No lift yet, i bought it just that way, stock height on 235s which are meant for a 2" lift, so yes, they RUB. Hah i hit a poorly paved intersections and the springs soak it up but the tires rub the rear inner fender skirt of the front fenders, and the rear tires rub the top of the fender lip. And yeah, definitely a good starting point...but as far as having a nice little rig on a budget...I probably wont take kit much further other than maybe lockers next year, depends on how the open diffs work for me this year. I don't want to go too tall, on too big of a tire...otherwise I run into gearing problems, and power issues.
ANd yes, the skids will be nice...since i'm not going sky-high, they will let me slide over stuff. Gives me great peace of mind...worth that extra $500 or so