RE 6030 lift

What is the actual lift height you got when you installed this kit ?

I am looking for actual #'s here from people who have actually installed thsi kit. I have been doping some research, and it seems this 3 1/2" kit normally yields 4+ inches.

That's too much, but the 3" OME kit says 1.5-3", and that's not enough. I need a true 3" lift kit, not one that is lower or significantly more.

Looking for suggestions from those in the know..................

My BDS sits after 2 years at exactly 3". It was close to 4" whenwe put it on and it took about 6 months to settle. Trust me you will want to be bigger after awhile. I'm going 5.5" soon

the quality of the re kit makes up for any other issues you may find after intalling it. fully loaded with gear my friends re 3.5 sits at just about 3 unloaded about 4

how come you are so set on 3" and 3" only???

Every jeep is different and the amount of junk you haul around will differ too.
No lift will be exactly 3" for you just because it was for someone else.

Any reason for exactly 3"? Have to fir under something? Is it lift laws?

Ask the questions:
Why do I want the lift? Is it to fit large tires or add clearance or look cool. Be honest with yourself here.
How will I use the jeep? Ask around with those who use theirs in a similar fashion and get their advise.
What other plans do you have for the jeep. They can affect your choice. If you later add sliders, bumpers, winch, spare parts, etc. You will loose some lift from the weight. If you are willing to embrace the sawzall and trim fenders you can get larger tire under a smaller lift.

Find a lift to meets your needs and get as close to the height you want a possible. You trim out your height with shackles and/or spacers.

Also, remember the age old malady "inchitis". It will very on the use of the jeep, but it is Oh so very common.

RE stuff is known to be good. Usually neting the advertised height or more. If you get an AAL the final height will very depending on the condition of your current spring pack. But the 6030 has new springs.

I've run OME which is really about 2.5". With shackles and spacers you can net 3" easy. And you get a great ride. It will be a bit more than RE.

The 6030 is advertised as a 3.5" kit and RE is known to deliver the advertised lift with lots of accessories and gear. They run taller when unloaded.

I installed a used RE6010 which is tha same kit w/AAL instead of full packs. The previous owner had up graded to RE 5" shackles to bring the kit level. It measures about 4.25" of lift unloaded and the kit is a few years old, so I think it's done settling

OME kit is listed as 1.5-3" b/c they offer 3 different spring rates. if you get the Heavy (HD) kit, it should be right at 3 inches. if it settles, you can always get a small puck for the front, and a shackle (or OME makes an AAL specifically tuned to their pack, which i've been told gives .75-1" of lift). Also OME rides much better on the street than RE, and will flex just as well...

As you have heard, the RE kits are taller than advertised, which gives you room for bumper, bigger spare, articulation, tools, safety equipment, camping gear, etc. I thought it was real tall as well with my 30s, then I added the ford 8.8 axle and the rear got a little higher so I spaced the front 3/4" and levelled it out. About 4.5" as it sits. Load it down, still @ 4". I think it looks good this way. There may even be room for 32's. Who knows!

I want 3" or close to it for several reasons:

1) This is a daily driver for the most part, and the only offroading it sees is during hunting season, which is normally driving down rough dirt roads with a few mudholes thrown in every now and then

2) The stock springs & current shocks are shot (rear springs are negatively arched on the front 1/2), and since the cost to replace them is not much less than a lift kit, I'd just as soon lift it and get better quality springs & shocks

3) I'd like to put some 31" tires on it in the future. It has 30's on it right now with a 2" budget boost.

4) I do not tow with it, and on average the most weight it carries besides driver is 300-400 lbs. I do plan on making some bumpers for it, or modding the stock ones, to allow a hitch style connection point for attaching a portable winch cradle. Again, as a DD, I do not want a heavy winch bumper & winch hanging off the front, nor a big spare tire hanging off the back

5) I do not want to get into the range of SYE's and such. I have a fullsize rig for that stuff. Shims I can do, but if I have to mod it enough that I am changing the tcase, I may as well drive my fullsize rig to work.

6) VA does have some really screwed up laws, since I can ONLY register this as a sedan, even though the vin plates say truck. Ask 53guy about these f'd up laws.

7) This truck is driven 'unloaded' 90% of the time, so I don't need but about 1" more than I have right now. Much more and it will not look right to me (and since that's all that matters.....:shocked: )


When I want to go offroading, I hook up the dually and GN and load the 42" tired, 80-1 geared (not counting the torque convertor), 700 hp fullsize rig up and go. No need to make this one capable to do the same thing.

Everyone I know around here only has 1 4wd, and so they try to make their DD into a dual purpose off road rig. I do not want that for this cherokee. I did that for 12 yrs with the fullsize, and I am too old to put up with a rough riding suspension for the 2 hr trip to the property I hunt.


The RE kit would be fine as long as it does not entail having to change the tcase output or anything more than "bolt on". I know, that connotates a mall crawler, but ya know what, for the most part, that is what this rig is.

If one of your concerns is the ride quality, the 3" OME kit w/ OME shocks will give you an amazing ride and enough room to clear 31s - you could even keep your BB or use it to level things out in the rear...depending on if you have shackles (stay away from blocks!!!).

