to lift or not to lift?

[boardmanMJ]

let me first start off by thanking everyone who helped me get my truck back on the road. if it wasnt for this forum, my mj would have been long crushed by a junkyard (before i bought it of course. i would never junk an mj)

 

now comes the question...now that Clyde is back on the road, what should i do with him?

here is what he is:

1989 jeep comanche pioneer shortbed

4.0 stright six

auto transmission (i was told it was an aw4 cause the power/comfort switch but it has toyota internals so I'm not sure what it is)

2wd

white with brown solid stipe at the bottom (it has been repainted)

burgundy interior

its got 1995 zj limited gold alloy rims with bald 30s in it

i got an early christmas present from my very loving girlfriend which consisted of a black FACTORY rollbar with 5 55watt procomp lights on it

suspension is stock.

 

i have a d30 out of a 1990 xj along with another aw4 (maybe) transmission and np231 mated to it waiting to be swapped in.

and i also have a set of wrangler grey grizzley rims wrapped in 33inch truxus MTs

 

now normally i drive a 2000 xj as my dd but the brakes locked up on me and i began to drive one of my mjs. my xj is lifted 3 inches with the same 33s and same drivetrain. my xj gets about 15 mpg. my MJ gets about 23mpg. i love the gas milage of my mj but i love the way it would look lifted and I'm worried if i throw a lift and 33s my mpg will sink.

 

either way I'm going to be painting the truck the yellow that came on the TJ. if i lift it, I'm going to use the grey grizzley rims and 33s. if i don't lift it I'm going to powdercoat black my zj rims and wrap a new set of 30s on it. I'm thinking of getting comanche cheif stripping also. but i still can't decide to lift or not. whats everyones opinion? also, what is the minimal amount of lift to clear 33s without cutting? its not a trailrig its for looks only so flex is not an issue. I'm going to be getting 2inch wheel spacers so the 33s will clear my control arms if i lift it.

i don't have pictures now but ill post some tuesday night. thanks everyone in advance!!

[Eagle]

I vote to not lift it. It WILL kill your gas mileage if you do, and you don't need it for off-road, so what's the point? IMHO MJs on 30s or 31s at stock height look very nice, and they are practical.

[87Warrior]

:agree:

No reason to lift it if you won't be wheeling it. At most, you could add some spacers or V8 ZJ springs up front to eliminate the forward rake that these trucks get. Simply doing this will give it a 'lifted' look without all of the complications on a decent sized tire.