Lifting LJ: Looking for thoughts on my setup

I'm at the point where I'd like to lift my LJ. I do not take it over rocks or mud bogs, this is a to work on sunny days/weekend vehicle that takes the family out for cruises. The Jeep is currently bone stock with 31s which are nearing end of life. Its a 6 speed with 20k on the odo.

I've done a fair bit of research and everyone states in order to run 33s I need a 3.5"+ lift total whether it be 2.5" suspension + 1.25" body to make this work. My issue is I hate having a lifted Jeep and seeing all the empty space in the wheel well. I personally feel that any jeep with 3"+ lift with only 33s looks odd. On top of that I don't even like the body lifts they make the vehicles look like something that Bobby Joe rigged up in the backyard. And of course I have no desire to go to 35s as I know from research that those bring a whole other slew of items that need addressing if considering that tire size.

I guess the overall look I am going for is the compact and overland style looking rig. Not sure if that makes sense, lol?

So here is what I'm thinking;
33"x12x15 BFGS All Terrains or Goodyear Duratracs. These would go on my stock Ravine wheels which shouldn't have a issue with the back spacing.
Rancho 5000X Rear (RS55241) and Front Shocks (RS55239)
OME Coils 2.5" - Front 934, Rear 942
I am hoping that with this setup the ride won't be extremely stiff, with the LJ having only 20k miles the way it drives now is good, pretty firm but yet still somewhat soft. The rear seat usually stays in just its folded down under the tonneau cover so the vehicle is typically pretty lightly loaded.

Based on my 6speed, I should have 3.73 gears which may not be ideal for the 33s but as I said, this is driven around town, barely any highway. Down the road if the gearing is that bad I guess I can always look into re-gearing it.

The Jeep is mainly driven in the Summer and a toy, really just top off. Only for a few months do I ride around with the hard top so I don't think I need the OME 949 rear coils? My front end does have a ARB Bumper with winch, probably 100lbs or so total for both.

Going over 3" I am also worried that I am going to start having to deal with driveline vibes, extending brake lines, swaybars etc. which I really am not interested in doing. So based on my use and setup above, is this doable or am I going to run into major issues? I am also open to other suggestion and recommendations on shocks and coils but based on everyones feedback around here those seem to be the most popular choices.

Feedback always welcome!

Thanks for all the feedback. I never thought of actually doing 32s and the picture above 06LJ is certainly something I would look into.

IPerkWVU, that stance looks good to me. Perhaps what I was seeing was much more of a lift then.

Seems like the consensus here is to ditch the 33s idea and maybe look into 32s which I could get away with without needing a BL.
The 32s come in 11.5x15 I’m assuming? So would be a little narrow tire as well. I wonder what brand choices out there are in a 15 rim size.

06lj said:

I just noticed you location and am assuming you want a tire that performs well in the winter. Another option, I considered myself, is finding a set of JK Rubicon take offs. They came with 255/75r17's which are basically 32x10's. The narrow tire might be better in the winter. IMO they look good on an LJ.
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Sharp looking LJ! Love the matte color! Tire width for winter performance is not a issue, Jeep does not see winter roads.

How would you say the ride is with the OME springs and Rancho 9000's? I know I am looking at the 5000s but curious to see what you say.

Do the OME coils come with the spacers as well or is that only if a entire OME suspension lift is ordered?

I think I’m going to go with the 32s setup, Rancho 5000X which seems to be closer to stock ride quality. Should I entertain other shocks like BDS etc?

Everyone says shocks are what determines your ride quality, can someone tell me why the OME coils are so popular then considering their a fair bit more than other coils? And they have no significant impact on the ride..

Fair enough. So does anyone know if the spacers come with every OME coil set ordered or how is it complete OME Lift Kits?

To add to the mix, stumbled on a local set of 33s some guy is selling, Duratracs says they have 75-80% left of tread.. wants $450 for them they come on Ford ProComp wheels. I know the wheels are no use to me but I could resell and offset more of the cost..