Anyone with a 99 and a 2" budget Boost

I am considering doing this for two reasons.
1. Cost. I can get front spacers and a rear add a leaf pretty cheaply.

2. Its conservative and only 2". This is my daily driver and for my line of work I can't pull up to a client with 35's and a 5" lift.

So, I am worried about 1 thing. Driveline vibrations. Anyone out there have a 99 with the BB lift? Are you or did you get vibrations? Shackles or AAl and why?(I am pretty set on a AAL, but I am open to discussion) Also, any before/after pictures would be helpful.

I did a search and everything was kind of hit or miss so any help would be great.

mbogosia said:

I am considering doing this for two reasons.
1. Cost. I can get front spacers and a rear add a leaf pretty cheaply.

2. Its conservative and only 2". This is my daily driver and for my line of work I can't pull up to a client with 35's and a 5" lift.

So, I am worried about 1 thing. Driveline vibrations. Anyone out there have a 99 with the BB lift? Are you or did you get vibrations? Shackles or AAl and why?(I am pretty set on a AAL, but I am open to discussion) Also, any before/after pictures would be helpful.

I did a search and everything was kind of hit or miss so any help would be great.

Click to expand...

I had a 2" BB on my '99 for several years. I still have a 2" lift to this date. The various suspension components used to net 2" shouldn't have an effect on the vibes. The vibrations are caused by the driveline angle changes. When you lift the vehicle, the angle of the driveshaft changes. It also slips out of the yoke slightly.

I have some vibrations that start at about 55mph. It hasn't been bad enough to force me to buy a t-case drop or sye. If you don't take your jeep offroad, I'd slap a t-case drop on while doing the lift, and call it a day. Otherwise, see how it feels and get a sye if needed. My only complaint about the AAL is the harshness of the ride. You get used to it, but a larger leaf pack will make things much more comfortable. If you get the AAL, I recommend removing the rear swaybar. It will help with speedbumps and parking lot entrances (seriously). It also makes for much better articulation while offroad.

I would try for a shackle and spacer lift instead of an AAL because the rear springs will eventually sag. Or you could go with a bastard pack with another set of XJ leaves.

I have 2.5'' of lift on my 99. I put in a 1'' tcase spacer, and it fixed almost all of my vibes. I need a small shim, but its not needed that badly.


I have vibes at ~70 and ~80, and only slightly noticeable. Do the tcase drop, and see if you'll need anything else.

I have a 98 XJ with a 2" budget boost. I've had no problems with it after 2 years. I will say, go with the SHACKLE... Easier to install, and you can always add to it down the road when you want to go higher... (you will)

Get the 2" BB from Teraflex. Just installed it on my fiances XJ about 3 days ago. Gives you a TRUE 2 INCHES, and the shackles are beefy.

AAL's are good to, but you never know how much lift your going to get from one. You could get 1" to 3"... then end up with an XJ jacked up in the back and down in the front. Not only that, but they are a bitch to put in. Unless you have some air tools and a torque wrench, you will probably have some issues.

I cleared 31x10.50x15's with my 2" bb... Good luck.

I've got a 3" on my '99, and it was an AAL. The AAL lasted less than a year, before it went flat, skip the AAL and just do a new leaf pack

I did have my eyes on that teraflex kit. Good point about the shackles being easier to install. That is one of my questions as well. The add a leaf seems intimidating for some reason. Shackles seem like they bolt right on although I am sure there will be some tough steps.

Each one is different.....I ran a 3" BB (shackles, spacers, and blocks) for a year and was able to clear up most of my vibes with a tcase drop. However my friend did a 2" BB on his 98 (consisting of one pair of my old spacers and a RE AAL) and he's got a few of the vibes that I had with mine....just shows you how picky they can be.

About the only way to do it is lift it and see what happens.

I guess I could always do a 2" BB and that get a transfer case drop. Let me ask you guys this. If I do get a 2" BB and get Driveline Vibrations, will it actually be doing any damage to the driveline? Because I would most likely take the BB off and would hope everything would go back to normal.

mbogosia said:

I guess I could always do a 2" BB and that get a transfer case drop. Let me ask you guys this. If I do get a 2" BB and get Driveline Vibrations, will it actually be doing any damage to the driveline? Because I would most likely take the BB off and would hope everything would go back to normal.

Click to expand...

You should be concerned over potentially compromising your tcase.

I have a 98 XJ Classic with a RE 3.5" lift and no t-case drop. No driveline vibes at all. Rides very smooth! I'm thinking of adding on to it with some shackles and spacers, get a couple more inches. If I get vibes, I'll put in the t-case drop and go to a SYE only if necessary.

I have teraflex BB lift on my 99 2,5TD (spacers and shackels). No vibes at all eventhough I have swapped the original NP 231 for newer style NP 242. Smooth ride, I am happy with that setup.

I had 4 inche and 33's with no vibes

Okay, well after doing some more searching and from this thread it looks like I just have to lift mine and see how it goes. I think the odds are pretty good for this to come oout okay. Especially since I am planning only a 2" lift.

At 2" I would almost guarantee you will be just fine. If it comes down to it, you can always do a transfer case drop or a minor degree shim. I really don't think you'll need either at just 2" though. Good luck.