Which way would you go? 4.5 in lift

Call Dirk at Dpg off-road 316-776-9900. He will actually talk to you about your plans, and custom put together a lift for you.

GreaseMonkey17 said:

... if I handed you 1500 dollars which 4-5.5 inch lift would you buy ?

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BDS first, RE second, IRO Rock Link third. Control Arm Drop Brackets instead of long arms will save a few dollars.

With that budget and better understanding your intent, step into 4.5"

4.5" RE coils front
3" rear full leaf pack
Rear shackle relo brackets with adj shackles
SYE
ext brake lines
locker for at least one end, rear first if no winter driving
ZJ tie rod
Steering gear plate

Should be right or below 1500. Build or buy bumpers and winch next.

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Id go
-Up country coils
-ACOS
-ZJ tie rod
-Extended brakelines
-Bastard pack leafs
-leaf spring sliders or relocation box
-IRO Double shear track bar
-Ironman 4x4 control arms adj lowers
-Quick discos
-Dostech shocks
-Bar pin eliminators

Should be under 1500

Wheel it

Or
http://dpgoffroad.com/products/22-5-inch-ultimate-xj-old-man-emu-hybrid-kit-2/

I have a lot more than 1500 at this time to put into it but I have hoping to have 1500 or less in the lift , then 3-400 in steering and be able to regear and do at least one locker an inexpensive one I’m sure .

Shop the For Sale section and Craigslist. I bought a pair of RE 3.5 inch leaf springs for less than half price, some RE 3.5 coils for half price, RE drop brackets for half price, a full set of RE control arms for 1/3 of new, that just needed fresh bushings and some paint. It took about a year to gather up all the parts necessary for the lift, but I saved enough to pay for the tires, rims, and a locker.

Hell yea man!!

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Smokeyyank I really really like the looks of that DPG off road compan after reading the website I also work in Kansas I will probably order a kit with them !! Awesome!

No worries, OME is a solid all around lift.

Should I really be going long arm or drop brackets and short arms ?

For 32s I'd look at a 3.5" lift. Regarding drop brackets, you loose a good 3 inches of ground clearance to gain another inch of lift if you decide on the 4.5" lift. On the lower arm, there is a factory provision to adjust the body mounting point to effectively move the axle forward a small amount. For me, I've always run fixed lowers and adjustable uppers, that way you have a smooth surface to slide on when sliding the lowers over rocks. You also mentioned the lift for flex. Good flex will come from properly bump stopping and getting a shock which will give you the most downtravel while also maximizing your uptravel based on where you set your bumpstops.

I'd recommend:
Fixed lowers
adjustable uppers
3.5" coils
adjustable track bar
the best leaf springs you can afford
good shackle
SYE
diff covers
Crossmember/t-case skid
zj tie rod

Hope that helps and you'll love Moab!

I’m not sure how I’ve never read that anywhere else but you have a great idea on the fixed lowers . However why not 4.5 or drop brackets ? I really do not want cut fenders I usually hate cut fenders because 99 percent of them are butchered .

GreaseMonkey17 said:

stockerwithalocker said:

For 32s I'd look at a 3.5" lift. Regarding drop brackets, you loose a good 3 inches of ground clearance to gain another inch of lift if you decide on the 4.5" lift. On the lower arm, there is a factory provision to adjust the body mounting point to effectively move the axle forward a small amount. For me, I've always run fixed lowers and adjustable uppers, that way you have a smooth surface to slide on when sliding the lowers over rocks. You also mentioned the lift for flex. Good flex will come from properly bump stopping and getting a shock which will give you the most downtravel while also maximizing your uptravel based on where you set your bumpstops.

I'd recommend:
Fixed lowers
adjustable uppers
3.5" coils
adjustable track bar
the best leaf springs you can afford
good shackle
SYE
diff covers
Crossmember/t-case skid
zj tie rod

Hope that helps and you'll love Moab!

Click to expand...

I’m not sure how I’ve never read that anywhere else but you have a great idea on the fixed lowers . However why not 4.5 or drop brackets ? I really do not want cut fenders I usually hate cut fenders because 99 percent of them are butchered .

Click to expand...

The 'provision' mentioned for the lowers is to allow adjustment for alignment purposes, NOT to lengthen the lower arm. If you use it to move the axle forward the 1/2" it can move it, you may not be able to align the vehicle properly.

Drop brackets don't have to cost you any clearance unless you forget they are there when driving off road. They are very close to the tire, and it is easy to adjust your line for them.

The way you say you will use it, they would be perfect. The added benefits in ride and handling are well worth it if the vehicle is used for more than offroading. If you build it for that 1 trip to Moab you want to do, you will likely not be happy with it the rest of it's life.


.

