question after lift....

Bullet · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:21 am

I finally finished the lift project. I think it looks great but..... both my boyfriend and my neighbor say that the tires look "squished in" from the front and rear views. They said that following behind the KJ, all you see is fender flares. I can't find any straight on pics for comparison. Is this normal? I will post pics tomorrow when it is daylight and I can get some good shots.

JFortier777 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:30 am

Mine are out about 1.5" from the stock position and they just barely peak out past the fenders.

Take some pics, it will be easier for others to see if maybe something is wrong.

kolesy · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:38 am

That will be the case if your are still using the stock rims. For the front anyway due to the IFS

Loopkey · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 8:51 am

Mine was the same after my Frankenlift had been installed, after a wheel alignment made it looked a lot better. My lift settled half an inch after 100 kms, I think it would have settled more but I did the lift in November so the poly spacers didn't really settle in until it got hot in June. I did my alignment after around 200 kms but the lift didn't settle any more for the next 5000 kms. Once the 95 degree weather hit it settled another quarter of an inch and after I put on my ARB Bull Bar it settled another quarter of an inch. Now it is time for another alignment, but I will probably wait until I get Al's A-Arms, my upper and lower ball joints need to be replaced. Now after 10000 kms on my frankenlift the front and rear wheels are almost in line.

Bullet · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:26 am

Makes sense....I will post pics later today just to be sure but I think a little hard wheeling and some settling may be what the doctor ordered.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:37 am

Have you had an alignment yet? I would wait a couple of weeks with some good wheeling(that flexes everything really good) before you get an alignment. If you get an alignment now, then it settles, it will cause the alignment to be off again. You could get one now, then again later on also. :wink:

The rear should look fine. With the front, the chamber will be off alittle.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:39 am

Double post.

SethX9 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:40 am

Lifting doesn't pull your wheels in closer together and an alignment isn't going to make your wheels stick farther out. Besides, you don't align the rear so how is an alignment going to change how it looks to those who are behind you?

It's an optical illusion. The distance between your wheels appears less because the width of your rig is now less relative to the height of your rig.

Your options are: 1) Get wider tires 2) Get a wheel with less backspacing 3) Get wheel spacers 4) Quit caring what the people looking at from head on or directly behind you think

alljeep · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:09 pm

SethX9 wrote:

Lifting doesn't pull your wheels in closer together...

It does in the front. Study up a little on the geometry of the IFS system. When your CV shafts are horizontal, your wheels are at maximum width from the Jeep body. When at maximum lift (2.5" and above), your shafts are angled way down and the horizontal distance of the wheels from the jeep body is less.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:57 pm

I guess Im alittle confused. Bullet, do you meen the width of the jeep is less, or the tires are sitting on an angle? The rear geometry will not change at all, but they did move forward some. The front wheels will look toed-in and will have +chamber on both sides. +Chamber means the top top of the tire will stick out, and the bottom will angle in. This will also make it handle like crap and put more wear and tear on the tires. :wink:

Bullet · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:04 pm

here are the pics....
before..

after

before

after

before

after

what do ya think?

Bullet · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:11 pm

to clarify what I am asking....the tires are way under the wheel wells, both my boyfriend and my neighbor say they think that it looks funny....and that it didn't do that pre lift. I dunno....I am still so darn tired after doing the lift I can't think straight. What do you guys & gals think? Are they tucked way far in? More than normal?

Loopkey · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:31 pm

Bullet wrote:

to clarify what I am asking....the tires are way under the wheel wells, both my boyfriend and my neighbor say they think that it looks funny....and that it didn't do that pre lift. I dunno....I am still so darn tired after doing the lift I can't think straight. What do you guys & gals think? Are they tucked way far in? More than normal?

You are probably pretty close to full droop on your suspension after installing the Frankenlift. Once it settles and the camber and toe in are corrected with an alignment it won't look as tucked in.

You can really see what is happening in an IFS suspension if you watch a trophy truck go over a jump. Here is a link with some pics: http://www.highrevphoto.com/gallery.php?gal=score91104/tt&offset=5

gone_jeepin · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:49 pm

like one of the other guys said, I thinks its an optical illusion more than anything. I have no doubts that it needs an alignment, but i dont know if thats gonna make it look that much more different. The tropy truck was a good analogy!

Marlon_JBT · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:15 pm

Hmm, it does look a bit weird. Even looks like the rear axle is off.

SethX9 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:29 pm

alljeep - technically you're right but I say the amount is so minimal (less than half an inch on the 6" axel pivoting down) as to be nearly negligible and certainly not so much as to make it visually arresting. Remember, the comments from the friends and neighbors included comments about the rear, the width of which, we've all agreed, is NOT affected by geometry.

Optical illusion caused by relative height-to-width changing, not some dramatic physical narrowing of the stance.

The only way to put it to rest for sure is to find someone with a non-lifted Liberty and measure inside to inside of your front and rear tires. Make sure the tires are the same on both Jeeps.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 6:47 pm

Looks fine to me, the front is higher than the rear though.

I just cannot stand that. What duty of coils did you get on the front?

question after lift....

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