• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

do YOU support my DECISION??

C

cassio

NAXJA Forum User
Location
san antonio, TX
after all your feed back to my question about lift kits, i have finnaly made up my mine!

this is what im going to go with:

rough country 3in with full leafs
1.5-2in BB
transfer case drop(to make up for the BB)
and
32" BFG all-terrain

what you guys think of this set-up?
does anyone have something like this?
this is my daily driver, so am i gonna have any road problems?
is this gonna be a good off-road set up?

anything else just let me know!!

thanks guys
 
No!!!
Stay away from Rough Country stuff.
Do it right the first time and go with Rubicon Express stuff.
Dan.
 
no personal experience with RC, but I'd stay away from it. with 4.5" lift, do you have any plans for aftermarket control arms? trackbar?

it seems that the 3.5" RE kit often gives 4-4.5 inches. if you're really trying to do this cheap lift the front with some good used 3" coils, lift the rear with leafs and shackles from different vehicles, and trim the fenders to run 32s.

i hope you're also planning on re-gearing... in which case you may want to do a locker(s) at the same time... in which case you might want to get rid of the D35 or 27 spl. 8.25 if that's what you have...
 
TRNDRVR said:
No!!!
Stay away from Rough Country stuff.
Do it right the first time and go with Rubicon Express stuff.
Dan.
Click to expand...

what he said.

plenty of accounts through the years of Rough Country springs being too stiff. Also, at 4 1/2" of lift and larger tires, make sure you are prepared with the correct shocks, control arms, possible need for an SYE, extended brake lines and emergency brake cables, front end alignment, frequent wheel rotation, potential for death wobble, lower gears, poor gas mileage, lousy brakes, etc ...
 
also, for DD ability and off-road ablility on a tight budget (which you must be on to consider RC) this is what I would do:

-3" lift (custom as described above or Rusty's)
-30x9.50 tires with good tread pattern (no need to regear, good gas mileage, cheaper tires, etc)
-lockright (or other lunchbox locker) in the rear. a locked rear will more than make up the difference between 30s and 32s in offroad ability.
 
What Brett said...My first lift was a 3" RC....the front springs were horribly too stiff...after much bashing, the stiffness diminished to extremely too stiff.

What you will save in initial cost will be more than made up by buying the OTHER items you will need to do a complete job. Quality extended brake lines and trackbar mods come immediately to mind. I don't think you will get away with 32" tires without possibly substantial front fender mods. When i first lifted my xj...i did EXACTLY the same lift you are contemplating....i had to really cut my front fenders to fit 33" Coopers which have an actual diameter of 31.8"....the rear locker (lockrite, no-slip, etc) will help more than you can imagine...
 
I have to echo what everybody else is saying, I just took off my Rough Country and replaced it with a the RE 5.5 The ride was horrible and I developed problem after problem with the RC. If you don't have the money now be patient young grasshopper, for what you save in money now you will surely spend in repairs later!

Damn, that chinese food I had tonight must have went straight to my head!

Gary
 
Why the BB on top of the 3" lift? Why not just go 4.5"?

BTW I have had 4.5" RC coils on the front of my XJ for about 4 years now. No complaints with the ride and after 4 years with a winch on the front it has only sagged about 1/2". Cann't comment on the leafs. I made my own custom packs.
 
There are two types of Jeepers.
  1. Those that run crappy lifts
  2. Those that used to run crappy lifts
Buy the good stuff the first time around.......and if you do wind up going bigger and need to sell off your old lift, there's a much better resale market for used RE stuff than RC junk......
 
I love my BDS lift rides nice stuffs well very happy with it.
 
i have broken both rough country front coils and one of their aal. i wouldnt take their product if it was given to me free. take it for what its worth.

cheers,

jj
 
You get what you pay for. RE's more expensive because it's a much better lift. I agree with the rest. Do it right the first time.
 
