ditchbangin500xc said:
Hey,by mild offroading i mean like only on the weekends.Right now i am looking at the Rusty's 3"kit and Truxus MT's.Trav
That IMHO would be a good combo. I currently run Rustys 3" and think it's great. My XJ is also my DD. As mentioned before, there is lots of info out there on this very subject. If you don't find what your looking for here, I suggest hitting the search button a few times. You'd be surprised at the amount of quality tech. advise that
has archived for you to utilize.
3" lift lets start with the front end. Obviously, you'll need new coils. You can get 3" by stacking spacers, but that isn't the best method. There's also F150 coils that will work.
Brakelines are iffy, IMHO. My lines were plenty long enough however, YRMV. You can also bend down the stock hardlines to gain a few more inches. Rear lines are iffy in my book as well. Mine stock line was plenty long enough, you'll just have to see where you stand. You can use YJ lines if you end up needing longer lines.
Swaybar, I ran my stock links with no quick discos for some time, with no issues at all. 3" is probably as tall as you'd want to go without an upgrade here. Upgrade meaning either SB relocation/drop brackets or simply just longer links. Longer links can be in the form of quick discos or just extending your stock ones.
Trackbar is optional. I ran my stock TB for a while until I found a good deal on a used RE adj. one. Running the stock TB at 3" on my jeep was hardly noticable. The axle was not centered under the Jeep, but the average Joe on the street would never notice it. You can also redrill a new hole on the axle end to help center the axle under the Jeep if you opt to use the stock TB. I'm not a big fan of the redrill method, but several have done it with no problems.
Control Arms. You can go up to 3" with the stock CA's. Any higher than that you'll need to upgrade. I ran my stockers for quite awhile, and had no issues. At 3" the CA angles are pretty much maxed out and it rides pretty rough. I recently installed Rusty's Adj. U/L CA's and the ride improved some. It's not close to riding in a Caddy, but it's not a log waggon either.
TC Drop. Here is the one certain unknown in the whole thing. This is something you just have to try and find out. Some get away with nothing at all, just the stock slip-yoke DS. Some have only a TC drop. Some have shims in the rearend. Some have both shims and a Tdrop. There are a few that have to go to an SYE. I went into it with the idea that I'd start with just the stock DS and go from there. I got lucky and have zero vibes with the stock DS. Some will say it puts alot of stress on the output of the TC, and I would agree. I have since installed an 8.8 rearend and have set the pinion angle accordingly to help reduce this. Bottom line is every XJ is different, you'll just have to try it and see what works for you. You won't have to worry about the front DS, it'll be fine.
Rear springs. Either new packs or an AAL. Most are anti AAL here. I have the AAL, and it has suited me just fine. I've had no sagging at all however, it's only been on a little over a year now. If your wanting to pinch pennys and your stock leafs aren't allready sagged, I'd go with the AAL. If the stock packs are sagged, I'd go ahead and get full packs. When I first put in the AAL it sat right at 3 1/2". After about two weeks it was down to right at 3" and as stayed. From reading here and elsewhere, full packs will almost always give you more than the advertised 3". I have not seen this myself, but I haven't dealt with new full packs either.
Here again if your pinching pennys, you can always go with a Bastard pack. Theres a very good thread on an $11 bastard pack, search and learn if your interested.
I'm sure I missed something here, and if I did I apoligize. All of this is just my opinions and as I said before, your results may very.
HTH
Haleyes
