run 35's on 2.5 lift with trimmed fenders & trimmed pinch seams but you'll want to regear & get a programmer for your sport especially with an auto trans, your drive shaft will last a little while you can do that down the road, for the rubicon & similar places you'll want rock rails & oil pan/transmission skid plates, also I must tell you the rubicon express lift is a very harsh ride on the road I have one & wish I would've chosen differently so be patient & save $ to be happy in the long run! Good luck sir and hit me up if you need help trimming fenders :thumb:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. Good to know my instincts were good and I got out of there.

I'll have to look up this fender and pinch seam thing.

Do you have advice on handling this "truck store" or should I try and find another?
 
Panda

Panda

New member
newblood said:
Thanks for the heads up. Good to know my instincts were good and I got out of there.

I'll have to look up this fender and pinch seam thing.

Do you have advice on handling this "truck store" or should I try and find another?
Click to expand...

Your best bet is to order online like northridge 4x4 and install yourself if you can, I don't know of any others 4x4 stores around the bay, if you have to go to them just make sure you get what you want not what they want to sell you :yup:
Trimmed pinch seam ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1403464145.422562.jpg
Trimmed fenders ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1403464174.654969.jpg ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1403464187.888754.jpg
 
jeeeep

jeeeep

Hooked
newblood said:
Wow what a great post. That's some of the best advice I've gotten thus far.

Yeah I should have mentioned. It's an automatic. With the basic gearing in the back. So it's 3.21 or 3.73. I don't have the tow package. I also have the 16" rims and basic 28" tires. :doh:

I had a feeling I'd be kicking myself for not getting a Rubicon. But you gave me a great starting point. I suppose I could sit down and figure out all the upgrades I'd have to make that I'd be sorely missing on a Rubicon, and see if that justifies selling mine to buy a Rubicon. You think it might pay to upgrade the front axle to a Dana 44? I wonder if I could find one used.
Click to expand...

you can find one used but really have to understand what you are looking at so you can identify the signs of abuse. I would stay away from any used axle that has too much extra reinforcement (trusses etc..) that's an axle that's seen a hard life or bent.

I'd price out a Dynatrac - they come in so many variations you need a degree to understand them all ...lol, call them and they will help you out. For your use I would probably stick as close to stock setup with either an Eton e-locker or ARB. Only thing about ARB is the additional costs of air compressor but it is a very good locker. but you will still have the Sport transfer case and you will need to change the rear gears to match the front.

You'll also get a lot of info on skid plates, the stock skids and diff covers are strong. You'll want to make sure your oil pan has protection, possibly transmission if it's not already covered and the Evap canister - some Jeep models came with those skids stock, not sure which ones.

Lots of guys successfully run built up sports but if they were honest, I'd suspect many would tell you they wish they would have started with a Rubicon. If you plan to do all the upgrade installs yourself and save $$ on labor, you will conservatively spend at least 6k to get built up with axle swap, gears, lockers.

After all that, based on what you've described so far, I'd recommend looking at the trading up to a Rubicon if it's in your budget. You will have a lot of capability with 4.10 gearing, transfer case, frt and rear lockers, and several other Rubi features that you can easily do a 2.5 inch boost, fender trim and add up to 35" tires and you're good to wheel many places while developing your wheeling skills and saving for bigger upgrades - yes, even with a Rubi you will want to change things lol but IMO it's a better platform to begin with while decide what you want to change out.
 
HILLZ

HILLZ

Member
jeeeep said:
Lots of guys successfully run built up sports but if they were honest, I'd suspect many would tell you they wish they would have started with a Rubicon.
Click to expand...

I'm one of them, don't get me wrong, i love my JKUS but if the money i've spent on mods were done in mods on a Rubi i wouldn't have to worry about what line i picked as i bet it would go just about anywhere. heinsight is a wonderful thing. :doh: that being said there still isn't much i won't try and tackle in the JKUS.
 
t8er

t8er

New member
Chances are you have the 3.21 gears. I'm sure lots of guys have run 35's on it but you may find it to sluggish. If you're just mall crawling it doesn't matter but off road you may want at least 4.10 gears. I have a 2014 JKUR with the 6 speed so it has 4.10 gears standard which will compensate for 35's and work out to stock wheels with 3.73 gears roughly. Depending on the wheeling you do lockers may or may not be needed. I always recommend skid plates since regardless of where you wheel protecting the trans, oil pan, diffs etc is always good. For the lift I just ordered the Rubicon Express 3.5" complete lift as well and have gotten conflicting advice on driveshafts. its been 50/50 on replacing the driveshaft so at least start putting some money away for it. I wheel in Colorado and Utah with some trips to Florida and Georgia to see family. Here's how my build has started and where it will go which may give you some ideas. Front and Rear Bumpers with D-Rings (ORFab), Warn Zeon 8s winch, Rigid Dually D2's on the bumper, Rigid Dually's on the A-pillar, Rubicon Express 3.5" lift, 35" MTR's, Pro-Comp 7031 Wheels, ORFab spare tire carrier with jerry can, CB and Hi Lift mounts and right now I am also looking at a tuner along with better underbody skid plates.
 
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