Back to Moab

[strokeZ]

Ok I have to ask this....do you think your issue with the tires is due to the lift or due to your wheel set up? Reason I ask is becuase I have been talking a lot to AEV and they swear up and down that their Pintler wheels will have no issues whatsoever with the 285's. They use 17x8.5 rims with 25 mm offset (~5.3" backspacing), which for the life of me I cannot find in any other wheel that will fit our rigs. I remember reading Mikes writeup on the lift comparisons and this issue was very clear on the rear control arms.

[kmax]

The issue with the rear tires rubbing is definitely with the lift. The rear control arms are only slightly downward from the mount to the axle when the Jeep is in a flat, static position. When the compressed side of the axle moves upward, it almost immediately starts also moving forward from the short radius of the control arms. Another problem (in my opinion) with the design of the SL kit is the relatively large rear lower control arm brackets. They hang me up on any ledge larger than about 13 inches. The passenger side bracket is beat silly, I probably should take it off and straighten it out. The BDS setup (and I'm guessing the method of setup Mike is talking about) would alleviate both of these 'issues'.

I'm running (as I'm sure you see in the pics) Rubicon Moab rims with 1.5" spacers. This is probably very similar to AEV's specs when using the Pintler wheel which of course doesn't require spacers. The rubbing in the rear could also be caused by the difference in some tires even when listed as 285/70's - the KM2's seem to have relatively deep tread blocks. They had 400 miles on them when I went to Moab, they probably won't rub at all after 20K.

[El Cid]

Sounds familiar indeed! This is the issue that Ross of GetLost fame accused me of lying about on the other forum: the current Superlift design forces the tire to radius forward in the well far too quickly, limiting wheel travel and causing rubbing problems and the associated damage. (This isn't, as I've discussed elsewhere, as big a problem as the full so-called 4" BDS kit had, however, but those kits are no longer available.)

And, yes, this problem is exactly the one my modified kit is meant to alleviate, while also getting rid of those related brackets. I hope that a kit with the design I have hits the market soon.

Utilizing the old BDS adjustable arms -- so long as they're the "bent" ones -- is a sensible solution in the meantime. I had one of my BDS arms fail, but my experience with BDS's manufacturing quality would indicate that this was an exception rather than a rule.

[kmax]

Good to know, Mike. I have new BDS lower control arms still in the box, but I've been hesitant to install them until I can eliminate the upper control arm brackets as well. I haven't looked for BDS adjustable uppers yet, but I guess that's the next step unless your kit comes out soon...

[strokeZ]

I assume you did not have this issue when running the 255's? Might be a good choice to forego the extra 0.5" ground clearance and wait till Mike can give us a solution :-)

What do you think would have happened if you were running rock sliders? Do you think that type of rubbing (on the plastic rockers) would have given you major issues if you had a slider installed?

[El Cid]

Just to be clear: 4xGuard has no plans to manufacture the solution. I'm just testing the modified kit for the manufacturer and pressing them every chance I get to make it a reality.

[strokeZ]

Thanks for clarifying Mike. Perhaps we can get a few people to chime in if we feel like its an issue to be addressed and give you some momentum???

[El Cid]

I appreciate the suggestions, strokeZ. The manufacturer is well aware of the issue and what a massive improvement my modifications represent. It's just a question of them having the time to get the engineering completed on it. There's only so many hours in the day, you know?