Looking for some advice on Lift/Rims

[imccarty]

So to start off i have done a decent amount of research and know what direction i am going in. 

My Jeep is a 2007 Wrangler X 2-Door

The main purpose of the jeep is going to be an adventure and off-road vehicle not a daily driver.

End state i am going for is 3"-4" lift and 35" tires

For the wheels i am currently thinking 15x8 aluminum if i can find a decent set but its been challenging. Online for the 5x5 bolt pattern i have found steel ones but no aluminum. Anyone have any suggestions?
I am also open to a different sized rim if that is better. I have just heard that the wheels for 15 rims are less expensive.

As for the lift. i have been looking at the below lifts just wondering if anyone has recommendations for brands/kits. From what i understand its normally cheaper and smarter (especially for someone with little experience) a kit with all the required parts.  

For this one i was thinking of getting the Fox Shocks. This is the kit that i am currently leaning towards.
SuperLift 4 in. Lift Kit w/ Reflex Control Arms & Shocks


I understand the main difference between these two is the first one offers more wheel travel, but i really don't know if its worth the money.
Rough Country 4 in. X-Series Long Arm Suspsension Lift Kit w/ Shocks 
Rough Country 4 in. X-Series Lift Kit w/ Shocks


For this one i would also be getting fox shocks to go with it
Rock Krawler 3.5 in. Max Travel Lift Kit System

[SidiousJK]

Jun 13, 2017 17:12:25 GMT -8 imccarty said:

So to start off i have done a decent amount of research and know what direction i am going in. 

My Jeep is a 2007 Wrangler X 2-Door

The main purpose of the jeep is going to be an adventure and off-road vehicle not a daily driver.

End state i am going for is 3"-4" lift and 35" tires

For the wheels i am currently thinking 15x8 aluminum if i can find a decent set but its been challenging. Online for the 5x5 bolt pattern i have found steel ones but no aluminum. Anyone have any suggestions?
I am also open to a different sized rim if that is better. I have just heard that the wheels for 15 rims are less expensive.

As for the lift. i have been looking at the below lifts just wondering if anyone has recommendations for brands/kits. From what i understand its normally cheaper and smarter (especially for someone with little experience) a kit with all the required parts.  

For this one i was thinking of getting the Fox Shocks. This is the kit that i am currently leaning towards.
SuperLift 4 in. Lift Kit w/ Reflex Control Arms & Shocks


I understand the main difference between these two is the first one offers more wheel travel, but i really don't know if its worth the money.
Rough Country 4 in. X-Series Long Arm Suspsension Lift Kit w/ Shocks 
Rough Country 4 in. X-Series Lift Kit w/ Shocks


For this one i would also be getting fox shocks to go with it
Rock Krawler 3.5 in. Max Travel Lift Kit System


Running 15" wheels may be a little harder to find, but doing a quick look up on 4 wheel parts website found plenty of alloy wheels in 15" 5 on 5.  Obviously switching to a 17" which is the stock wheel side on most JKs is more expensive for each wheel and tire.  I still run my stock Rubicon rims w/ a 37X12.50 17 and 1.5" wheel spacers.  As far as the lift kits go, I am very partial to Rock Krawler.  The triple rate springs paired with the right shock (as you have stated going w/ Fox) makes a nice on road and off road ride.  The joints of the Rock Krawler system are better than the other two company's lifts, so you will have less binding.  You can save for a later date and buy the other arms that are not included in the RK kit you are looking at.  Brad with Trail Recon, just put on a 2.5" RK lift, the same one you are looking at except 2.5" and loved the difference from the stock set up and pucks he was previously running.  

At 3.5" you can run the 35s without trimming the fenders.  I run a 3.5" RK with 37s and just cut my fenders to stuff those big tires (I have subsequently added spring pucks to get a little more lift for big boulders).  To throw another highly recommended kit into the mix, the Metal Cloak kits are excellent.  Just starting out, you can get there 3.5" dual rate lift kit $1199, add the fox shocks and your good to go.  This is the equivalent of the RK kit you are looking at.  There are quite a few members running the Metal Cloak kits in the club, and they perform excellent.  As far as Rough Country, you have no doubt read that they do not have the best reputation.  Some of the common comments are that the springs are really hard.  I don't know of anyone running one of the superlift kits.

 www.metalcloak.com/JK-Wrangler-3-5-Dual-Rate-Lift-Kit-p/7115.htm

[jchappy]

15in wheels are great as it will give you more sidewall but you may have issues with them fitting around your brakes, if they do fit it will be tight and you will never be able to do a big rotor upgrade which Is something I recommend with running a 35in tire or bigger.

As far as lifts go IMO a RC lift is more of a mall crawler lift kit, if your going to get out in the dirt and rocks get a good quality lift from Teraflex, RockKrawler, Metalcloak...pay once cry once.

With a 3-4in lift in a 2D you will also need new driveshaft's so don't forget to add that into your expenses

[imccarty]

Thanks for the help guys this is exactly what i was looking for.

So i have narrowed my sights down to the MetalCLoak or RockKrawler kits now i think. Everything i have been able to find online says they are both super solid and im sure ill struggle picking between the two.

The brake thing is not something i had thought about but makes a lot of sense to me. Would a 16in rim cover me there?

As for the drive shaft is that specifically about the exhaust issue? Everything i had read so far mentions the 2012 or newer models need the drive shaft upgraded to be workable. But again i am really new to all this so i am not sure if what i have read is accurate.

[jchappy]

On a 2 door you will need driveshafts because of the increased angle you will put on them with the lift.
15in rims may work but you will need to find the proper rims and the appropriate back spacing to move it away from the brakes but may still end up with steering components having contact with them.
16in may work too but i believe you will be limited to a good tire selection.
Is there a reason you want to move to a smaller rim?

[imccarty]

Not really, the only reason I was leaning towards the 15 inch rim option is because i had heard that they were less expensive when it came to purchasing tires. But if they lead to other complications it doesn't seem like a worth while place to try and save the money. Staying with the stock 17in rims is my best bet then? I will just have to purchase either one to match my current 4 rims or 5 new ones because when i purchased the jeep the spare tire only had the stock rim on it and the other 4 wheels had been switched out to different rims.

Drive shaft makes sense to me now that i have read more about it. Are there any particular brands that anyone would recommend? The little bit of googling i did seems like Adams drive shafts or Tom woods might be good options.

[jchappy]

I've run both Tom Woods and Adams. I have Adams in my JK and you really can't go wrong with either one.
If your going to buy rims you need 4.5in of back spacing to run 315\35in tires or 3.5in of back spacing for 37in tires. If you go aftermarket sway bar you may need more back spacing as you may rub when turning lock to lock.