Opinions on Suspension Kit Reliability

Hi friends,

I just picked up my first XJ- plan on using it for work (earthworks/underground construction, survey, etc), play (hunting, camping, fishing), and bombing around mountain logging roads when I get a chance. I'll most likely never rock crawl, but will hit that wonderful northern muskeg a fair bit.

I have read a mind numbing amount of threads, articles, reviews- and have gotten nowhere on which lift to go with. I'm handy with tools, but never worked on a vehicle before so I'd like to get a kit that kind of "has it all," and will LAST.

So, what is your opinion, and experience with 4.5-5.5" lifts? What (& why) would you recommend or avoid?

Thanks

Rubicon Express. We race on it. It takes a huge beating.

IRO (iron rock offroad) for the price and what you get well worth it. They stand behind their products and its American made. What can be better then that? Take a look http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/

Depends on your budget.
And how much lift you feel you actually need.
But I suggest thinking about your height before deciding on the brand.

Keep in mind that once you go over 3" you are going to have to upgrade a lot of steering components, and an SYE and custom rear drive shaft.

My personal opinion:
For decent builds with mild offroad use 3" is fine with 30" tires is fine.
30" will get your dif a little more off the ground than stock, but still work well with your stock gearing. The bigger the tire, the more powerloss at the wheel you have.
Also no fender trimming needed for 30" tires.
And the 3" suspension lift will be a noticeable upgrade.
I have seen XJ's on 3" suspension lift and 30" tires do fine on trails in the woods.

4.5" will give you more articulation, but your differential will still be the same distance from the ground. So if you want more clearance for your diff, you will need larger tires. And then possibly need to trim your fenders if you go to 33".
You will then notice some powerloss with stock gearing and larger tires.
Then there is the gear ratio issue, 3.07 on standards and 3.55 on automatics.
This power loss may be more or less noticeable, depends on if you have a manual or automatic.
Also the higher lift you go, the more noticeable your center of gravity changes will be.

Personally, I went with a 4.5 lift and 33" tires. But in my vehicle I had to completely upgrade all steering and suspension components, sye and custom length drive shaft to alleviate vibrations and other issues.
That being said every Jeep is a little different.
But for a more mild build, I would suggest 3" lift and 30" tires.
An affordable Rough Country lift kit would do fine.
You can save a lot of money that way.

It's all about how high you feel you really need to go, and how much you want to spend. Just think a few moves ahead, as the higher you go the more it requires to drive safely. When I lifted my first XJ, I opened up a can of worms.
Just giving you a heads up, something to think about.

If you wanna go fast offroad then your going to want long arms. Long arms are better for just about everything. Full traction makes a good 4 link long arm suspension designed with go fast stuff in mind. At over 3 inches of lift you will prob need an SYE. I've been told stock steering is good to 6 inches of lift. I'm at 4 inches of lift on stock steering and have been for over a year with zero issues.

You said you were looking for a complete kit. This kit from Serious Offroad is long arm and it's the most complete kit on the market that I know of. Even the SYE and rear drive shaft are included. Also comes in both 4.5 and 5.5 lift. http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.c...-Arm-5.5in.-Long-arm-Suspension-NP231J-T-case

Depending on what size tires you run your going to need to think about regearing. I ran 33s for a year on stock 3.55 gearing and it wasn't terrible. Offroad I just had to use 4LO to get the extra torque needed. I am at sea level tho and it sounds like you might be at elevation, so that is also something to think about. Now I run 4.56s and that is slightly over geared for 33s IMO. I will be moving to 35s in the near future and that should be perfect.

That's great advice even a budget booster is noticeable. I would recommend replacing leaf packs, not an add a leaf. Eventually, depending on how long you have your jeep and what you actually end up doing besides driving down the road. You will need to replace steering components and or upgrade them. If your looking to spend the money do it all at once. Yes once you go past 3.5-4 inches of lift you have a lot more to think about. You can always go 3-3.5 and add a budget boost down the road if you want more lift.

DieselSJ said:

Rubicon Express. We race on it. It takes a huge beating.

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Hopkins said:

If you wanna go fast offroad then your going to want long arms. Long arms are better for just about everything.

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LOL...I don't think our short arm kit knows that. We beat the long arm guys consistently. In fact, there have been more championships won on short arms than on long arms.

This is pretty much the most complete kit you can get...

http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.c...-arm-Suspension-NP231J-T-case?cPath=419_2040&

The only extra part you might need is shackle relocation boxes.

DieselSJ said:

LOL...I don't think our short arm kit knows that. We beat the long arm guys consistently. In fact, there have been more championships won on short arms than on long arms.

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Why is that tho? Would a long arm suspension of the same quality as your short arms not perform even better? As far as I can follow the logic, a long arm kit is going to provide better ride quality and more controllability/predictability...

