Most comfortable 4-5" lift, primary street use

[Dest]

Been searching for about the past hour or so, but can't find any recent opinions. Jeep is primarily a DD, but does see occasional fun in the dirt. It currently has an ancient Tomken lift kit with Bilstein shocks and the ride is awful.

So, what's the best street riding 4-5" that won't be total shit offroad?

Thanks in advance.

98
AX-15

[TRCM]

long arms or drop brackets up front

shackle relocation brackets out back (or 4 link conversion)

not personally a fan of bilsteins on jeeps

[Dest]

Originally Posted by TRCM

not personally a fan of bilsteins on jeeps

Too firm? Or some other reason? What would you recommend instead?

[Tim_MN]

Install long arms or control arm drop brackets. The more rubber bushings instead of flex joints, the better the pavement ride and noise control. BDS makes good riding lifts. I have an older Rubicon Express lift and have no complaints.

Your choice of shocks can make a huge difference in the ride comfort. Bilsteins tend to be firm. BDS, and DoetschTech DT3000 are good choices.

[ehall]

absolutely get what you pay for with shocks

[TRCM]

Originally Posted by Dest

Too firm? Or some other reason? What would you recommend instead?

Haven't swapped yet, but they are definitely too firm for my tastes.

I had bilsteins on my 97 dually, and those were awesome on it (which is why I got the ones I have now).

Been thinking doetsch tech for short term, I had them on another heavier vehicle (see avatar) and they worked well, so may try again.

If I finally decide on the suspension to go with, I may step up to fox shocks.


.

[cody4359]

I have a long arm setup and running bilstein 5125s. it's not nearly as plush as my f150 so I've been browsing my next setup. what I gather is im after a linear valved shock and will more than likely got to accutune offroad and have a set valved for me. my bilsteins don't like potholes or washboard's on the logging roads, pretty much any sharp abrupt bump

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[muddypunk]

I'm running 4.5"-5" I have adjustable uppers and lowers with poly and wish they were rubber, no DB for me I got all hung up one time so I sold them great for mall crawlers. Bastard leaves and Ruffstuff swap brackets for the 8.8 which lifted the rear like 3/4". Anyhow shocks I like hydro over nitro hydro are soft and float instead of bounce and rattle my teeth like gas (nitro) do they have a place in off road but not in what I do. I have cheapo Rancho 5000 I think but actually I forget but they have a monster shaft 5/8" and it rides so awesome on and off road but it really needs rubber bushings.

Sent from my Arse because my hands are full

[burntkat]

Originally Posted by TRCM

long arms or drop brackets up front

shackle relocation brackets out back (or 4 link conversion)

not personally a fan of bilsteins on jeeps

Concur all of the above.

I'm a huge fan of Doetsch Tech shocks. So much so that my rehab of my 90 XJ is going away from Rancho adjustables to "dumb" Doetsch shocks, likely the DT3000 series. As a bonus, they're about $40/shock.

You especially want to relocate the shackles out back. The factory location is extremely limited in range of motion, and the angle is horrid. This makes for a bad ride.

[lazyxj]

Switched from Bilstein 5100s to the 5165 series and saw a big difference in ride quality. The 5165s are more compliant at low speeds but still are well damped on hard hits.
You get what you pay for in shocks.
At 4"+ of lift, the drop brackets also make a significant difference in reducing harshness, producing a much smoother ride.

[smokeyyank]

If you're going to DD and primarily be on road, I'd say keep it 2-3" of lift and hack the fenders. 4-5" you start having to consider a lot of other factors that you may not want to dump the cash in. SYE or tacse drop, steering geometry, extended brake lines, the list keeps going. 2-3" is pretty safe and easy and will net you some off road performance. Depending on your budget I'd go OME hands down for a great all a round lift and ride.

[burntkat]

Lazyxj- what in the world is a "towing baseplate"?

[lazyxj]

Originally Posted by burntkat

Lazyxj- what in the world is a "towing baseplate"?

We have flat towed our 2001 XJ, behind a small motorhome for the last 15 years and 85,000 miles.
The base plate is where the tow bar attaches to the Jeep, using a modified Roadmaster towing baseplate, from my old Dodge Dakota.
The baseplate is a strong place to attach recovery hooks, when not towing.
It also forms the foundation for the hidden winch.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/...57603323570942
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/...57604557867782

[burntkat]

Thanks for the reply. I've been wanting something like this on the front of my rigs but didn't know how to hide it away. I think I just found the first father/son welding project for my 17 year old when he starts welding class next year.

[Dest]

Do leaf spring sliders give a better ride then relocation brackets?

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. In the spring I'll swap to some type of long arm kit and different shocks...