4.5" vs 6" lift..my list..need advice

After tons of reading and debating, I have decided that I am going to go from stock height to the 6" lift. A friend put together this list of stuff he thinks I would need. I am going to stay with 33" tires since my rear is a Chrysler 8.25 and I can only gear to 4.56.

I would like to do this as cheap and effective as possible, I was thinking about piecing things together from people selling stuff to ebay, etc. If I have to buy a full kit, I guess I will, but I wanted to see what everyone thought.

Please drop your input, stuff I missed and what else I should think about and why:

Stuff that can be made locally:

Trac Bar
Steering geometery may need changed
Longer control arms

Retail Stuff:

Longer brake lines - either 95 wrangler or Bob's braided lines..
Longer vent hoses for front axle. Rear axle - don't forget transmission vents
Steering box reinforcement plates--for anything over 32" tires.
33" Tires
Wheels - 15x8 likely work best even with 33x12.50 tires.
6" coils
Rear leaf pack - get a new set
Maybe rear shackles if needed.
Sway bar disconnects for the front
Remove rear sway bar
Rubicon express type flange bolt on slip yoke eliminator
New 2 pc drive shaft - need to get a CV style
Rear leaf mounts should be cut off and relocated to tip your pinion angle upwards since your jeep will now sit higher - or you can use angled shims (better to relocate pads)
Need Longer Shocks
Recovery hooks front and back
Good front bumper
Rear bumper
Rocker guards
Oil pan tranny pan skid plate
Transfer case skid plate
Gas tank skid plate.


Thanks,

Beebe (Double Down)

It would be helpful if you posted the year and drivetrain details of your Jeep as well as the type of use you'll see when you're done.

Street only
Mud
Rocks
Hills
doughnuts in the parking lot...

Your steering goals are vague. The Currie setup would be good for 95%/5% street/trail duty. You mentioned gearing, but it isn't on your list. What about lockers?

Control arms can be a big issue over 4 1/2". A couple of years ago, LCA/UCA length was the only question. Then bushings. Now we know that the arm angles at 6" suck. You should seriously consider drop brackets or long arms.

Sounds like you're ready to go all the way. That is good! Just be prepared to spend a ton of cash that you didn't expect to. It looks like you have most of the stuff you'd need on your list. 1992 Dodge Dakota 4x4 rear brake line is perfect for 6-8" of lift and fits perfectly on the rear. I run stock front brake lines at 6" of lift, but have relocated the mount for them as low as possible on the "frame". While you're looking for Dakota parts, get some rear springs while you're at it. Do a search of this forum to find exactly what truck to look for. They commonly give about 4-5" of lift if I remember correctly. Get the longer shackles! My rear springs net about 5" of lift and I still have the stock shackles. They are way too far forward and ride/flex like CRAP! Also, the shackles may tip the pinion up far enough to not have to worry about moving the spring perches. Before you spend the time fabbing up a long control arm setup, consider the Rubicon Express control arm drop brackets. They lower the arms by almost 4" and really help out with the suspension geometry. Learn from my mistakes and GET THE BRACES! The bracketry shifts and comes loose slowly without them. With 33" tires, be ready to do some trimming, mainly around the front fender openings. I'd run them on an 8" wide wheel with about 4-4.5" of backspacing. Yes they will rub the control arms and above the coil spring in the fender well, but they are smooth surfaces (if you have most any aftermarket lower control arms). This is better than having them rip off flares and wrinkle the fender. At 6" you might get some vibes from the front driveline unless you have it aligned with insufficient caster. Not enough caster sucks to drive though, the vehicle tends to wander on the road, I'd take the vibes over that. I also run completely stock steering with 6" of lift and I've seen it run up to 8". It works but it's not great. An over the knuckle conversion would be nice but not completely necessary for more moderate wheeling. I would recommend at least sleeving the stock tie rod though. RE 4.5" ZJ coils give roughly 6" of lift on an XJ and flex well. But I'd go with the RE 4.5" coils and use a poly spacer to get the lift you want. The 4.5" coils are thinner and softer to give great flex and a better ride. But I'll make you a deal on some 6 month old ZJ coils if you'd rather go that route. I also have the drop brackets without braces that I'd let go pretty cheap if you were interested.

