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Best lift???

F

Fastoffroaddriver

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Anywhere but Crapy CALI
Hello. Im new to the forum but have done allot of reading which lead me to buying a 99 XJ. i have looked around but haven't seen much about lifts other then RC. I was thinking of getting a Rubicon 5.5 long arm but was wondering a few things.
Im wondering is there a better system suited such as Rancho, BDS, ect.
I don't want to go over 32 maybe even 31 inch tires as of now. also i don't feel like doing any trimming just yet. kinda think 5.5 is allot of lift for those tires but really do want the long are type kit. what do you guys think?
 
Have you wheeled it yet stock (or ever wheeled anything for that matter)? You may not like it. Take it out and see how it/you do. You may want to start out at 3" and 31s. Do yourself a favor and budget for a lunchbox locker. Having both wheels turning will get you out of more trouble than going to 32s or 33s.
 
Last edited:
roke40 said:
Have you wheeled it yet stock (or ever wheeled anything for that matter)? .
Click to expand...

THat is a good point get comfortable with it at stock height. They can surprise you on some small aggressive tires. Trust me!
 
roke40 said:
Have you wheeled it yet stock (or ever wheeled anything for that matter)? You may not like it. Take it out and see how it/you do. You may want to start out at 3" and 31s. Do yourself a favor and budget for a lunchbox locker. Having both wheels turning will get you out of more trouble than going to 32s or 33s.
Click to expand...
Yes i have tons of off road experience mostly racing. Corr, Score, More, Mdr. i do realize this is different and that is why I'm here asking questions. I also have allot of fabing experience and equipment in my garage from welders to a mill from all the years of building dezert and short coarse race trucks. The long term plan is to go to 33 or 35's but ill be fabing up some 44's first. im trying to avoid doing gears and lockers twice. Im not so worried about $ I was smart and stayed single without kids. Sorry i don't mean the single no kids to be a jab at anyone.
 
If you're going with a 5.5" RE long arm, why not just do 33s right off the bat? They should fit with no trimming, assuming you bumpstop properly. Go with 4.88 gears and they'll do good on 35s as well. Or just hold off for now, do a budget lift, get some 30s, and wait til you finish the 44s. Go with the actual lift later when you're ready to put the bigger tires on. It'll help you get acquainted with the XJ's capabilities and get a feel for what it can do and where it needs assistance for your style of driving and wheeling.

Then, when you're ready, research on here. Look at Rock Krawler, BDS, Treks/TNT, etc. I have the RK 3 link. I like it so far, just need to balance the rear end. The 3 link flexes great but the rear...not so much.
 
Fastoffroaddriver said:
Yes i have tons of off road experience mostly racing. Corr, Score, More, Mdr. i do realize this is different and that is why I'm here asking questions. I also have allot of fabing experience and equipment in my garage from welders to a mill from all the years of building dezert and short coarse race trucks. The long term plan is to go to 33 or 35's but ill be fabing up some 44's first. im trying to avoid doing gears and lockers twice. Im not so worried about $ I was smart and stayed single without kids. Sorry i don't mean the single no kids to be a jab at anyone.
Click to expand...

I wasn't trying to punk you or anything. From your original post I couldn't tell if you were new to wheeling in general or just to XJs. I was smart too and married the right women who comes with me and the kids when we go out :)

If you don't want to regear what's underneath right now I wouldn't go past 33s if you're doing any on road driving. I'm running 33s with the stock 3.55s and it blows on the street.
 
roke40 said:
I wasn't trying to punk you or anything. From your original post I couldn't tell if you were new to wheeling in general or just to XJs. I was smart too and married the right women who comes with me and the kids when we go out :)

If you don't want to regear what's underneath right now I wouldn't go past 33s if you're doing any on road driving. I'm running 33s with the stock 3.55s and it blows on the street.
Click to expand...
No sweat. IM not single by choice its just the way its worked out so far.
 
roke40 said:
I was smart too and married the right women who comes with me and the kids when we go out :)

If you don't want to regear what's underneath right now I wouldn't go past 33s if you're doing any on road driving. I'm running 33s with the stock 3.55s and it blows on the street.
Click to expand...

Polygamy is illegal! Do they get along with each other? :D
 
full traction true 4 link... if i were to do it all again and had the $$ this is what i would go with
 
Fastoffroaddriver said:
Im goin to call RE again today See if i can do it with 4.5. The main reason for this post is im wondering if there is another lift thats better then Rubicon that maybe i dont know about?
Click to expand...

Goe with a 3.5 kit and run 32's under it. RE kits run about an inch taller than advertised.
 
Maybe it's something wrong with my Jeep, but a year and a half after installing brand new RE 3.5" leafs, my Jeep has redeveloped the gangster lean it had with worn out stock springs. There's also a nasty clunk, like bottoming out hard, but it shouldn't be bottoming the rear at all.
 
Darky said:
Maybe it's something wrong with my Jeep, but a year and a half after installing brand new RE 3.5" leafs, my Jeep has redeveloped the gangster lean it had with worn out stock springs. There's also a nasty clunk, like bottoming out hard, but it shouldn't be bottoming the rear at all.
Click to expand...

Did you replace the stock shackles? They can get pretty worn out
 
Fastoffroaddriver said:
Hello. Im new to the forum but have done allot of reading which lead me to buying a 99 XJ. i have looked around but haven't seen much about lifts other then RC. I was thinking of getting a Rubicon 5.5 long arm but was wondering a few things.
Im wondering is there a better system suited such as Rancho, BDS, ect.
I don't want to go over 32 maybe even 31 inch tires as of now. also i don't feel like doing any trimming just yet. kinda think 5.5 is allot of lift for those tires but really do want the long are type kit. what do you guys think?
Click to expand...

do a search for "best long arm kit" and spend a few hours reading. there is a ton of info on this site about the pros and cons of each long arm kit. not trying to be a prick, but there really is a lot of great info on this site about long arm kits.
 
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