TNT vs. Clayton

I'm set on about 8 inches of lift, and have narrowed down my choice to the claytons offroad 8" LA kit, and the TNT customs 7.5" y-link.

Prices are similar, what are the pros and cons of each, who runs either of the two? How do you like it? I hear nothing but good things from people who have dealt with claytons, and ditto for TNT.


BTW, i searched and found no threads comparing the two in particular.

I am sure you will be asked why your set on 8" of lift? As you'll see on here, you can fit most any tire size with a good 6.5" of lift and some trimming, and the higher you go, the worse your center of gravity will be...
Sorry I can't give you an answer on which to go with, both are nice kits, but I think you'll be criticized on the height you want to run, with good reason.
Be ready to justify 8", if thats what your set on.

As for threads comparing the two, I don't imagine there are a lot of people who have bought and riden both enough to have a good knowledge of both. What benefits are you looking for that would sway you one way or the other?

Are you running 39" - 40" tires.... why 8" ???








Im sure there arnt many people out there who have run both kits to ba able to give you a fair comparison. They are both good kits & there is a lot of info about both on here.

Good luck with your decision.

beakie said:

I am sure you will be asked why your set on 8" of lift? As you'll see on here, you can fit most any tire size with a good 6.5" of lift and some trimming, and the higher you go, the worse your center of gravity will be...
Sorry I can't give you an answer on which to go with, both are nice kits, but I think you'll be criticized on the height you want to run, with good reason.
Be ready to justify 8", if thats what your set on.

As for threads comparing the two, I don't imagine there are a lot of people who have bought and riden both enough to have a good knowledge of both. What benefits are you looking for that would sway you one way or the other?

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i thought i might as well go to 8 inches instead of waste money doing a 4.5" lift, then a 6.5" lift, and so on... and i'm aware i can fit 35's on 6.5", but i want a little flexing room. Most people will budget boost, fender trim, and shackle their suspensions and then try to shove the biggest tire they can under their rigs, im actually trying to do it the right way, so I can wheel the way i want without having to replace everything in a year or two. Most people, "experts" i suppose, will say you can pretty much wheel anywhere with 4.5" of lift and 33's. Well thats all well and good, but you can't tell me you'd rather have a smaller jeep, if you had the money to do either. So yeah, the extra few inches or two may be for the "cool factor" but to each is own, right? The reason people come to naxja is for information and opinions, which allows them to come up with ideas for their rig. If their was only one right way to build an xj, this website would be a 1 page, html paragraph listing what you need to offroad...

So back to the original question...this will be my DD for a couple months, as I'm in the midst of getting a bike. Once thats accomplished, the xj will be used as the weekend warrior, and to bring home groceries, etc. I'm only 20, so I'll be using the bike to go to and from work and school. The xj will only be street driven when its necessary. I'm lookin for a nice long arm with good flexibility and good reliability (i want it to last). So who's gonna take a stab at it?

Its all about how your rig is built, how you drive, and where you drive. Im on 7.5 and my 35s slam my inner fenders, and I dont want to loose travel by putting in 3" of bump stops. I say go for 8", but back it up w/ tires and travel!

I have T&Ts Y link set up, and w/ my d-30 I hate that my drive line hangs down below the long arms. Its very exposed and Ive put my self in situations where Ive been sitting on that drive line too many times. Im hopeing that the d-60 swap raises the drive line up enough that its no longer a problem. Other than that Ive been very happy with them.

didnt you read the entire posts??? There was more to both of them than harrasing you about wanting to lift your Xj to 8"

Both are good kits. You will be happy with either..... why not let price or availabilty be a deciding factor.

And just so you know. The experts here as you call them are people who have wheeled XJs for years & have knowledge regarding required lift height. Heck if you want 12" lift go for it, because its cool right?? But when you flop the thing on an off camber obstacle because your cool 8" lift made you a little tippy for your current 33" tires, dont complain.

Most here do go up in lift height over the years because of progression with their rig & learing how to wheel. Tire size increases & so does lift height accordingly

mattyj said:

didnt you read the entire posts??? There was more to both of them than harrasing you about wanting to lift your Xj to 8"

Both are good kits. You will be happy with either..... why not let price or availabilty be a deciding factor.

And just so you know. The experts here as you call them are people who have wheeled XJs for years & have knowledge regarding required lift height. Heck if you want 12" lift go for it, because its cool right?? But when you flop the thing on an off camber obstacle because your cool 8" lift made you a little tippy for your current 33" tires, dont complain.

