First time lift kit

[Minihammermatt]

I wanted to purchase a 4.5 inch lift, just wanted to gather some options. What would you suggest for a 2001xj that sees mostly road with the occasional weekend trail run? Anything I should watch out for,As in to stay away from? Thanks!


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[ArmyGuy45]

I wanted to purchase a 4.5 inch lift, just wanted to gather some options. What would you suggest for a 2001xj that sees mostly road with the occasional weekend trail run? Anything I should watch out for,As in to stay away from? Thanks!


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SYE, Rust, Bent stuff....

[Brasscatz]

There's going to be a lot of differing opinions on this, but the truth is that a rough country or Rubicon Express lift kit will get the job done for a decent price, especially if you go through one of our vendors on here. 4.5" lift, you may or may not need a skip yoke eliminator, you'll know after you get the lift on.

Your other option is to build your own lift from different junk yard parts. Can be difficult to do and hard to say exactly how much lift you'll gain.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 because my microwave couldn't do it

[Brasscatz]

Oh, and something to stay away from is leaf blocks for a lift that tall, go springs and/or shackles, but no blocks.

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[ArmyGuy45]

Its an 01, chances are he will need it.

[Stevelee5]

Trying to decide between the iron rock 5.5 or the rubicon extreme 5.5, not sure which way to go, but will probably order the slip yoke eliminator at the same time, (stock 99 sport.)

[NW99XJ]

The Rubicon Express 5.5 is a great kit, prob one of the most complete kits out there.
At that height though, you will most definitely need a new rear driveline, and a Slip Yoke Eliminator.
If your goal is the occasional wheeling trip, and the ability to run 33's..... you could save yourself some cash, and go with the Rough Country 4.5" long arm kit.
A very capable and complete kit, that will give you room (with MAYBE a little minor trimming) to run 33's and upgrade to 5+ to 6+ inches of lift later down the road with shackles, and spacers or new springs.

[4.3LXJ]

I would go with RE

[EekGirl96]

Rough Country,...people have mixed opinions on their stuff but I ran it on my Jeep and it did great both on and off road (my jeep was my DD). For the money that you pay for it, it is definately worth it!!

I didnt need an sye on my jeep (lifted 7.5") and I ran 33's completely fine (then again I chopped my fenders off,..who needs them anyway?! lol)

[jimmixj]

I run the Rubicon Express Long Arm with a 5.5" lift; it works great offroad and drives better than stock on the highway. I didn't use an SYE but will in the future. It does have a little bit of driveline vibe even with wedges in the rear. My friend and I installed the RE 4.5" Short Arm kit on his 96 with the same result, and he has 0 driveline vibe. The added benefit to the long arm kit is the extra beefy crossmember which ties the outer seams of the body to the "frame". IMO, either way is a good purchase.

[NW99XJ]

....either way is a good purchase.
Agreed.
I think alot of this is going to come down to your funds...
What kind of budget are you working with?

[xj-jake]

I've had excellent luck with the IRO stuff. I used them for both jeeps I've lifted. Good quality stuff great guys to work with and fair pricing. Highly recommend Iron Rock Offroad.

[Minihammermatt]

For my budget, I'd like to stay cheap but I'm willing to pay a little more for a high quality kit. But realistically I'd like to stay under 1500.


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[Mudderoy]

For my budget, I'd like to stay cheap but I'm willing to pay a little more for a high quality kit. But realistically I'd like to stay under 1500.


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After buying three Rough Country lifts I don't think I'll ever consider spending a lot more money for anything else.

I'd get track bar, tie rod, and control arms from someone else though. I went with IronMan4x4Fab.com.

[Midknight]

I have done some research on the Zone 4.5", most all the reviews I have seen are positive, and the price is good 770.00 (Morris 4x4 center)

[bluedragon436]

I'd def say go with either the IRO or the Rough Country stuff.. Both are great companies, and the pricing is definitely not too bad for either...

[NW99XJ]

I have done some research on the Zone 4.5", most all the reviews I have seen are positive, and the price is good 770.00 (Morris 4x4 center)

Here's why I would suggest staying away from the Zone 4.5" lift kit....
http://4x4media.info/images-products/zon/01-overlay/j23-24.jpg

First off, I see no provisions for correcting the track bar location..thus, your front axle will be off center after the lift, and leaving you with no other choice but to source your own adjustable track bar.
Secondly, they offer sway bar disconnects as a $100 option, and not as part of the kit.
Also, I'm not a fan of fixed control arms at 4.5" of lift. Especially since in this kit at least, there are no upper control arms either, leaving you HAVING to use the factory ones.
All this is fine for lifts in the 2" - 3/3.5" range.... even at 3.5" I would start addressing some of these concerns.

So the price may be attractive, but when you start adding the cost of what it will take to address these concerns, you're well into the range of other kits.

Now for an example, as others have recommended....
Here's the Rough Country 4.5" Lift Kit for the XJ...
Price tag is roughly around $830... just slightly above the $770 you were looking at for the Zone kit.
But look at how much MORE kit you get for such a small additional investment...
http://cdn.roughcountry.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/352x234/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/j/e/jeep-lift-kit_633xn2-base.jpg
Above and beyond the Zone kit, RC addresses the obvious concern of locating the front axle with not nly providing an ADJUSTABLE track bar, but they also include adjustable upper AND lower control arms... not to mention, said lower CA come with RC's X-Flex joint... a far cry better than the plain ol rubber bushing found in Zone's arms.
Rough Country also gives you brand new stainless steel braided brake lines... instead of just little relocation brackets. And the cherry on top?... actual sway bar disconnect INCLUDED (not as an additional cost option)
All-in-all, for a small amount more, you're getting a LOT more kit.
And this is just one manufacturer... Rubicon Express would be another that gives you a LOT of bang for your buck.
RE's 4.5" Super Flex kit is another that covers all the bases,
http://www.rubiconexpress.com/images/truck-and-jeep/parts/300x300/R%2fE/web-images/RE6130M.jpg
.....the only downfall to this kit, is the fixed arms, but at least they give you both upper and lower, as well as addressing all the other issues that are discovered when buying lesser kits. The Rubicon Express kit runs you a little more, stepping you into the $1k range, but the quality will definitely be there.

Bottom line, is if you really have a tight budget, sometimes it's worth it to put off instant gratification for a month or three, to give you some time to save your pennies in order to afford something that just plain and simply will not leave you wanting (or more importantly) needing anything else.... that is until you realize you want to step up to 35" tires and find a strange urge to put an exo-cage on your daily driver.... for that, you're on your own. :D

Hope this helps, and gives you a little perspective in choosing a lift kit for your jeep.

[Midknight]

Good info, I was going to go with the Zone, but you changed my mind, I will buy the rough country instead

[Minihammermatt]

Looks like I'm saving for the rough country! Thanks for all the info!


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[xj4life2]

defiantly Rough Country we have installed several , easy to install and great on the trail , had I know about RC , I never would have spent the three times more for the RE.

[sbspence]

Here's why I would suggest staying away from the Zone 4.5" lift kit....

http://4x4media.info/images-products/zon/01-overlay/j23-24.jpg



First off, I see no provisions for correcting the track bar location..thus, your front axle will be off center after the lift, and leaving you with no other choice but to source your own adjustable track bar.

Secondly, they offer sway bar disconnects as a $100 option, and not as part of the kit.

Also, I'm not a fan of fixed control arms at 4.5" of lift. Especially since in this kit at least, there are no upper control arms either, leaving you HAVING to use the factory ones.

All this is fine for lifts in the 2" - 3/3.5" range.... even at 3.5" I would start addressing some of these concerns.



So the price may be attractive, but when you start adding the cost of what it will take to address these concerns, you're well into the range of other kits.



Now for an example, as others have recommended....

Here's the Rough Country 4.5" Lift Kit for the XJ...

Price tag is roughly around $830... just slightly above the $770 you were looking at for the Zone kit.

But look at how much MORE kit you get for such a small additional investment...

http://cdn.roughcountry.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/352x234/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/j/e/jeep-lift-kit_633xn2-base.jpg

Above and beyond the Zone kit, RC addresses the obvious concern of locating the front axle with not nly providing an ADJUSTABLE track bar, but they also include adjustable upper AND lower control arms... not to mention, said lower CA come with RC's X-Flex joint... a far cry better than the plain ol rubber bushing found in Zone's arms.

Rough Country also gives you brand new stainless steel braided brake lines... instead of just little relocation brackets. And the cherry on top?... actual sway bar disconnect INCLUDED (not as an additional cost option)

All-in-all, for a small amount more, you're getting a LOT more kit.

And this is just one manufacturer... Rubicon Express would be another that gives you a LOT of bang for your buck.

RE's 4.5" Super Flex kit is another that covers all the bases,

http://www.rubiconexpress.com/images/truck-and-jeep/parts/300x300/R%2fE/web-images/RE6130M.jpg

.....the only downfall to this kit, is the fixed arms, but at least they give you both upper and lower, as well as addressing all the other issues that are discovered when buying lesser kits. The Rubicon Express kit runs you a little more, stepping you into the $1k range, but the quality will definitely be there.



Bottom line, is if you really have a tight budget, sometimes it's worth it to put off instant gratification for a month or three, to give you some time to save your pennies in order to afford something that just plain and simply will not leave you wanting (or more importantly) needing anything else.... that is until you realize you want to step up to 35" tires and find a strange urge to put an exo-cage on your daily driver.... for that, you're on your own. :D



Hope this helps, and gives you a little perspective in choosing a lift kit for
your jeep.


Ditto the instant gratification thought. I had X dollars and found a lift kit to fit into my budget. I'm still having issues and will be awhile and several hundred more $ lining everything out on the can of worms my "corner cutting" caused. I'm ALMOST regretting lifting it at all! If I didn't have so much time and money invested I would jerk the coils and AAL off go back to a simple up country lift with 235 and call it a day! Groan.


Please learn from my mistake and do it right the first time and know exactly what you want and exactly why you want it.

My motto is " If you can't be a good influence set a horrible example'" :)


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[NW99XJ]

Please learn from my mistake and do it right the first time and know exactly what you want and exactly why you want it.
This is good advice... HOWEVER... after the "first stage" of MY lift, I quickly realized I wanted more.
This is of course after swearing up and down that "I will never need to run 33's or larger on this thing - all I want to do is have the ability to head up into the woods with the family every now and again, do some camping and exploring out of it, and maybe hit some light trails here and there." HA!!! Yea that didnt last too long... now I have this beast of an XJ that has been retired from DD status to weekend warrior exclusively.
Of course who am i kidding, I knew this was going to happen all along didn't I? :D


My motto is " If you can't be a good influence set a horrible example'"
THIS!!!!
LOL...outstanding sir!
... thats a great line right there. (and good advice too)

[sexjay]

my first lift was the 4.5 rc with add a leaf and tcase drop and I did the same thing you are looking for..mostly on road and off road every other weekend and it held up just fine and was relatively cheap!