I hope some/all of this info helps. I believe in budget building too!

Jaredatriot:

I thought I gave the year, my bad...it is a 97 Cherokee with the Chrysler 8.25 rear.

And the stuff you are talking about is exactly what I need to know. Obviously my knowledge is limited so looking education at the same time. It will be used 70% driving/30% trails (Midwest: Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennesse) until I can get another vehicle.

I don't know much about gearing so looking for advice on that.

Just looking for all the tried and true advice and thoughts from people who have been through it.

Thanks,

Beebe

if you're sticking to 33s, I would definitely keep it at 4.5" and trim the fenders for whatever clearance you need. I think the money would be much better spent on armor, gears, lockers, etc...

MaXJ has a good point. The reason I'm ready to sell my front springs and drop brackets is that 6" is just too darn tall for me. I don't want the thing to be a money and maintenance pit. At 4.5" the control arms are at an OK angle and the stock steering geometry is fine. Run good bumpstop extensions on the front and get choppin! Run some TJ flares (front or rear, your choice) up front and mount em high. WHEEL SELECTION IS CRUCIAL for clearing 33's with 4.5" of lift. 15x8" wheels with 4.5" of backspacing give the best fender clearance characteristics for a 33x12.50" tire. DO NOT get 10" wheels or you will have to trim the crap out of your Jeep. Ask me how I know...

I'm not saying that there aren't ways to build a good solid 6" lifted XJ. It's just that about 4.5" is the practical limit of the stock steering/suspension geometry. Beyond that and it's major fab time or major upgrade component time. From your post you sound like a cheapskate like me, and 4.5" would certainly be alot cheaper and easier. You can get those 33's to clear at this height too. GOOD LUCK!

Jaredatriot:

Cheapskate...hell no, I always supersize LOL

I think you all are right 4.5" may be the way to go...so what/how does that change my lift list in regards to what I need?

Thanks so much,

Beebe

I ran 4" and 33s for awhile with TJ flairs and realy liked itwhen i went to 6" is when it started to be a pain in the A$$. i used 3.75 or 3.5 BS 8in wheels and it was great with the TJ flairs. 4.56 are great for 33s. you can get away with stock upper control arms but aftermarket is much better. you will need a track bar most of everything you listed but you can save alot by watching the form and finding out the tricks that we post.

what about the RE3.5" and some spacers/trimming (33's) ????? Any drawbacks with that combo?????

I have been thinking the RE6020 with adj. LCA's and spacers/trimming... looking for CHEAP... I can get the lift for 314.00 shipped to me....

Any thoughts... Anyone???

This was a lot of the same info I was looknig for as well, I want to run 33s and a 4.5" lift sounds good. About the TJ flares, do they increase the clearance? That's about the only reason I can think of, and why front or rear and not both?

TJ flares give MUCH MORE wheel well clearance than XJ flares. They require some serious trimming and a little creativity to fit. I especially like the look of using 4 rear TJ flares on an XJ. But, using 2 rears and 2 fronts will give you even more clearance up front.

Using some 1.75" poly spring spacers up front with no rubber isolator would get the RE 3.5" kit to work pretty well. Just make sure to get the shocks that come with the 4.5" or even 5.5" kit instead. Yes, the upper control arms will work fine, they just aren't as strong as the aftermarket stuff. Some guys have actually seen them fold up and self destruct. I run all stock arms with a 6" lift and drop brackets though, so I know they will work. If you leave the stock uppers, remember to loosen the bolts on them when you lift the Jeep to allow the bushings to rotate to their new position. Otherwise your bushings will be toast in no time.

If you can substitute the 4.5" coils in the 3.5" kit, just do that. Then get a lift shackle for the rear and the long add-a-leaf. You ought to be at about 4.5" front and rear with this setup. Upgrade the front track bar with the kit too, the Heavy Duty version is mucho better.

Jaredatriot: