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Jeep Wrangler JL on 37s: How Much Lift JL Owners Really Run
Many JLs run 37s on three inches of lift or less.
By REVKIT · 7 min read · Updated November 2026
A Jeep Wrangler JL on 37s often sits lower than you'd guess. Of the JLs on 37s on REVKIT that list a lift, 42% run 3" or less. On JKs with the same tire, it's 19%.
So yes, a JL runs them, and we went looking for how much it took. There are 424 public JL builds on 37s here, and 79% started out as Rubicons, the trim where owners keep listing Dana 44s and factory lockers. Jeep will even sell a four-door Rubicon on 35s, a 1.5" lift and 4.56 gears as the Xtreme Recon package, which makes 37s one size past the showroom.
The 12 builds below run from a 392 on 3/4" spacers to a 392 with a 94-line parts list, split by what each Jeep is for.
How much lift does a JL need for 37s?
These numbers are from parts lists owners filled in themselves, so a part that's missing may still be on the Jeep. JL lists have also had less time to grow. The oldest of these is a 2018.
- Lift. 52% of the JLs that list one run 3.5" to 4". Not one lists 6" or more, and about 8 in 10 of those at 2" or under name a Mopar lift. The builds below also use Rancho, Clayton, TeraFlex, Evo, Rock Krawler and MetalCloak, plus spacers from Fishbone and Daystar.
- Gears. 26% of the 424 list a ratio of 4.56 or deeper.
- Driveshafts. 22% list one.
- Axle shafts. 10% list upgraded ones.
On JLs on 35s, those last three are 8%, 6% and 2%.
The JL also offers the 392, the 3.0 diesel and the 4xe, none of which a US JK had. Of the 424, 12 are 392s, 38 mention a diesel and 15 mention a 4xe.
Our advice on lift is the same as on a JK. We'd want at least 2", and ideally 3.5".
One JL owner waited three years before lifting to avoid overbuilding, then decided their 3.5" could have been 2.5": it made trails easier without opening any new ones. "People underestimate stock capabilities," they write.
What else a JL needs for 37s
Past lift and gears, the lists pick up parts tied to fit. Here they are as shares of the 424, next to JLs on 35s. The same caution applies, and a Rubicon's factory flares won't show, which matters here, with 79% of these starting out as Rubicons.
- Steering upgrades (tie rod, drag link, steering kit or box). 29%, against 11%.
- Aftermarket fenders (not flares or inner fenders). 13%, against 7%.
- Tire carrier. 46%, against 28%.
- Ball joints. 5%, against 1%.
- Bump stops. 8%, against 3%.
- Wheel spacers. 5%, against 4%.
Steering upgrades and tire carriers are the biggest steps up from 35s, and wheel spacers barely move. The Sarge, on the smallest lift here, lists both bump stops and 1.75" wheel spacers.
Will 37s rub on a JL?
Yes, they can. Trimming the inner fenders is usually needed, and it's an easy job. Owners don't write about rubbing, so that's us talking, not the lists. What the lists do show is that 22% of JLs on 37s list aftermarket inner fenders.
Backspacing is the other fit number, and few owners list it, about 7% of JL lists. Of the few who do, about half run about 4.5", usually a 17x9 with a -12 offset. The rest are more spread out, and 3.5" shows up there too. That's what's on the lists, not a recommendation.
Do you need to regear for 37s?
Not to make it run, but we'd do it. Our answer is the same as on a JK. A JL on 37s will run on a small lift with no regear, but it will hunt for gears, you'll feel that, and we think you'll end up wishing you had regeared.
The lists are less sure than we are. 26% of the 424 list a ratio of 4.56 or deeper, against 8% on 35s and 51% on a JK. Some of the 4.56s may be factory, since that's also the Xtreme Recon ratio, and we can't tell you from a list whether the JK gap is the Rubicon head start, younger builds or something else. So look at the builds: Slider regeared to 5.13s, MEGAPIXEL runs 4.88s on 2.5", and TROUBLEMAKER has 94 lines and no ratio at all.
