It seems to me that a 5.5" lift would work fine for you. To run 35's you would need to get a fender flare of some sort. I had a 6.5" long arm kit from skyjacker, with 33's, but i used to rub. I ended up swapping in some 2" spacers to suplument it. Now sitting up this high, I have plenty of room most of the time, if only my lift flexed more lol !!!!

 

Hmmm gotcha...is there any certain thing that makes you like Rusty's More?

Thats what I thought. Yeah I figured if I went with 35s eventully I would have to get Bushwackers or something along those lines. Thanks for the comments guys!

 

Don't forget about your axles dude. that Dana 30 wont take the beating for too long with 35"s and the type of wheeling your doing. Check out the axle kits put out by Motive/Ten Factor. It's about $550 for each axle upgrade but it's cheaper than a dana 44 or 60 upgrade. And it's wicked strong.
If I can run a 4.5" lift with 33's. You can for sure run 35's on a 5.5" lift. Just trim and put flares on. It will mask the cutting job and look great.
There are a few cats up in Santa Cruz area with only 3.5" of lift running 35's. I think it looks ugly due to the amount of cutting they had to do. But it's possible. You'll be fine with a 5.5". Regear, upgrade axles, and your set.
If you go with Rusty's setup. Their shocks are a little on the soft side. It's kinda like the factory ride feel.
I think it feels a little sloppy being that high with bigger tires. A little firmer would be nice. Just my 2 cents.

 

Well I have a small update and big plans in the future. All the cold weather here in the Southwest lately signaled the end of my previous batteries life. So a couple weeks ago I went out and picked up a new Optima red top battery for the jeep. So far I am loving it! Even on the coldest mornings its starts right up before I can let off on the key. It was a bit on the pricey side but in my opinion well worth it especially with the load on the battery with the stereo system, winch, lights etc.





I haven't been able to work on installing the rear seat due to the fact that is has been freezing around here lately and I have no shop or even a shed for that matter to work in. I can’t wait until we finish my buddy's shop so I can work there. Anyway on to the good stuff... after a lot of research and time looking through lift brands I have finally come to a decision. This was ordered this morning and should be here by Friday.

Rough Country 6.5" Long Arm Kit


So now that I have my lift on order I need to figure out what SYE / drive shaft combo I am going to get and probably order that within the next few days. I think I am going to stick to 33s for now along with some new rims. I may eventually go with 35s but that will require beefing up quite a few more components. 33s are plenty big for now since this will still be my DD. Hopefully I can get everything done in the next month or so so I can get all the bugs worked out by the time Easter Jeep Safari rolls around in late March. Since there are not many reviews out on the RC 6.5" LA kit due to it being so new I will be doing a detailed install write up and review. Stay tuned!

 

Well the lift came in today "3 day shipping just like they said" All I can say so far is wow the arms are very beefy. Everything else seems to be well made as well. I spent the afternoon going through all the parts right down to the nuts and bolts to make sure it was all there "which it was". Here are a few pics of some of the stuff.









Check out these lower control arm ends... beefy!






I just ordered this SYE last night.
Crown Jeep Wrangler Slip Yoke Eliminator Kit TJ YJ XJ
Now its just a matter of waiting for that to come in and going from there.

 

Looks like Christmas in January man! There's nothin like getting a huge load of brand new parts! Good luck w your build.

 

I ordered the same lift. It came in today and I was amazed at how beefy the arm and links are.

 

i like that sye kit!!

 

I remember you said you ordered it. Awesome! Yeah it does seem like a beefy kit all around... it will be interesting to see how it performs. You will probably end up installing yours before me since I have to wait a couple weeks for the use of a garage. Good luck man!

That's good to hear! I figured I couldnt go wrong with the price and all. I was just hoping it was as good as some others.

 

Yea I've already got a garage lined up to put my lift in. I'm probably puttin it in next weekend depending on the weather down here. I'm jus waitin on my driveshaft to show up next week to put it all on

 

nice, cant wait or more pics!

 

Congrats dude! Looks like you'll have a great weekend ahead of ya.
I recently put on the BFG M/T Km2's tires. I had the originals as well. I would highly recommend them if you haven't already picked out a set of new shoes. I ordered them online. Got them for $175 per tire. Can't remember off the top of my head from which website tho. They sale in my area for about $225 a tire at a shop. Not cheap. But they are wicked on road and off.
Great in the rain. Great on dry road. I'm giving them a good test in the snow this monday and tuesday since I'll be snow camping. But what little snow they've been in, they are pretty good. The tread doesn't freeze up like the All terrain did on me.
Keep up the good work. It's lookin awesome.

 

Wow dude nice!
I cannot wait to see your jeep with the 6.5" RC LA kit installed!
I have the same kit now sitting in my garage waiting for it to get warm out/me to gather up all the other parts I want.
I decided to sell the RC 2.2 shocks as they are the same ones they use in the 4.5" lift kit and limit articulation a lot on the front.
I opted to purchase Bilstein 5150 shocks separately.
I am also going to cut the rear shock mounts and weld my own in using a cheapo welder I have haha.

but Man I love your jeep!
I like all the little things you have done to it as well!
I see your from CT, I am from MA maybe someday we will cross paths and go wheelin!
You seem to take your XJ everywhere!
Nice!

take it easy
looking forward to the install !!

 

awesome jeep! how does your jeep and tires hand on the trails? any major problems? If I was to go out there I would probly run generals

 

Might just have to change my mind on which kit i want now!