Which Lift Kit

[nonricer]

Hey guys, my name is Aaron from Western Sydney,Australia and have just bought a 97 Limited in Forest Green with only 75,000 miles, it is also a 1 owner vehicle. Although it looks like a 96', when did they introduce the newer design?
Unfortunately the tires need to be replaced soon and I am thinking about putting a lift and some larger tires on it.
I want to keep it a daily driver but be capable off road as well. I am thinking about a 4 inch lift and 32X10.5 on the stock wheels, can I run 10.5 on the stock 15's and within the stock flares? and have another set for road use.
What lift kit do you recommend for my set up?, and what else needs to be replaced?
Also what is the best brake upgrade you can get, will they fit under 15's?
Any help is much appreciated and thankyou for welcoming me to .

 

[Dragonlich1961]

They changed the body between 96-97 that is the body and interior split. Both of those years have series electric quriks. 96 can have some of the 97 parts vepends on the production month ( 27 spline vs 29 spline 8.25.

32*10 will fit on your stock rims. They will however rub on the lower control arms a bit at full lock. Wheel spacers would help or lower arms that have been clerenced.
For brakes it depends on what axle your talking about. The front axle the best bang for your buck in the improvement category is the wj brake. Bigger brakes and better steering. But this will not fit in stock 15's. Wjs came with 17's I believe. They will fit in 15's but you need less back spacing.
The rear axle depends on the axle. If it's a 8.25 then zj or kj brakes. If it's a Dana 35 then your better of finding a new axle. Dana 35 is the weakest of them and you can find much stronger axles stock for cheaper than you can upgrade the 35.
I'm planning to use a Ford 8.8 out of an explorer. Easy to find at least in the USA. Numerous axle ratios to chose from. Many can be found with factory limited slips. And you get disc brakes to boot.

At four inches ID recommend a sye to help with driveline angles. As I'd also recommend some tipe of shackle relocate in the rear to help with ride quality.
I would recommend purchasing full leaf pack replacements vs add a leafs. Ride is better and they don't sag as fast.

 

[nonricer]

Thanks for your help. When you say 32x10, do you mean 10" or 10.5" wide?
Are you able to get modified lower control arms with a lift kit/buy them separately or do you have to fab/modify them yourself?
Which is the best lift kit for a combination between ride quality/on road handling with off road ability?
Skyjacker/Rubicon Express or Rough Country?
I will wait till I get Dana 44's to upgrade my brakes.
How long will the stock axles/diffs last with 32's?
Is 4" to much lift for a daily driver?
What do you mean by an sye. I know about the driveline angles.
What would the ride quality be like?

 

[nonricer]

Or would fit 31's.
Why do they rub is it due to the width or the diameter of the tire?

 

[guesswho]

I would go with a three inch lift. It would ride a little better with factory control arms, and I too would do the SYE. If you upgrade to a premium set of pads and vented premium rotors up front it will help improve braking at an economical price. The factory axles will most likely perform good as long as long as you stay away from the lockers and take it easy on the gas while on the trail.

The SYE is a slip yoke eliminator. It will fix vibrations from the rear axle drive line angles. That is caused by the lift.

 

[nonricer]

Ok, so what I want is a 3" lift with 31x10.5.
How do long arms effect both on road and off road ability?