2.5" spacers

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tommudd

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Sorry I don’t have spacers I’m on standard suspension but in uk so maybe different set up? Thanks for your help though
I can see no lift on yours, but no flex room either
I would hit so bad even going to check on my Mother daily
Nice " black " KJ though, blacks the only color ;)
 

Dirtroad

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98 percent of the Wranglers are driven by WOMEN, see them daily so what is point and why do you want to own a " so called girly Jeep " ?

on my 04 went from stock size tires to 32s
could not use overdrive, mileage dropped 5-6 MPG
regeared to 4.10s, helped some , got 21 easy at 75 plus on the big roads ( should be 4.56s with 32s on a KJ )
on my 03 with 31s and 4.10s drives like stock , 22-22.5 on the highway easy
gearing helps a lot, ask anyone who has done it
Have a good life
Wife wanted it,and son liked It,but it is fun to drive tho. Besides not having the money for another wrangler,was actually looking for a early 2000s cherokee,but got a good deal on this.
Figured it would get my jeep obsession out of my system for a bit.
Thought I ask about tire sizes,instead got flack from a old man emu snob about a spacer lift.
If you read the other comments, they actually know how to answer a simple question without being obnoxious about a spacer lift. Which work for most people for their intended use of their vehicles, would I put one on a dedicated off roader? No probably not, but that's for that person to decide not you.
 

tommudd

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****, oh well so you must drive on totally very smooth roads, no turns, potholes, cracks or any of that
Live and learn , just wait till you get a bit older ;)
 

Dirtroad

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And there you go again.
Don't need your feed back anymore. But you cant seem to shut your keyboard.
Not sure how old you think I am.
But as I said I don't try to break my **** anymore. I've blown engines racing,dropped driveshaft, broke axles(among other things) playin in mud,woods ,hills,rivers. If I can happen I've had it happen.
Now just cause you act like a 12 year old, don't mean I'm 15.
Let's see if you can move on now.
Probably not .
I've got my new spacer lift on new springs new struts my 235/75 16 mounted,and nope no rubbing nothing breaking,ball joints all good, my road is nowhere near smooth and maintained Sorry it didn't work out the way you hoped .
Maybe you just don't know how to properly take care of your stuff.
 

tommudd

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****, I have NEVER ran a spacer lift, and never will , but removed several
Tell you a little story, found a ARB bumper for sale two states away, early 2005, was a good deal so called and said I'd be there Saturday
When I got there I found out the whole story
Jeep family , Dad and Mom both drove TJ Rubicon's, daughter a 99 Cherokee ( all lifted and built ) and son a 03 KJ Renegade ( which had 9000 miles on it when they bought it.
Lifted the sons with RRO spacer lift
Within a year it went through 5 blown front shocks, 3 upper control arms with last one coming apart and taking out the right side flare
ARB had been on for less than a month and they removed it. Never off road , underneath was cleaner than most peoples rides ever are
They were selling everything including the lift etc to get ready to sell it since they deemed that you could not lift a KJ and not have issues
I got a almost brand new ARB for 250 bucks along with a front set of Renegade flares, the worthless RRO budget spacer lift and some other parts. Still use the RRO spacer as door stops and show and tell.
This is just one of hundreds I know of example

Now I do try and warn people that they are wasting their money. Not sure about you but I have always worked hard for mine and buy parts etc that will last
So if you don't people letting you know what works , what doesn't
well good luck in life
 

bluegpguy

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Wife wanted it,and son liked It,but it is fun to drive tho. Besides not having the money for another wrangler,was actually looking for a early 2000s cherokee,but got a good deal on this.
Figured it would get my jeep obsession out of my system for a bit.
Thought I ask about tire sizes,instead got flack from a old man emu snob about a spacer lift.
If you read the other comments, they actually know how to answer a simple question without being obnoxious about a spacer lift. Which work for most people for their intended use of their vehicles, would I put one on a dedicated off roader? No probably not, but that's for that person to decide not you.
I put on a Rusty's spacer lift (2.5" front, 2" rear) and ran 245/75R16 BFGs on stock wheels with no rubbing at all. Didn't have to pound down the pinch weld, worked great.
 

