3.5 re or rusty's 4.5

i am a newbie and i am wondering what lift kit i should get, a 3.5 re or 4.5 rusty's? or what lift should i get for my first lift? also, if i get a 4.5 lift, can i get away with just a transfer case drop or do i need a sye and cv driveshaft because i dont do much rock crawling but i do like to play in the mud.

Plan on the unexpected, whatever you do.

Get Full Leaf packs.

RE.

Search - SYEs are not just for use with rock-crawlers, they are a damned good idea no matter what when lifted.

Those were my choices and i went with the RE, it came in yesterday and looks like a really good lift.

If you go with rustys, be prepared to buy some extra stuff, brake lines, sye, ds, and some quick disconnects or longer links for your front sway bar to get rid of the haggard drop brackets they send you. I have their 4.5, and the brake line extensions should definetly be temporary, they really dont give you much more travel. Plus the e-brake cable gets pulled pretty tight, and an sye is a must. Plus it will sit more like 5.5" at least.

i ran the rustys 4.5" springs with 1.25 shackles and 1.75 spacers, dropped the tcase .75" no binding what so ever and no sye so no it is not necessary that was on an 88 xj my buddy has a 92 with the same setup and no probs what so ever

Much different experience for me. With my 4.5, I had the drivline binding up and making a grinding sound under deceleration, and minor vibes with the 1" t-case drop installed on my 96. I would say it could go either way and to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

I was contemplating the same thing.

It seems like the RE 4.5 is significantly more expensive than the Rusty's. Is there any justification for paying almost double for a similar lift?

Are people with the 4.5 Rusty's happy with the off-road handling characteristics?

Besides the few little things that I mentioned before, I'm happy with the kit, and the jeep really excels off road with it. It flexes nice, and handles well on the road too with very minimal body roll. I looked a lot at RE stuff before I bought the kit, and just couldn't justify spending that much money on a kit that dosen't even include shocks.

I just have to ask, it seems like alot of people are bagging on the Rusty's kit. Is it really crap, and is their customer service really that bad? I am new to this board and to the sport, but have done some homework, and have learned a little about what is needed for a functional lift, but still haven't made up my mind as to which kit is best. I also find it hard to justify spending the scratch on a Rubicon kit if I can get a decent product for half the price. Where can I find real testimonials from people who have the Rusty's kit and use it on DD's as well as off-road applications? Any help is welcome and appreciated. Thanks to all.

Calling it crap isn't very fair. I would just consider it a very entry level kit. Is it cheaper (money wise)? Yes by a long shot. Do you get more with/out of a Rubicon kit? Yes you do. I have had quite a bit of Rusty's parts on my rig. First off is his leaf packs. The fixed the sag issues by going to a new maker but while driving it on-road and less than one month old, I blew one of the leaf retainer clips off (basically the riveted part that keeps the pack together). I called Rusty's and all I got was a cheap set of replacement brackets. It does the job but I would still much rather have a new leaf pack. Then you have their control arms. I bought a set of these and blew the stock bushings out. Not just the rubber part but the whole cup. They sent me a replacement bushing which I could slide in by hand, no need for pressing. I asked for a new LCA and got yet a third bushing. Last straw, I bought RE adjustables. The problem is they stick stock style bushings in the arms. Those bushings are OK for stock arms since THEY flex. However Rusty's arms are rock solid and don't flex (I give them credit for that). Would I buy some of Rusty's parts again? Yes, but I am VERY selective of what it is.The last thing I want is a mediocre part to fail on the trail.

People have mixed opionions on Rusty's, since it seems his products are hit or miss. My 4.5" lift was a definite hit, and I'm still sitting about 4.5" even with a heavy bull bar and winch and a year later. It is pretty stiff at first, but after a few trips to flex things up it rides really smoothly. I have been very happy with it. And the flex off road is awesome, big articulation.

I also do not have an SYE/CV shaft or anything. Again, i got lucky with no vibes, but as everyone says you're either lucky or your not. Save for the cash just in case yo have vibes, but not mandatory.

