Best 3" lift for the least amount of money?

This post is for a friend of mine who wants to lift his son's 97'.

He wants the best 3" lift he can get for the least amount of money and where is a good place to purchase it.

The XJ is used mostly for hunting and DD and will not see much hard wheelin'. He will also use it for towing a very light utility trailer with his mowers on it.

The XJ is a 97' 5sp, np 231, I do not know which rear, I havent looked.

Thanks

It's sort of like asking what is the best car chevy, ford or chrysler? I realize Rusty's is probably not in the same boat as Rubicon, but I'm well pleased with my Rusty's 4.5 full spring kit. I do suggest not to get a add a leaf.

I know, Its a tough question. I'm partial to OME myself but that is out of the kids price range.

I would just buy front springs and then biuld some bastard packs for only 3" but I think that he really wants a complete kit. I suggested to him full leaves but I don't know if he will be able to afford that.

Give some ideas, I think he wants to order something this week.

xjtrailrider said:

I know, Its a tough question. I'm partial to OME myself but that is out of the kids price range.

I would just buy front springs and then biuld some bastard packs for only 3" but I think that he really wants a complete kit. I suggested to him full leaves but I don't know if he will be able to afford that.

Give some ideas, I think he wants to order something this week.

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I think cheap lift plus any towing is gonna be interesting. How light is that trailer? I'd say bastards or full leaf packs, no point in buying some AALs to squash. Esp not in a 97 that's probably got saggy stock leafs to begin with.

I've got some onesource 3" AALs in the rear of my 97 and they worked fine for a year or so but I only bought them because they were super cheap and it would give me time to get to the pick & pulls to make my bastards.


Honest suggestion? If all of this is because 3" is the rule of thumb lift for xjs, what about fender trimming? It can be done cleanly and if they went with say a 2" bb and a little trimming 31s would stuff with ease. A friend of mine fit 31s at stock height with trimming. I'd say that and some discos for the sway bar.

Maybe time for the kid to learn that a limited budget means getting what's functional. 2" and 31s trimmed with no sways would do great on hunting trails and you can put the rear sway on for towing.

Anything else would be a little foolish, IMHO. He's just going to want new spring packs soon anyways, so he should save for full packs if he's set on 3"

im happy with my rustys 4.5" lift....
from what i have seen rough country hase good prices

i have the rustys 3" coils and 3.5" aal. im very pleased with it. and was in my price range, even being in college. settled out really well and left the back sit slightly higher than the front. can send pics if u want.

Rusty's three inch spring pack all the way man.

Thanks all, what about the issues with Rustys not getting orders out etc.

3 inch blocks...3 inch coil spring spacers...nah

but honestly i dont like any 1 companies "lift kit" i really like rustys coils for their spring rates, rubicon express makes good adjustable LCA/UCAs, and any companys rear springs besides rough country/tuffcountry/hecklethorn.

rubicon express yea with a no limit pocket, rough country leafs are good..When you order from rustys i heard that you need to call in your order, then they get right on it..

when i ordered my lift, it took rusty's 4 days to have it at my door. no issues with them here!

yeah call rusty up and they take care of ya.

Personally, for what it sounds like he's going to be doing, I'd look into more of the budget boost area. I'm running the Rocky Road 3" BB on mine, and for the type of wheelin I do, it's perfect. Mine sees plenty of highway miles each day, and gets me back and forth from college to home (about 65-70 highway miles one way) with no problems.

Mine's a light wheeler....mainly a little bit of muddin, and exploring some "off the beaten path" trails where a small lift makes it much easier. Going 3" allowed me to clear 31's with minor rubbing (rubs on the lower control arms ar full lock). For now i've just adjusted to the larger turning radius until I can come up with a better solution.

Here's what it looks like sitting at 3" and 31's:



The 3" BB from RRO ran about $149 + shipping, which you can see here. The set up is very affordable if you use your Jeep like me (98% street) and just want a little something to get you a few more places. I don't rock crawl with mine, so I didn't need a serious kit.

One downfall to a set up like this is, unlike many of the other "kits", you dont get shocks included. Anything 3" and over, and you'll need to get longer shocks. I went with the BDS 5500 series and have no complaints.

I also bought a tcase drop, which I ended up needing. In addition, I went ahead and upgraded my trac bar, based on the advice from another member on here who is running the same set up and ran the stock trac bar and had some problems shortly down the road. I went with the JKS adjustable one and it was just shy of $200 from Jason at Jeepinoutfitters.com He's got the best price on them i've seen, and gives a discount to members (as he is one himself).

I ran into some mad death wobble after putting my lift on, and ended up having to upgrade the steering stabilizer to help settle the wobble. Tack on an additional $40 for a Skyjacker HD Stabilizer.

You'll also need longer u-bolts as well. I don't recall the size at the moment, but if I can dig up the receipt i'll let you know. I bought the shocks, tcase drop (all BDS brand) and u-bolts from a local 4x4 shop for a very reasonable price (right around $200 if memory serves).

So are you suggesting he gets blocks?

x2 on the rusty's. call, don't order off the site.

yeah, def steer away from the blocks. aal is a good choice, cheap and gets the job done...doin full leaf packs are pricey and not needed if its only used for light wheeling.

EvanH said:

So are you suggesting he gets blocks?

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Based on my experiences, yes I am. While blocks arent the absolute best option, for what it sounds like he'll be doing, I think blocks will work just fine.

I've always heard stay away from AAL's. Always heard they ride like crap, and dont flex worth a crap either. But I dont have any experience with AAL's, so i'm saying that solely based on what i've heard and read.

seriousjeep06 said:

.doin full leaf packs are pricey and not needed if its only used for light wheeling.

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Its 400 bucks for a 3 inch rustys with spring pack. Its only a 150 dollar difference and you get a brand new pack. Don't go AAL. You mind as well build a bastard pack.

I got a three inch rancho kit for pretty cheap. Coils, LCA's and 4leaf rear packs for 1100 Canadian, including shipping. rode like a wagon for a couple weeks but i liked it.

tribalmentality said:

I got a three inch rancho kit for pretty cheap. Coils, LCA's and 4leaf rear packs for 1100 Canadian, including shipping. rode like a wagon for a couple weeks but i liked it.

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I dunno what 1100 translates into American $$, but that sounds like it is ass expensive!!!

Bottom line...you're gonna get what you pay for. If you are looking for a cheap lift, its gonna ride rough, or ride sloppy....

IMHO, do it right the first time with quality parts...avoid the blocks...AALs are just bandaids and will either ride like crap or sag....yes, people are happy with them, but maybe its because they dont know any different?

my .015999