3.5 lift on 96 jeep

i have a 1996 jeep cherokee. its a 4dr. sport ho auto that is neccessary to know. Im considering doing a 3/3.5 lift and i have a couple of questions

ive been lurking around this forum and jeepforum.com and it sounds like the three main lift kits that people use are rusty's, rough country, and rubicon express. the rusty's and rough country's are significantly less exprensive. however, from reading posts it appears that the reason for this is quality of parts & ride, as well as completeness of the set up.
is this true?
does anyone know what specific parts are missing from the rusty set up compared to the rubicon?
What would you suggest for someone who does minor wheeling once a month and lives in a place where it snows heavily?
is it possible to construct your own lift with better parts for a reasonable price? (what would i need)
hiden costs of lifting? (sounds like a sye might be necessary? LCA? cost of these?)
does a 3 in lift make much of a differnece? would a 4.5 be worth the extra $?
how large of tires can i fit with minor trimming? (thinking 31 or 32)
and what sort of problems might i run into with the larger tires

i hope this is posted in the right place...

Sye might be necessary with 3.5 of lifts on 96+ xj's. Some do,some don't. 32's with 3.5 lift and trim. Bumpstop as needed. is the best place from xj info. Just search all have been covered for the most part.Good Luck.

Your in the right place. I have the RE 3.5 SF on my '98 and I love it. I did not buy the kit as is though since I did not have the money at the time. I started with a RC and I have no experience with Rusty's but the RE gives you everything you need and they are well respected. Some on here have had no issues with Rusty's while others hate them. Hopefully the Rusty's users will chime in with their experience. The RE 3.5 or any 3" is a good set up for minor wheeling. For 31's on a 3" trimming may be required. I had to trim to fit my 31's when I have the RC 3". You can still fit 32's but you will need to the proper length bumpstops to keep your tires from rubbing the fenders along with a lot of trimming. Bump stops are something that you may have to buy extra with the 3" kits. If you want to go with the RE 3.5, 4x4groupbuy.com has some of the best deals. There are many other sites out there that are excellent to deal with too but I have more experience with 4x4 groupbuy. For a 96, a SYE may not be needed for a 3" or ever the 3.5". Every jeep is different. Axle shims and a TC drop may be all you need if you have vibes. My 98 is more prone to vibes but even with the 3.5", all I needed were a set of shims. For a lift, go with the best that you can afford and do not skimp out on cheap parts. Doing it right the first time is a lot cheaper then redoing the lift a year or two later. My XJ handles much better on and off road with the RE then how it rode with the RC. If you want to construct your own lift, use the RE kit as a guide as to the parts that are needed. If you shop around, you can find some really good deals. I bought a set of fixed RE lower and upper control arms, RE adjustable track bar and Rusty's lift shackle for $200 from a friend. The parts were only a year old(he went to a 6" long arm). The lift shackle is a 1" lift and the UCA came from the RE 4.5 kit. I am going to use those when I have the money for a SYE and the 4.5" coils. The springs and shocks I purchased from 4x4 group buy along with the bump stops. The break line was from NAPA. Hope this helps. I know this is a lot of information, but before you do anything, research the crap out of it and do it right.