I'm looking at getting the 2.5" OME lift and 31" tires, but I only have enough money to do one right now. I wanted to ask what I should do first.
thanks

 

with a 2.5" lift it wont look too unproportional with stock tires so the lift gets my vote. If you were going bigger however, a set of tires sittin in the garage is great motivation to get out and work as much overtime as you can afford the lift

 

Buy the tires and store them until you can get the lift so that you can do it all at once instead of spread apart. But I suggest you get 33"s and regear instead because once you see how good it looks with 31"s you are going to want to go bigger.LOL I'm upping to 33"s when I need new tires.

 

I like that Idea, but I live in Brooklyn NY and don't have any place to store them.

 

IMO, lift first, then youll want to put wheels on it, so you'll be motivated to save for those. just my 2 cents.

 

lift it now, cause there's nothing to store.

but i'd go bigger tho, do a bastard pack and lift coils, then go 33's. no real need to regear right away for those either.

 

I didnt like my 33's with stock gears. Felt like I could never find the right gear for crawling / cruising. It was nice for the clearance under the axle though. Also, if you put on 33's right away, you gonna want to go with a bigger lift that 2.5 inches. More $$$. They will squeeze in the 2.5 inch lift with trimming, but you will probably still rub if you hit something hard enough.

I would say go for the lift first, then get the 31in tires.

 

Lift and if you don't like the look you will try harder to get money for tires or store the lift under your bed lol until you got enough for the tires and do both at once

 

Lift first. I went with 30x9.5s and I wish it were lifted with bigger tires. Once you start modding it is very difficult to stop or slow down the spending.

Just Empty Every Pocket

 

x2

 

agreed, but re-gearing is expensive. i've wheeled on 33's with stock gearing for a couple years with no issues, even driving on the highway is tolerable.
now i'm on 36's still with stock gearing (for now) and drive it 200-300 miles to go offroading. it's still doable.
so i say get to where you want to be in height and tire size, then regear once.
it's fun to lift your jeep 3 times, but costs a lot more.
do what you can afford.

 

you need 3.5" to 4.5" to fit 31's without rubbing at all.

I rub my 31's at 3" of lift in various locations. namely the control arms, because if I run any less backspacing on it as it is the tires will rub into the flares and fender.

 

i have about 3.5 to 4 inches of lift and i have 31x10.5 SSR's. I never rub since i trimmed the fenders. The last cherokee I had, the previous owner had a fabtech 4.5 inch lift and 33's. it rubbed like crazy. i ended up lifting it another 3 inches for about 7 inches total. the downside to that was i drove horribly on the road.

 

If bump stopped properly, 2.5" will work well with a 31" tire. Rubbing on the LCA is not a big deal, and shouldn't damage the tire too badly. You may have to trim the front fender flares a bit, but that OME and 31" tire combo would be a great start for you!! You WILL want to go bigger, but that is all just part of the illness we all suffer from...Jeeper Syndrome!! LOL!! Get-r-done, and post up some pics. I'd lift it first, and run the 30" tires you have, then you can install the larger tires. Good luck!!

 

I guess I'm gonna lift it first! I don't think I want to go higher than 2.5" or 3" though. The Jeep is my DD and its main off road use is as a beach buggy. I want it to still handle well on the highway.
thanks for every ones input!