Bulldog's Rubicon lift questions

[Bulldog]

I'm trying to decide how to set up my Jeep now. Ultimately I'd like 35's, so it looks like I'd need 4.5" to 5.5" of lift to clear them. I've heard of bad road manners with 4.5"+ short arm lifts and think I'd like to go long arm. The only downside is the cost of the LA kits. A long arm kit would have to wait. What about a 3.5" lift with a 1" body lift? Will that clear 35's?

I think "FOR NOW", I'm going to run the 31"x10.5"x15" Super Swamper TSL's on 15"x8" MT wheels with 3-3/8" backspacing I already have. They rub the fenders when I hit a bump going down the road or entering parking lots as is. Should I go budget boost or ACOS? If I bought the ACOS, could I use them later with what ever lift I purchase? Any steering correction required with a BB or ACOS?

I don't like the fact that the tires stick out beyond the fenders. Any mud on the road covers the side windows fairly quickly. Should I look at more backspacing or wider fenders? The Rubicon has 4.25" fenders stock, I saw some aftermarket 6" and 7" flares?

Are the stock springs really spongy or could they already be degrading after 16,000 miles?