3" Rubicon Express

So tomorrow my plan is to order a 3" RE with full spring pack and shocks. I know we all have our own opinions on lift kits, but I think I settled on this. Does anyone have any last minute advice for me?
(sorry posted in wrong place at first)

Get the monotube shocks I hear the ride is better with those. Also, RE doesn't have a 3 inch kit, its 3.5 but you will get over 4 with it. Also depending on what year your Jeep is you may need a SYE.

FlexdXJ said:

Get the monotube shocks I hear the ride is better with those. Also, RE doesn't have a 3 inch kit, its 3.5 but you will get over 4 with it. Also depending on what year your Jeep is you may need a SYE.

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I stand corrected, it is 3.5 and I was thinking the mono tube, just because they are the most expensive (the best?). I'm having my local shop install it and told them they will need to do tweeking for me after install, prob SYE, alingment, and new exhuast for good measure, mines rotted out.

dont order it directly from rubicon express, use an online retailer. its all drop shipped from re, but re charges extra for the privledge of ordering from them directly.

enjoy the lift.

xcm said:

dont order it directly from rubicon express, use an online retailer. its all drop shipped from re, but re charges extra for the privledge of ordering from them directly.

enjoy the lift.

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Agreed, Jeepinoutfitters.com has free shipping on RE and Fullsizexj can get it too but its not free shipping.

Here , check this out: http://www.jeepinoutfitters.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=219

x3 on a vendor here. fullsizexjgear has great prices. i would recommend getting all the possible upgrades you can with the lift. thats what i did. do it once and do it right.

If a local retailer has competitive prices then go with them - if something goes wrong with your order then you're stuck waiting 2+ days for the right part from an online source. Nothing against online retailers, that's my only gripe.

X2 on monotubes - I like mine

Also, if you have the time do the install on your own (friends, food, and drinks are recommended). It's all bolts and you don't need any specialty tools. Don't forget to spray bolts with Liquid Wrench before you start! THEN have the shop go over everything - will cost a lot less since you're not paying for labor.

Do it yourself or with friends if you can. Those upper shock mount studs will probably cost you a lot to have a shop fix. PB Blast every possible bolt you can think of for at least 3 days to a week. Use lots of heat as well on those upper studs and leaf spring bolts.
Also, you might need shims. I have a 4 degree shim in mine and my pinion angles came out just fine with that kit. You'll then need longer center pins to go with those shims if they haven't already been supplied. Actually, you might not considering you're thinking of going with an SYE.

I have the RE full leaf kit with the monotubes and I LOVE it. When i upgraded to the full leafs and montubes I had a friend who doesn't know anything about cars even comment on how much better it rode and asked me if i did anything to it. And it flexes like no other and I have towed my boat that lead to the end of my add-a-leaves and the full leafs held the weight well for how much there was and they did not show one sign of sagging. RE is worth the money and definitely a good choice.

Here is what mine looks like to give you an idea of what to expect.

with 31s



Here are some flex shots







How it sits now with bushwhackers and 33s

xcm said:

dont order it directly from rubicon express, use an online retailer. its all drop shipped from re, but re charges extra for the privledge of ordering from them directly.

enjoy the lift.

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X2,check with Dirk from DPG!Great prices and an awsome guy to deal with.

Thanks guys, now I want 33's though. And yeah it would be cheaper to do it myself, but I don't have a place to do it right now. Last time was just a budget boost in the driveway. It's not a good time of year in Wisconsin for that.

Ben824 said:

I have the RE full leaf kit with the monotubes and I LOVE it. When i upgraded to the full leafs and montubes I had a friend who doesn't know anything about cars even comment on how much better it rode and asked me if i did anything to it. And it flexes like no other and I have towed my boat that lead to the end of my add-a-leaves and the full leafs held the weight well for how much there was and they did not show one sign of sagging. RE is worth the money and definitely a good choice.

Here is what mine looks like to give you an idea of what to expect.

with 31s

Here are some flex shots

How it sits now with bushwhackers and 33s

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NIce Jeep! Looks like you need to wheel it a little though!

I'm like a little kid on Christmas right now! Thanks guys.

Xwhatever on ordering from a 2nd source or vendor. I ordered my 3.5" Super Ride with full packs from a vendor on here located on the west coast and it actually cost me less than ordering from a vendor on the east coast. I got the kit and SYE shipped to my door for I believe not too much over $600.

If you haven't already bought the shocks and want to explore some other options, look at the Skyjacker Nitro series. I'm running those in combination with the RE and absolutely love how it rides. I've also had several compliments on how it rides for a lifted Jeep. I managed to catch them when 4 Wheel Parts had them on sale. If you go this route, make sure you get the Nirto's (Nitrogen filled)...much better shock than the standard Skyjackers, IMO.

