total JK noob

[rubbersidedownJK]

well I bought my first jeep, and its bugging me to see it sitting with stock wheels and tires and stock height. after reading a lot of everyone's posts I can see I can fit 33's without doing anything. I would like to run 35's and be a daily driver and start off as a very basic weekend trail rig. would it be better to go with the 2.5in budget boost knowing i'll try my hardest not to put myself into anything too hairy. also the other thing I have been trying to figure out is what size wheel to run as well. knowing I wont be doing any serious crawling, would a 9in wide wheel work for a 12.5 tire without worrying about blow outs on the trail. all overwhelming at times and trying to listen to what everyone else says works for them. just seeking some fellow wayalife friends have to say about it all. oh which, I would like to hit the smaller rubicon trails this summer.

 

[HLKSMSH]

Since I am on my third jeep build and still learning I would say dont buy anything till you are 100% sure you know the end result you want your jeep to look like and how you want it to preform. thats step one step two would be to write it all down on paper on how you can afford to do it in stages. Thats my advise if not you will spend money on parts and upgrades that you will change out later down the road.

 

[wayoflife]

well I bought my first jeep, and its bugging me to see it sitting with stock wheels and tires and stock height. after reading a lot of everyone's posts I can see I can fit 33's without doing anything.

No. At bare minimum, you really need to run 1.5" wheel spacers as most 33's come in a 12.50 width and you will have rubbing issues without them. I personally would say that you need to run a leveling kit as well to help clear your fenders but, you can also get by with trimming your fenders.

I would like to run 35's and be a daily driver and start off as a very basic weekend trail rig. would it be better to go with the 2.5in budget boost knowing i'll try my hardest not to put myself into anything too hairy.

You can definitely run 35's with a 2.5" budget boost but, you will need to trim your pinch seam. You may still find it necessary to trim your fenders as well or install a 1" body lift to help clear your tires when at a full flex.

also the other thing I have been trying to figure out is what size wheel to run as well. knowing I wont be doing any serious crawling, would a 9in wide wheel work for a 12.5 tire without worrying about blow outs on the trail.

A 9" wide wheel would work just fine as would an 8" wide wheel. The later is what we used to call a poormans beadlock as it would offer a tighter hold on the bead and allow you to air down a bit lower.

 

[GuillaumeC91]

You can definitely run 35's with a 2.5" budget boost but, you will need to trim your pinch seam. You may still find it necessary to trim your fenders as well or install a 1" body lift to help clear your tires when at a full flex.

As I was myself looking into this, it was brought to my attention that 2013s produced in the later half of the year had trimmed pinch seams from the factory front and back. Wouldn't be surprised if it was the same for the OP's 2014.

Don't follow me, I'm lost too! O|||||||O

 

[wayoflife]

As I was myself looking into this, it was brought to my attention that 2013s produced in the later half of the year had trimmed pinch seams from the factory front and back. Wouldn't be surprised if it was the same for the OP's 2014.

Don't follow me, I'm lost too! O|||||||O

This is true but, the amount of trimming is minimal. Some 35" tires may require a bit more trimming.

 

[rubbersidedownJK]

awesome thanks for the info. I will be buying the bushwacker flat fenders as well to give that extra room and get rid of them stock fender flares

 

[catahoula]

awesome thanks for the info. I will be buying the bushwacker flat fenders as well to give that extra room and get rid of them stock fender flares

You could also trim the stockers and save some bank. They look pretty nice and Eddie's got a write up on them.

http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-ups/jeep-jk-wrangler-factory-fender-chop

Welcome to a Wayalife!

