need lift help

whats the cheapest way for a highschool kid paying own insurance and phone bill to lift his xj 6-8in? i have 4.5in now and went wheelin yesterday and had almost no flex, at all and only clearing 33's 35's if i cut, i would rather have a 6-8 with more flex, i know after i lift i disconnect sway bar? thats what i was told by a buddy who has a jeep with 10in, 8 suspension and 2 body, he said he did that and has massive flex, if anyone can point me in right derection that would be cool, i ask alot of questions because i dont have a dad or anything to help me, so im lost and on my own atm, so anything helps guys, thanks.

-Bryan

Bryan, welcome to . First of all, you cannot do a body lift on an XJ. Second, 10" of lift seems excessive, and isn't necessary to obtain good flex. I'm running a 3" lift, have cut fenders for Bushwacker flares, and am running 33x10.5 tires. Have quick disco's for the front sway bar, and have removed the rear sway bar entirely. I get tons of flex without the high center of gravity that comes with high lifts.

Read the forums a bit...that much lift would be good if you wanted to hang out at the mall.

If you don't have the desired flex then i'm guessing your setup isn't the best. If you want more flex, take out rear swaybar/detach front sway bar if you already haven't. At 4.5" you should have some pretty decent flex if you do that.

On a budget going any higher you're only going to cause more $$ problems that you can't fix.

As most anyone will say, wheel what you got, learn the capabilities. Don't feel like you need to keep up with the Joneses.

I'd have to agree... For a starter mod removing the rear sway is good and allows for additional articulation however results in a a washy loose ride, now add a 10 in lift .. Your just asking to rollover

Blue87 said:

I'd have to agree... For a starter mod removing the rear sway is good and allows for additional articulation however results in a a washy loose rider

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not true, this does not really make a loose ride, the factory tow package XJ's do not have a rear sway bar, and it is not an issue... the rest of what you said is true

ericfx1984 said:

not true, this does not really make a loose ride, the factory tow package XJ's do not have a rear sway bar, and it is not an issue... the rest of what you said is true

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my 01 w/ factory tow package has a rear sway bar

ive been pondering removing it though

First off, what kind of 4.5" lift is it? Long arm? Short arm? Short arm with drop brackets? Are there aftermarket shocks installed? Extended brake lines? What's in the rear: block lift? Add a leaf? Full spring pack? Shackle lift?

You rear sway bar doesn't do much, look at the diameter difference is between front and rear. Disconnect your front, or better yet: remove it. Are you wanting to wheel it or look good at the mall?

i wanna wheel it, but my articulation is not to good, its the 4.5 rubicon express with full rear spring, has the hydro like 5000 or 8000 shocks i think, i dont want ten my friend here has 10, he said he has 8 suspension and 2 body, i didnt think body would work on a uni body, but its his rig i didnt question, i just want 6-8, to clear 35's and so i can crawl better, as of right now i get no flex really and last time i wheeled it only flexed abit and i almost tipped, does anyone kno what to do? im ganna remove front sway, also the lift is the standard short arm

ericfx1984 said:

the factory tow package XJ's do not have a rear sway bar

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Not quite - it was the ones that left the factory with the UpCountry suspension that had the rear swaybar delete.

spencer elliott said:

my 01 w/ factory tow package has a rear sway bar

ive been pondering removing it though

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Take it off; it's about the best zero-dollar mod you can do. Did the same on my '01 Sport when I still had that XJ and it made a world of difference off-road. On-road manners stayed the same.

boss hoss said:

i wanna wheel it, but my articulation is not to good

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Okay. I may have missed your answer to this, but: has the rear swaybar been removed? If not, your articulation will suck at the back.

i just want 6-8, to clear 35's and so i can crawl better, as of right now i get no flex really and last time i wheeled it only flexed abit and i almost tipped

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If you think it's tippy now at 4.5", wait until you get up to 6" or 8" without addressing what the current problems are. Yeah, there may be a spring or shock issue here, but you may also end up just making things worse. Related to that:

does anyone kno what to do? im ganna remove front sway

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No, do not remove the front swaybar. Get quick disconnects. You're probably going to get a bunch of conflicting opinion on this now that I've said that, but if you're driving this on-road for any appreciable amount of time being able to keep the front swaybar connected on pavement is not just a nice-to-have but also a safety issue in terms of handling IMHO.

also the lift is the standard short arm

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Have the control arms (upper and lower) been replaced with adjustable or fixed-length aftermarket units, or are you still using the stock control arms?

