2 inch OME XJ LIFT

[RainShadow]

I KNOW --- already too many posts on the subject.
I have a relatively STOCK 2000 XJ, 4WD, 4 door with 235/75/16 tires on it now. Tried to max out the tire size in preparation for 2 " OME lift. Rear tire does hit a little bit with camping gear in the back and spare on roof.
I do NOT want to drop TC, cut fenders, or have any vibrations to deal with.

I want a simple lift and still use as my daily driver. I have a 1995 YJ for
any rocks and heavy trails ...

Can anyone with the OME 2 inch lift tell me how you like it and did you have to do anything else after the fact ??? I know every XJ is slightly different; but just need some more info before the splurge.
I currently have approx, 85,000 miles on it.
I will go the complete leaf spring replacement and shocks. I recently had to replace the stock shocks with Bilsteins, but they probably will not have enough travel after adding 2 inches ?????

thanks folks, Randy from Oceanside, CA

 

[TA2Jeep]

This is the kit that I did on my '99 (in a 2.5" flavor) : http://dpgoffroad.com/products/22-5-inch-ultimate-xj-old-man-emu-hybrid-kit/

I love the kit and about the only thing I would recommend is to make sure that your leaf spring bolts are in good enough condition to be re-used and that your shackles aren't rusty and soft to the point that the springs push them out. I've had my kit on for about a year and have had no issues with them and I'm sitting on 30 x 9.5 x 15's right now (hoping to get to 31s soon). DPG is great to order from and he's amazingly helpful and has no problem taking the time to answer questions and flesh things out - no matter what point you're at in the buying or installation process.
http://dpgoffroad.com/products/22-5-inch-ultimate-xj-old-man-emu-hybrid-kit/

 

[grainofsalt]

I did the OME HD packs in rear and they gave me 3", So I put AEV coils up front. I have JKU rubicon shocks.

This setup cleared BFG AT 30x9.5R15s without any problems. No vibes, But I have an AX-15 and a 231 T-case. If you have a AW4 + 242 you have a shorter drive-shaft than my rig. Fresh spicers help keep vibes away.

If you are going over 2" in front look into lower control arms

There, That's my .02

 

[lazyxj]

.
I do NOT want to drop TC, cut fenders, or have any vibrations to deal with.

We did the 2-1/2" medium-duty OME lift (springs and shocks) on my brother's 2000 XJ and he got rear pinion vibs and ended up dropping the transfercase 3/4" to eliminate them. It was well worth the effort.
You may not want to do a transfercase drop or SYE, none of us do, but it probably will need it .
If the tires are hitting the fenders, it needs extended bumpstops.

 

[Boatwrench]

I have OME med duty on my 2000XJ. I used shims at the rear axle to correct the angles and eliminate the vibes and added a Tom Woods SYE and shaft. Then installed JKS quicker disconnects and (Then) Off-Road General Store HD Trac-Bar.

Wheeled in Moab four times, works great.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

If you can find a good deal on some aftermarket lower control arms, do it, or maybe find some WJ lowers. You can straighten out your front hard brake line for more flex, just use some self tappers to secure them lower on the "Frame".
OME shocks are awesome, since you are in OME budget territory anyways, I would go with those. Otherwise, Find some JK Rubicon shocks.
Maybe pick up some steel pinion degree shims to be on the safe side for vibes, definitely get some longer/better than stock U-bolts/nuts. I do not remember if the rear brake line is alright with the extra lift. If you talk/go through Dirk @ dpg he should be able to answer any of your questions about things like that.

 

[dwentz]

I just put OME Mediums on my 92 XJ, and it lifted it to 4.5 inches over factory. This is way more than I was looking for. I replaced the springs as the old ones were bad, and I wanted a little better springs as I will be pulling a 3000 lb boat with it. Anyone else have this problem?

 

[briboki]

My 2" OME kit gave me exactly 2". I needed a SYE on my 99 to make it vibe free.

 

[RainShadow]

Thanks guys. Good info; just do not want to spend more $/time after
the OME install .....

Randy

 

[Alaskan89XJ]

Went with OME, 2", shocks, leafs, coils, on my '89. Perfect! Thing to also do is to call up ARBUSA people, numbers on their: ARBUSA.COM site. They are in Wash. State, so shipping from one of their associated retail outlets, will not only be less expensive in shipping, but will have what you need as per the discussion you have with El Central. Tell 'em what you want to do with your XJ, and they will give you the proper ordering numbers. The main desk at ARBUSA will help you easily enough, but if you want to talk to a tech., they will transfer you. One of the guys there even went out into the parking lot with a measuring tape in order to give me a specific dimension I needed. Very cool people to deal with, but they will not sell you anything.., 'gotta go to through a retail outlet, either by a telephone call, visitation, or both. Some of te outlets have a rack, so if you want to hire them to do the job, that's your business decision.

As per the TC Drop kit, as best as I can remember.., ARBUSA recommended it as part of some guarantee issue. You will have to talk to them about that issue, and if it will apply to your year model. It's a simple install, just be sure to relax your motor mounts when you add the drop kit, and retighten mounts when finished. BTW: While playing around underneath, there is a good time to check the integrity of your rubber tranny mount too.

30" tires with the 2" lift is right around maximum for my ''89, without further relatively expensive mods., which are probably not applicable to your year, meaning you can get away with even a higher lift with less expense.

As far as ride, lol, the various OME lifts, as I recall, are kind of like, soft, medium, HD. I went with the HD as I carry a quarter ton sometimes, well most of the time, lol. Hence, when I hit a speed bump at thirty plus, there is a bit of a jolt. Wash board roads at speed is rather evened out as per the jolting, and therefore the XJ holds the road in a much better manner, rather than springing all about. Tell the ARBUSA tech. exactly the type of road conditions you anticipate for the correct feedback. The systems are all "tuned", and are variously different. All depends on you. Anyway, OME is far better than OEM, imho. Have fun.

Oh.., take a look around the forum as per regards to the issues many face when removing rear leafs, lol, can either be easy, or a pure nightmare. Have beer on hand, and work safe.

 

[bossman]

I have the OME medium duty in the rear and it gave me about 3" over stock. I'm running 2" spacers with the ZJ Upcountry front coils, tubular LCA, and trackbar relocation bracket. I found a set of Edelbrock Preformer shocks on closeout somewhere pretty cheap. I'm running 31" KM2 with some minor inner trimming. No vibe issues from the T-case. The ride is pretty close to stock (not great, but doesn't spill your drink).