Should I lift the Gladiator or not?

[chorky]

After owning and lifting a lot of 4 wheel drive vehicles,; I have figured that those folks over at Jeep/Toyota/Ford/etc... have to design the vehicles to best perform within their spaces. A lot of design goes into these vehicles and the limits of the design and of the actual components is factored in.

As I have found there are lots of issues in steering geometry and the rest of the suspension. With that in mind, I limit my back yard slide rule designing to what gives me a slight advantage. Kinda a cost benefit analysis. So, I started with a Rubicon and leave it as is. I would like to see what this beast does with 35's vice the original 33's that it came with. Nothing more. No lift or extreme large tires. That (for me) would be about it. And then, I have to understand what it would do to the applied torque at the wheel with the added lever of an extra inch from the center of the axle. It doesn't effect the geometry of the suspension, just causes another area to watch for rubbing. And, if selected right the larger tires add a bit more un-sprung weight effecting the life of the breaks and shocks and associated hardware.

Short answer; the suspension remains the same.

Except the issue here is it's pretty well known the rubicon suspension is far too soft even for a relatively light setup.

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[Tommyd]

https://www.aev-conversions.com/product/2-spacer-lift-gladiator/
When you lift a Jeep it can introduce unexpected issues. Having done numerous lifts I’ve found AEV has introduced no issues. Comes with everything you need if you go this route and is setup for 35’s.

What issue’s exactly?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Well I guess I am different here. I am retired and 68. Went the Overland route. I added Line x, Tonneau cover and mopar mudflaps. I get 21- 22 mpg around town and 25-26 on interstate here in Colorado with higher elevation with 85 octane gas. I think I’m staying with this. Larger tires and lift hurt fuel mileage, power and ride for sure. I don’t off road really so what the heck ? this thing rides great,handles good and performance seems good . Why mess with it especially while it’s under warranty ?

No kidding. Why lift if you don't need it for biiig tires or off-roading. It adds other things into the mix.
If you want it for looks, it's a give and take. You will introduce other possible things, and you will drop mpg with almost any mod like a lift or tires.

 

[Klicht87]

I have a Willys and have been on the fence with big tires and mild lift. I added the 1.5" teraflex front spacer. I like the leveled look. As much as I want the look of 35s/37s, they would only be cosmetic and I can't really justify the cost of wheels, tires, lift, etc...especially as this is my daily driver. Since I have the willys, it has the JL Rubicon red shocks which I think are perfectly fine. I think I'm just going to put the rubicon size tires (285/70/17) or the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs at 255/85/17 which are skinny 35s.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Have a Sport S Max Tow. Soft off road. Going to be towing more than anything (4000 pound TT) so have left it stock to do what the trim and package was designed to do and I get lots of nice comments on it when I park it and go into stores. It is Sarge green and has ditch lights with come custom hood vinyl. Would like to not lose more mpg than towing will already do. Currently I get the same mpg as you.

 

[willhonkforparts]

Yes. Just a small 2" spacer lift and 285 tires will make it look so much better.

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

No kidding. Why lift if you don't need it for biiig tires or off-roading. It adds other things into the mix.
If you want it for looks, it's a give and take. You will introduce other possible things, and you will drop mpg with almost any mod like a lift or tires.

This is something that I think doesn’t get brought up enough. I don’t think I’ve ever known someone that lifted a vehicle and didn’t have one issue or another pop-up.

That’s not getting into the height of the vehicle, either. Even at 6’3”, with my knee issues, I’d need to get some sort of side steps to help get into it if I lifted it. If you do typical running board/side steps, that’s going to cut clearance (would kind of defeat the purpose of doing the lift, to me), so those steps would end up being ~$2,300 for me.

 

[Sorbs]

What issue’s exactly?

1. Death wobble is real. Not using a quality lift can introduce it and shops don’t like to diagnose or try to fix it once it starts.
2. Noise, squeaks, creaks, and things that go bump. When changing the geometry of a stock vehicle stress is added to a lot of different moving parts. A once quiet ride can become a test of your patience.
3. Brake line extensions are a good idea to avoid stretching or even breaking them on the trail.
4. Increased wind resistance due to the higher stance will cause a decrease in fuel mileage.
5. If you’re building to improve its looks, keeping it simple will make a better daily driver. If planning to wheel it hard you’ll put up with the frustrations that can happen.

 

[Rocksalt]

op you csn run 285 70 17 with no lift if you simply want a larger tire

 

[Sigz]

I contemplated doing a lift but settled for a level.

Outside of some old farming roads/paths and hunting access tracts - I don't off road much.

A level gives me a nice look with a small bump ('lift") in the front.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Mine had to be lifted cause it looked like crap when it was stock.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

Your gonna lose MPGs if you lift it. You got to decide what it's worth to you. I get 17+ I'm mine lifted 3-1/4 inches on 37's. I also have a Max tow with 4.10 gears. We averaged over 18 overall on the way to the Mountains yesterday there and back total. Was around a 4hr round trip plus the 4 or 5 hours we rode around while up there mine looks like this but everyone's MPGs are gonna be different based on weight, bumpers and tires, brand and type etc. Also driving habits come into play as well.

Today's average after yesterday's trip

You can ask 100 different people what their MPGs are and 100 different answers. You gotta decide if it's worth it to you or not to do it. If you don't need to lift then why do it but if you want the look then there will be compromise. To me I had goal as far as running 37's before I bought the JT. I said if I could get at least 17 MPGs on average then it was worth it to me and I put a lot of thought into my build with that in mind. Researched weight of tires bumpers and winch before putting them on and chose a more aerodynamic front bumper as well. In the end though if your looking for validation then you can definitely get it here, I say do it.

 

[Discount Tire]

So just to give you an idea, here is my JT….
80th Anniversary Edition which is based off the Sport.
1.5” Teraflex Leveling kit (which is around $100)
Vision Se7en wheels with 295/70R18 Falken Wildpeak AT3W (which is a 34x11.5) both from @Discount Tire for total of $1600 during a sale.
Added Mopar LCAs ($70 at the time) to bring back some caster.
My daily drive to work is 60 mph on country roads and I’m averaging 18mpg (hills, winding turns, a few stops). Highway driving is closer to 20mpg.
Rides better than stock (thanks to the LCAs) and looks a little better I think.

Thank you for the shout out. Great looking rig! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Kirk*Mojave]

I've been thinking about adding a lift also not worried about my mpg I'm more concerned about having some sort of possible drive train issues and being denied a warranty claim if it happened

 

[Silverator]

I'm more concerned about having some sort of possible drive train issues and being denied a warranty claim if it happened

The molar 2" lift will not void your warranty, and I've been told it will drive as well as a stock Rubicon. (Not sure about the driving part as I have not done it yet....)

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