rusty's 3" lift or Rough Country 3" lift?

im just looking to clear some 31" tires. i dont do any core wheelin, mainly sand/beach type stuff....have some extra dough and want to ride a little higher..i was lookin at the rusty's 3" aal leaf or the rough country 3" aal. they both are about the same cost wise and both are full length aal's...an even though im not lookin for anything core i dont want to buy something thats crap either..

j/w what the overall opinions are on these 2 kits. i know that alot of you guys have some rusty's components on your rigs so i was leaning that way but figured i see what the deal is

im putting this on a 2000 so i also figured i might need a tcase drop aswell.


thanks
joe

I'm wondering the same thing for my 96, except I use mine for DD and moderate wheeling.

These two seem priced about the same, and then some of the 3" kits go for $1200. Why?

How long does it take to install one of these kits? Do they really have everything you need? Brake lines needed? No transfer case drop or SYE needed @ 3", I thought. Anything else?

deepshax said:

im just looking to clear some 31" tires. i dont do any core wheelin, mainly sand/beach type stuff....have some extra dough and want to ride a little higher..i was lookin at the rusty's 3" aal leaf or the rough country 3" aal. they both are about the same cost wise and both are full length aal's...an even though im not lookin for anything core i dont want to buy something thats crap either..

j/w what the overall opinions are on these 2 kits. i know that alot of you guys have some rusty's components on your rigs so i was leaning that way but figured i see what the deal is

im putting this on a 2000 so i also figured i might need a tcase drop aswell.


thanks
joe

Click to expand...

You're most likely going to need a t-case drop. A SYE is a possibility as well...seems to be that the 97+ XJ's tend to require them at 3"+ of lift.

I'm currently researching for a lift as well. I originally was looking at Rusty's too because of the price. As my XJ is a DD, i'd rather have a kit with a better ride quality (ex. old man emu). I don't want to bash anyone's product...just pointing out that if ride quality is an issue for you there are other alternatives.

Something else to think about (if you haven't already). It would be a good idea to re-gear if you're going to a 31" tire.

PlainWhiteXJ said:

I'm wondering the same thing for my 96, except I use mine for DD and moderate wheeling.

These two seem priced about the same, and then some of the 3" kits go for $1200. Why?

How long does it take to install one of these kits? Do they really have everything you need? Brake lines needed? No transfer case drop or SYE needed @ 3", I thought. Anything else?

Click to expand...

Most of the 2-3.5" kits i've seen run for $400-800 (full leaf kit). Not sure what 3" kit goes for $1,200. Some kits do change out a lot more components than others though.

This is one thing that gets me....many of the kits that claim to be complete don't come with everything you need. Some lack U-bolts ($10-13 each), others don't come with a t-case drop, or brake line extensions. Just look at the list of included parts to make sure that it actually does come with everything you need.

Your 96 MAY not require a SYE...i would just do the t-case drop to be on the safe side though (it's only about $20-30 at Rusty's).

save for a rubicon express lift...i got almost 5 in. of lift out of their 3.5 kit...if not go with the rustys.

jeepinxj99 said:

save for a rubicon express lift...i got almost 5 in. of lift out of their 3.5 kit...if not go with the rustys.

Click to expand...

yea thats the other thing im afraid of....not the inches but everything that comes w/ them...extra parts needed...its my DD aswell and i dont want to run into a problem and have to wait for somehthing to be ordered and then shipped and have my truck out of comission...shit...im just gonna go 2" w/ 30's...dont need the headache rightnow

i have a rustys 3 inch kit with the full spring pack with a 2 inch spacer and shackle running no t-case drop and stock driveshaft in a 98.....i have no problem with vibes and it flexes really well the shorter coil acts like a built in bumpstop


if you want my advice if you get a price point kit like a rustys or rough country get a full leaf pack, the extra green goes a long way there, also i run a lot of rustys stuff in my jeep and have been VERY satisfied with not only their product but their people as well.

The truth of the matter is that there is more than one way to skin the cat.

The first 3 lifts I installed were the 3" RC lift kit from JC Whitney. It was only coils, blocks, short AAL and U-bolts for a D35. I also bought 4 of their shocks seperately. I moved my brake lines installed the lift, dialed in the toe and pinion angles and called it good. I found out later (after much abuse) that the (very) short AAL was having a bad affect on my springs.

When I lifted my 98' I started with the basic RC kit, bought shocks seperately, dialed in the angles, relocated the brake lines and ran it that way for 3 years.

I then wanted to go up an inch and I installed spacers on top of the front springs and replaced the short 3" AAL with a full lenght 3.5" AAL from Rustys and a 1/2" block. At that point the yoke started rattling and I noticed my cross member was junk and pushed upwards. So I ordered a 1" drop crossmember from Rusty's. That replaced the old crossmember and provided the drop needed. I also ended up relocating the emergency brake pull block back about 1-2" so the cables would reach.

After examining the evolutions my Jeep has been through, I believe if you order a basic 3.5" long AAL system from Rusty's and a drop crossmember, you will have a nice setup that will clear 31's nicely. You will of course need to move your brake lines, and relocate the emergency brake pull block on your 00' aft a little bit. You will also need to purchase a set of disconnects if you decide to use it for more than mall cruising.

The 3.5" I recomended because you can grow the system as your needs progress. The drop crossmember I recomended because it is more stout than the stock crossmember, and it has the added feature of reducing your drive shaft angle with out adding spacers. Yah, it's more expensive, but it's an upgrade and cheaper than the much touted SYE.

Good Luck!

I'd agree with Zuki Ron that you can get a good 'starter lift' from a 3" (full length AAL & coils) kit. Plenty enough for 31" and with some minor tweaks enough to do some good wheeling.

Upgrading from there can get as expensive as you let it, however if you have time to wait, you can score parts when the vendors offer sales. Also look for used stuff in decent shape from those already bitten by inchitis.

Here's a pic of 'most' of a decent quality 2.5"-4" front suspension.


What you see is:
Car Quest XJ HD progressive rate 2-2.5" coils
Brand-X gas charged 9" travel post-mount shox
Currie JeepSpeed LCAs
Rubicon Express Superflex UCAs
OEM type rubber UCA bushings
Kevin's adjustable track bar & bracket
Upper shock hoop mountss
JKS BPEs
Daystar poly bumps
OEM YJ brake hoses
turned rotors
OEM type brake pads
under table - 10" travel loop-mount Rustys hydro shox

(not shown in pic)
JKS Quicker Discos
JKS LCA mini-skids
Energy Susp poly swaybar bushings
Rustys poly 1.75" coil spacers

I hated to add it up, but it's a tad north of $1100, and not done yet. I am probably going to add bling shocks, limit straps, and (maybe) some different coils if these don't give me joy... So there we'll have a $1500 4" front lift/brake rehab... and it could be quite higher if one didn't shop smart or used all 'primo' (vs 'decent') parts

Out back I have a set of semi-bastard (2" AAL +) leafpacks, Brand-X 9" gas-charged shox, JKS upper BPE, YJ line & cables, MJ shackles, plus all new drum brake innards for approx $325. Add bling shox, mounts, limit straps, and the cheap rear is now @ $800

This all isn't done yet... next we have steering to beef up, and a SYE/driveshaft, (and gears, lockers, tires, oh my!) And this all started as a 'simple' 2-3" budget boost for a daily-driver/mall crawler