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XJ!! How high can i go on a short arm kit i already have?

2

2qk4u

NAXJA Forum User
Location
florida
my question is i have a 4.5 RE short arm kit now on my XJ and wanting to know how much of a coil spacer can i run in the front before it messes with anything and what will it effect? i am installing a winch and bumper next week and want to level it back out once it settles. also i have 3.5 rear leafs and 1" shackles. what can i do to go up another 1" in the rear if needed? thanks for the advice
 
I'm up 4.5" and have a 2" coil boost in front with extended shackles in the rear, and my geometry is fine. I run an '88, though, and the earlier years tend to be more forgiving.

jeepside134s.jpg
 
you are maxed in the front unless you get angled lower control arms or control arm drop brackets. you may get away with a 3/4" spacer when you install the winch bumper.
for the rear, you can get a 2" shackle, add a leaf, or blocks.
 
Got drop brackets? If not, I'm thinking you will be at the max for the geometry of the short arm lift.

Forgive the ignorance, but what is in Florida that requires such a tall lift?
 
i have the RE 4.5 SF kit myself....

id suggest drop brackets for the front. ive been wanting them for years. and personal oppinion is that 6" is the most you would want to go with that setup. your in long arm territory then. if you dont have new uppers (i think the RE SR kit only comes with lowers) get adjustable ones to give you some castor adjustment back.

for the rear, look into shackle relocation brackets... kill 2 birds with 1 stone. and add a longer shackle as needed.
 
rocknxj said:
Got drop brackets? If not, I'm thinking you will be at the max for the geometry of the short arm lift.

Forgive the ignorance, but what is in Florida that requires such a tall lift?
Click to expand...

yea theres a little off road here but not a lot. FL sucks. i have a 3/4 spacer in front now with noproblems, so you all are saying in order for me to go with a higher spacer i will need to get drop brackets or new adjustable upper control arms? it would be cheaper for me to get the drop bracket kit correct?
 
xjbrian219 said:
you are maxed in the front unless you get angled lower control arms or control arm drop brackets. you may get away with a 3/4" spacer when you install the winch bumper.
for the rear, you can get a 2" shackle, add a leaf, or blocks.
Click to expand...

i got 3/4 spacers now. so i wont be able to go any bigger spacer in front until i get drop brackets?
 
Once upon a time I ran 6" on stock arms. My kidneys are still complaining. The ride will be torture.
 
I had the same set up with out spacers on short arms you are fine once those spacers go on it rides like doo doo but i then went with the drop brackets and rides better than it did with the original set up.

I did same thing added winch and what not and needed wanted a little more lift and tried it for a while with no drops and it was a bit of a nightmare.
 
xjbrian219 said:
you are maxed in the front unless you get angled lower control arms or control arm drop brackets. you may get away with a 3/4" spacer when you install the winch bumper.
for the rear, you can get a 2" shackle, add a leaf, or blocks.
Click to expand...

RCP Phx said:
Yeah right!:roflmao:
Click to expand...

will bind on the axle mount and will allow for almost no drop...

rocknxj said:
Got drop brackets? If not, I'm thinking you will be at the max for the geometry of the short arm lift.

Forgive the ignorance, but what is in Florida that requires such a tall lift?
Click to expand...

lots of deep water and mud
 
Poop on this I have a heep and a friend who has a jeep and we wheel them pretty hard and we have 4.5 on stock arms just shim out your arms .Go and walk around the JY and look under the LCA bracket for some W shaped shims just shim the same thinkness on both sides and be sure to fallow a control arm length chart found on naxja somehwere .PEACE
 
I used to dd and wheel on 6" and short arms with no drop brackets. Man up, it won't kill you.
 
you can run it fine. just dont expect it to ride or flex very well. im running RE 4.5" springs with ACOS and drop brackets. much better than short arms in the stock location
 
ericfx1984 said:
just so you know... bent control arms do not change your working control arm angles... they only help with clearance... that is all
Click to expand...

That's what he's saying. Unbent arms will bind against the protrusion behind the spring seat. The bent arms will allow your axle to drop more. But as you say, that wont change the actual problem of having a steep CA angle
 
I'm at 6.5 with RE sf lower arms, teraflex adjustable uppers and a terraflex coil. I'm at the same height as you want on short arms. Now the flex isn't bad at all, scored over 1000 for the front on an rti ramp and has done well for me the times I have been able to wheel it.
flexg.jpg

with that said... I want long or mid arms bad. I DD it and the bumps have finally worn away that "it's ok, it's a jeep, it's supposed to be bumpy" state of mind. The components also seam to wear much fast probably do to stress with the angles. Control arm bushings on my last 2 sets lasted a little over a year. These SF seam to be lasting much better. If you want that little bit more it's do able, I would get adjustable uppers to fix your pinion angle (went through one of those quick) and I mean it's great for a while but my guess is you will want long arms eventually with that height.
 
I wheel an 88 with a 4.5" rusty's kit and 2" spacers and shackles. Rides alittle rough but I need to get adj uppers to get my tires centered in the wheel well and thinking about DB's to get the angle down a bit.
 
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