I gotta tell ya, I have had my RC 3" lift through two XJ's now (transferred from one to the next), and haven't had a single complaint yet! I really have no basis for comparison, as These are the only ones I've driven on a regular basis, but I would do it again. I only had to purchase new u-bolts, made my own rear brake line relocation bracket, and one rear shock mount repair kit due to that whole rust thing. Other than that, I have had no cost issues to speak of. I do think the Heckethorn shocks are a bit on the weak side, but like you guys have said, you get what you pay for. I guess as far as I'm concerned, 300 bucks into a lift that's lasted for over three years through daily driving 300 miles a week and moderate to heavy wheeling is pretty ok. Just my .02...
 
Wow I'm really surprised with all the bad press on RC. My first coils were 3". One of them busted after about a year and I had hardly done any wheeling at all. I e-mailed them direct and they agreed to replace them. I asked if I could upgrade to a 4.5" coils and they said no problem. I simply paid the difference in cost and they shipped them up. They even picked up the cost of shipping to Canada. I have had the 4.5" coils on for 4 years now and cann't complain. The only thing I can compare to is my dad's 3" Rancho lift. My RCs ride WAY better than the Rancho coils do. To each his own I guess.
 
hey guys thanks for all the info
i guess im gonna look for other options as far as the 3in lift goes

now how about some info with add-a-leafs???
because if i go with a better brand i might go with aal
are they really that bad????
cause if they arent then i wouldnt mind getting the 4.5in kit with aal

plus if go with the 3in, will adding the BB be a problem????
 
cLAYH said:
Wow I'm really surprised with all the bad press on RC. My first coils were 3". One of them busted after about a year and I had hardly done any wheeling at all. I e-mailed them direct and they agreed to replace them. I asked if I could upgrade to a 4.5" coils and they said no problem. I simply paid the difference in cost and they shipped them up.
Click to expand...
They shouldn't have broken after only a light-duty year - that's one of the major beefs people have with RC stuff. Same goes for Rusty's; he sure seems to have a liberal return/replacement policy when things (trackbars, control arms) break, but they shouldn't have broken in the first place. Every break I've heard of with a Rusty's trackbar has thankfully been at low speed or while being towed, so no fatalities there. Have a coil or trackbar come off at highway speed and the EMTs are going to have to unclench you from the seat. I have a friend whose opinion I trust, and he has had RC coils snap on the highway on two occasions...it wasn't a pretty ride from his description.
 
My only experience with Rough Country involved a 3" lift I purchased for my old Ranger 4x2. The kit came with the wrong springs (gave me about 7" of lift) and it took them about 3 weeks to get me the right ones. Meanwhile, my truck sat MIA and I had to drive my father-in-law's shitty old Nissan with no heat....

Stay away!!!!
 
My self and a few others must be the only people that are running a rough country lift with out any problems. I picked mine up off ebay for $140 buy it now, $30 to ship to my door. The kit came with 3 inch front coils, 2 in. rear long aal, and one inch spacer block. and a few other goodies. Granted that this vehicle does not see the same type of trails that my YJ and CJ do, but I am very pleased with the lift. When I first installed it I grossed about 4 inches in the front and about 4.5 in the rear. Now after about a year or so, it has settled down to the 3.5 inch mark. I've driven/ ridden in many jeeps with just about every lift kit imaginable and I personally like this kit, granted that I upgraded the shocks, but that was more out of necessity, since they were leaking from getting bashed in. the XJ does great on the trail and handles great on the road as well. I'm running 30x 9.5x 15 MT's, can clear 31's but that's over kill, and would rather put the YJ through that punishment. I'm guessing that maybe rough country has improved there products over the years, because I have not had a single issue with it, and it rides better than stock IMO. Just my 2 cents....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Looking for some advice/input.
2
Replies
22
Views
5K
Evan03
E
E
Steering Redo.... Questions before I dive in.
2
Replies
28
Views
1K
RCP Phx
R
T
Tire Decision - Debating between AT and MT
2
Replies
25
Views
6K
Evan03
E
I
Bought Son 2000 XJ, Need Help with RC Lift
2 3
Replies
45
Views
6K
Tim_MN
Tim_MN
H
Wondering what Axles for build
2
Replies
29
Views
7K
RCP Phx
R
Back
Top