JLs on 37s built for the look
Each spec line gives the lift. Where a build has both, you get one photo standing and one showing the articulation.
The show Jeep
Rocky Ridge built this as a SEMA and NADA show Jeep, the first Mad Rock Edition, on 20" wheels. It became its owner's 20th anniversary gift. It's a Sport S with no gears or axle work on the list, and the photos are all about the bodywork.
It was love at first sight when I saw Scarlet.
The green one
A Mopar 2" under a Sport S, with beadlock rings powder coated to match the paint.
This is my fifth Wrangler, and by far my favorite.
The clean overlander
The list is mostly a lift, a roof platform and armor, and the drivetrain entry reads "Stock." The flexed photo is a good look at what 2" and 37s do on a slope.
Building a sophisticated design as overland rig with the clean look.
The replacement
This one recreated a 2016 JK Rubicon lost in a New Year's Day rollover, with the owner picking the parts and accents, right down to the purple. Both photos stand it side-on, which is handy if you want to see 2.5" on 37s. Under the paint it has Yukon 4.88s and a trussed, gusseted front axle.
JLs on 37s built to wheel
We'll start at the smallest lift and end at the longest list.
The nearly stock 392
This is the smallest lift here. Its engine and drivetrain entries both say stock, with bump stops, 1.75" wheel spacers and 3/4" spring spacers doing the fitting. It's their seventh Wrangler, with at least one of every generation.
Owning a modern Jeep Wrangler with a V8 is a dream come true!
The Sahara with a wish list
Not every JL here started as a Rubicon. This Sahara lists G2 4.88s and ARB air lockers front and rear, nearly all installed by its owner in four months.
Because this is not my daily driver, I have a long wish list of modification but trying to balance performance with factory warranty….
The two-door
A 6-speed two-door with a short lift and a very long list: control arms, track bars, bump stops and Yukon 4.88s. Its owner came up through go-karts, dirt late models and drag racing.
This experience has been the best so far, building this Jeep and off-roading with friends.
The one that moved up from 35s
If you're on 35s now, this is your build. The plan was a daily driver on 2" and 35s, and a couple of trail days ended that.
I new I had to go bigger.
The tires came first, then the 3.5" kit.
The bucket-list one
Bought and built for the Rubicon Trail and Moab, with a regear to 5.13s and aftermarket steering. Here's where the name came from.
It got it's name from the screaming noise of the stock rubicon armor sliding over the boulders on the Rubicon Trail.
The commuter
That's Black Bear Pass in the first photo, on a Jeep that also does the work run. The list has new driveshafts front and rear, Reid knuckles and heavier steering, and no gear ratio.
I'm trying to NOT upgrade too much as it gets to to/from work everyday right now.
The long-distance one
Built for Trail to SEMA, it did more than 30,000 miles in a year. The list is short for that kind of use, with no ratio or shafts on it. Moab Rim was the owner's favorite trail.
I am super afraid of heights, so being able to finish the trail on my 3rd daily wheeling ever, was a big accomplishment for me!
The longest list
Same engine as The Sarge, opposite answer. RCV axle shafts front and rear, driveshafts at both ends, heavier steering and 94 lines in all. Even so, there's no gear ratio among them.
This Jeep is our daily driver and is also used for rock crawling, camping, hunting, and fishing adventures!
Daily driving a JL on 37s
Several of these are daily drivers. Ripley does the work run, TROUBLEMAKER is a daily that also crawls and camps, and Lucifer did 30,000 miles in a year. Angry Rhino's owner keeps theirs off that duty.
Before you order
Hang on to this page for when you're ready. Open the build closest to your Jeep and to how you'll use it, then read it line by line, including what isn't on it.
And if you end up buying the tires before the bigger lift, you won't be the first. Trooperjl did.
How we picked these
Our filter for these 12 was simple: can you see the tires, is the lift on the list, and is there a flexed photo. Lift shares use REVKIT's lift data, and spacers stacked on a kit can skew it. Gears start at 4.56. Owners may have changed things since they wrote.