Lift or accessories ??

SPIELUHR

New member
So ever since I got my JK ive started doing little things to it to make it more " custom ". I have big plans for it but have a budget but as most of you know once you start upgrading you just can stop lol. Ive been getting little things here and there to just be doing something to it and when I didnt have money what did I do . . . cut up my flares, and found used tires at work that were bigger then what I had stock. So my question is ( I prolly know the answer im going to get ) would it be better to just torture myself and save for the lift ( which will probably take awhile cuz I want to go all out the first time rather then buying budget lifts ) or get all or most of my little things out of the way first. ex. flares, KC lights, wheels, rock sliders ? any advice is appreciated just want to know the approach you guys took :yup:
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
So ever since I got my JK ive started doing little things to it to make it more " custom ". I have big plans for it but have a budget but as most of you know once you start upgrading you just can stop lol. Ive been getting little things here and there to just be doing something to it and when I didnt have money what did I do . . . cut up my flares, and found used tires at work that were bigger then what I had stock. So my question is ( I prolly know the answer im going to get ) would it be better to just torture myself and save for the lift ( which will probably take awhile cuz I want to go all out the first time rather then buying budget lifts ) or get all or most of my little things out of the way first. ex. flares, KC lights, wheels, rock sliders ? any advice is appreciated just want to know the approach you guys took :yup:

You defiantly want rock sliders first. Those will save you on some trails.

Other then that since you want to go all out the first time just start saving and buy what you want when you can. Things you can look into while saving for a lift would be recovery tools and tools for the trail, bumpers, winch, and CB.
 

gtony12

Caught the Bug
So ever since I got my JK ive started doing little things to it to make it more " custom ". I have big plans for it but have a budget but as most of you know once you start upgrading you just can stop lol. Ive been getting little things here and there to just be doing something to it and when I didnt have money what did I do . . . cut up my flares, and found used tires at work that were bigger then what I had stock. So my question is ( I prolly know the answer im going to get ) would it be better to just torture myself and save for the lift ( which will probably take awhile cuz I want to go all out the first time rather then buying budget lifts ) or get all or most of my little things out of the way first. ex. flares, KC lights, wheels, rock sliders ? any advice is appreciated just want to know the approach you guys took :yup:

Hey There SPIELUHER,

I am in the same boat, I am going to get all the small stuff I really want now. And set aside a little money every check for my final build. I am going to lift it 2" for now and 33" or 35" tire just so I am able to enjoy the trails while I am waiting to buy my real lift. :twocents:
 

SPIELUHR

New member
You defiantly want rock sliders first. Those will save you on some trails.

Other then that since you want to go all out the first time just start saving and buy what you want when you can. Things you can look into while saving for a lift would be recovery tools and tools for the trail, bumpers, winch, and CB.

Ya rock sliders were def my next concern cuz I want to save as much of the body as I can. I dont like the ones that look like side steps but I am split between the Smittybilt SRC's and the LoD's
 

JKAnimal

Caught the Bug
Ya rock sliders were def my next concern cuz I want to save as much of the body as I can. I dont like the ones that look like side steps but I am split between the Smittybilt SRC's and the LoD's

I have the Smittybilt SRC and they were easy to put on and seem well built. I ran them through some Colorado trails and they held up fine. Took the hits like they should have with no bending or deforming. The only issue I had was a bit of socket clearance when putting them on. Had a hard time on one or two bolts getting the socket back out of the hole. Overall though I'd say they were sufficient.

You might take a look at EVO sliders though. I think the price is comparable (not sure what the SRC are running now) but the EVO sliders are the best. If I had know better I would probably have bought them instead. :twocents:
 

SPIELUHR

New member
Hey There SPIELUHER,

I am in the same boat, I am going to get all the small stuff I really want now. And set aside a little money every check for my final build. I am going to lift it 2" for now and 33" or 35" tire just so I am able to enjoy the trails while I am waiting to buy my real lift. :twocents:


What 2" lift are you going to get ?? I just wanted to avoid having to buy a budget lift then rip it all apart and spend more money to get the lift I really want, But the temptation may become to much and I may give in lol. In the end its all about having fun while you can right ;)
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
Ya rock sliders were def my next concern cuz I want to save as much of the body as I can. I dont like the ones that look like side steps but I am split between the Smittybilt SRC's and the LoD's

LOD's for sure. There are other ones out there too that are not so much like a step.
 

SPIELUHR

New member
I have the Smittybilt SRC and they were easy to put on and seem well built. I ran them through some Colorado trails and they held up fine. Took the hits like they should have with no bending or deforming. The only issue I had was a bit of socket clearance when putting them on. Had a hard time on one or two bolts getting the socket back out of the hole. Overall though I'd say they were sufficient.

You might take a look at EVO sliders though. I think the price is comparable (not sure what the SRC are running now) but the EVO sliders are the best. If I had know better I would probably have bought them instead. :twocents:


Nice !! that was my main concern with the SRC's is how well built they were and what they can handle. Ive taken a look at the EVO sliders they are very close in price with the SRC's but I think they stick out a little farther from the body then the SRC's. Guess its a split between those then. Thanks for the reply :)
 
The EVO sliders actually fit very close to the body unless you opt for the "lower step" design. The LoD are a bit more expensive but are nice as they are bolt on and you can do then yourself. Depending on how you are planning on wheelin' I would go EVO because they are weld on and super strong, but the LoDs are a nice option too!

andrew -
 

ninjajmoney

New member
You would be surprised how well Jeeps perform with just a simple BB. Remember they are a a very capable vehicle out the door. Even if you are planning on going in the rocks, it will still perform, just not as well as a complete spring lift. I ran 35's and a TF BB for a while and I was never let down. However, if I had to do it all over I would go with a complete suspension kit from the start instead of buying a piecing it together over time, i.e. control arms, coils, brake lines, sway links, the whole enchilada. But that would run in the neighborhood of 4k. Although, I did learn a ton about working on the jeep which is priceless.
 
