just bought cherokee xj, neewbie needing lift..

Just bought a 1996 xj jeep cherokee, any recommendations on the best, cheapest lift and tires. I'm thinking a 5.5" lift with 33's 12.5? Any other recommendations? help!

Shay

I think you can run at least 34's with that lift, and i am guessing you are talking about the RE lift which is the best one to go with, i know cheap is good and cheap gets it faster but the more money the better quality the longer it will last, you get what you pay for, i just put some 37' iroks on my jeep, i have been told by many that they are the best all around oh and of course go with a longarm kit

do you think it would be suitable to do a 2" shackles and coil spacers and a Rubicon 3.5 inch lift... im looking for cheap but if RE is the way to go, wouldnt this still lower my cost and give me the quality im looking for?

thanks.

Chade, what is your intended use for this vehicle? That may determine how big (how much $) you go. What is your budget for this build? I was going to go the cheap route but ended up spending quite a bit more to do it right the first time.

Also remember all the other goodies you have to get...lift and tires don't necessarily make a good rig.

SYE/driveshaft, gears, locker?, longer brake lines...etc

At 4.5" and higher, you need a SYE (slip yoke eliminaotr) for your transfer case and a new driveshaft to help with driveline vibrations. You could probably get away if you went with a 4.5" kit and a transfer drop case spacers if you don't want the SYE. Although the SYE is a preferred method for fixing driveline vibs.

I wouldn't cheap out on lift kits, you'll find that certain kits are a little more then others, but they may come with more stuff that you need anyways. I personally would go with RE's 5.5" kit with control arm drop brackets, or their long arm kit. But at 5.5" and 33's, you may lose some ground clearance with the long arms. Depending on your driving, you may find that the stock gears aren't cutting it, and you want gears, which is obviously more money.


It can start to add up fast, so research what you need to work with your setup, otherwise, you'll create more headache down the road.

i think 31 with that size unless you are ready to cut mabye 33 nothing more with 5.5

chris y said:

i think 31 with that size unless you are ready to cut mabye 33 nothing more with 5.5

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You can't be serious? 5.5 with 31's? I'm running 2 inches on 31's the rear rubs but it needs some minor trimming and bumpstops. Once i get that done it should be fine.

FlexdXJ said:

You can't be serious? 5.5 with 31's? I'm running 2 inches on 31's the rear rubs but it needs some minor trimming and bumpstops. Once i get that done it should be fine.

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X2. Anything smaller then 33's on 5.5 inch's of lift just looks bad IMO.

If i were you i would just get the 4.5 inch RE lift(Unless your planning on going taller) Trim the fenders a little bit and toss some 33's under there.

Well imo i did say unless he wants to do cutting from what i have seen and im not that experienced but you want smaller than kit recommends.i would believe 33 would rub unless he wants to cut.

It's possible to trim and relocate your flares up so you get the stock look.

I think RE recommends 32 or 33" tires with their 5.5" kit...32s would work without trimming.

Again, it all falls back to what are the intended uses for this vehicle.

X100 on what these guys are all telling you. Let us know the intended use of your vehicle, and your budget, and we could all give you more direct opinions on builds. Don't forget about your tow points!

Once you get up into the 4-5inch range, things seem to get expensive quick... I myself have installed a 2" budget lift, and I can keep up with my friends jeep on 3.5" and 33's. If your not experienced, you should start small, and build as you learn your vehicle. At least that is my plan... The XJ is a very capable vehicle, and I really feel that with my little 30" all-terrains, sway bar discos, and a 2" spacer/shackle lift, the capability has more than doubled on my XJ. Just to throw it out there, I had an Explorer with 6.5" and 33's (funny, i know) and I know for a fact, my little XJ could walk all over that thing!! The power of the cherokee will surprise you!!:looney:

Welcome to , and best of luck to you!

My RE 3.5" kit on my '96 netted 5" of lift above the stock measurements posted here on (17.5" front, 17" rear from center of wheel to bottom of factory flare.) I'm sitting at 22" on the rear right now after the kit has been on there three years. I'm running 32's with that RE 3.5" kit, and a SYE and driveshaft was a MUST on mine.

