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what would be best and semi cheap to fit 32s

bigboyslimjimbo

NAXJA Forum User
Im going off to college and i have been wanting to lift my jeep ever since i bought it. I really loved the 4.5" and 32s. but i am confused and dont know what lift i should look into. I dont mind trimming alittle. but i do want some space. This jeep is also my everyday driver soo.... but i also hunt every weekend in the fall and offroad alot in the off season. Right now i am running 30/9.50 m/t stock. not doin to bad just gettin stuck alot and need a fresh new agressive look as well. please help me out.
 
I'd reccomend a 4-5" Skyjacker lift kit. I have a Skyjacker 4.5" lift installed on my '91 XJ, and it has a lot more flex than my Cherokee with an 8" lift. I currently have 31's on my '91, but I could easily put 32s on there without trimming. I don't know your idea of semi-cheap, but it has been an excellent lift for me.
 
i'd go with 3" and generous cutting, with correct bumpstop length this can be very functional and cheap. keeping it at 3 will prevent you from needing a lot of parts, after that it gets rather expensive.
 
I've had a Rough Country lift on the Jeep for at least 40,000 miles (most likely 50+), it was there when I bought it. It started to sag after I put my rear bumper + tire carrier on. For the $500 they charge for the full pack kit, it seems like a reasonable deal, and on an 84-96 with trimming you can fit, run, and wheel 32s.
 
i second ramsey on this one..go with the 3 or if you feel like it 4.5 inch..there are some good three inch lifts out there..i have a three inch susp lift with spacers and shackles on top to get me a cheap 4.5 inches although i did the math the other day and would have been cheaper if i had gotten the 4.5 lift straight outta the box..that and i love the look of my 31 ats and the 4.5 inch lift....noticable taller than the yuppie stockies running around here and way more room to stuff them 31's...hope all works out..oh i got my 3 inch from rustys for 400..not to bad...
 
guess i'll add i had a 3" with 31's then added a budget boost and cut. the lift had sagged and i net about 4", maybe less. i run 33x12.50s with no problem at all. this is on a 99
 
I have Grand Cherokee V8 coils plus spacers in the front and a second leaf from a Comanche added to the back. That gave me about 3.5" of lift.
With some fender trimming and bump stop extensions I'll fit 32s easy. Total cost was $75.00 at the wrecker.

As $$$ allows I'll add a track bar, control arms, etc. but this gets me going.
 
If I were starting all over again, I would follow these writeups that I have done:

http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/home_brew_budget_boost.htm
http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/fender_trimming.htm
http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/Adjusting_Bumpstops.htm

Now, I haven't updated that homebrew budget boost writeup, but here is what I would do to get 2.25" solid lift. Forget the ZJ coils and spacers, and get some Carquest HD XJ coils, part #CC784, for $67.28. Forget making leaf spring clamps. For about the same price as making them, but not using the time it takes to make them, order the 2.5" spring clips from here: http://www.huskyspring.com/main.taf?cat=160 Online ordering is very easy, and with shipping, 4 clips will run you about $15 or less. Use the shocks that I mention in the writeup, those are fine. Instead of just using the main leaf from a donor XJ pack, use the second leaf as well, so two leafs added total from the donor pack. Ride quality is awesome, and sits at a nice 2.25" lift.

Fender trimming may seem extreme by using my article, but if done taking your time, and use a good quality trim molding, it will look good.

Bumpstops are a very important part of a suspension. Many people either forget about bumpstops, or they think they will hurt flex, which is far from true.

So, for about $250-300, you get a great quality 2.25-2.5" lift with shocks, and plenty of room for 33's because of trimming and proper bumpstop adjustment.

Here is an XJ that I flexed this last weekend that has the homebrew budget boost and fender trimming, and the only thing we need to do is the bumpstops, which is why we were flexing, to measure for bumpstops. This XJ only has 30" MT/R's, but you can see with a little bumpstop, there is plenty of room for 33's, so the 32's you are wanting will be no problem, and you can see the flex is pretty good.

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Lift is cheap, trimming and bumpstops dang near free, center of gravity is low for stability on the trail, ride quality is better than a lot of cheap 3" lift kits, and money saved can be spent on useful items like skids, rocker guards, recovery points, etc. We have rolled enough XJ's around here to learn big lifts for little tires is silly. Cutting fenders to fit tires may hurt resale value a little, but a rolled XJ is worth even less. Just my experience. If you are just wanting a mall queen, 6" and 33's work pretty good.
 
you can even do a good bit more trimming
 
2" RE BB with shocks for 220 and trim. Im running this setup with 31's and have plenty of room for a narrow 33. I plan on trimming some more.... You will need to address your gearing issue though, maybe some decent engine mods might help a little though.
 
On my '98, I've got about 5.5" of lift with my 32's (7" wheels with 4.5" BS) and no fender trimming (not even the flares), no removal of inner wheel well coverings. I do have a ProtoFab prerunner bumper up front, so the tires clear the front easily. Everything stuffs just "perfect" with no rubbing anywhere.

At full lock, the tires just barely clear the rear lower rear part of the front flares by about 1/4" when stuffed...but that's all I need to clear. The rears also stuff fine with no rubbing either.

I know all my clearance points will go out the window just stepping up to 33's. I have considered going to bigger tires; but for now, 32's suit me just fine for what I expect out of my XJ. I've come to a happy medium of having a great daily driver with good on road manners; and mild trail rig to get me to the places I want to get to. If I want something more stout and aggressive, then I'll pursue a buggy before I pour more money into my XJ.... There is a point of deminishing returns for me.

Ivan
 
i'm running a skyjacker 3" with 31's now....i've trimmed enough and added TJ flares, I trimmed so much I kinda think the 31's look small, I think 32's would fit perfect now. I'm getting new tires in two weeks, going with 265/75/16's (32x10.50/16) so i'll find out.
Trevor
 
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