Last edited:

SPIELUHR

New member
The EVO sliders actually fit very close to the body unless you opt for the "lower step" design. The LoD are a bit more expensive but are nice as they are bolt on and you can do then yourself. Depending on how you are planning on wheelin' I would go EVO because they are weld on and super strong, but the LoDs are a nice option too!

andrew -


Does EVO have any bolt on that you know of ??
 

Beyrgut

New member
From what I have seen doing the same research, spend the $300ish on a Budget Boost to tide you over while saving for the final suspension setup. They kits normally have a couple spacers and the brake line relocation brackets which should get you buy for a quite a while and the install is very simple.
 

JKBANDIT55

New member
It depends on how bad you want to wheel your jeep. For me I went in this order.

1- lift. Then soon after small accessories like tinted windows, floor mats, painted stock wheels black, grab handles, trail tools, recover equip.
2-quick Discos
3- steering stabilizers
4-front bumper
5- cb radio
6 35" tires

I say lift first if you can stand the wait to save because it makes your jeep much more capable. Out of everything you can add, the lift is what's going to help you get through trails easier and without less damage since your higher off the ground. So for me it was a no brainier.

If I can do it all over it would go like this.

1- lift
2-rock sliders
3- recover equip/ accessories
4-35" tires
5-front and rear bumpers
6-cb radio
7- new drive shafts
8- and the list never ends

I just like the lift first because you can get out and enjoy your jeep that much more knowing your more capable than stock. If you don't have rock sliders just be careful, have a good spotter, and don't do anything you shouldn't. Rock sliders is a top of the list mod, but don't let it slow you down. I did plenty of trails without them and with a good spotter, I never damaged anything.
 

JKBANDIT55

New member
And if anything. A 2.5" lift will get you through a lot without having to spend lots of money, or needing lots of other parts needed to run a 3" or higher lift. It's enough lift to run 35s and get you through plenty of trails.

You can also add parts to the suspension as you go! Better shocks, trackbars, extended break lines etc.
 

White_JKU

New member
Ive been wheeling with a budget boost 2.5 on stock shocks and hardware with trimmed fenders for over a year now.. bought a few minor second hand things here and there for the inside when the oppurtunity came along.
My wheels were a christmas present and I buy "blemish" tires from tire distributors... (can save several hundred on a set this way)
bought 35's a week after I installed the 2.5 spacer lift that costed me exactly 99.99 during the 2011 christmas sale at rough country.
Honestly.. for what I do.. weekend wheeler in the south, Its all I really need.

Last week I purchased my Procal (arrived today), New Rancho 9000xl's (in the mail), and ordered Metalcloak shocks (backordered ETD 3 weeks)

So after a year of wheeling on a basic budget lift... I've realized what I do and don't need.
Once I get this crap on and find a good deal on a front and rear adj. trackbar.. I will be purchasing armor to insure the undercarriage as I know I will be rocking it alot harder on the trails.

Long story short... if you can stand it... wheel it with minimal performance mods so you discover what you do and don't need for your geographical area and your needs and wants for your wheeling goals.
 

JKBANDIT55

New member
Ive been wheeling with a budget boost 2.5 on stock shocks and hardware with trimmed fenders for over a year now.. bought a few minor second hand things here and there for the inside when the oppurtunity came along.
My wheels were a christmas present and I buy "blemish" tires from tire distributors... (can save several hundred on a set this way)
bought 35's a week after I installed the 2.5 spacer lift that costed me exactly 99.99 during the 2011 christmas sale at rough country.
Honestly.. for what I do.. weekend wheeler in the south, Its all I really need.

Last week I purchased my Procal (arrived today), New Rancho 9000xl's (in the mail), and ordered Metalcloak shocks (backordered ETD 3 weeks)

So after a year of wheeling on a basic budget lift... I've realized what I do and don't need.
Once I get this crap on and find a good deal on a front and rear adj. trackbar.. I will be purchasing armor to insure the undercarriage as I know I will be rocking it alot harder on the trails.

Long story short... if you can stand it... wheel it with minimal performance mods so you discover what you do and don't need for your geographical area and your needs and wants for your wheeling goals.

Exactly! What a lot of people don't understand is a non top of the line lift can go a long ways. A lot of people think you need all these high end products to get you through trails when in reality, lots of people run cheaper lifts for years that get the job done with little issues.

But if you have the money to spare, get the better products. If not, don't let that trick you into thinking the budget products won't get the job done!

I been running my "cheaper" 2.5" RC coil lift for a year, wheel the heck out of it and have had ZERO issues. I wheel with plenty of guys that run the "cheaper" products for years with zero problems.

Ya, if I had the money to spare I would go with the more expensive, better quality stuff. But I sure as hell didn't let the money part hold me back from building a capable rig. I love my jeep, and no it's not equipped with all top of the line stuff, but I guarantee I can do anything on the trail that a jeep with the same height and tires but more expensive products can.
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
After wheeling my stock rig with no sliders I will say that sliders should be first. You can always get up or around big obstacles with either a winch or a bypass but its hard to pull the dents out of your rockers.
 

Bullwinckle

Hooked
After wheeling my stock rig with no sliders I will say that sliders should be first. You can always get up or around big obstacles with either a winch or a bypass but its hard to pull the dents out of your rockers.

I agree the stock suspension can do a hell of a good job and take you just about anywhere, but rocks and boulders will do some damage. I would go with some rocker guards or skids first.


Ray ⛺
 
Top Bottom