What rim do you have now?
I really like the tracker 8 rims, but just polished.

 

Thank you

 

Thank you


Thank you

They are the MB Razors in black. I really like them, and the price was only slightly higher than D-hole steelies.
I like the Level 8's as well.If they were 5x4.5, I would have ran them and saved the money I spent on mounting. I prefer black wheels (at the moment at least) and I'm kind of going for the Storm Trooper look. I've considered painting the fuel can black as well.

 

My Jeep's twin matches again. The 33's look awesome man.

 

I was wondering If you have any issues with your 33"s hitting the rear area of your fender wells? yours looks just like mine very tight. I am considering adjustable control arms soon, just to get things pushed forward a inch or so. I figure that would make things fit better and possibly make it ride a little better. I was thinking IronMan.


I have not taken it wheeling yet, but really don't want to tear the new tires up.

 

Good looking 2 door you got there. That thing has Jeep Speed written all over it!

Yes, the front tires rub the rear of the fender well when turning but it's only on a spot that is sticking out further than the rest of the fender well. I'm confident I can hammer the area smooth and eliminate the rub. As for rubbing, or hitting the fenders during articulation, I'll have to wait until I hit some trails to find out but I'm certain I'll have to either add more lift, add extended bump stops, or possibly a bit of both.
I might buy some car ramps so I can experiment with the bump stop sizing. I'm thinking of trying the hockey puck method.

 

Thank you

 

I was able to trim the front inner fender, to eliminate the rubbing issues during normal driving, but the rear tires are occasionally hitting the flares under normal driving conditions. I drove it on a 300 mile round trip this past weekend and could hear the tires making contact while going over some larger bumps on the road. These tires are pretty worn so new tires with more tread is going to be even more of a problem. They are also crazy loud, so loud I can barely hear the radio over them.
I'm considering going back to the 31's. They have plenty of tread, are much quieter, and I will not have to add more lift. It's too bad, because these 33's look really good.
I'm concerned if I add more lift (a lift shackle, or relocation bracket) I'll run into more issues, like vibrations. I suppose I could do a t-case drop, but that defeats the purpose of taller tires.
I'm planning a few camping trips this spring, and want the Jeep as drive-able as possible. Plus any money spent on more lift could be used on winch, sliders, or any one of a dozen things I still want to get for the Jeep.
Decisions, decisions.

 

I have a feeling you'll think the 31s look small if you go back. Squeeze another 1/2 to an 1" out of the lift, and I think you'll be happier. That's just me though. Tires being loud is never fun. Funny that the 33's are that much louder than the 31's considering they're the same tire.

 

Agreed 100%

What tire pressure are you running? 33" tires should be aired up to LESS pressure than the same 31" tire on the same vehicle.

Very odd that you're rubbing during normal driving with cut fenders and a 3" lift. That's pretty much equivalent to 4.5" lift without cutting. Measure from axletube to framerails for the amount of actual lift you netted. Then you can for sure see what amount of lift you can add to remedy that.

Click for full res

 

Thanks guys. Very good points.
I'll check the tire pressure, and measure the actual lift tomorrow. I may buy some car ramps to flex it out and see exactly where it's contacting the flares.
Going back to the 31's is definitely not something I want to do.

 

Awesome! Glad to see some of Brians stuff still getting posted on the forum. RIP!

 

I checked the tire pressure and they were all around 40PSI, so I dropped them to 30PSI, and will take it for ride later and see if that helps with the noise.

As far as the lift is concerned, the front measures 9-1/2", and the rear measured just a hair under 8". Which means my 3" lift is now 2-1/2" front, and 2" in the rear.
I'm not really surprised, as the weight of the front bumper, rear bumper, spare 33" tire, fuel can, roof rack, and tools have added hundreds of pounds of additional weight to the XJ.
I feel much better about adding more lift now that I know it will only be a net of about 3-1/2 inches of lift overall.
I'm thinking of trying the 1-1/2" relocation brackets in the rear, and either a 1" coil spacer up front, or a new set of 4-1/2" coils.

It seems like it might make sense to add the winch, and rock sliders first. Then measure again to see if I need to go even higher.
I'm tempted to get a set of $50.00 lift shackles to check the rear clearance, and ride height since I may not have the coin for the winch and sliders for a while.

 

Relocation brackets are a nice upgrade. I know it's an expense, but what about getting rid of the RC components all together?

 

In hindsight, I would definitely go with another brand of lift. However, I'm not sure that would have prevented the loss in height due to the additional weight.
If I were starting all over, I would most likely go with a 4.5" long arm kit.