Lift Suggestions

Hey im a 17 yearold from MASS. I got a 1989 jeep cherokee laredo. stock to the bone except for stereo. I am interested in getting more into the off roading. This is my first car. its unbelievably slow....no reason it just is...hahaha. I am looking to get a lift kit for it so I need to know whats legal. Whats decent for a beginer what are prices gonna be like. any suggestions would be great. I have all terrain tires on my jeep and because of that i thot my jeep was offroad worthy. It has stock shocks and had the original tires on it when i first went off roading. my jeep looks like a low rider. I got stuck pretty bad my first time out. Then i got a/ts and thot i was more offroad worthy. HA how i was wrong 5 mins into the woods and i find a really nice spot to throw some mud. yea their was no mud throwwing i had mud up to my headlights i crawled outa the window and had my friend pull me out. he has a jacked up chevy silverado. I need to be able to keep up with my friends out their so any suggestions wud be much appreciated...Cody

hey cody.. welcome aboard!! what part of mass are you from? it sounds like you are itchin' to go wheeling.. and don't think that your stock XJ won't go alot of places as it sits.. deep mud/water are a different story and i would suggest you keep your vehicle modifications / improvements just a step ahead of your own experience/abilitiy.. a 2" budget boost and a set of 30" aggressive M/T tires will give you alot of confidence and experience.. at your age i'm sure $$$ is slim so a budget boost and a good set of used tires can be had for under $500... the more you wheel the more you wil know what you will want to change next.. get all the important saftey equipment too.. a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, good recovery/tow hooks, a good tow strap WITHOUT HOOKS on it, get on some organized trail runs and meet people and see what they have on their rigs... you can only get experience one way and thats to learn from your mistakes and watch other people too.. the tech forums are an excellent place to get questions answered.. look in the events forums for a labor day event i'm running.. above all, just have fun with your XJ..

mike

Hey mike im from the boston area. so offroading areas are pretty slim but I drive anywhere to get some offroading. now a 2" budget boost consists of what. cause my suspension is shot at the moment so a 2 inch lift wud return it to stock height...yes unfortunatly its that bad. I was thinking about doing the dakota leafs and explorer springs. Do you have any knowledge of that? I just heard about it. I was told that will give me 3" from stock so It would be around 5" from my height now. I am definatly wanting bigger tires, something more offroad applicable. Any suggestions on type of wheel? and should i put them on my stock rim?

i honestly havent looked into the dakota leafs but as you were told you should get about 3" from it.. no idea about the explorer coils though.. a budget boost usually consists of a 2" coil spring spacer and an extended rear shackle, short add-a-leaf, or a spacer block that goes between the leaf springs and the axle.. all of these use your already tired and sagging springs.. its a cheap and easy way to lift it a lil but is in no way a permenant modification.. a 3" lift on 30s is a good combination.. i cant really recommend what tire to get.. it really depends on where the majority of your driving/wheeling takes place.. mostly rocks.. mud.. i am pretty attatched to goodyear MT/Rs but for the mud i really like super swamper LTBs...

mike

Cody,
I would defiantly listen to sidriptide, he knows what he talking about. Since you metioned that your springs are sagging and shot then maybe going with a new leaf pack and some new coils would be a good idea. Rubicon express makes an awesome 3.5" lift that you can run 31" tires on and it will keep up offroad. Your stock 15X7 rims should be fine fore a 31 or 30 by 10.5" tire and yor stock gearing will be fine. I ran this lift with 31" MTR's for 2 years and loved it. I didn't like my MTRs for mud but love them for wheeling in New England. I am sure that one of the guys on the board would be more than happy to help you install the lift one weekend. Hopefully you can get something together and meet us on the trai sometime.
Ryan

Alright so im looking at 3-3.5 inch lift kits trying to get the best price. where shud I go to. Also whats better aal or leafs. wouldnt I have to replace my inverted rear leafs anyway? How difficult is a lift kit installation. I am told that air tools are essential, I don't have any but my neighbor does and wouldnt mind letting me use them.

this thread really should be moved to the modified tech forum because you will get alot more responses.. if your stock leafs are as tired as you say you really need to weigh your options.. new leafs would be the best choice but am AAL would be a little easier to install if practical knowledge of a jeep's suspension and tools are a little scarce.. look in the VENDORs FORUM for dealers who sell kits from different companies. i am partial to Rubicon Express but there are many others to look at.. talk to richard at www.fullsizexjgear.com or chris at authorived vehicle 4x4 www.AV4x4.com .. i have done business with both of them and i always try to support vendors with affiliations to and my other clubs.... a 3.5" lift with 31s will be a good combination to learn the how your jeep is put together and will give you what you need to go where alot of others cant... good luck and dont let a stock rig keep you from attending off-road events/gatherings...

mike

i put the dakora spring on my 87 wagoner with the helper because i haul trailor alot with it but it gave me about 4.5 in and was done rarly eazy to do without air tools and it took about an afternoon