808inthe949

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I wish more people would just listen to the moderators here.
The spacers mess with the geometry of your suspension. The way the front end is designed whatever you add gets doubled essentially. So a 2" spacer gives more than the 3.5" that is allowable for clearance between suspension parts, mainly the upper control arm and coil springs.
The damage that can be caused is pretty substantial. I know first hand.
In 2015 I bought a jeep wk that had a very similar if not identical setup to most Libby's I see now that are 2wd. Drove the jeep from CA to OK on stock everything. I put the Rough Country (read as; *****) spacers above my strut (coil/shock) to lift the front end for some bigger tires that I jumped the gun purchasing. I drove back to CA and every bump in the road I would hear a knock (metal to metal) that was aggressive. At home, I looked under the jeep and my UCA had been making contact with the spring Everytime my jeep would bounce with bumps in the road. My springs were dinged bad and my control arm had a noticable notch in it. About 300 miles later my upper ball joint failed which caused my driver's tire to fall flat on the pavement. Thankfully I was pulling out of my driveway so could have been much worse. The only solution was to replace the UCA with JBA ones as they are longer and allow for more lift before making contact with springs. Ended up doing the UCAs and end links. Sold it.
On my Liberty I currently own I did it right from the start with OME springs, Steins, JBA UCA's, Moog lower ball joints and new bushings for away bar.
If you type strut spacers, spacer lift, coil spacers, or anything similar on here you'll find stories similar to mine.

TLDR: you can get by with spacers but not for long, could cause serious accident if left unchecked... Oh and crazy expensive!
 

Arthur McKenna

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But a coil over also changes the geometry. I understand that the UCAs need to be replaced for clearance, but that goes for either lift. So why are the spacer lifts different in the damage they cause?
 
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Overland03Liberty

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NO on the 245-75-16s unless you are not driving it at all ( even with stock new springs etc )
NEXT even with stock wheels and those spacers when turning it will rub in
Before y'all preach the bad read first.
I got 2.5 front spacers,2" rear spacers.
My springs will not be sagging I have new struts and springs, rear springs and shocks.
My question is tires. I'm looking at 245 70 16(stock steel wheels). But I want the tire to fill out the wheel well. Would a 245 75 16 be better?
Don't want to cut nothing, it's a 2wd and I'm doing it for aesthetics not off road.
Has anyone had success with 245 75. Or should I get the 70 all terrain? I've read multiple threads,and nobody really gives a definite answer. It's a dd, might hit dirt roads a few times.
 

Okok

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I recently installed a spacer lift in my 2012 4wd KK (just to see if I liked the height off road) cuz it was fast and cheap. I intended to cobble together a lift from ome parts suggested on this forum if I found I liked the height I got from the spacers. I’ve since driven it on the street for awhile without issue, and taken it down at least one trail it had no business being on. My Kk performed beyond my expectations. After working on it and driving it with the spacer lift I am having serious trouble justifying the expense of an ome lift. I also would appreciate an answer to Arthur’s question beyond a “just trust me I have experience” answer. Any thoughts?
 

Overland03Liberty

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Before y'all preach the bad read first.
I got 2.5 front spacers,2" rear spacers.
My springs will not be sagging I have new struts and springs, rear springs and shocks.
My question is tires. I'm looking at 245 70 16(stock steel wheels). But I want the tire to fill out the wheel well. Would a 245 75 16 be better?
Don't want to cut nothing, it's a 2wd and I'm doing it for aesthetics not off road.
Has anyone had success with 245 75. Or should I get the 70 all terrain? I've read multiple threads,and nobody really gives a definite answer. It's a dd, might hit dirt roads a few times.
I’ve got a 2.5 spacer lift with 245/75 r16. I didn’t have to cut the pinch weld. I’ve flexed out completely and there was some scuff rubs on the plastic at full flex but nothing to harsh. The spacer lift isn’t the best but when on a budget it has worked best for me. No it’s not the greatest ride out there I know that but again it has worked for me. I haven’t had the extra money to get a good lift so I’ve used what I got. Some people say the spacer lifts don’t lift all Libertys the same but mine lifted the front higher than what I thought and haven’t had any spring sag. We go out on milder trails and fire roads it has held up for me and what I do. No it’s not compared to a Old Man Emu lift but I’m the the provider for my family with a stay at home wife and two kids so I took the spacer lift and go out on the trail and we have fun.
 

