Sport S Lift w/ Max Tow (And you actually Tow!)

[ABQJeep1848]

Team,
Talk to me. I've read every post on lifting a max tow, lot's of opinions and great ideas. I'm down to two possibilities, but what I haven't read out of everyone is actual on the ground experience.

If you have the Sport S Max Tow, AND you've lifted it, added tires, AND you're actually towing something significant, Share! I'd love to hear the experience. I'm pulling an Rpod 202 (~5500 loaded). I don't want to lose that capability, make it dangerous, etc...

Thanks everyone!
JP

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[Riccochet]

I do not, but I tow a lot. So I'll just comment on the obvious.

1. Depends on how much lift and what size tires you are considering. You'll have to factor in whether your WDH can accommodate enough drop to compensate for the extra height to keep the trailer level.

2. Rake. Most lifts remove the factory rake. This is problematic when towing heavy as now you'll have negative rake sending your headlights in to oncoming traffic, or worse. At that point you'll need to consider airbags to bring the truck back to level.

3. Bigger tires is more rotational mass on an already gutless engine. Can it do it? Yeah. Will it suck? Yeah. Going through mountains? Eff that.

1 and 2 are safety concerns where 3 is a quality of life concern. Ultimately it's your truck, do what you want. Just keep 1 and 2 in your mind since it's not just you on the road.

 

[madesicc88]

This is my typical weekend camping trip load, sometimes I exchange the MTBs for 2 pit bikes. I keep it around 70-72mph on the interstate and have a lot of elevation change in the areas we go. Truck pulls it fine. I have a 2.5 teraflex lift that uses a small spacer in the rear and keeps the original max tow rear springs. I also have a Falcon adjustable steering stabilizer that I will stiffen up for long interstate trips. I also installed the OEM trailer brake controller and that seems to work fine. I don’t use a WDS hitch or anything like that.
It’s definitely not the best towing vehicle but it suites my needs fine, the fuel stops are just a bit more frequent.

 

[Benbean66]

I'm in a Sport w/ Max Tow, and tow quite often in the warmer months. I run the 2.5" Clayton lift with 35" tires. Falcon steering stabilizer, too. I have bags in the rear as well, but haven't had the chance to test them out w/ a heavy load yet. I towed my buddies '69 Pontiac from PA to GA and it handled it just fine. I also have a Redarc brake controller which helps immensely. Like the previous poster mentioned, fuel-ups are a lot more frequent. Overall, I love it, and it have no issues towing with my JT.

 

[Benbean66]

How do you like the steering stabilizer? What kind of benefit do you see?

I love it. No issues. You can really feel the difference in settings. "Firm" works great for towing on long trips, "Medium" works great for everyday driving, and "Soft" offers nearly no resistance for easy wheeling off road.

 

[Josh00333]

Chiming in on this bumped one as well.

I tow a lot, apx 5k pounds. I just lifted w an AEV 2.5" kit and run 34" to be 35's eventually.

I'll update after my next trip.

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