2005 Jeep Rubicon

Lift & Tires - Stage One	10-25-08

I finally got the first stage of my lift plans installed on the Jeep, and wow what a difference it made. Here is a lift of the components used for the lift. (5) Pro Comp Rock Crawler Street Lock Wheels 15x8 3.75 Backspacing 33x12.50 Dick Cepek Mud Country Tires Tom Woods CV Drive Shaft OME ZJ/LJ Coil Springs OME Long Travel Shocks JKS Adjustable Rear Upper Control Arms JKS Adjustable Rear Track Bar JKS Adjustable Front Track Bar JKS Adjustable Rear Swaybar Links JKS Rear Shock Mount Relocators Rancho 9000XL shocks are shown in this photo, but they did not fit my application, and I ended up going with a set of OME shocks instead.

The install went fairly smooth and I had no major issues. The rear trackbar was rubbing the top of the stock gas tank skid a bit, but some quick use of the sledge hammer fixed that problem. The trackbar is still rubbing the exhaust just a bit, but its not a big deal for now, I will have that re-routed later on. The only issue was the Rancho 9000XL shocks that I originally planned on using. They were simply too long for my application, even though they stated they were for a 2.5" lift, which is exactly what mine yielded. I ended up going with a set of OME Long Travel shocks, and I am very pleased with them. The stiffer spring rate of the OME ZJ/LJ coils along with the OME shocks have made the Jeep ride MUCH better than it did before. I have added over 400 lbs to the Jeep, so the stock springs were not handling the weight very well at all, and were quite bouncy. The new setup it very tight and rides great. I actually have LESS body roll than I did before I lifted the Jeep.
Here is a photo showing the Jeep before and after the lift, with the stock tires still on it. Not a drastic difference, but I wanted to keep the center of gravity as low as possible. I also eliminated the front JKS ACOS spacers, which I installed to level the Jeep out after the heavy bumper and winch. As you can see, the ZJ/LJ coil combo compensates for this very well. Measuring from the center of the wheels, to the bottom of the flares, I averaged 2 7/16" higher.

I actually had to drive the Jeep to work for a week with NO rear shocks. It was interesting to say the least, it was insane how much it bounced, it was borderline suicidal. The following weekend, after getting the OME shocks installed, I made a trip to Glofelty Tire for a set of 33x12.50 Dick Cepek Mud Country tires. Its amazing what a new set of wheels and tires can do to the looks of a vehicle.


Later that day I took it out for its first offroad testing with the new lift and tires. Even more of an improvement than it was on the pavement. It flexed quite nicely, and just really sits well now. The Jeep stays more level and just plants itself much better over the twisty off camber spots. The bumpstops up front will need to be extended a bit, but I have hardly any rubbing, I though it would rub bad. It Barely rubs with the wheels straight, so I wont need to extend the stops much. The ARB bumper is quite close though, I will have to look into that more, may have to trim it slightly.



Over all I am very pleased with how things turned out. Both the on and offroad performance has improved, and I did not experience the power loss I thought I would with the larger heavier tires. For one thing, I got first gear back. With the stock 31s first gear was so low it was pretty much useless in town. Now it feels just right and still has plenty of power. I may end up having to gear down to 5th on some of the hills on the highway now, but its a small price to pay. Over the next few months I will be getting a tire carrier to better handle the larger spare tire, and I will be replacing all of the remaining control arms with JKS.