Most here do go up in lift height over the years because of progression with their rig & learing how to wheel. Tire size increases & so does lift height accordingly

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1. i never insulted the people who give advice on these forums
2. 12" lift is obvious overkill
3. never said i had 33s
4. thanks for the advice everyone

you want a kit that will outlast your xj, get the clayton kit, the kit thats on my xj has already outlasted 2 other xj's

another thing to think about.
what size of tire do you want to go to? as that too will affect what lift you want to go with, and the end cost and if its feasible.
I have 4.5" with 33's and can't imagine 8" and bigger than 35's. not just cause its overkill for me, but because I don't have the coin to then swap in bigger axles, nor the skill to set them up as needed.
Most are thick skinned here, so a little attitude isn't a big deal, but as stated the "pro's" that reside here have built and modded, and repeated that process countless times. They know what works, whats needed, and why COG is so important when building a rig for certain purposes. Hittin the mud, go high and wide, rocks, low and stocky etc etc.
You could search out threads on each package and read what people like/dislike about each, that may help too.

go with clayton, you wont be dissapointed. clayton makes some of the most durable arms ever. they are twice as strong as any skid plate you can buy.

my 2 cents

beakie said:

another thing to think about.
what size of tire do you want to go to? as that too will affect what lift you want to go with, and the end cost and if its feasible.
I have 4.5" with 33's and can't imagine 8" and bigger than 35's. not just cause its overkill for me, but because I don't have the coin to then swap in bigger axles, nor the skill to set them up as needed.
Most are thick skinned here, so a little attitude isn't a big deal, but as stated the "pro's" that reside here have built and modded, and repeated that process countless times. They know what works, whats needed, and why COG is so important when building a rig for certain purposes. Hittin the mud, go high and wide, rocks, low and stocky etc etc.
You could search out threads on each package and read what people like/dislike about each, that may help too.

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i'm gonna be running either 35x12.50 or 36x12.50 tires, looking at the TSL SX's. the plan is to swap out the d35 for a 44 in the rear, and put some alloy shafts up front, and go from there.

Why don't you run a combination of the two? Get the TNT y link up front with the extreme duty belly pan and use claytons rear coil conversion on the rear.

Go with claytons. These things are beef!! I like the TNT kit for the belly pan but even that has it's drawlbacks. I don't care for the arms of the TNT kit. They seem a little on the thin side to me. Some may swear by the bent "high clearence" arms but when bending the arms, they are actually thinning them on the opposite side. The Claytons will act as sliders and protect your drive line.
As far as your lift goes....go for it. Most people that tell you 8" is too high have never seen one in person or wish they could afford it them selves. 8" on an xj is really nothing when compared to other 4x4's out there. Just go with a good backspacing or wheel adaptors to make up for the COG.

I have a clayton setup on my XJ. The 8" kit comes with great front arms and springs. The rear...eh...he uses springs and blocks. Not my favorite option.

I ended up with a custom set of rear springs and boomarang shackles for the rear to get rid of the block idea.

I plan to put his rear coil over setup on next year and do away with leafs all together.

FYI, I have talked to clayton several times about his parts. I have wheeled with him in Virginia. All and all, his front kit IS the best on the market in my opinion.

My rig specs.
8" long arm front
8" rear leaf with shackles
D44HP front 4.88s detroit
D60 rear 4.88s detroit
36" iroks

Hmmmm, shall it be a Chevy or a Ford???? It's about the same question.

So my recommendation is go with what you can afford after doing your research on what YOU want. Building a rig is very personal and you can build it the way you feel is the BEST, so go for it. The only right way to do it is the way each of these guys built theirs and if you check it, they are all different and each is a damn good rig.

My experience is I went with T&T 5.5" and like it a lot. Downside, after you buy it you may think they went out of business, because I haven't been able to get them to return a call. And T&T if you are listening you have pissed me off:explosion

As far as the rear axle I would suggest that you look at a Ford 8.8" out of an explorer or ranger as they have 31 spline axles and are probably more available then dana 44's and cheaper. Also they come with disc brakes, that is a huge advantage when you go bigger tires. Do a search on this forum, a lot said about them.

Good luck and keep us posted on the build.

Deadman 94 xj said:

As far as your lift goes....go for it. Most people that tell you 8" is too high have never seen one in person or wish they could afford it them selves.

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Tard statement of the month..... good job!!:looser:

mattyj said:

Tard statement of the month..... good job!!:looser:

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Thanks, glad you like it..TARD. You wana start a pissing match...bring it on biatch.:lickout:

Deadman 94 xj said:

Thanks, glad you like it..TARD. You wana start a pissing match...bring it on biatch.:lickout:

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sorry... no time for a pissing match.

But...try stating things that are true as opposed to dreampt up BS. The people on here that talk lift height, do so with knowledge and experience in the field. Not becuase they have never seen an 8" lifted XJ or cant afford one as you stated.

Have a nice day!

Ok, maybe "most" was a bit of a blanket statment. Just about every forum you go on people give other peole hell about what's considered "too high" with no experience them selves. I'm sure alot of people speak from experience but I know a lot do not. My comment was directed at them. Whats a 4.5-5.5" RE lift with 37's going to net you in lift height? No body's gona give that guy sh!t about COG. But because some dude wants be able to stuff a tire without an issue people jump all over it.
JMO, carry on.

It seems that experienced people on this forum have found, through The Law of Diminishing Returns, that after 4-6" lift and 33-35" tires on stock running gear, the chance of rollover and decreased handling capability are not worth the small gains in offroad capability.


Just my 2 bits...