Opinions and Theories Wanted

Okay, I've got a ProComp 3" Lift w/AAL and a 1" T-Case drop (due to vibes). I need to fit 32's. What is the cheapest and/or easiest way to accomplish this, keeping ride quality of a daily driver in mind?
Thanks,
Mike

First of all, you'll never, ever, ever get good ride comfort with AAL.

The way AAL works is the 1 leaf you add in, is SO stiff, that it STIFFENS all the other springs, causing them to arch more, but in the end, causes it to sag QUICKER.

So, first off, Id Swap those out.

Secondly, Id add a Daystar 1.75" Spacer, 1"shackle for some added height...

Then do some trimming, and then your 32's should fit!

Good luck!!

Cut until it does not rub. Problem solved.


Rev

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What he said

Well, I totally disagree with Speed-Racer. A full-length AAL reinforces the spring. It cannpt cause it to sag sooner. Over time it may lose some of the initial lift as the AAL conforms to the arch of the other leaves, but a longer shackle on an unreinforced spring will kill the spring a lot faster than an AAL will lose some (not all) of its initial lift.

I am unclear if your post means that you have a 3" lift PLUS an AAL, or if you used an AAL to get your 3" lift. You also gave no indication what wheels you are running, or plan to run. The rim backspacing plays a big role in determinging how much cutting you need. In general, 3" of lift is not enough to run 32" tires happily, unless it's only for the street, and/or you plan to do MAJOR chopping.

Rev Den said:

Cut until it does not rub. Problem solved.


Rev

Click to expand...

TJ flares clear 33's on 3" of lift

I think that we need a little more info to really help. But I am going to assume that you have a 3" lift with the use of a long aal in the rear and 3" lift coils up front. To fit 32's on the street you can add some bumpstops and they will work with the correct off set on the wheels (not stock). On the trail you are going to want another 1.5" lift and a 1.5" spring block (spacer) and a 1.5" lift shackle will provide a very nice riding rig that clears 32's well. As far as the driveline goes if you needed the transfer case drop for the 3" lift you are probably going to run into issues again with the added 1.5" lift so either a SYE or re-checking all your angles and make sure everything is shimmed right might work out ok (or at least move any vibes to a place that is more acceptable).

We really need to know what your lift is now, what wheels, etc.

Michael

Sawzall & BFH.

Sorry for the lack of info. My lift included a 3"coil, trackbar relocation bracket, fixed lower control arms, fixed swaybar connects, AAL (not full length, actually puny little insert) and I added a t-case drop. I am currently running 15x8 wheels with 3.75"offset wrapped in 32/11.5/15 Bridgestone M/T's. I have already trimmed the front fenders on the backside of the fender well and the front bumper on the front side of the fender well to make things fit for on-road use. It seems that my rear AAL's are already sagging in less than 6 months. I just got done talking to the XJ expert at the local shop and he said "screw the budget boost." He said I should go with RE 3.5" leaf packs, adjustable upper control arms, adjustable trackbar, swaybar disconnects, and the 4" coils I have in my garage. I guess that's what I'll do, unless this doesn't sound right to anyone.

Screw that!

I just went to the Rubicon Express website to see how much all this crap was going to cost me. I might as well just buy the 3.5" lift kit or even the 4.5" kit is gonna cost around the same. I guess I wasted my money on the 3" lift. You know what, actually, the "keep cuttin' till it fits," theory is sounding better and better. Thanks for everyone's input. Anyone else is welcome to give me their $.02.

Re: Screw that!

GA MIKE XJ said:

I just went to the Rubicon Express website to see how much all this crap was going to cost me. I might as well just buy the 3.5" lift kit or even the 4.5" kit is gonna cost around the same. I guess I wasted my money on the 3" lift. You know what, actually, the "keep cuttin' till it fits," theory is sounding better and better. Thanks for everyone's input. Anyone else is welcome to give me their $.02.

Click to expand...

