looking for the look

Hi everyone first time post, i am currently driving a 2001 xj and my idea of off roading is rain and gravel, basically a daily driver with no intentions of off roading but i love the look. so i have 2 questions if i was to go with the 2" kit (http://www.rustysoffroad.com/jeep-s...kits/rustys-xj-cherokee-2-add-a-leaf-kit.html) would i need to modify anything else on the drivetrain or can i just bolt on and carry on as normal.

also looking at getting some beefier tires, what would be the max size i can go with a 2" lift on the standard wheels?

search "budget boost"

You might need an SYE, but I doubt it with only 2". I have a 3.5" on mine and had vibes. SYE solved it. You might be able to get away with a transfer case drop if you do have vibes.

You could probably fit 30 or 31" tires since you won't be flexing much.

I would also recommend an adjustable track bar. As well as adjustable/stronger upper and lower control arms. They do help with handling vs the stamped steel stockers.

IMO, a tire larger than 31" will hit n a 2" lift. As for the need for a SYE, it really just depends. Most, at that ride height, do not need one, others have. Personally, I feel that the SYE is a better solution than a transfer case drop.

My rational is that by altering the angle at which the engine sits via the case drop, extra load is placed upon the engine mounts which will lead to premature failure.

Not too surprisingly, I agree with Talyn about the need for an adjustable track bar. As you will be altering the axle "at rest" location by 2", the stock track bar will pull the axle to the drivers side. The axle really needs be centered which is why the adjustable bar is required.

Control arms, again, I agree with Talyn. The stock, stamped steel, units are fine for street use but are not suited for a vehicle that goes bashing about on surfaces other than pavement.

So, you will just have to install and then see what happens.

The best advice I can give anyone looking to start on this journey is do your research and do not go cheap on the parts. Money spent well today prevents money later spent to recover from poor decisions.

O-Gauge Steamer said:

The best advice I can give anyone looking to start on this journey is do your research and do not go cheap on the parts. Money spent well today prevents money later spent to recover from poor decisions.

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X2

I have followed this motto an have been very happy with OME. Have been running 6+ years without one issue. 30" tire is a perfect combo for the 3.55 gear ratio our stock XJ's have. This provides a perfect, reliable, platform to build off of. I eventually bought a IRO TB an tie rod, but ran for 4 years without.

My example, do it right an do it once. Connected f/r

You guy's with 2" lift... did you need a t-case drop?

Rubicon Express makes a nice budget boost kit that gives a really nice stance for a smaller lift... OME also has a few options for smaller lifts that are supposed to be really nice. You should be able to fit 31's with 2-2.5" lift, but they might rub on sloped driveways and such, especially if you have a heavy load or a few people in the Jeep. 30" tires would fit better.

If you stay under 3" lift it's unlikely you'll need an SYE... and at 2" or under you almost definitely shouldn't need one. A t-case drop would help your driveline angle, but I would avoid running one if you don't have to, I don't like the extra strain they put on engine mounts.

I'll go against the grain and say if you truly don't plan to offroad it you should be OK with the stock control arms, assuming the bushings are in OK shape. If you plan to do even some light off-roading I'd at least get aftermarket lower arms though. The stock arms are just stamped sheet steel and on a lifted rig they aren't really strong enough for too much beyond street driving.

I'd definitely do something to re-center your track bar. Sometimes you can re-drill the axle side track bar mount and get it pretty close to centered. On my rig the bracket wasn't wide enough to drill an extra hole and still have enough material left to be safe, so I ended up purchasing an adjustable track bar.

You can lift it a little bit, make it look good and not need to buy a lot of the parts that you'd want if you were planning to take it offroad... it just won't really be any more capable or durable than a stock XJ if you DO take it off the pavement.

O-Gauge Steamer said:

Control arms, again, I agree with Talyn. The stock, stamped steel, units are fine for street use but are not suited for a vehicle that goes bashing about on surfaces other than pavement.

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I wouldn't even go as far to say they are suitable for an on road vehicle. When I changed out my control arms for adjustable tubular styles the on road feel and steering improved dramatically. Even more so when I went with a larger tie rod.

Talyn said:

I wouldn't even go as far to say they are suitable for an on road vehicle. When I changed out my control arms for adjustable tubular styles the on road feel and steering improved dramatically. Even more so when I went with a larger tie rod.

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so true...you never realize how much bending those things do till you replace them

Welcome to the forum.
With the lift kit you linked you will be fine for a while, but later on you will probably want a nicer set of shocks and a new track bar.

