XJ leaf packs

XJ leaf packs question

I currently have an aal with a shackle for my rear lift. I am saving to buy new rear leaf packs. I want at least 3 or 3.5 inch of lift from stock height just out of the leaf packs. What is a good brand/affordable brand to buy and will the new packs sag ever? I want a softer ride and more flex. I will probably use the current shackles I have on it with the new packs. I also want to match the front lift with whatever I end up with in the rear lift. I would like 4 or 4.5 inches of lift total after I'm done. If any of you have ever done something similar, let me know what I need to change or adjust after the lift so I know what parts to be looking for deals on. I know I need a longer drop pitman arm, brake lines, t-case drop, and longer sway bar links which will probably be discos. Thanks ya'll, Eric

Rubicon Express makes good quality stuff. Many, if not almost all, of my Xj bros run RE stuff. Old Man Emu is the king of a nice soft susp, but they are expensive and don't offer huge lifts, maybe up to 2-1/2 or 3". Rubicon Express isn't very cheap, but they do make good quality stuff. Skyjacker, price jacker, tends to me more expensive. Just about any company you go with will be better than the aal you are running now, those are very stiff and don't retain the lift for very long. The 1 aal has to support the weight of the vehicle and also retain its arch for the desired lift. They sag after time. Rough Country is cheaper and decent, but maybe not the best quality, you can find their stuff on ebay often. I bought their 3" kit with coils, shocks, and aal for $225 including shipping. For another $100 or so over this price you can upgrade to rear leaf packs. Hope this helps, in summary:


RE is good but a little more expensive
Old Man Emu is very expensive, but very nice and cush susp but don't offer big lifts only up to 2-1/2 to 3"
Skyjacker is descent, but their 6 or 8" Rock Ready systems are very expensive
Rough Country/Hecklethorn is close to being the cheapest and a fairly good susp and co
I would get a full leaf pack from RE or RC and see how you like that, I think you will be alot happier with that.

What about BDS? Do they offer full leaf packs?

I recently put an RE 3.5" super ride kit on my stock 2000xj. The kit included full leaf packs that gave me a total lift in the back of almost 5". From what I gather this will settle some in time. The leaf packs from RE seem pretty strong to me. They were well worth the investment. I don't have any experiance with AAL. Taking apart worn out springs for an AAL seemed useless to me because the factory springs were alredy shot with only 33,000 miles on the jeep.

Rustys...

try part# EXP-53111 from Summit Racing. they're a set of ProComp Explorer leafs. there good for 3" of lift and the best part is that they're only $84 a side. thats $168 total!!!!!! how can u go wrong

yep...but how do the PC ride?

i dont know, i just found them and i was thinkin of tryin to find that out. if anyone knows, i'd like to know too before i buy them

most PC stuff rides like crap

I have PC ES3000's all around on my XJ and they're alright. They handle the bumps well, but ride rigid on bad paved roads. PAVEMENT SUCKS! Any way, I would pay up to $250 for new rear leaf packs. I just wanted to get everyone's opinion before I start looking for prices. It's better to have a real world advice than what the seller says to sell parts. Thanks for the tips guys, and keep 'em coming!

Do yourself a favor and search, this topic has been covered. IMO, build your own pack with junkyard parts. Many have and they like it and you can't beat the price.

Thanks Chuck, that's actually a great idea. How many leafs should I plan on putting in there? I have 5 total right now, so I'll probably replace all but the main spring for simplicity sake if I don't buy new packs.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50083

There ya go, it's got pictures and everything.

Yeah, I just read that thread today. It's quite good, thanks Chuck.

Here is another option for a cheap lift that rides decent.....

Rocklizard Fab Budget Lift

Im still working on my rock lizard lift. Have found everything but front OME comfort shocks (used). I will be installing the lift after my birthday which is coming up real soon.

PC Springs from Summit. I got them to replace my factory UC springs that I was running a Full length AAL and 1.5 " shackles. The PCs are 3 leaf with an overload and ride nice and soft, they did make alot of noise the first day I had them on and settled from about 4/4.5 new to about 3 1/2 to 3 1/4 after 5-6 trips out breaking them in. For the price you can't go wrong! I run ES3000 shocks all around and have 3" Rancho coils in front and it all seams to balance flexing well. Be warned though Im not a real "Member" so I'm sure I have no clue what I am talking about

ChuckD said:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50083

There ya go, it's got pictures and everything.

Click to expand...

:wave: I was just going to post that. It's the best way to get what you want for cheap.

I've decided to go to the junk yard and find some leaf packs with alot of arch left in them and rebuild mine into some sweet, soft sag-free flex! Thanks for the tips ya'll.