The rear leaf pack sagging is due to the stock leaves experiencing more stress outside the ends of the short add-a-leaf. If you had a long (full length or close to full length) add-a-leaf you would not have the same sagging problem. Maybe a lesson learned? Maybe it is time for a full leaf pack, or a mix and match build-your-own leaf pack and shackle/block combination (to get the rear height you want)?

Have you measured the true lift? What do you really have for lift height now? Where do you really want to go?

The 3.75" BS rims are going to need considerable fender trimming, to tuck in well at 3-inches of lift. You would not have the same problem if the lift was taller.

You have a choice: keep the on-road ride of the 3-inch lift while you trim the fenders and replace the rims with something using more backspacing (4.5 or 4.75-inch), or install a taller lift with less trimming and maybe use the existing rims with the resulting compromise in speedracer road performance.

Dakota leaf conversion in the rear,1.75" spacer in front, new, longer shocks all around(the shocks that came with your lift are only minimally longer,if not the same length as the stockers). I'm running this setup on 3" Rancho coils and clear 33" Swampers on 15X8's w/3.5" BS with cutting and TJ flares. Great ride,too. Toss out the short AAL,they're not worth the effort to put them in

Georgia Mike said:

Toss out the short AAL,they're not worth the effort to put them in

Click to expand...

They are even worse than that. When I was at the local spring shop the other day to buy center pins and leaf clamps, in the course of chatting with the guy he mentioned that they see a lot of broken springs caused by short AALs. Talk about a negative return on investment!

You sound like you are in the place I was once in several iteations ago on my xj. I got the 3" lift and thought that if the 31's fit then the 32's can not be that much more difficult.

It's not that you can not make them fit with bumpstops and alot of cutting but in my mind the 1.5" more lift is still a better option if you want reasonable flex with it.

Sounds to me (IIRC) that you have the front set with the 4" coils, and the trackbar you have (with the relocation kit) should work. The front control arms are all acceptable (you may want to replace them later for strength reasons if you are hard on it off road, but length wise they should just work. In my mind you need to replace the back with either a new spring pack of the lift you want, or replace with a 3" long aal and a 1.5" lift shackle. Either way I think that should provide the lift you want (or you can always meld several packs together or Dakota leafs, or combo.

Only other issue is the driveshaft? You have a drop in, do you need it for vibrations or just to compensate for not shiming the rear axle? If you do go use a longer shackle for you final 4.5" lift you will at least need a YJ slip yoke so that it does not bind.

Michael

Thanks for everyone's help. I still haven't completely made up my mind (partly due to all the new info). The thing with Dakota springs, sounds nice. Do I need the 4wd leafs or the 2wd. Sounds cheap which works for me since I'm on a college kid budget. Thanks again for everyone's help.

Don't know if the 4X4 leaves work or not,but I know the 2X4 leaves do.

Buy a set off of a Dakota,take off the clamps and spring center bolts,then cut the spring eyes off of the main leaf to the correct length to match your factory XJ main leaf. Remove the 3 lower leaves (and your AAL) from the XJ pack,and replace them with the Dakota's leaf pack. You can probably even use the longer center bolt/U-bolts that should have come with your AAL kit,so that saves a little cash right there. Button it all up with some new shocks and get ready for some nice riding,flexy 4"-4.5"leaf packs! Oh,one other peice of advice: Go buy a set of $8 leaf clamps from Auto Zone or Advance and install them about 8-10" forward of the axle. This will avoid any "spring walking" in the pack,and that location will not effect flex quite as much as it would in the rear part of the pack.

Thanks that helps alot. Now I just need to worrry about driveline issues with raising it that much. I'm still interested in hearing more about this YJ yoke conversion. Sounds cheap, and that sounds good to me.

The YJ yoke will not help with vibrations only allow more travel in the driveshaft before binding.

Have you tried measureing the angles of the transfer case and the pinion to see how they compare?

What year is your xj, what rear axle, what transfer case?

Micael