Overland03Liberty

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I recently installed a spacer lift in my 2012 4wd KK (just to see if I liked the height off road) cuz it was fast and cheap. I intended to cobble together a lift from ome parts suggested on this forum if I found I liked the height I got from the spacers. I’ve since driven it on the street for awhile without issue, and taken it down at least one trail it had no business being on. My Kk performed beyond my expectations. After working on it and driving it with the spacer lift I am having serious trouble justifying the expense of an ome lift. I also would appreciate an answer to Arthur’s question beyond a “just trust me I have experience” answer. Any thoughts?
 

808inthe949

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I'm not sure as to why some would have issues and some wouldn't. As far as my experience and a percentage of the ones I have seen, the coil contacts the control arm at full droop and caused some damages. An alignment didn't solve my issue. The new control arms and the spacer lift would have worked for me, but the springs were already pretty saggy so I wasn't getting much actual travel. I think the way our front ends are designed 2" inches added is almost 4" added. I could definitely be wrong tho.
But maybe the 2.5" spacer is too much but a 2" would be okay for some people with decent stock springs?
At any rate don't buy the rough country spacers. The passenger side one from my set had one of the posts shear off when tightening the bolt. Not good quality.
 

baxyboiler14

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I can see no lift on yours, but no flex room either
I would hit so bad even going to check on my Mother daily
Nice " black " KJ though, blacks the only color ;)
Thankyou I do plans to lift it but as mainly use on uk roads just wanted to look a bit better lol
 

Johnny O

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Don't know,I have 29.29 inch tall tires on sagging old springs now with no rubbing and decent ride, so how you figure a 16th inch wider tire and a 1/2 inch taller tire on new springs and a 2.5" lift are gonna rub and ride bad?
Even with only a 1.5 added height the math your throwing out don't add up. A stock tire on some models are 235/70 16. These are 235/75 16 on a slight lift.
You saying you think it will rub on a suspension part,like a sway bar,fender well? Some people running 245/70 16 with no rubbing on old worn out suspension parts. I know nothing is the exact same but damn my jeep ain't that bad.
You hammered down the shark fin yet and sawed off the plastic cover for it from the wheel well liner?
Lot of TLDR for me so might have missed its mention. Running stock sized AT tires on old and new stock suspension I got rubbing on sharp turns and when fully loaded down…
 

JeepinJarhead03

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there's a couple things to keep in mind, not all tires/profiles are made the same, so one 30" tire on a standardly accepted wheel and backspacing setup, 16x7 4" backspace, may not find anything to rub, and another, will. (inserted photo) P-series AS street tire rubbed only with enough interference to polish the liner, but a 1/2" narrower, M/T profile tire rubbed hard enough you could feel it in the wheel. in terms of the suspension spacers, the KJ IFS has a tolerance of about 1" (enough for 2" of lift) before it starts doing progressively worse things in terms of coil/uca interference, leverage on balljoints, etc. there's not a lot of fudge room, that tolerance is closer to 0.9 than it is 1.1. Having the front IFS force a suspension extension cycle, under weight and inertia, with a suspension geometry length that's over 1" longer than it originally was designed for, is known to be a potentially very violent event. the angle at which the UCA and balljoint crosses with, for instance, a 1.5" extended geometry (3"RC lift) - is very close to the angle at which wine cork removers work at - and they've been known to "uncork" quite a few upper balljoints. Effective kj front ifs spacer use is common and successful at geometry increases of 3/8 to 3/4" - but the thicknesses of typical stand alone spacer lifts are above that - with a bit of hesitation/reservation, i'd be willing to admit that a 2" front spacer that's only 1" thick (not a spring preloader), is probably fine, it would be much better with 1/5" shaved off of it - it would be far less likely to cause the frequency of issues. Ive had folks who had beaten bushings to death, with balljoints you could move axially in the socket, by hand - not prybar - who stood there moments prior and swore they had no issues and didn't know what the big deal was. So i've never put much weight in the /just as good/no problems/ - humans deflect when faced with the potential for having made a sub optimal choice, if we all treat advice, and "reviews" as if our bad advice results for someone else, will literally come out of our own wallet - we'd all probably give better advice, or none at all. In terms of regearing, the CRD's second overdrive (0.67) will more than accommodate a swap from 3.73 to 4.10 in terms of highway cruise , regearing is the most cost effective, #1 performance increase someone can do to a vehicle, the torque increase at the wheels is about equivalent as installing a supercharger. I'd say its more crucial of an impact in regards to the 3.7, the 2.8TD makes adequate torque to grunt it and doesn't have a pronounced torque hole like the 3.7 does. The difference between 2000-2100 on the 3.7, and 2300-2400 is massive in terms of torque. Most 3.7 KJs with oversized tires and 42RLE's fall in a torque hole at highway speeds and effectively lose the effective use of overdrive below 75mph. 3.7s ability to maintain, or accelerate on any beyond minor grade below 2200 rpm's just doesn't exist, and it makes twice the torque at 2350 that it makes at 2100, that along with the FDR's effect on torque output, even the CRD can greatly benefit from it.
 