Which trackbars do you all like?

O-Gauge Steamer said:

Personally, I feel that the SYE is a better solution than a transfer case drop.
My rational is that by altering the angle at which the engine sits via the case drop, extra load is placed upon the engine mounts which will lead to premature failure.

Click to expand...

Transfercase drops also increase the operating angle of the transfercase's front u-joint. For a low, 2" drop, the changes in angles doesn't seem to critical, letting TC drops work OK in most cases.
The best thing you can say about TC drops is that they are cheap, SYE kits are not.

A 2' lift is right on the border of needing additional upgrades such as control arms and a trac bar. The stock CAs will work for mild off-roading but can fold it you beat them too hard in rocks. A short transfer case drop, along with rear axle shims, will work, just not as smoothly as an SYE kit.
The trac-bar axle mount can be redrilled and be OK as long as the lift doesn't grow taller later. That would require an adjustable trac-bar.

When I was first owned my 2001 XJ, I was lucky to find Go Jeeps website.
http://jeep-xj.info/
It has a huge amount of XJ projects that gave me a good XJ perspective and lots to think about. Many of his upgrades are relatively inexpensive, a consideration if money is tight. Building an XJ can cost much more than you would think is possible.
The webite's author is a mechanic who has used his XJ extensively for touring the outback of Australia for over decade, while towing a tent trailer ,so his ideas have a lot of hard miles backing them up. He is still active, posting over on Yahoo's "xjlist" forum. Some of his ideas you may use
WJs CAs used as LCA replacements
http://jeep-xj.info/HowtoWJcontrolarms.htm
The trac bar's axle mount can be re-drilled to move the bar over, centering the front axle.
http://jeep-xj.info/HowtoTrackbar.htm
Transfercase drop
http://jeep-xj.info/HowtoTCdrop.htm

All of the above said, if you have the money, upgrading the spring, shocks, CAs, trac-bar and adding a SYE kit will give the best performing, most dependable vehicle, if it is assembled and adjusted correctly.
The SYE, CAs and trac-bar will not go to waste when you get inflected with inchitis, an incurable disease.

I wish i could have predicted the future when I first bought the XJ, ten years ago. I could have saved a lot of money going directly to what I ended up with today but who knew? Probably 95% of us have done the same. Few of us really knew what we wanted or what would be needed to have a highly capable machine.
Along the way, the slow evolution has be very educational, so it wasn't wasted time. Now money on the other hand.....

I really like the Iron Rock Offroad bars, myself. They use a commonly available TRE on the frame side, letting you keep the factory track bar mount (stronger than after market) and a bushing on the axle side. 22mm threads on the IRO joint = 7/8", which is pretty damn competitive beef wise.

EDIT:
Got curious, did some digging. IRO's 1.25" solid bar is stout but a bar made from 1.5" x .25" wall tube will be stronger, at least as far as bending the bar itself goes. I can't find any manufacturers who list their bar as made of 1.5x.25", though - and it seems to be the frame side joint that fails on any given bar more than the bar itself.

I have a JKS, but when I purchased it IRO wasn't around. Next one will be an IRO double shear track bar. http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/Merc...=IROR&Product_Code=IR-STBCK&Category_Code=XSP

I would say OME lift, IRO double sheer TB, equivalent or better.

The shop is doing my 2" lift today. It consists of 2" lift springs and full AAL from Rusty's. I'll be running JK shocks. I'm having it done because I don't have air tools or a torch to heat the leaf bolts. So I have no idea what I'm in for at the end of the day..... vibes? bumpsteer? deathwobble? We shall see. Fingers crossed.

Go figure, I can swap an engine but not do a lift. I was a little paranoid about the front leaf bolts, so I punted on doing the job myself.

Don't need air tools and don't need to remove the leaves for an AAL.

Talyn said:

Don't need air tools and don't need to remove the leaves for an AAL.

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Yeah, that's what the installer said. But I want to add full packs down the road, and I already popped for new factory nuts and bolts, so I told them to do them.

It's a 2" kit you should be fine, if you have any shimmy its most likely a tie rod end.

Ok so I think rusty gave me the 3" full add a leaf not 2. The ass end is high.

Got some gibes from low speed take off. Also get a clunk when I let on an off the gas at 30 mph.

Noticed some grease around very front u joint..slung on my lower control arm. Help Pps. Will post pics tomorrow.