New to the XJ world and need some advice?

I am wanting to add a 3.5 - 4.0" lift kit to my 1988 Jeep Cherokee and need some advice on which way to go, do I purchase the add-a-leaf spring kit or do I purchase the all new leaf spring kits? Which brand is recommended and why?

I'd stay away from AALs and lift blocks. Do it the "right way" and purchase new leaf spring kits. What's your budget like? Rubicon Express makes a great product, or you could get custom made leaf packs from somewhere like Alcan. Depends on how much money you want to spend.....

I'll let the RE owners explain why they like their springs. Me personally, I have about 3.75" of lift, running Old Man Emu leafs w/ the JKS boomerang shackles. I'm sure they'll settle out about a half inch sooner or later....but by then I hope to have the 6th leaf from OME....

don't do add-a-leaf, they sag very quickly.

buy a kit with new rear springs..I suggest a Rough Country lift.

don't buy Rusty's, their product is offhandedly crappy, it's poorly designed, very flawed, breaks easily at minimal flex, etc.

Let your budget be your guide. Lift kits are nice but pricey. And lifting any cherokee is a lot like opening up a can of worms, so to speak. Longer shocks, longer brake lines, spacers, TC drops and driveshaft vibrations are a few of the potential variables that enter your lift. So take some advice and spend a couple hours researching this website on lifts. Read about bastard paks mated to your original main leaf for ease of installation at very little initial cost. Learn what blocks and shackles really end up accomplishing. Make a list of suspension parts from GC's and s10's and Dakotas that can work on your XJ, and then start looking for them locally at U Pic Ems or on Craigslist. But mainly, determine your personal needs or direction you want to go in and then start collecting your components. I carry a roof rack, spare, hidden hitch and rear step/carrier as well as tools, air tank, and occasional building materials for work so weight was a critical aspect for lifting my XJ.
I just finished putting a full s10 leaf pak to my main leaf and a pair of OME 930 coils on the front. Found the new coils on CL for $50 and the leaf springs from a 2003 s10 for $40. My rear end was sitting pretty much flatlined at 15 inches from center to flare but now sits at 20 inches which should net me 2.5 to 3 inches of lift over stock. The front sits at 19 inches, up over 2 inches from where it was.
45 mile test drive showed driveline vibrations and power loss and inspection showed the yoke(?) and rubber booty pulled away from the TC. I then dropped the TC a full inch using square tubing and longer bolts and got rid of 90% of the vibration with full power returning. I'll wait for any settling to possibly take care of the rest of the slight vibes before doing anything else.
Now I am shopping for some longer OME shocks and longer brake lines to wrap up my lift. After spending so little on my springs themselves, the additional, not cheap, shocks are easier to swallow. Good luck in your search. The process itself is more dirty than difficult. If you have any specific questions on what I encountered please PM me. Otherwise, everything you will need to know is found on forums.

done the aal thing from rough country 2 times...never again,
I now run a RE full leaf pack, I cannot believe I bought rough country crap for so long. If its a DD don't skimp on anything. Its so worth the extra money for a full pack, and to buy quality materials from a quality company.

I think the best thing you can do is get in a local club. Go on some rides, talk to people and see what works first hand. You can also search the board there is a lot of good advice and there is also a lot of heresay.

Do it right the first time and save money.

Let me add -

What size tire are you running? Lift kits are primarily to get the vehicle body up and away from the tires. Real lift is larger tires to get the differential up away from the trail.

I know I'll take some hits here for saying it, but most put on lift kits for street show, not any real gains in off road ability. When you lift a vehicle, you're raising the center of gravity and losing ability to sidehill on the trail - which causes more rollovers. Ride is generally worse all the time, handling is lost, so road travel is slower and you have to tiptoe through turns. If you can't do it on the flat, you sure can't do it on the trail.

Cherokees can take 30" tires with little interference. Wait for the lift kit and spend money on swaybar disco's, a steering box reinforcement, skids, etc., cause when you do get to big tires that need lift, you're gonna need all the rest right then, too, including big axles to put up with the stress of big tires. You don't ever see a Dana 35 type axle attached to 34's from Detroit, they couldn't afford the warranty coverage, and lots of folks jeeping like to show the damage it causes when they do it.

It may look cool, but its not cheap.

I blew up the dana 35 on my 86 comanche with 31" tires and 3" of lift. It has a 96 3.8 camaro engine in it...which outputs more than a 4.0 HO does, which is part of the reason.

but with large tires, you CANNOT ham on the gas pedal and expect not to bust something. now with a stock dana 35. suggested upgrades for the rear end are the dana 44, AMC 20, chrysler 8.25, or ford 8.8.

Personally, I take the ford 8.8 from like a 98 or so explorer, weld the axle tubes to the pumpkin, burn on the new spring perches, and then I get rear disc brakes all for less than $200.

rough country lifts are good, just not their AAL lifts