Tech question on lifts

[jx664sd]

At what hight do you have yo do more then just springs and leafs. I have a 3 inch ranch lift i beleave (it cam on the jeep whwn i bought it) i want to add a 2 inch space and shackle to it. I really like how it performs of road with the 3 inch i just want a little more space in the wheel wells. Any thoughts coments wouls be great. I would do an actual 5.5 lift but i am not that well funded at the moment.

[Mudderoy]

At what hight do you have yo do more then just springs and leafs. I have a 3 inch ranch lift i beleave (it cam on the jeep whwn i bought it) i want to add a 2 inch space and shackle to it. I really like how it performs of road with the 3 inch i just want a little more space in the wheel wells. Any thoughts coments wouls be great. I would do an actual 5.5 lift but i am not that well funded at the moment.

At 4.5" you need to relocate the track bar, the sway bar links need to be longer, brake lines have to be longer (either longer brake lines or relocation brackets) also you'll need longer shocks. You'll need a 1" drop on the transfer case, this means the transmission cross member needs to have 1" spacers placed between it and the unibody and longer bolts used.

Personally I think you'd be ahead of the game financially if you just buy a 4.5" lift and sell the used 3" lift.

[GB.XJ.MI]

Jp magazine did a special on a 4.5" rough country entry level suspension and basically said its the best bang for your buck. Idk about this forum but with other forums you get a 10% discount. So it would be like 450 bucks to your door... good entry level kit with good customer service.

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[bcrosson92]

i say build it cheeper then new. im useing JK rubicon stock shocks. with v8 ZJ coils and spacers. and S10 bastard pack in the rear with shackels. not 100% excat lift. depends on the condition of the springs. but about 4in all said and done. im building mine right now with this method. its about a third the cost of a RC 4.5 lift. im at about under 200$ for the whole lift.

[TimmyTXJ]

Jp magazine did a special on a 4.5" rough country entry level suspension and basically said its the best bang for your buck. Idk about this forum but with other forums you get a 10% discount. So it would be like 450 bucks to your door... good entry level kit with good customer service.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

I agree with Garrett on this one... bite the bullet and lay out the dough for an engineered kit. I think you'll end up being happier in the long run, especially if you daily drive your Jeep. I'd look at a SYE instead of the transfer case drop if you intend on wheeling it, and don't forget to beef up the steering system if you put bigger tires on after the lift.

[4.3LXJ]

This question gets asked a lot. Seems like it should be cheap and easy, but not really. The 3" Rancho lift is within the range of motion the factory designed into the vehicle originally. Once you go beyond that, then you need a new track bar or relocate the one you have, new longer brake lines and shocks. A lot of this can be done with cheap parts. But because of the front suspension geometry, you also need new lower suspension arms on the front which you cannot get at the wrecking yard.

[Mudderoy]

This question gets asked a lot. Seems like it should be cheap and easy, but not really. The 3" Rancho lift is within the range of motion the factory designed into the vehicle originally. Once you go beyond that, then you need a new track bar or relocate the one you have, new longer brake lines and shocks. A lot of this can be done with cheap parts. But because of the front suspension geometry, you also need new lower suspension arms on the front which you cannot get at the wrecking yard.

Thanks, I forgot about the lowers. Now you could use RC drop brackets and maintain the stock lowers. lol only $180 for the relocation brackets though.

[bcrosson92]

I guess it depends on what u wanna spend. I'm going to go higher to 6.5 after collage so I'm building my lift.

[07Negative]

And then you'll want to consider your steering. Mine is all over the place and I get a insane amount of bump steer. My own fault of course.

[4.3LXJ]

That is correct. You will have to invest in steering solutions, most of which are not all that good on the highway

[07Negative]

Why not so good Steve? The invert T system I have sucks something bad. I still haven't corrected the tie rod roll. The only thing that'll fix my bump steer is to get the geometry correct. You've got cross over steering, isn't that pretty darn good on the highway?

[4.3LXJ]

Most of the steering solutions use readily available parts and some tubing to make what we know as inverted T. Yes I have cross over steering from Tereflex. It is a decent kit designed more for a TJ than an XJ. To get it completely right, I made my own track bar and mounts. Now it is perfect.

[bcrosson92]

guess it depends on if u plan to go higher or not.