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another lift/ wheel/ tire inquiry 2005 GC limited

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2K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  mosier 
#1 ·
I have spent a while reading the forums concerning the various lift kits offered as well as what tire sizes are able to be utilized with specific amounts of lift. My vehicle is a 2005 GC limited with a 5.7

I am assuming (terrible word I know) that for a occasional off road beach driver and something which is mainly going to be a pavement queen 95% of the time, that the RC lift with the 265/75/17 mud terrain type tire and I think the 1.5" spacers will be more than adequate?

Now comes the questions: As far as the RC lift kit goes I have seen a different kits on E bay, some which are more money, some which are the same price and some cheaper.... in regards to that, should one just stick with the RC lift and call it a day?

As I have never run spacers before, I am somewhat unsure of using these, I see where they bolt onto existing lugs and am concerned about the durability of that where these are somewhat heavy vehicles. Additionally, will the spacers be needed for the rear wheels as well or are they just needed to clear the front.

Also, since I will be ripping the tie rods out, I am planning on replacing these, the ball joints and the struts at the same time so as to get everything done at the same time. Where the struts are concerned I am thinking of getting the Bilstein adjustable height struts and possibly getting new coils, or should I just grab the standard Bilsteins with new coils? I am not wishing to go overkill for something which is going to see very little off roading.

tires and wheels, I would like to jump up to the 20" wheels which are on the 2013 GC Overland (dreaming) though realistically would put 18" wheels on in the same size range of 265...

any thoughts and suggestions are appreciated as I am more used to the full size pickup truck lift kits vs these strut type lifts.

thanks
 
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#3 ·
thanks for the info, a bit more scientific than I was hoping to get... but a lot of info nonetheless.

I think to sum things up in a shorter request

Would it be better to go with a RC/ Bilstein adjustable shock/ strut combo
or go with a OME (if it can be found) Would either cause undue stress to other components besides ball joints tie rods... and would other ares be impacted where the computer controls so much now vs back in the day.
First time owning a Jeep so am not used to this 4wd system, am more old school where you need to manually shift and have to get out and lock/ unlock the hubs

If I was to go with the RC/ Bilstein adj struts would it be possible to get a 285-305/60-70/ 17-20" in a mud terrain tire...

thanks
 
#4 ·
Depends on what you want to do. If you just want the looks and the benefits of increased running ground clearance that comes with running larger tires, then an RC with Bilsteins is a good way to go. Adding the MOOGs, rear adjustable track bar, JBA upper control arm and rear Monroe LL's will add a little more height on top of this, and still give you some flex, but not a lot. If you like to go off road quite a bit, then the OME with its matched struts gives you the lift with the added flex too. Although you could also add to the OME lift with the various items mentioned from the hybrid lifts as well. Then there is the new Bilstein adj. strut kit. The Kings adj. coil kit. The STU Coils and extras from Murchison off road. Just to name a few "mid" lifts. To keep or add suspension flex on the WK with a good lift requires doing a front cradle drop, longer knuckles, and the rear controls arms lowered or lengthened plus other brackets and whatnot to keep pinion angles and such in their respective and proper "planes" through movement. Not to mention to keep driveshafts and cv axles happy. These are the Superlift and its derivatives: Rustys, Zone Offroad, Mopar. Then there was the now discontinued (?) BDS lift. These are all the 4" plus lifts. Finally, you have the Jeepn By Al Coil Over lifts that are under the name 4XGuard. These range from 4" to nearly 7 or 8 last time I checked. You can Google any one of these mentioned to really see what's involved.

With all that said, I was not wanting to start cutting and welding on my WK, but I wanted a little more than a regular BB lift. Hence, the hybrid lift. I don't go off-roading unless required to get to someplace I want to go, and I have always been able to get where I want to go, so major flex is not a concern to me. I have no problems with any of the factory systems and have no dash lights/Christmas trees going off or anything. It is hard to say what is a"better" lift or system unless you have a clearly defined goal and intent on your particular WK's use. Also, to your last question, some folks have managed to run the 285's on an OME HD lift, but it's fairly tight. I do not know if their tires rub on full compression or if they just extended the bump stops to keep that from happening. You would have to ask them. That tire size to me looks best on a Superlift or bigger.

If you poke around the forum you can get quite a bit of info. Hope this helps.
 
#5 ·
This is probably one of the best responses for 'what lift' I have read in a while; build for a purpose/goal. :thumbsup:
 
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