Going to 6" or 8" is going to require long arms to do it right. Seriously, let's figure this problem out before throwing more height at it.

x1000 it sounds like you need to start by removing the rear sway bar and disconnecting or removing the front. I prefer the on road ride without either sway bars at 6.5 inches but its all personal opinion.

With atleast 6 inches of lift you are going to want long arms, upgrading steering, and an adjustable track bar. Add money for the coils and springs you need to buy to lift it the desired amount.

If your buddy says he has 2 inch body lift he is probably reffering to a 2 inch poly budget boost coil spacer he is using up front and a 2 inch block out back. Some people relate spacers like this to a body lift since you are essential just adding a spacer to make up the height.

redrider2911 said:

x1000 it sounds like you need to start by removing the rear sway bar and disconnecting or removing the front. I prefer the on road ride without either sway bars at 6.5 inches but its all personal opinion.

With atleast 6 inches of lift you are going to want long arms, upgrading steering, and an adjustable track bar. Add money for the coils and springs you need to buy to lift it the desired amount.

If your buddy says he has 2 inch body lift he is probably reffering to a 2 inch poly budget boost coil spacer he is using up front and a 2 inch block out back. Some people relate spacers like this to a body lift since you are essential just adding a spacer to make up the height.

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or he has a different kind of jeep.

there is more to running 35s than lifting the jeep for tire clearance. what axles do you have to start with?

you have a RE kit... didnt it come with front disconects? didnt the instructions tell you to remove the rear sway bar and trash it? id say stay at your lift height and get the essentials for 35s and that kind of lift. the springs and arms are the easy/cheap part. SYE, gears, axles, yada yada yada...

idk what the problem is, my RE 4.5" kit flexes fine.

DON'T LIFT IT ANY HIGHER! that's not the solution to this problem. It will be more tipsy than what you have now and ten times more expensive. And you won't get any more flex because the lift height is not the limiting factor. Disconnect your front sway bar, not remove. It will flex like mad if you just disconnect it, then re-connect it to drove home and to school.

If you really want 35s then get some fender flares, or trim a lot. It's possible to fit 35s at your 4.5" of lift. I'm doing it right now.

if you have 4.5 already, just make some 2" spacers for the rear leafs, and 2" spacers for the front coils, everyone will gripe about that but it works good, you pocket the front spacers into the original spacers so they cant shift side to side. i run that with 33's, you dont need 35's. mine does excellent. no more tearing off fender flares. 35's will just make it a turd and harder on stuff unless you replace a bunch of other crap. not worth it.

Why do you need more than 4.5" of lift for 33s? Just makes it more tippy.

35s will only make it a turd if you hillbilly slap them on and don't properly build the vehicle for them.

korn9613 said:

if you have 4.5 already, just make some 2" spacers for the rear leafs, and 2" spacers for the front coils, everyone will gripe about that but it works good, you pocket the front spacers into the original spacers so they cant shift side to side. i run that with 33's, you dont need 35's. mine does excellent. no more tearing off fender flares. 35's will just make it a turd and harder on stuff unless you replace a bunch of other crap. not worth it.

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That does nothing to help his flex which is his principle concern from what I gathered...

i had 6" of lift with 33's and i was stuffing them into the flares, thus ripping flares and limiting flex. i added 2" and everything is good.

korn9613 said:

i had 6" of lift with 33's and i was stuffing them into the flares, thus ripping flares and limiting flex. i added 2" and everything is good.

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Here's your problem

MoparManiac said:

Here's your problem

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this

thanks all this has all helped, i have removed my front sway and it helped alot, and so far from what i gathered i do not have a rear sway? but ether way it may be already off, the back is good it the front thats stiff, also, the RE lift i have i got as parts not kit, i paid 600 for a 1200 dallar lift it had no instructions or extra parts, i wouldnt mind staying at 4.5, i deffinitly need different rear opions my jeep sits lower in rear, also i want to do the D44 axles when i put the 35's on, i have purchased the 1298$ 35x13.50x15R interco TSL SX tires and have the D44's but i dont know if i should put them on, opinions?

thanks a million guys
-bryan