What year is your XJ by the way - that will help determine SYE need. 97+ XJs tend to be more sensitive to lifting due to a longer TC output shaft/shorter rear DS.

88 xj w/325,000 miles on it......my MAIN concern is ride quality. If I didn't want a better ride, I could just keep it the way it is. 31's do fit and not rub with as little wheel movement as the rig sees. I know because the tire shop screwed up when I got the 30's and mounted up a 31 as well. It was on front, and only rubbed at full lock & stuff. Had I known they would clear that good, I'd have just got 31's from the git go.

I was gonna get the OME 3" kit, until I saw a lot of posts that said they didn't get the full 3" out of it.

Then I started looking at the RE6030 SF Kit with OME shocks, until I saw some people were getting 5" out of it.

I've also talked to several people (Dirk @ DPG included) who said using non-stock shackles with the OME rear springs will hurt ride quality

3-3/5" I can deal with, much over that is too much. I have some minor back issues which makes getting in and out slightly difficult (can't bend over that well), since the floorboard is so much lower than the actual rocker, and if it sits much higher, it will be even harder.

Trust me, I know about blocks...the 1st lift on my other rig used blocks, and I twisted an axle tube in the center section as a result of the added leverage, and had to drive 12 miles home @ 10 mph with a Z-shaped right rear leaf spring and the tire rubbing the body hard the whole way


I also think part of the vibes I am getting now under hard accel are due to the worn out stock leafs letting the pinion angle change too much. The BB actually seems to have lessened it some (I know physicallly that is not right, but actually driving it, it is less).

the OME kit isnt designed for huge winch bumpers or rear tire carrier bumpers or towing...things like that. but for what you want to use it for, I think it'd be great.

I have the OME kit. I'm going to get their AAL soon, but I'm running their 2" springs and a 1" JKS boomerang (which i think gives it a little better ride, personally), and I have 3 1/2 inches of total lift in the rear. so....I got 2 1/2 from their 2'' springs.

with your year XJ, you should be good to go without a SYE - I know of guys running 6+" of lift on 96 and older XJs who dont have an SYE.

RE springs are a LOT stiffer than OME.

I have the RE 3.5 and I netted 7 in the back, and 5.5 in the front unloaded...BUT, my stock leafs were worn out, so if I were to guess it would have been around 5.5 in the back if the stockers were good and not so sagged. And the RE leafs are alot stiffer than stock when unloaded. It feels like there is alot of unsprung weight. I camp alot though, so with all the gear and coolers in the back, it is better than stock. And even as my DD, with the amount of lift I netted, it is worlds better as far as handling and feel of the road.

Oh yeah, mine is a '96, and I didn't need an SYE, although I will be getting one since I plan on adding spacers in front and longer shackles in the back within the next couple weeks.

sad part is, I have no idea what 'stock' rides like...mine are so old and worn out.

I have two friends the have the RE 3.5" Superflex lifts in their XJs, the one is a 2000 4.0 Sport and the other a 2001 diesel Country. The latter installed his suspension the past weekend and the actual lift gained compared to the 17.5"/17" standard was just below 4.5" in the front and just below 5.5" in the rear. This is brand new just after installation. The other guy with the 4.0 Sport had his for about a year now and his also sits at about 4.5" in the front and 5" in the rear. Both of these were not loaded at all and with no heavy accessories such as aftermarket bumpers or anything.

im going to go against the grain and recommend rustys 3" lift with new rear spring packs, upgrade to OME shocks, RE trackbar and RE adjustable lower control arms. Rusty sells good springs at a good price, RE adj. control arms are very solid and good price. rustys shocks are ok but OME may give you the ride you want. aftermarket control arms will give you a better ride than stock arms because of the new angle of the arm.

Food for thought. I just Installed a 4.5" SF in my 99 XJ. Measured out at exactly 4.5" lift over stock with stock sized tires, 8" over stock with 32s. I dont know how people are getting 5-7" out of a 3.5" kit and not having driveline, or alignment issues!? Get the Old Man Emu kit. You will be happy with it!

Rusty's springs will cost you more than the OME springs (if you order from Dirk at DPG Offroad), won't give you the ride quality that OME will, and actually, they are 3.5" springs, not 3".

I considered rusty's, as I have used them in the past, and even put their 3" kit on friends jeep.

But I have not been pleased with the latest item from them, their steering system, as it limits my turning radius more than stopck, and actually hits the track bar bolt. When I mentioned it to them, they said if it is scratched, they would not take it back, and of course, it is scratched form the test fitting of it on the truck when it hit the bolt head. I also had to replace 2 of their brand new tie rod ends, cuz they were made wrong. They did send me replacements, but it was still a hassle.

jforse said:

Food for thought. I just Installed a 4.5" SF in my 99 XJ. Measured out at exactly 4.5" lift over stock with stock sized tires, 8" over stock with 32s. I dont know how people are getting 5-7" out of a 3.5" kit and not having driveline, or alignment issues!? Get the Old Man Emu kit. You will be happy with it!

Click to expand...

Maybe they are including the height from the new tires??


I was wondering the same thing, which is why I posted this