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808inthe949

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there's a couple things to keep in mind, not all tires/profiles are made the same, so one 30" tire on a standardly accepted wheel and backspacing setup, 16x7 4" backspace, may not find anything to rub, and another, will. (inserted photo) P-series AS street tire rubbed only with enough interference to polish the liner, but a 1/2" narrower, M/T profile tire rubbed hard enough you could feel it in the wheel. in terms of the suspension spacers, the KJ IFS has a tolerance of about 1" (enough for 2" of lift) before it starts doing progressively worse things in terms of coil/uca interference, leverage on balljoints, etc. there's not a lot of fudge room, that tolerance is closer to 0.9 than it is 1.1. Having the front IFS force a suspension extension cycle, under weight and inertia, with a suspension geometry length that's over 1" longer than it originally was designed for, is known to be a potentially very violent event. the angle at which the UCA and balljoint crosses with, for instance, a 1.5" extended geometry (3"RC lift) - is very close to the angle at which wine cork removers work at - and they've been known to "uncork" quite a few upper balljoints. Effective kj front ifs spacer use is common and successful at geometry increases of 3/8 to 3/4" - but the thicknesses of typical stand alone spacer lifts are above that - with a bit of hesitation/reservation, i'd be willing to admit that a 2" front spacer that's only 1" thick (not a spring preloader), is probably fine, it would be much better with 1/5" shaved off of it - it would be far less likely to cause the frequency of issues. Ive had folks who had beaten bushings to death, with balljoints you could move axially in the socket, by hand - not prybar - who stood there moments prior and swore they had no issues and didn't know what the big deal was. So i've never put much weight in the /just as good/no problems/ - humans deflect when faced with the potential for having made a sub optimal choice, if we all treat advice, and "reviews" as if our bad advice results for someone else, will literally come out of our own wallet - we'd all probably give better advice, or none at all. In terms of regearing, the CRD's second overdrive (0.67) will more than accommodate a swap from 3.73 to 4.10 in terms of highway cruise , regearing is the most cost effective, #1 performance increase someone can do to a vehicle, the torque increase at the wheels is about equivalent as installing a supercharger. I'd say its more crucial of an impact in regards to the 3.7, the 2.8TD makes adequate torque to grunt it and doesn't have a pronounced torque hole like the 3.7 does. The difference between 2000-2100 on the 3.7, and 2300-2400 is massive in terms of torque. Most 3.7 KJs with oversized tires and 42RLE's fall in a torque hole at highway speeds and effectively lose the effective use of overdrive below 75mph. 3.7s ability to maintain, or accelerate on any beyond minor grade below 2200 rpm's just doesn't exist, and it makes twice the torque at 2350 that it makes at 2100, that along with the FDR's effect on torque output, even the CRD can greatly benefit from it.
One of the best explanation I have read.
 

Johnny O

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and labrat's idea is solid , pounding over the pinch weld, and moulding out of the way, the section ahead of the tire where the fog light access panel is, will alleviate a great deal of the rubbing issues
A 2lb sledge and a sawzall an yinze good. My normal 20lber is overk.i'll. :wink:
 

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