2016 Wrangler JKU upgrade recommendations?

SlothKrawler

SlothKrawler

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It’s great to be a part of this forum. I know almost nothing about cars so please bare with me with the questions. I bought my jeep a little over 2 months ago and it has just over 44k miles on it. I primarily use it as my DD but i would really like to get into off-roading and trails.

What I would like to do is add 35 inch tires with a 3.5" lift. My Jeep has the P255 75 R17 tires on it currently, which I believe are 32 inch tires. I also have on the OEM Gray Machine wheels. Other than an aftermarket bumper, everything else is pretty much stock.

As mentioned, i would like to add a 3.5" lift but I know the more I lift, the more modifications would be required to keep it running right. What are some recommended lift kits w/suspension I should take a look at and other modifications I would have to purchase to make this work for my JK? I don't know much about cars myself but i do have family that works on cars so I should be able to handle any installation of parts. If not i can always take it to a mechanic.
Also, do you guys think this would be possible to do on a budget of 5k or under? I really appreciate the help JK family.
 
A 3.5" lift you'll need to have adjustable track bars front and rear, and adjustable control arms in front. Possibly a new front driveshaft if your going to be Offroading.

If you want to put 35" tires on there is a good chance you'll have to put different gears in unless you have 4.10's in it now. You also have to get your speedometer recalibrated for the tire change.

If you don't have to get a regear you could possibly do it for under $5,000.

We also like to see pictures.
 
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I commend you for asking before diving into major upgrades. Many times we are dealing with the aftermath of a not well planned upgrade.

If you are set on a 3.5 lift then @BLACKJKU's info is 100% correct. I took the cheaper route by just going to a 2.5 and 33"s which doesn't need any of that other stuff. Did the work myself and the lift cost me less than 1K (not including new wheels and tires).

Another thing to note, is that if you go any bigger than stock tire size you will have to get new wheels. the 17 x 7.5 stock just don't have the backspacing to accommodate wider tires. Some will suggest spacers, I on the other hand think spacers are a horrible idea and just add a catastrophic failure point that your insurance may not cover.
I'm running a set by pro-comp that cost me around $100 each. Another jeeper in my town got some steel wheels for about $90 each. (He was going for a bit of a TJ look and he nailed it.) You can spend as much as you want on wheels, but there is little reason to unless you really like the look or there is some new fandangled feature. I've posted pics of mine a few times on here.
 
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We have a 2.5 " lift with 35s and wheel spacers. Haven't had any issues. We didn't regear but the Rubi has 4.10 so we are fine. Got the JScan app and set tire size so we are good to go.

IMG_20200314_204840_490.jpg
 
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BLACKJKU said:
A 3.5" lift you'll need to have adjustable track bars front and rear, and adjustable control arms in front. Possibly a new front driveshaft if your going to be Offroading.

If you want to put 35" tires on there is a good chance you'll have to put different gears in unless you have 4.10's in it now. You also have to get your speedometer recalibrated for the tire change.

If you don't have to get a regear you could possibly do it for under $5,000.

We also like to see pictures.
Click to expand...
Hey sorry for the late response and thanks for the info. It looks like I am going to have to reheat, unfortunately my stock ratio isn't 4.10's. Is that something you recommend I should change out before the lift?
BLACKJKU said:
A 3.5" lift you'll need to have adjustable track bars front and rear, and adjustable control arms in front. Possibly a new front driveshaft if your going to be Offroading.

If you want to put 35" tires on there is a good chance you'll have to put different gears in unless you have 4.10's in it now. You also have to get your speedometer recalibrated for the tire change.

If you don't have to get a regear you could possibly do it for under $5,000.

We also like to see pictures.
Click to expand...
Hey sorry for the late response and thanks for the info. It looks like I am going to have to reheat, unfortunately my stock ratio isn't 4.10's. Is that something you recommend I should change out before the lift?
received_538242934221075.jpeg
received_2961131970874103.jpeg
 
It's something you should do if your going to be putting 35's on and offroading. Since you already have flat top fenders you could probably not have to lift and be able to put 35's on. Or a smaller lift then you wouldn't need adjustable control arms.
 
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I was going to say, with your current fenders, you could get away with minimal lift to get the 35's on.
I have a 2.5" w/35's and stock fenders and have no issues on trails and overland. Also, with a 2.5" you don't necessarily need to have adjustable track bars and control arms. Save you a few extra bucks you'll definitely need to re-gear her to a 4.10, at least.

Jeep 8.jpg
 
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Anybodyhome said:
I was going to say, with your current fenders, you could get away with minimal lift to get the 35's on.
I have a 2.5" w/35's and stock fenders and have no issues on trails and overland. Also, with a 2.5" you don't necessarily need to have adjustable track bars and control arms. Save you a few extra bucks you'll definitely need to re-gear her to a 4.10, at least.

View attachment 118993
Click to expand...
Same here. We just used relocation brackets.
 
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