Hello to all...Im new to the forums and could use a little help please? I've just purchased my first TJ (have had a CJ and YJ before), a four popper/5 speed(no laughing) and now Im hoping to start building fairly mildly. Ive scoured the internet and think Ive decided to go with Full Traction's 3" Economy Suspension System. It seems to come with the most bells and whistles for a mild kit. My question is, can i avoid the sye and cv, and if so will i need to change the pinion angle? Do you think i can run 32x11.50x15's without any rubbing at full turn or flex? Or should i go 31x10.50x15's so i can flex and turn without rubbing? I wanna do it right, and i dont want to call it too close. Thanx to all who respond!!  

the 3" fulltraction economy kit will fit those 32's with some room to spare, 33x12.5-15 for that matter if you goto a aftermarket wheel and use just enough bump stop to keep the tire out of the fender, which won't happen unless you disconnect the front sway bar. you can avoid the sye with a t-case drop (I personally don't drop the t-case, why lift the vehicle 3" then drop the belly almost 2"? although it does do the trick) and or just reangle the pinion with cam washers at the upper links on the axle, adjustable upper links can also be used better yet along with a sye and CV shaft, the rubbing at full turn will depend on the backspacing of the wheel. you actually can stuff the 31's under it using only a 3/4" coil spacer up front. stock wheels will rub the front lower control arms a little. not enough to worry about.

I run on 34's with 2.5" Rancho Competition crawler lift.

I can make your Avatar work if you send me the link, I'll resize it. usually only takes a few minutes  

just watch those coils,  my friends Full traction 3inc econo kit has sagged about an 1.5inches and they wont warrenty the coils.

he now is running a krawler kit.   you may or may not need a spacer kit for the drivlines. every jeep is different. i had to drop my tcase 1inch to get rid of vibes.  as soon as i have money for a sye and shaft i will be buying them.  butin the meantime it works just fine.  

wow, 1.5"? i guess then the vib won't be there long with the FT coils, lol

kwraler three link front? i'm thinking about that, the long arms and belly pan any how to go with the nth stinger i have in the rear.  

My jeep is a 4cyl/5 speed and my daily driver, so it has to remain somewhat docile on the road. Should i just suck it up and get the 2.5 rancho crawler comp. kit and sye and cv and gears and new wheels and just leave the t-case where its at? I also want lockers relatively soon, any suggestions there would also help. I've been trying to keep my head out of the clouds to convince myself to keep it fairly low key, but its hard...i just want to go nuts all at once. I want this to be a very versatile(sp) and functional jeep. I don't need 35" tires and im not going to moab any time soon, but i do want to know that when i get off-road it'll handle it better than most. Thanks again!  

that would work, you may avoid the drop and sye using adjustable upper arms or cam washers with the 2.5" I'd maybe stick to 32's and a max of 33's with the 4 banger. 3/4"front spacers will yield room for the 33's and the 3.5, be sure to tailor the bump stops to the 33's it'll handle awesome on 32's

I wore out a set of 315x75-16 maxxis buckshots (35's) before I got the 34" trXus.  

Awesome pics of your jeep. That looks great! The more research i do, the more torn i become. It seems like every lift company offers a kit like im thinking. Skyjacker's 2.5 standard, value flex, single flex, and double flex, all look good, but can i safely avoid the sye, cv, and t-case drop with just the cam bolts. 32's are plenty for me because to me it defeats the purpose of the lift if the tires are so big they rub at full flex. I want the complete use of my tires, flex, turning radius, and on-road capabilities without changing the entire driveline. But only because of cost and lack of knowledge on how to install. Im probably asking for a little much...uh?  

the 2.5 with 32's will flex without coming close to rubbing, still the sye is highly recomended and throw the t-case drop out in the bushes. you'll still need to angle the pinion.

I'm still useing the rubi drive shaft, it has a small vib even with the pinion angled. the cv would get rid of it completely  

I'm starting to think more like 2 inch. Now i just need to know if i should go with spacers or a 2 inch coil system. It seems that alot of companies offer both and what im afraid of with the coil system is whether or not the 2" coils will lift my jeep beyond 2" because of the 4 popper and soft top. Because if it does, I'm back at the driveline issues that im trying to avoid. If i dont go with coils and just use spacers, then will i need anything else at all, except shocks? And then (if all these questions aren't enough) once i reach that decision, which kit is best or most complete, or best priced while being best and/or complete? I think im a lost cause!! Thank you very much for all your input. Your helping alot because i haven't seen or dealt with any of this before.  

I say coils are the best, look into old man emu for just coils and the perfect shock combo to go with them, I've never used them myself, word is they are awesome. the stock lower control arms work great as long as you keep them away from rock rash, the front uppers will be the first to get twisted from horseing around on repeatedly trying to climb a steep hill.

spacers work for the front, the rear suffers because the over load gets raised 2"'s off the spring, it only takes a hundred pounds to make look like it's dragging it's rear. 2" spacers and a pair of shocks recomended for up to a 3" lift will be a great improvement of articulation and allow those 32's,
coils are still best for ride quality, street driving, load handling and off road.

sticking to the 32's would be a good idea for the 4 banger, still 4:56 gears would be desireable.

I'm the only lost cause, I still manage though, LOL.

were's Rawkon? we need more input!!  

Thanks for all the help!! Do you think there is any chance that one of the sets of 2" coils will raise my light 4cyl/soft top more than 2" and cause me some of those driveline issues? I know that OME has a choice of spring rates (heavy, medium, and light) I wonder how the light springs would do later when i add a winch and possibly a aftermarket bumper. I dont know what I'll eventually add to my rig and i would hate to be locked down on upgrades to the jeep because of my spring rate (tire carrier, racks, bumpers, winches, etc.)  Any thoughts???  

all of them are gonna be a little higher for the time it takes for them to settle, I think I'd go with the medium ome springs on yours, My HD rancho's gave me 4", well with the 315 maxxis buckshots it was 5 1/2" taller than stock to the bottom of the rocker panel, and took a lot of pounding before they settled, they are closer to 3" I think, haven't measured it since the day I put them on, I can't remember the stock measurement anyhow. I don't have any serious rubbing problems with the 34's, the rear does rub fully articulated since I put the 3 link on it and never added any bump stop length.  

heres some pic of a 01 tj with 2" spacers and 32's also it has no driveline mods,









here is a slide show of the suspension and apearance.



this pic is what I was getting at about the overload

 

Hello, all I have to say is a sye kit is well worth the money,My jeep has 4" lift and w/out the kit my drive shaft vibrated so bad and broke the strapes wich followed up w/ a smashed exhaust, and yes my pionion angle was correct, well thats what I was told.When you get ready for a sye kit Tom Woods heavey dutey kit is well worth the money and it was very easy to install in my 231 transfer case.