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Lifting a 2wd?

9

92wdxj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Texas
Long time lurker (on and off), first time poster:

First off, and not to sound defensive or agressive, but I know what the question sounds like, and I know it definitely falls into the stupid newb/possible poseur lastaraquestion. I don't mean it that way.

I know very little about Jeeps [I know the history, but not the intricacies of every model. Yet.], but now that I have an XJ I'm trying to find out as much about it as I can (I'm very neurotic about my vehicles and like to know everything that I can about every litle nut and bolt). One of the things that I can't really find too much information about is lifting a 2wd. Maybe it's because I'm not searching the right terms, or maybe because it's tantamount to treachery, but I'd still like to know the nuances of lifting a 2wd vs. a 4wd.

And about the nuances I mean at what point (in the lift) do you need new control arms, at what point do you have to start worrying about pinion angle, driveshaft lenght, etc.

The biggest reason I want to know what it would take to lift a 2wd is becasue I'm looking at a minimal amount of lift, and I'm wondering if it could be done by borrowing the coils from a ZJ, WJ, TJ, etc. I would really like 2" at the most, but my main concern is going to be a tad bit more clearance, and a smoother ride in rough conditions.

For the coup de grace: How do you know which rear axle is under your Jeep? I know Ford, Chevy, Land Rover, Toyota, and what not, but I am a complete neophyte to Jeep and Mopar in general.

TIA
 
with only 2" of lift you can get away with using the stock CA's, pinion angles and driveshaft lenghth don't really become a factor until you cross the 4.5" relm. As for lifing a 2wd, i say go for it, the dudes in jeepspeed are doing it so why not! welcome to the XJ world, i think you'll find that once you start to modify it it will never end whether by choice or not! good luck.
 
92wdxj said:
Long time lurker (on and off), first time poster:

First off, and not to sound defensive or agressive, but I know what the question sounds like, and I know it definitely falls into the stupid newb/possible poseur lastaraquestion. I don't mean it that way.

I know very little about Jeeps [I know the history, but not the intricacies of every model. Yet.], but now that I have an XJ I'm trying to find out as much about it as I can (I'm very neurotic about my vehicles and like to know everything that I can about every litle nut and bolt). One of the things that I can't really find too much information about is lifting a 2wd. Maybe it's because I'm not searching the right terms, or maybe because it's tantamount to treachery, but I'd still like to know the nuances of lifting a 2wd vs. a 4wd.

And about the nuances I mean at what point (in the lift) do you need new control arms, at what point do you have to start worrying about pinion angle, driveshaft lenght, etc.

The biggest reason I want to know what it would take to lift a 2wd is becasue I'm looking at a minimal amount of lift, and I'm wondering if it could be done by borrowing the coils from a ZJ, WJ, TJ, etc. I would really like 2" at the most, but my main concern is going to be a tad bit more clearance, and a smoother ride in rough conditions.

For the coup de grace: How do you know which rear axle is under your Jeep? I know Ford, Chevy, Land Rover, Toyota, and what not, but I am a complete neophyte to Jeep and Mopar in general.

TIA
Click to expand...

Hi and no question is dumb "well some are" I have a 2wd lifted on a rubicon extreme duty 5.5 lift. You dont need a full lift to get 2" they sell budget lifts that use spacers and add a leafs, and very easy to put in your vehicle, but a full lift kit would be best. You should be ok with 2" lift on the control arms,and your drive shaft will be ok also. I am at 5.5- 6" of lift on my stock driveshaft with no vibration. You just need to make sure your pinion angles are correct and your all good. With 2" i dont think you will really need to worrry about that anyways. More than likely you have a d35 or 8.25 rear end do a search on rear end identification to find out exactly.
 
Really 2wd XJs play by the same rules the 4x4s do. The only difference Ive seen is most 2wd XJs and sneek in a few more in of lift before a SYE is nessicary because of the longer drive line.
You can use stock control arms up to 3", from 4"- 5" youll need new lower control arms, and 6+ youll need adjustable lowers and uppers and probably drop brackets.
V8 ZJ coils are a 2" lift for an XJ, and same with ford f-150 coils.
With a 2" lift you wont need to bother with control arms, but get new shocks and call it good.

I have a 2wd XJ on 4.5 and its just as fun to drive as my 4x4 XJ.
 
I use to hate on people who wanting to lift a 2wd jeep. Never made since to me to waste money on something like that. Now i understand that some people just want the look of a lifted rig and dont really care about performance or don't ever plan on wheelin it, But id say if your looking at lifting it majorly, then go the jeep speed route, but if your just wanting a BB then there should be no problem with doing that.
 
The easiest budget boost (2") for your 2wd would be a set of 2" coil spring spacers and some rear add a leaf(s). V8 front coil springs from a Grand Cherokee do NOT give 2" of lift, just 1". I would hate for you to put them in and find out it isn't high enough. I just added a budget boost myself and love it. :guitar:
 
Thanks for the replies y'all!

I've looked at the Jeepspeed guys, but but most of their stuff seems to be fabbed, and the majority of the XJ's that I've looked at are using a trussed D30 (example: Pirate's Jeepspeed project).

I really just wanted to see how much the XJ could be lifted before things started getting complicated. Another reason is cargo: I plan on using the XJ for roadtrips in the immediate future, and I'm basically looking to be at either the same height as stock, or a bit higher after loading it up, so that's another reason for the research.

*back to flogging the search button*

Edit: forgot to ad: Which axle are you most likely to have if your XJ came with the towing package?
 
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