Why is it that Rancho advertises their 4" lift for the H2 to clear 40" tires and Fabtech's 6" clears 37" tires as per each website.

Also, there are a few members running Fabtech's 6" with 40" tires and still rub, so how in the world would they be able to fit these same tires under the 4" suspension system of Rancho?

 

I don't have a direct answer but that info has to be wrong considering you can stuff 37's on stock H2's all day long. Some rub a little on the sway bar and others don't. I'm bumping up to 37's pretty soon once I can get a wheel figured out I like along with right backspacing to bring them out a bit.

 

Thank you for the response. I also imagine that the width of the tire is also a determining fact here... as far as rubbing goes..

If stock H2's can accommodate 37s all day long then why not just go get a Truxxx 3" kit for $350 and but 40s under there???? Am I missing something here or is this feasible?

 

I can't speak to a 3" lift on an H2 directly, but in general terms you typically can't add a 3" lift and increase the max tire height by 3". Ignoring rubbing issues from a wider tire for a minute, the big issue is generally the wheel well front to back, not up and down. You need to lift it enough to get the wheel well high enough to clear the now larger diameter tires. This is why "flat fenders" are popular on Wranglers - it eliminates or at least greatly reduces the front to back wheel well issues.

 

I have a Rancho 4" lift on mine with Toyo MT 40" tires. I will rub if I am in reverse at full lock but just enough to scuff the paint on the stabilizer bar. If I impact the front tire too much it will hit the rear of the wheel well. You can get a couple more inches height up front by leveling it. 4" lift is just right for me considering any more lift would make it a pain for me to access the crap in the back of my truck. My rear tires have no issues. I plan on putting 37's on my wife's H2 with just the front leveled.

 

Awesome this is pretty much the exact review that I have been looking for.. Thanks KruBruder!

Would you mind giving me your wheel and tire dimensions?

Also, I noticed the Rancho does not come with a front driveline shaft like the Fabtech does. Did you have to buy any extra parts to accommodate the lift or was the Rancho package everything you needed?

You are a big help thank you so much for jumping in this conversation.

 

I don't have either but I believe since you have to hack up the front diff like a Frankenstein experiment with the Rancho it drops the front diff down not needing a new driveline?


I plan to lift mine one day but I'll be going with Bulletproof. No hacking anything up!

 

I just made a call to Bulletproof about this suspension kit you are referring to.

Sounds pretty good with no hacking! They did mention the only thing you have to take off are the factory bump stops.. which is not an issue to return to stock.

Their kit is $2550, plus you have to buy a CV Driveshaft replacement and they offer one at $450, and their shocks are $59/each for the basic up to $265/each for the top end reservoir shocks.

Overall with the basic shocks it comes to $3236.00 plus whatever tires you want.

I will probably end up going this route since there is no hacking.. I am glad you mentioned it. I might have to add a torsion key to this kit as well to be able to fit the 40s I plan on running.

 

My tires are Toyo MT 40"x15.50R20. Wheels are 20"x10". I don't know what the backspacing or offset is off hand. The Rancho kit includes spacers for the axle shafts. I'm pleased with it. It does require shaving the front support tab off of the front diff where they include a new bracket for improved support. This also makes it possible to drop the diff carrier through the components if you need to work on it. If you plan on lifting it and putting the larger tires on it, it would be a good idea to change the gearing in the front and rear diff. I have 4.88's in mine. I went through a couple trannies before I decided to change the gearing. With the bigger tires the tranny has a hard time staying in 4th gear. So it's constantly shifting between 3rd & 4th wearing out the 3-4 clutches really quick. Before I changed the gearing, my last tranny lasted about 30,000 miles. I decided to rebuild it myself and beef it up in addition to changing the gears. Also with the bigger tires, it's a good idea to have ceramic beads in the tires or some centrifugal balancing ring installed as these tires are harder for shops to balance. You may know all of this already...just putting it out there incase.

 

I assumed the larger tires would take effect somewhere on the drivetrain I just did not to what extent and where exactly.

Thank you so much for your input.