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RE 3.5"

B

bradford027

NAXJA Forum User
Location
ohio
What kind of driveline problems have you guys ran into w/ the RE 3.5". Im talking about vibe problems, did you install a TC drop? rear axle shims? did you NEED a SYE:(. Im thinking of buying the super-flex or super- ride w/ full leaf packs and running 31's. Ive read here you actually get a little more than 3.5" with the RE kit and really want to avoid a SYE. My '99 XJ is still a mostly road rig 95% of the time so drivability is very important.
 
If you look at my sig you'll see my set-up, I ran a t-case drop for a year and had to go SYE because my x-member was getting beat to hell. My lift didn't come with bump stops, nor did I install after I lifted it, so I had to trim some because my fenders kept cutting my tires, though now that I've trimmed, if I bump stopped, I could fit 33"s. Most full leaf packs come shimmed.

If I could do it over, I'd go with the 3.5 RE super-flex with full leafs, bump stop, hack-n-tap sye, and 32"s, and trim a little.
 
Last edited:
With a 3 1/2" lift you never know. You shouldn't need an SYE, even on your 99 though. There's no hard and fast rule with a small lift on an XJ. Just do the lift & take it from there. You might not need to do anything, you could be good to go. A t/c drop or degree shims will only take a couple of hours if you need it.
 
Ive had this lift with both full leafs and aals on a 95 xj and my friend has it on a 01 xj. All either ever needed was a 1" home made t case drop made from 1" square tube steel from home depot. and the spacing from bolt center to bolt center is like 4 or 4.5" took 20 mins to make and no vibes until the sye was installed. Its a great lift and fits 32s nicely. Best 3.5" lift out there IMHO.
 
So from what I gather I should lift it and see how it goes. I plan on doing the TC drop while Im lifting it. Does anyone know for sure if the RE full leafs come shimmed or not? I had no idea some leaf packs came that way.
 
I just installed the 3.5" Superflex on my 99 and I have some pretty good vibes right around 30 mph, i'm going to try a Rusty's T-case drop and see how it does. Eventually i'll do an SYE and CV driveshaft but for now i'm going to try the drop.
 
I've got the full leafs and I had to go over 1" of drop by adding washers, but I am planning to install 4-degree shims and bring it back to 1" -- i'm pretty sure spacing for the holes on the drop is 4-5/8" but you better measure for yourself.

I still think I get a bit of vibe on hard acceleration but who can tell over the vibe from the M/Ts ?
 
i have the 3.5'' on my 89 w/ the full leaf packs...all i got was VERY minor vibe, from where the front driveshaft had previously worn its lil pattern of rotation before, and it got changed when the height changed. brother just ground out a lil of the xtra, and good to go, no more vibes.
 
Ill definately measure before the TC drop,but thanks for the insight. On second thought..I better measure 2 or 3 times w/ my luck. Hopefully I get lucky & the drop is all I need.
 
My '98 has RE 3.5" lift with full packs, all it needed was a 4 degree shim. Definitely try that before the t-case drop, mine isn't dropped and it's fine. It would be cheaper too.
 
That idea had crossed my mind. If I try shims first is 4 deg a good place to start? If the shims alone dont cut it is it ok to leave them in w/ a TC drop?
 
Yeah it would be good. The shims will angle your axle up so that the drive line angles aren't as severe. 4 degree shim should be what you need. You'll want some longer center pins as well if they aren't supplied with the shims if you get full RE 3.5" packs as the RE center pins are already cut down to size.
 
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