It’s not just for a Moab trip in fact that could always fall through . Primarily this is my bad weather , hunting , weekend vehicle and I would love to go to Moab and out to Colorado and do some wheeling . I’m ready to buy a lift with drop brackets but if I go with rubicon express I won’t be able to afford to regear like I’d like to do . My last XJ was on same exact tires 32/11.50/15 and 3.55’s and on my 65 mile one way commute to work it was awful !! Road in a friends TJ with 4.56’a on 33s and that’s all the convincing that took .

GreaseMonkey17 said:

Should I really be going long arm or drop brackets and short arms ?

Click to expand...

Drop brackets or short arms. Long arms are awesome but from what you are stating your intended use is, it would be a waste. Drop brackets I personally don't like because of loss of clearance but for driveability are a great option. The thing to remember is the flatter or more parallel your control arms are to the ground the better the ride. Drop brackets allow you to retain that geometry with a lift and short control arms at the cost of ground clearance. Long arms extended the length of the control arm allowing for good geometry and higher ground clearance. Honestly unless your planning on needing the clearance for rocks drop brackets can prove to be a viable option for your build.

I would like to buy an affordable package lift and then order my steering set up and drop brackets and start building but can’t mske up my mind for the life of me ... I have looked and looked and looked . Just about every lift I read about ends up needing shackle relocation brackets too it seems .

Steering just go with a solid tie rod; ZJ or IRO. No need to go OTK or spend a bunch.

You dont need relocation bracket but they do help a lot and they arent terribly difficult to install. Worth while upgrade if youre already doing the work.

OME for coils and leafs is a great choice. Other can be nice too. Rest is just trying to find a good part at a decent price.

My lift is @ 4.5", and I am running 31's. I do think if I get new shocks, it will ride pretty good, but could be a lot better with relo brackets in the rear. It rides 10x better with the drop brackets than before w/short arms @ 3".

3" rusty's lift that was on the vehicle when I got it
1 1/2" coil spring spacer
1 1/2 longer greasable rear shackles
SYE kit
new rear driveshaft
6 deg shims
RC drop brackets
WJ upper & lower arms (recommend using XJ uppers, as the WJ require mods clear the pumpkin)
bilstien 5100 shocks (I do NOT recommend them)
extended brake lines
new unit bearing/hubs/brakes/slotted/drilled rotors
new balljoints
JKS adjustable track bar
all new bushings frame & axle side
Boostwerks steering brace
Boostwerks tcase shift linkage
all new gr 10.1 or whatever it is hardware


Mine could use shackle relo brackets, but I haven't put them on yet due to having to rebuild the shackle boxes on the frame a few years ago when I had to cut the old shackles off (bolts too), and when I did, I got rid of the excess slop/play in the stock boxes, and that play is needed to align the relo brackets I tried to use. I haven't moved on the relo brackets as I am still contemplating 4 linking the rear.

I had a post for the shackle box rebuild but photobucket killed the pics, so it's kinda useless now

Anyway, what I am getting at, is it may be cheaper to piece it together.

I'd go ahead and just go to 4.5" in the first place. That would allow you 33s at some point in the future. There is nothing wrong with short arms, as long as you are using drop brackets at that amount of lift. Without the drop brackets, the ride will not be ideal, due to the amount of angle imposed on the control arms.

Do not be afraid to piece together your own setup. This is what I ran, and I was very happy:

Front:
4.5" lift
4.5" RC coils, but switched to RE, as the RC coils were a bit soft.
Rokman adjustable upper and lower control arms.
RC Drop brackets, with a bit of additional reinforcement.
Prothane bump stops inside coils
12" travel short body Bilstein 7100s

The adjustable control arms allowed me to center the axle in the wheel well, and adjust for correct alignment.

Rear:
4.5" RE full leaves (I'd never bother with add-a-leaf at any height)
Shackle relocation boxes. (particularly valuable)
10" travel short body Bilsteins.

The ride quality was immeasurable from before, without the drop brackets.

My config is a bit different now, after switching to a Rock Jock 60 front axle, and 35s.

Also, I would submit that at least with 33s, to obtain the maximum amount of articulation, you need 4.5" lift AND trimming of the fenders. Yes, you can bumpstop heavily to avoid fender contact, but you will sacrifice articulation. I covered the trimming with fender flares, so the appearance is reasonable. I was able to utilize the full 12" of travel on the front with this configuration.

I am now running 5.5" of lift, and clearing 35s. Again, utilizing the full 12" of shock travel on the front, and near 12" in the rear, due to the shocks being angled. I still have some shock tuning to do, and have moved to Deaver springs front and rear. Previous spring rates were a bit low, for as heavy a pig as my XJ is presently.

David Bricker / SYR - ITO

Short arms and drops make a quite capable rig. I think the long arm option really comes in to play if you ever plan to go higher. I'm at 4.5 on short arms and drop brackets too. Not much it won't climb. Axle flexes pretty damn well too with all 4 links. Drop brackets only get hung up if you're backing over things. You can always add it later as well

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