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What would you suggest?

Superclyde1

NAXJA Forum User
I have decided to upgrade my 99xj with 31's and a lift. I am looking for suggestions for a 3" or 3.5" lift. I have looked into several, but have found that the best advertisements come from the users. As susual price is a consideration but overall looking for a good quality proven lift. Nobody likes getting ripped off. Do you have a suggestion? thanks to all that reply.
 
I've been happy w/ Rubicon Express. Good stuff, & not too pricey, but that's relative.

Rob
 
I can't reccomend anything else, but I can tell you my experience... I have a '99 as well.
I got the Rusty's 3" Full spring pack lift last year and had it installed. I ended up with 4.5"+ lift in the rear and barely 3" in the front. Needless to say it rode high in the rear, and looked quite weird. Also, I had terrible driveline vibes un-drivable at first. I installed a 1" TC drop, and that helped some, but they're still there. I have yet to acquire the cash for an SYE.
Later, I installed .75" spacers in the front, which leveled the Jeep up a good bit. Other than the initial looks and the bad vibes the kit is just OK. Obviously, I wish that it was more level than it turned out to be. I put 31"x10.5"x15" Dunlops on after the lift and have been happy with them. The ride is OK, better than stock (not so much body roll). I did remove the rear sway bar and that got rid of some clunks I had... Overall I don't think I'd go with Rusty's if I had to do it over again.
 
i have a 99 and went with superlift, its worked out great and rides good and was reasonably priced. that being said i probably would have gone a different route and gone with something that i could replace the rear springs and not just an aal. they are going to cram sye down your throat until you cant breathe. put the lift on first then see if you need it. i have the 3" and then i added 2" spacers and shackles and i still dont need one. just something to keep in mind. every jeep is different and of course ymmv.
 
Ramsey said:
They are going to cram sye down your throat until you cant breathe. put the lift on first then see if you need it. i have the 3" and then i added 2" spacers and shackles and i still dont need one. just something to keep in mind. every jeep is different and of course ymmv.

An SYE is always a good choice unless you don't wheel it hard. The word "need" is subjective. Some of us need to fix problems before they create a serious situations and others need to roll the dice to save money.

Either way, people often talk only in terms of driveline vibration, but the stock design is a serious weak link that can be damaged offroad, particularly the '97+ design defect.

SYE's cure what is clearly a design defect (unsupported t-case output shaft on a relatively short driveline, which causes vibration and binding on many stock XJ's), and I'd put one a stock XJ. You add a lift, bigger tires, and sudden torque loads common in fourwheeling, and not spending the money up front on an SYE is nothing but a gamble on having to spend even more on case repairs, not to mention major damage may mean leaving your rig on the trail.

I spent a grand fixing the transfer case on my '97 because that flimsy, unsupported output shaft bent on a 2-3 rated trail. We hit some deep, wet, unexpected snow (March in Virginia) that took a major rescue operation and a lot of subsequent throttle to get out of. Nothing that in retrospect should have caused driveline damage, but it did.

The SYE is the only way to both fix the weak link and prevent vibes, and IMO should be part of any lifted design on a late model XJ (and is a very good idea on earlier model XJ's that see heavy offroad use).

Nay
 
i lifted my 99 last fall with an RE 3.5" add-a-leaf kit (on very tired stock leafs).... initially it sat at 4.5" in the rear and 3.5" in the front.. since october it has settled/sagged to 3" rear and 2.75" front... it rides great and feels much better than stock ever did.. the AAL makes it stiffer and it rides even better with a load in it.. the AAL kit is an acceptable short term lift IMHO... i run 30x9.50 goodyear Wrangler AT/Ss and its a good package.. i could run 31s but i like what i have.... i do not have an SYE installed.. i have a t/case drop and a 2.5 degree shim in the rear... initially (before the springs settled) i had considerable vibes around 40-45 mph and 72-75 mph.... as they settled and the lift decreased it slowly lessened.. now i have vibes around 70 mph that are comparable to what i had at stock height... i am contemplating removing the t/case drop to see what i have for vibes afterwards...
do you NEED an SYE..? it's likely....
should you get it as an engineering upgrade? absolutely....
if not right away start saving the $$ for it in the future...
one last suggestion.. make sure your kit has an adjustable trackbar... some kits come with a "drop" bracket.. i dont like these because it transfers the force to a lower point creating more leverage on a stock mounting point... other people chose to just drill a new hole in the axle-end mounting bracket to allow it to be offset and essentially longer than stock...
but are commonly done and work for alot of people.. i chose not to "bandaid" what i see as a potential weak spot just to save a few bucks... good luck in your selection of a lift but do not let $$$ be the only deciding factor

mike
 
Go RE !!!!!!!!! I cant speak for the other manufacturers but the RE HD trackbar bracket is exactly the same drop as factory!
 
I went with the RE super ride. I also decided to get the full leaf pack instead of the AAL. The rear sway bar is gone and it still is a very firm ride. Probably due to the Edelbrock shocks. I think they're too stiff for the XJ, I wouldn't do that again. It's my wifes DD. I'm running 31x10.5 Coopers. The front settled a little more then the rear but not much. When it's loaded it's level. I never had the death wobble but I get a very loud clunk getting off and on the gas. Rusty's one inch drop crossmember/skidplate wasn't enough to get rid of the clunk. Someday I'll get the SYE.

I'm happy but should have waited to do a SYE from the start.
 
do some searching and you will get more info than you can read.
 
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