Cruiser guy w/newbie ?

[hoop5]

I know I am about to get flamed( Cruiser guy asking a Jeep question) but I have searched and found some good stuff, but a lot of crap as well.
Here's the newbie question:

I have a friend that is going to buy a Rubicon and he wants make it street friendly(DD) but also very capible off road. Here is what he's thinking about:

Question 1. Wants to go with a Full Traction 4-6" lift ( good choice or is the RE a better buy) Its a daily driver so not sure if 6" with 35s would be practical and also probably have to regear (I assume he would) Any thoughts on this setup would be great.

2. I know with doing a susp. lift he will have other issues to address ie steering, exhaust, and drive shaft. What are the best ways to deal with these or are they included in the kits?

3. Also lets hae some opinions: 6 speed manual or 4 speed automatic? It's an 05 so he will have the Mercedes 6 speed.

Thanks guys and don't tell tooo many Cruiser guys I talked to the "Dark Side"

[MossMan]

If it's a newbie question (most def. is) why didn't you put it in the newbie section?

:shaking:

[swamp boy]

IF you go 4" or more of lift on a TJ you will need slip yoke eliminator and new shaft in the rear.. And they are not included in the lift.. Also if you put more than 4.5" lift on a TJ and you want it to ride worth a shit you better do a long arm ..

Sooo... Long story short.. The only way to have a lift that big and run 35's will be to get a Long arm lift.. SYE new rear shaft , and regear to about 4:56 or so.. All of that will be probobly somewhere in the neighborhood of $2500 or so...

Or ... Just put on a 3.5 lift and run 33's.. :) Might even get away with stock shafts and gears with 33's.. :)

[jeeperrick]

I ran a 97 TJ with a Currie 4" lift kit and SYE conversion, along with a 1" body lift. I also regeared to 4:56. I was running 35" MTR's and it handled great on the roads as it to was my D/D. As for wheeling, well I can tell you that I ran that setup for years on trails like the Rubicon, Fordyce, as well as trails in Moab,and Johnson Valley.
Long arm kits are really nice and allow for more travel, and greater spring heights, though that in turn will raise the COG.
I guess it all comes down to what type of wheeling he is planning on doing. That is MHO.

[williamj]

The rubicon T-case comes from the factory w/out a slip yoke so you can deduct ~$300 from the above estimate, hoewever he would still probably need a new driveshaft.

[3/4tonYJ]

i might get flamed also,
i've drove TJ's with over 4 inches of lift, and any kit using the original length control arms is going to bad for a daily driver...........i know lots of folks are, it's amazing what you can learn to live with or get used to.

[currupt4130]

the ft traction kit is great, ive helped install several and wheeled with the guys who drive them. the ft kit is really complete, pretty beef, and fairly straight forward.

go with the 6 speed, it has a lower first gear than the nv3550's

[hoop5]

Thanks guys and keep the suggestions coming :D

[Schmozilla]

A guy in my club is running a RE 4.5 on a 04 rubicon. He is running 35 inch BFG MTs and did not regear. He has the 4 speed auto, just dosent used OD.

[GiS]

The FT is def the way to go. The 6" will clear 37's so the 4" with a 1" bl might be better for low CG.

Exhaust will need to be full custom because of the rear tri-link. Will need a new CV DS. Rubicons already have a SYE so thats out. Its not a MUST to re-gear but if your going to build a rig, do it right....4.56 or 4.88 (better step from 4.10) your choice. Bunch of small crap to deal with too, need an AA bracket to move the 4wd shifter from tub mount to tranny mount (if you go with the BL), new shocks etc....

Have fun!

[currupt4130]

novak has a whole shifter assembly out as does skyjacker, that revamps the shifter to be a more self contained piece. novaks is a bit pricier than skyjackers but they both do the job. novaks shifter is cnc'd aluminum and skyjackers is just a plastic handle