 

[bl17z90]

awesome thanks for the info. I will be buying the bushwacker flat fenders as well to give that extra room and get rid of them stock fender flares

If you do go with a 2.5 lift and 35's make sure theres not too much space between the tires and fenders before you trim or replace. Because if you go with flat fenders and have a ton of space you'll kick youself and wish you had 37's :bleh:

 

[cozdude]

If you do go with a 2.5 lift and 35's make sure theres not too much space between the tires and fenders before you trim or replace. Because if you go with flat fenders and have a ton of space you'll kick youself and wish you had 37's :bleh:

I wish I had 37's before I trimmed my fenders lol


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[noroad]

I wish I had 37's before I trimmed my fenders lol


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I have 37s and find my self looking at 40s only dreaming of that far far day lol

 

[Fir-na-tine]

A couple of pics at the stealership today to show the clearance on the rear pinch seam of a 2014 JKU with 3" lift on 35" tires installed

 

[bl17z90]

I wish I had 37's before I trimmed my fenders lol


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I wish I did too but first need to come gears axle shafts and ram assist.

 

[rubbersidedownJK]

thanks you all for the help and the picture for the pinch seam on the 4dr. i guess i need to be able to see what 37's really look like if im going to hate 35's with the new fenders, which i was going to wait but getting them at a deal. looking at lifts more and more and MORE trying to look at both budget and quality that would work for my begining stages of my jeep life. i was looking at a SJ standard lift. but more i read what you all have to say i dont need to go higher, right now my curisosity lies at the TF 3in with lower flex arms and shocks from quadratech. would it be possible down the road, when i choose to go to a long arm kit, to add it in after, which i know would be cheaper im sure to do it all up front, but again budget comes into play as well. and who ever is in the area.. sonoma county.. and has 37's id really like to check it out

 

[wayoflife]

right now my curisosity lies at the TF 3in with lower flex arms and shocks from quadratech.

Just so you know, the TeraFlex 3" coils will yield over 4" of lift even on a 4-door. Taller on a 2-door. I should also note that their coils are very firm. I know that some like that and maybe you will too but for me, I considered them to be on the harsh side. As far as shocks go, I would strongly recommend against getting the TeraFlex shocks as they are just old school hydros and not very good. I would recommend that you give Rancho 7000 MT's a look instead. That or maybe a set of Bilstein 5100's. If you plan on doing a lot of flexing on the trail, I might consider a different set of control arms too. My experiences with TeraFlex control arms is that they tend to blow out their bushings.

would it be possible down the road, when i choose to go to a long arm kit, to add it in after, which i know would be cheaper im sure to do it all up front, but again budget comes into play as well. and who ever is in the area.. sonoma county.. and has 37's id really like to check it out

Absolutely. Long arms will simply replace whatever control arms you choose to get now. The coils and shocks can still be retained but of course, they are the more affordable parts of the kit.

 

[14Sport]

I think 35s look fine with a 2.5" lift and flat flares.

 

[rubbersidedownJK]

Just so you know, the TeraFlex 3" coils will yield over 4" of lift even on a 4-door. Taller on a 2-door.

so after reading what has been said he about going 3in and over with a lift and needing a new front DS and a rear, would yeilding extra height come into effect even with the smaller lift?

 

[rubbersidedownJK]

I think 35s look fine with a 2.5" lift and flat flares.

View attachment 64699

this is right around where i want to be. great looking rig. whats the clearance up to the sliders on that? im 6'3", curious on the step into it is.

 

[cozdude]

here is another look for you. 2.5" lift with trimmed factory fenders and 35's. my lift is more like 3" because of the stiffer teraflex coils. also i got the EVO sliders with the custom angle so i could utilize it as a step for the GF. she is 5'6" and im 6"2" so i dont use it as much as she does.

 

[14Sport]

this is right around where i want to be. great looking rig. whats the clearance up to the sliders on that? im 6'3", curious on the step into it is.

Thanks! It's 23-3/4" to the top of the slider. I just measured for ya. It's a step up for sure.

 

[14Sport]

here is another look for you. 2.5" lift with trimmed factory fenders and 35's. my lift is more like 3" because of the stiffer teraflex coils. also i got the EVO sliders with the custom angle so i could utilize it as a step for the GF. she is 5'6" and im 6"2" so i dont use it as much as she does.

Nice lookin' rig. I think 35s are the best all-around wheels because they look awesome (biased, of course) and minimal drive train mods right off the bat. As I wear parts out I'll upgrade as necessary.