It can be increased by 6 inches or even 8 inches, and then replaced with four oversized off-road tires, or even directly with big tires. Although the modification plan is not common, it also has a considerable number of followers. Owning an omnipotent car is indeed the dream of many off-road enthusiasts, but the reality is that these overly high chassis upgrades and big tires are really not practical. For more car fans, they only need to change Putting on a set of off-road tires, and then ensuring that there is enough space to install this set of tires is enough for most weekend off-road crossing activities. Today we come to see how this 1998 Jeep TJ Wrangler is modified.
This old Wrangler is also planning to make some upgrades to the suspension, and chose the kit produced by BDS Suspension, but did not choose the more professional and expensive competitive series products, but the more affordable and simple civilian-level products. Although the suspension system is not high-end, it also improves the handling and brings enough space for larger tires, which is enough for the owner. More importantly, this set of modification schemes is also very simple to implement, and can be easily completed with only some common tools, of course, a crowbar and a jack are required.
The original front and rear trailing arms of this Wrangler are made of stamped steel plates. Although there is no problem with their strength, they may interfere with the tires or the brake oil circuit when the wheels are turned to a full direction. The length of the trailing arm provided by BDS is longer than that of the original model to meet some changes brought about by the rise of the chassis. The thick-walled tube structure adopted is also strong enough. In addition, it has a certain bending angle to ensure that it can be fully loaded. There will be no friction with the tires during the direction. This set of trailing arms has no adjustment function and uses common rubber bushings. If car fans need it, they can choose accessories with adjustment functions and polyurethane bushings. Of course, the price of the latter is also higher.
The BDS-supplied front and rear springs provide a 4-inch lift that’s perfect for 33-inch tires. It can be seen that the owner has made some modifications to the body, which can accommodate larger tires. However, we still suggest that 33-inch tires are enough. After all, the rear axle still maintains the original Dana35 rear axle, and its strength is not suitable for larger tires and rims. In addition, the buffer rubber block has also been replaced with a product with a longer size to ensure that the hard impact can be reduced when the suspension is fully compressed.
BDS is located in Michigan, USA, which is known as the birthplace of the automobile industry and is also located in the Great Lakes region. The humid climate here is also a big test for the corrosion resistance of automobiles. This Jeep, which has been around for more than ten years, cannot escape the fate of being corroded by humid air. BDS is well aware of this problem, so it has prepared targeted bolts and nuts, which also avoids the embarrassing ending of the original car bolts continuing to age until they are completely rusted.
The front and rear thrust rods are not included in the kit, but considering the mileage of this car is already high, I finally chose the BDS front thrust rod products to replace the original car parts. In addition to being updated, the new thrust rod also has the function of length adjustment, and if there is a problem with the old thrust rod, it will directly affect the handling of the vehicle, and the risk is not small.
The thrust rod at the rear axle position still uses the parts of the original car, but considering that the chassis is raised, the suspension structure has undergone slight changes, so the position of the rear thrust rod also needs to be raised simultaneously. The position of the rear thrust rod can be improved by re-drilling holes on the original car bracket, but we think it is better to install a new bracket, which is more secure.
The parent company of BDS is Fox Shock. I believe everyone should be familiar with Fox. BDS also provides Fox shock absorbers this time. The performance is naturally beyond doubt, and it is enough for non-extreme modification players. In short, the whole set of suspension modification not only satisfies the higher chassis, but also brings better handling.
Due to the rise of the chassis, the length of the transmission shaft is also somewhat stretched. BDS did not provide a new extended transmission shaft this time. Considering that the transmission shaft of the original car only needs to be slightly adjusted to meet the needs of use, so this modification Only the position of the transfer case was settled, and the original car guard of the transfer case was also readjusted. If your budget is sufficient, we still recommend directly upgrading to a longer drive shaft.
The modification work of this Wrangler was completed in less than a day. The simple operation is the biggest advantage of this modification of BDS, and the price is relatively affordable. It saves a lot of parts that can be upgraded, but also increases some man-hours. . In short, the owner got a Wrangler with 33-inch tires, and it is not a problem to participate in some off-road activities on the weekend.
