2 inch lift costs?

Help me think this through – I want to consider how much more I will likely need to spend on top of the lift kit I am thinking of, and what are the likely pain points of making this change.

I know you never know some things until you jump in and do them, but I would like to at least understand the most likely scenarios before I start so that at least I can be somewhat prepared.

I am pretty sure I want to go with the Rubicon Express 2 inch lift – my local Jeep modification expert likes RE so I probably will take his advice. It comes with spacers for the coils, full length AAL for the back, new center pins, shocks, and brake line extension.

Besides the items the kit comes with, what are the most likely things I will need to do in addition or that might break during installation?
- Extend the front brake lines down by moving the bracket?
- Transfer case dropdown? I am hoping to not do an SYE until I move to a 3 inch or better a couple years down the road once my newer 235-15 BFG-ATs wear out.
-Likelihood of breaking things during the tear down like shock bolts, etc?
-Fresh alignment?

My overall plan is to run this 2 inch until the tires wear out and then go to a 3 inch-31 inch tire set-up. I don’t want to go the whole 3 inches right now due to the extra costs of the bigger lift, SYE, driveshaft changes, etc etc. and for hopefully <$300 the 2 inch will be fine for a while.

Currently my ’99 XJ is essentially stock – I have added tow hooks, stock skids (gas tank, transfer case and front) (thanks for the bolts Cottontail!) and a 2 inch hitch. This rig is primarily used for easy to mild exploring in CO and UT and hunting.

I just did the RE kit and didn't need anything extra. No modifications necessary for the front brakes, nor will you need to drop the tcase. You will need an alignment when done.

Start spraying all the bolts that will need to be removed daily a few days before with WD40 or your lube of choice. It will minimize the breakage.

What year? What rear? Even at 4.5" my buddy has no vibes in his 87. Late models tend to get vibes easier at 3"+

831_xj said:

What year? What rear?

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Alpine Jim said:

Currently my ’99 XJ is essentially stock

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Alignment is money well spent!

Think about an adjustable track bar in the near future, something you can grow into.

Think about sway bar quick-disconnects, and removing the rear sway bar.

Think about fresh bushings in the control arms and leaf springs.

Think about premium quality steering components, and replacing the cheesy tie rod with something more robust.

I had a lot of fun @ two inches. Most of the changes I made were to enhance reliability. Having more fun was the byproduct.