Hey, Shay...your lift plans look good, but there is always more to it than that, such as rims, long arm or short arm, axles, and future plans.

I have the RE 5.5" Extreme Duty SA lift and 33" BFG KM2s. Good look and capable for most trails up here. 10.50 tires rub fenders on my '99, but your 96 fender wells are a touch larger. Front bumper (ordered) will clear up some of that rubbing, but other trimming may be required. Rear fenders look OK with those tires but I will trim as necessary.

Rims with about 4" backspace is needed to clear your LCAs on tight turns. Not sure about long arms and 12.50 tires, but I would assume you need to offset your tires. Don't go with wheel spacers. Get rims.

You'll need to cut off your stock sway bar brackets. I went with extended sway bar brackets from Poly Performance. Problems with stock brackets is contact with drag link ball joint during right turns. Not a difficult swap, but you need a grinder and welder.

Since you need to regear for the taller tires, what ratio are you looking at? For me, 4.56 is perfect for 33" tires. That's a good thing because I have a 29-spline 8.25 rear end, and that is about as deep as I can go. You have a weaker 27-spline rear on your rig (if you have the Chrylser 8.25). If you have Dana 35 rear, I'd say you need to stay small, or swap axles to something beefier. Then you can gear to 4.88 or something else and go with 35" + tires.

Budget and trail plans are your first decision. With the description below my signature line, I have over 7k in parts, and that is mostly lift, tires, rims, gears, SYE, and related hardware. I did all labor myself, so add more $ if you plan to have this work done yourself.

A very important point is to get as much protection as you can. Sliders are a MUST have, especially with a lower lift. Tranny skids are also advised. Check out AJ's or JCR Offroad for good deals. Diff protection is also advised, and get those before the gears are done so you will have new covers on hand during install.

Enjoy and post up pics!

i'd also recommned RE
i'm running RE 5.5" SA kit with 33 12.50 km2s also have BW fenders and i dont have any rub unless at full flex and its only in the front when turning sharp lol.
should have gone with 35 10.50's

Also, I would recommend wheeling it stock first before you lift it unless this isn't your first rodeo. if thats the case listen to what these guys are saying. 5.5 with 33's and a little trimming would be fine. Of course you gotta think you're probably gonna need a SYE and CV driveshaft to go along with that kit so theres another 200-500 dollars.

4WDlifeform said:

X100 on what these guys are all telling you. Let us know the intended use of your vehicle, and your budget, and we could all give you more direct opinions on builds. Don't forget about your tow points!

Once you get up into the 4-5inch range, things seem to get expensive quick... I myself have installed a 2" budget lift, and I can keep up with my friends jeep on 3.5" and 33's. If your not experienced, you should start small, and build as you learn your vehicle. At least that is my plan... The XJ is a very capable vehicle, and I really feel that with my little 30" all-terrains, sway bar discos, and a 2" spacer/shackle lift, the capability has more than doubled on my XJ. Just to throw it out there, I had an Explorer with 6.5" and 33's (funny, i know) and I know for a fact, my little XJ could walk all over that thing!! The power of the cherokee will surprise you!!:looney:

Welcome to , and best of luck to you!

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im in the same boat! 2 inch budget boost with swaybar discos and 235 all terrains...this is a great place to start. i can flex with the best of 'em and i havent put in thousands yet. Seriously, 5 inches gets pricey fast. Start small and work your way up, or else you will bite off more than you can chew.

Whatever you do, I suggest staying away from the rough country 4.5" lift kit unless you want to buy another brand of rear leaf springs that actually fit correctly. Put that kit on a friend's xj a few weeks ago and the leaves were so short that we had to lower the jeep's weight onto them with the shackles bolted up and then beat and pry them forward for an hour just to get the front mounting holes to line up. Now his shackle angle is retarded and he has no downtravel at all. RC has the cheapest 4.5" kit out there, but you get what you pay for....