I say Rusty's 4.5" and use the extra cash for JKS disconnects, brake lines possibly, and SYE if necessary.

Also if you need brake lines, go to NAPA or someplace and order them for a 95 YJ. They are longer and a heck of alot cheaper than SS lines.

I had done a 3" my first time around. I am now looking at the 4.5". Do it the first time, I wished I had. And, DEFINATELY, no matter what you do, go with new rear leaf packs! I made that mistake too, and had to replace the origanal pack with blocks with new packs. By the way, I chose Rusty's rear springs (with overloads-custom)- very nice spring rate, flexible and good spring clamps. Thier customer service, to me, has always been good and they have followed up on shipping errors.

Now... time to start all over again!

Do yourself a favor and go with the 4.5".

I am a big fan of Rubicon Express. I also am in the process of going bigger. Being that Rubicon was not making a big enough leaf to support there front coils I went with Rusty's 6" leaf pack. I do not have them installed yet but can say a few things. First off they just look cheap. The cuts on each leaf are really rough and not vary uniformal. Then there apperars to be scorching marks on the ends of each of these leafs also. Was not vary clean when they were painted up. The paint job was vary bad. The worst part is that it appears that one of the leafs is cracked at the end. Is this going to stop me from buying from them again... chances are I will try real hard to find it elsewhere. Customer service still has not made this right. According to them the leafs are inspected prior to shipping and I need to contact the shipper.
As for Rubicon... I have had great experience from them. They have backed up everything, not that I have ever had a issue with anything they have sent me... that is not totally true. Nothing big at least.

i am curently installing the rustys 4.5. i can say i wish the instructions had a little more detail (as how to remove the stock crap but hey, that what a chiltons manual is for). its a pain getting the stock stuff off for me but that is in NO way Rustys fault- danm salt used on the roads. i hate rust. so far its looking like a straight forward install.

Onkover said:

I am a big fan of Rubicon Express. I also am in the process of going bigger. Being that Rubicon was not making a big enough leaf to support there front coils I went with Rusty's 6" leaf pack. I do not have them installed yet but can say a few things. First off they just look cheap. The cuts on each leaf are really rough and not vary uniformal. Then there apperars to be scorching marks on the ends of each of these leafs also. Was not vary clean when they were painted up. The paint job was vary bad. The worst part is that it appears that one of the leafs is cracked at the end. Is this going to stop me from buying from them again... chances are I will try real hard to find it elsewhere. Customer service still has not made this right. According to them the leafs are inspected prior to shipping and I need to contact the shipper.
As for Rubicon... I have had great experience from them. They have backed up everything, not that I have ever had a issue with anything they have sent me... that is not totally true. Nothing big at least.

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Like you, I will also say RE is not perfect. I have ordered a few things and gotten the wrong item. I have heard this has alot to do with the help they had in their shipping dept. However I called them and their CS apoligized and sent me out the correct parts immediately, even though I had gotten them through a dealer and was technically not the buyer according to their records. They would send it over night with a return label.
The only other business I ahve had better CS from is Tom Woods. That man is hands down the nicest guy in the biz in my book.

i just installed RE 3.5 super ride on my jeep, its a great kit so far.....some parts are difficult to install, im not even done with the sway bar or brake line but those will be installed asap

Thanks to everyone who responded. I just want to do it right the first time, and since I want to wheel with my 5 year old daughter, I definitely don't want to make any mistakes and make safety my #1 concern.

The rustys works just fine. Really it just needs some tuning after you get it. I didn't like the ride of the leafs so I took the bottom spring out of the pack and its perfect now. I would reccomend just getting brake lines right off the bat. The extensions work, but really dont give you much more movement. As for the sye, its real hit or miss. I thought mine was fine with the t-case drop they give you, but I just put in my sye and its a world of difference. It seems like a lot of people get a 3 or 3.5" lift and are ready to go bigger in a couple months. Just do a 4.5 the first time and be done with it.