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3 inch lift with 33s?

Old 07-20-2011, 04:01 PM
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Default 3 inch lift with 33s?

My Cherokee now is running 31 inch A/T's on a rough country 3" lift, does anybody know anything about being able to clear 33"s on it with the 3 inch? or how much cutting would have to be done?
Old 07-20-2011, 04:08 PM
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Ppl have done it, u can fit any size tire with any size lift. Just all depends on how much trimming u want to do
Old 07-20-2011, 04:26 PM
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If you dont mind trimming a little bit you can definitely fit 33s on just 3" of lift . . my friend is rocking the same setup right now . . just dont forget bumpstops
Old 07-20-2011, 04:34 PM
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ok cool, are the bumpstops expensive?
Old 07-20-2011, 04:52 PM
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They can be . . on my jeep i just stacked some hockey pucks inside the coil, they have been there for months and are still holding up quite well
Old 07-20-2011, 05:00 PM
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yeh just epoxy hockey pucks and slide them thru the coil when its expanded...i run 4 pucks on my 3 in RC and it flexes like crazy since the pucks act like a pivot point
Old 07-20-2011, 05:14 PM
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33" tires with a 3" lift does not require a little trimming. It requires a lot of trimming. More in the rear than can realistically be done.

As an example, I run 32x10.5x15 Swamper TSL Radials with 4-1/4" total lift (A 3-1/2" Rubicon Express suspension system with 3/4" spacers in front and 3/4" shackle extensions out back). I did a little (lot) trimming on my rear flares and trimming + fender hammering on my front flares and fenders. I still rub a little in the front with the sway bar disconnected.

Fixing with bumpstops will net you about 1" uptravel. If you are OK with that, have at it.

33" tires with 3" of suspension lift is OK for a street XJ. Just do not attempt to take it off road. All the fenders will let you know the mistake you just made.
Old 07-20-2011, 06:29 PM
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Originally Posted by XJ Rat
33" tires with a 3" lift does not require a little trimming. It requires a lot of trimming. More in the rear than can realistically be done.

As an example, I run 32x10.5x15 Swamper TSL Radials with 4-1/4" total lift (A 3-1/2" Rubicon Express suspension system with 3/4" spacers in front and 3/4" shackle extensions out back). I did a little (lot) trimming on my rear flares and trimming + fender hammering on my front flares and fenders. I still rub a little in the front with the sway bar disconnected.

Fixing with bumpstops will net you about 1" uptravel. If you are OK with that, have at it.

33" tires with 3" of suspension lift is OK for a street XJ. Just do not attempt to take it off road. All the fenders will let you know the mistake you just made.
33s on 3" is more than capable offroad . . plenty of people on here and that i wheel with run the same setup . .
Old 07-20-2011, 06:38 PM
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My old jeep rip but she had 3 inch RC lift with packs on 33 x12.50 chopped fenders. It road like a dream
Attached Thumbnails 3 inch lift with 33s?-image-2009268258.jpg   3 inch lift with 33s?-image-1052050779.jpg  
Old 07-20-2011, 08:24 PM
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Originally Posted by XJ Rat
33" tires with a 3" lift does not require a little trimming. It requires a lot of trimming. More in the rear than can realistically be done.

As an example, I run 32x10.5x15 Swamper TSL Radials with 4-1/4" total lift (A 3-1/2" Rubicon Express suspension system with 3/4" spacers in front and 3/4" shackle extensions out back). I did a little (lot) trimming on my rear flares and trimming + fender hammering on my front flares and fenders. I still rub a little in the front with the sway bar disconnected.

Fixing with bumpstops will net you about 1" uptravel. If you are OK with that, have at it.

33" tires with 3" of suspension lift is OK for a street XJ. Just do not attempt to take it off road. All the fenders will let you know the mistake you just made.
you really dont know much about lowcog do you? 35+ on about 3 inches of lift. ofc witha **** ton of trimming and bumpstops.
and scratch out uptravel. downtravel is where its at. downtravel is 2x as important. you can only go so far up no matter what cause you adventualy hit your fender. downtravel can drop as far as the "obsticle" lets you.

so to answer your question. yes you can stuff 33s witha 3 inch lift. youll have to measure out how much you need to cut and bump stop. every xj is diffrent. and youll be more then capable offroad
Old 07-20-2011, 08:28 PM
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yeah, trimming the fender flares is not trimming the fenders. that should be easy with some trimming and proper backspace.
no problem to fit that.
Old 07-20-2011, 08:54 PM
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I have 33s on 1.75 spacers and about 3" in the back the rears dont rub at all but I cut a bunch out and I need bumpstops up front but it still stuffs up there without rubbing i cut quite a bit out of the front too tho
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Old 07-20-2011, 09:46 PM
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Basically, if you don't mind hacking the **** out of your fenders, and basically bump stopping where you have 0 up travel, then yes you can do it.
Now I have 33"s on 3" of lift with mildly trimmed fenders. I think it looks great, it does great on the road. Offroad, it BLOWS. If I have a wheel stuffed I eat the crap out of my fender while turning, Even bump stopped to all get out my rear end still grabs fender when stuffed. To me, it isn't worth it. I will be moving to 4.5" VERY soon.
On another note, if you were to get long arms or adjustable control arms and push your front axle forward about 1", then the front would be taken care of.
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Old 07-21-2011, 07:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Allusion
you really dont know much about lowcog do you? 35+ on about 3 inches of lift. ofc witha **** ton of trimming and bumpstops.
and scratch out uptravel. downtravel is where its at. downtravel is 2x as important. you can only go so far up no matter what cause you adventualy hit your fender. downtravel can drop as far as the "obsticle" lets you.

so to answer your question. yes you can stuff 33s witha 3 inch lift. youll have to measure out how much you need to cut and bump stop. every xj is diffrent. and youll be more then capable offroad
Reread my post. You are correct. One of us knows not about suspension travel. On solid axles, when one side goes down, the other wants to go up. As an example, take a look at any competition rig, whether rock crawler or desert racer. They have travel BOTH up and down. I would rather not have my Jeep at precarious angles on mild trails because I am limiting my up travel. But that is me.

Stated is, "downtravel can drop as far as the "obsticle" lets you." Ever hear of the revolver shackle by Teraflex? This shackle would allow massive amounts of down travel. Many did not like it because with that massive down travel there was a price...limited traction because tires were slipping. Why, because the opposite side could not go up far enough to allow weight (traction) on the dropping side. Many years ago, after witnessing the massive amount of drop and the associated loss in traction, I passed on this idea.

Will 33" tires work? It depends on what you call off-roading. Everyone has a different definition. Yes, 33" tires can be had on an XJ with 3" of lift. Lots of trimming and lots of bumpstop.

Last edited by XJ Rat; 07-21-2011 at 07:59 AM.
Old 07-21-2011, 07:41 AM
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here is mine

I did a 3" lift and trimmed for 33s

they fit fine... however I might have trimmed more than I needed

you might want to do 4.5" or so the trimming will be at a minimum










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