Hopkins said:

If you wanna go fast offroad then your going to want long arms. Long arms are better for just about everything. Full traction makes a good 4 link long arm suspension designed with go fast stuff in mind. At over 3 inches of lift you will prob need an SYE. I've been told stock steering is good to 6 inches of lift. I'm at 4 inches of lift on stock steering and have been for over a year with zero issues.

You said you were looking for a complete kit. This kit from Serious Offroad is long arm and it's the most complete kit on the market that I know of. Even the SYE and rear drive shaft are included. Also comes in both 4.5 and 5.5 lift. http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.c...-Arm-5.5in.-Long-arm-Suspension-NP231J-T-case

Depending on what size tires you run your going to need to think about regearing. I ran 33s for a year on stock 3.55 gearing and it wasn't terrible. Offroad I just had to use 4LO to get the extra torque needed. I am at sea level tho and it sounds like you might be at elevation, so that is also something to think about. Now I run 4.56s and that is slightly over geared for 33s IMO. I will be moving to 35s in the near future and that should be perfect.

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PhotoJared said:

This is pretty much the most complete kit you can get...

http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.c...-arm-Suspension-NP231J-T-case?cPath=419_2040&

The only extra part you might need is shackle relocation boxes.

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Thanks Guys!!

Hopkins said:

Why is that tho? Would a long arm suspension of the same quality as your short arms not perform even better? As far as I can follow the logic, a long arm kit is going to provide better ride quality and more controllability/predictability...

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He's neglecting to mention the Drop brackets.

by lowering the mounts, you level out the arms better than longarms, which helps for speed stuff.

clayton is the only bolt on company I would consider since I don't think Rock Krawler makes its XJ 3 link anymore. 3 link is the best and only option IMO. I had terrible luck with RE bushings. You might as well run Rough Country with the poor quality of the RE bushings. not to mention all you can get from most of these places are radius arm kits for long arm which I rather have short arms at that point.

I too would suggest Rubicon Express drop brackets and short arms for an all-around rig.

It will ride better than a longarm setup, cost less, and in a pinch those parts are easier to find than long arm stuff.


If you were looking at longarms, I'd look at the Full Traction 4 link setup.


A lot of this goes back to your desire on lift height and tire size, though.

Thanks for all the replies- the Jeep is in the shop right now getting a full checkup. It has low miles and I plan on keeping it until it dies in the bush, so I don't mind spending a bit on quality parts- but the decision I need to make right now is whether I really need a 5.5" LA or if a 4.5" SA will suffice. Have some thinking to do. Any more thoughts & advice is always appreciated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrmch4VbVQo


Watch this video.

Markdani3ls said:

Thanks for all the replies- the Jeep is in the shop right now getting a full checkup. It has low miles and I plan on keeping it until it dies in the bush, so I don't mind spending a bit on quality parts- but the decision I need to make right now is whether I really need a 5.5" LA or if a 4.5" SA will suffice. Have some thinking to do. Any more thoughts & advice is always appreciated.

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You definitely don't need 4.5" or 5.5" of lift. You will go anywhere you want with a 2" short arm lift, 30" M/T tires, and a lunchbox locker in the back.

Since you will be running around in the Canadian wilderness, I'd highly suggest focusing on reliability and recovery capabilities. I'd go over everything closely and replace worn parts and beef up weak stuff like the steering. I'd also have a well stocked trunk with tools and spare parts.

I'd also have a good winch, tow straps, snatch block, high lift, and at least one good condition spare tire.

You can save $2k by not going with a big tall LA kit .... that money will go a LONG way in making your rig better suited for what you want to do.

Think more expedition rig than rock crawler.

MrSimon said:

You definitely don't need 4.5" or 5.5" of lift. You will go anywhere you want with a 2" short arm lift, 30" M/T tires, and a lunchbox locker in the back.

Since you will be running around in the Canadian wilderness, I'd highly suggest focusing on reliability and recovery capabilities. I'd go over everything closely and replace worn parts and beef up weak stuff like the steering. I'd also have a well stocked trunk with tools and spare parts.

I'd also have a good winch, tow straps, snatch block, high lift, and at least one good condition spare tire.

You can save $2k by not going with a big tall LA kit .... that money will go a LONG way in making your rig better suited for what you want to do.

Think more expedition rig than rock crawler.

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You are right, I'll take your advice and budget building based on what I need rather than want. I will not be crawling at all- but clearance on unmaintained logging roads is a must (Hunt in Northwestern Alberta- old oil patch roads/cutlines). So far I'm leaning towards the RE 4.5 SA right, with 33x12.5x15. Will need to trim and redo the fenders, install a SYE, driveshaft and gears, as well as tie-rod upgrade and replace other weak links as I go.

Another question I have is regarding the geometry of the control arms with drop brackets- the kit comes with longer CA's, will I be able to use these with drop brackets? Or will they push the axle too far forward?

If the kit for your lift comes with CAd brackets and associated arms, yes.
Adjustable control arms are recommended. You may be better off buying you lift parts in pieces. Unless there is a decent fee to upgrade to adjustable arms.