You'll net 4" once it's settled. If you have a newer Jeep (96+) go ahead and bet on needing a SYE. Alignment should be done as soon as the lift is complete, otherwise you run the risk of death wobble (and it's not fun at all!)

I've also got a lot of compliments on how well the RE kit flexes compared to others at the same height. Many of my friends have XJ's in the 3-4.5" range, and none of them really flex as good as mine does...especially in the rear. Here's a couple of pics of mine from this summer and one from this winter:

And hey Ben where'd you get that brush guard? I want one.

Ben824 said:

I have the RE full leaf kit with the monotubes and I LOVE it. When i upgraded to the full leafs and montubes I had a friend who doesn't know anything about cars even comment on how much better it rode and asked me if i did anything to it. And it flexes like no other and I have towed my boat that lead to the end of my add-a-leaves and the full leafs held the weight well for how much there was and they did not show one sign of sagging. RE is worth the money and definitely a good choice.

Here is what mine looks like to give you an idea of what to expect.

with 31s

Here are some flex shots

How it sits now with bushwhackers and 33s

Click to expand...

Any mods for the 33s besides the Bushwhackers?

FlexdXJ said:

NIce Jeep! Looks like you need to wheel it a little though!

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Thanks! I know I need to go wheelin really bad but I have been waiting to get new tires because my old ones were bald and would have been useless off-road but I was strapped on cash so I had to wait til now. I also live in South Georgia and it is flat flat flat down here. All there is to do is go muddin and I did that in high school and I am over it now I like trail riding and goin up some rocks. Just haven't found time to go though with school.

kendrick said:

And hey Ben where'd you get that brush guard? I want one.

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I bought it from a neighbor who had it on their XJ but got in a wreck with it and bent one of the mounting brackets pretty good and thought it was junk so I bought it from him for $150 with the lights and fixed it at my Granddad's industrial plumbing shop. I think I have seen it in that 4Wheel Drive catalogue back when I used to get it sent to my house. I really don't know who makes it though. I do remember the one I saw like it was listed at $399 so you might as well buy a bumper that would be a better investment.

georger said:

Any mods for the 33s besides the Bushwhackers?

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Not really just lots of trimming in different places to make the bushwhackers work. I had to trim both the front and rear bumper caps to fit (rear not pictured) and I am trimming the body side molding to fit too so I can keep it looking clean. But this was by far one of the best mods I have done! I am probably gonna have to throw some 3/4" spacers up from to level it out some and help the tires not scrub anymore. They don't really scrub that bad but that little bit of extra lift should cure it and get rid of that slight rake.

Ben824 said:

Thanks! I know I need to go wheelin really bad but I have been waiting to get new tires because my old ones were bald and would have been useless off-road but I was strapped on cash so I had to wait til now. I also live in South Georgia and it is flat flat flat down here. All there is to do is go muddin and I did that in high school and I am over it now I like trail riding and goin up some rocks. Just haven't found time to go though with school.

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Yeah I hear ya. Luckily up here we have a little of everything to wheel. Mud isn't the funnest thing but when its in the middle of the trail you gotta got through it if there isn't a bypass!

I love mine, 3.5 RE. I wish I upgraded the shocks but it works. I left off the sway bar and it does all right on the road. Need to get longer brake lines for the front. I run 33-10.5 with mine, but it took some trimming to do and I still rubs during full flex.

I had my Rubicon Express 3.5" Super-Flex kit installed on my '96 back in February 2007, and at the time, 4X4GroupBuy.com had the best price on the kits. I went with Old Man Emu shocks. I also added .75" coil spring spacers to level it out, since RE kits tend to sit about that low in the front for some reason. I also added a RE track bar.

I ought to mention that I netted a full 5" of lift out of that kit. On a stock XJ, the measurement from the center of the rear wheel to the bottom of the factory fender flare is 17". Mine was 22" after the lift, and is STILL that measurement after 3 years. I'm running 32's, with just a slight inner front fender rub at full lock. I've yet to get around to doing any trimming.

I had a local shop install my kit, since it was snowy out and I didn't have the space or the necessary equipment to do the job right. I sprayed PB Blaster on all of the nuts and bolts daily for a week to help them out, yet they still broke about every bolt in it, including the rear shock upper mounts. It's good that they had a welder. I only paid them $200 for the install, and it was worth every penny to me. I dropped it off one evening after work, and picked it up finished the next day.

As soon as I started driving home, it became QUITE APPARENT that I was going to need a slip yoke eliminator (SYE). The vibrations were so bad that I couldn't even reach highway speeds. As soon as I got home, I parked it and called in an order for a SYE and CV driveshaft.

Don't forget to pick up a new speedometer gear, as your taller tires will throw off your speedometer. Good luck.