Best lift for the XJ

[Darky]

I'm running the RK 3 link with Deaver coils, RE leafs, Bilstein 7100 shocks, ZJ tierod. I love the flex and handling of my 3 link. I love the ride combo of the Bilsteins and Deavers, wish for better leafs.

 

[xcm]

rock krawlers joints are bad on a dd, especially one that see's 100miles a day, replace em with ballistic joints. the problem is noise, and the complete lack of a set screw. got a busy week? better check them joints! the first time you forget, they'll come loose and leave your axle to rock. but it's a great long arm kit, but i wouldnt run their other stuff ('their' deaver leafs arent 'theirs' at all.

if you start off with a 4.5 or more lift, you will instantly need gears for your axle, larger tires, better steering, unibody reinforcments, etc, etc... it might be a better idea to start at like a tall 3.5" kit with 32s or 33's, then keep adding on stuff, with the intention of ending up at 5", but by the time you get there, you will KNOW what's all required, and what you dont need.


i LOL'd about the illegal comment, everyone likes to bash california, but whats with your state? commie much?

 

[ktm racer 419]

rock krawlers joints are bad on a dd, especially one that see's 100miles a day, replace em with ballistic joints. the problem is noise, and the complete lack of a set screw. got a busy week? better check them joints! the first time you forget, they'll come loose and leave your axle to rock. but it's a great long arm kit, but i wouldnt run their other stuff ('their' deaver leafs arent 'theirs' at all.

really?

i have a pair of rock krawler joints that are 5 years old, been on 3 jeeps, and seen about 100k miles and they are as tight as they were the day i put them on and never made a squeak. never tightened them either. and never greased them. maybe they started making crappier joints less than 5 years ago?

i bought a pair of ballistic joints less than a year ago and i have had to tighten them every month, and they are prone to squeaking. i now have the new races and they have been tight since i put them on a couple weeks ago, but i hear they will still squeak.


as for the leaf springs, call them up, they say they now use the deaver jeepspeed spring.

 

[Ole703]

Best of the best would be the BDS 6.5" lift with the 4 link long arm upgrade, everything else is a compromise one way or another. All the top offroad rigs use 4 links for a reason, it's the strongest, most reliable trusted setup out there and has the best handling characteristics on road and off but as far as offroad goes it's stronger the a 3-link and safer than a y-link especially on steep climbs. It's definitely more money but it is the best design and has a no questions asked lifetime warrantee. You can't ask for more than that.

Just as a side note why would you want to put a 6.5" lift on a car you drive 100 miles a day? No matter what kit you get your gas mileage will take big hit especially if you don't plan on changing the gears to match at the same time as well. What tires and gears did you have in mind. With the amount of lift I would guess 35's and 4.88's at least? With 35's and stock gears it will just be a gas guzzling snail and you can forget about going up any hills without a strong tailwind. Just some food for thought.

4.88s on 35's...Yeah not if you drive a 100 miles a day. I have a 5.5 inch rubicon express lift with some serious fender cutting to clear 37s with minor trail rubbing. I currently have 35s on with 4.88s. I have the ax-15....70mph = 2800 rpm.....see yah fuel economy.

To get decent fuel economy on 35's 4.56s would be recommend. I had 32's and 4.56s on my 95 xj. But, I always want more power and am willing to kiss fuel mileage good bye.

 

[robsjeepxj]

My xj as well as most xj's came with the aw4, mine especially came with overdrive so yes with this setup (35's and an auto trans w/OD) 4.88's would be the best option. When you use these online RPM calculators you need use one that allows you to enter your TRUE final drive ratio (trans + gear ratio) or else your coming up with the wrong results. My jeep which has 4.56's in it, 6" lift and 35" tires runs at approx 2200 rpm's at 65-70 MPH which to me is still kinda low 2400-2500 RPM would be ideal. I use this one: http://www.ringpinion.com/Calc_RPM.aspx

 

[xcm]

really?

i have a pair of rock krawler joints that are 5 years old, been on 3 jeeps, and seen about 100k miles and they are as tight as they were the day i put them on and never made a squeak. never tightened them either. and never greased them. maybe they started making crappier joints less than 5 years ago?

the krawler joints with the square shaped thing you rotate to adjust preload? maybe 3 or 4 years old.
those lasted on my coworkers commanche about a year, then came loose, after that, they just wouldnt stay tight, even when everything looked good... at which point the lack of a set screw is angering...

ive heard others say they love em as well... just goes to show, people can have differant results

 

[ktm racer 419]

the krawler joints with the square shaped thing you rotate to adjust preload? maybe 3 or 4 years old.
those lasted on my coworkers commanche about a year, then came loose, after that, they just wouldnt stay tight, even when everything looked good... at which point the lack of a set screw is angering...

ive heard others say they love em as well... just goes to show, people can have differant results

on left

 

[01erionracing]

I went back and forth on this for many years. Finally I put together pieces from different company's that I thought would work best for me. It turned out great my jeep flexes like crazy and rides smooth and stable on the road.

I have been running 31's for a long time with no lift just fender trimming, and can go almost every where my friends do "TJ 4 inch RE 33's, JK Rubicon, 4 inch lift 36" and in some case places they cant. but I hit from time to time and wanted more flex. Plus I wanted to run 33's. This is what worked for me.

I have a custom front bumper with a winch, so I got rustys HD 3" front coils, for me they are perfect. I have not had other rusty's stuff but I love these higher spring rate coils. I used Iron Man lower control arms up front, and will begetting his uppers shortley. His stuff is top notch, and can really take a beating. I used HD OME rear leafs, in the back, this coupled with Iron Man 1" lift boomerang shackles gives me a great ride and wonderful flex. I have vibes at 35 mph so I ordered a wilsons fabworks SYE, hopefully it will get here soon. The vibes are not too bad, and I am at 4 1/2" in the rear, 3 1/2" up front. I have plenty of room for 33's from the cutting I did before.

This set up wont work for everyone but for me it has been great and I love it. oh yeah for shocks Im running some from a Rubicon JK, I got for free they are great.

I like your setup. And for the shocks I might go Rusty or the new one is about to release from Rusty.

 

[DanMan2k06]

Thought I'd throw in my $.02. Like most everyone has said, it's going to be a combination of what your budget is, your projected wheeling to road ratio. Which in some cases does turn into ride vs. performance. In other cases there are parts which suit both equally well.

I currently run: (99 Classic)

- RE SuperRide 3.5" coils. A little stiff, but love them.
- RE SuperRide front control arms. Designed for more "road dwelling" rigs, but they h haven't given me any problems offroad yet either. The rubber is super quiet.
- JKS disco's. No explanation needed here. They work. Period.
- Iron Rock track bar. Will be putting this on any and every XJ from here out. Super beefy, love the overkill frame bracket and double shear design. Really stiffens up the front.
- Bilstein 5100 front shocks. After switching from some blown out RC's, these puppies are the knees of the bee.
- Crown extended brake lines. Front and rear. Seem to be well made. Like the discos, they just work.
- Rough Country full leaf packs. Not sure what type or any specs, but they're around 4". Going by the guy I got them from... could be anything though. Lagging hard in flex, but love the ride. Currently looking for something with a little more droop.
- OME Medium rear shocks. Loved the ride at first, but I bought them used and they are slowly fading with time. On decently paved roads they are AMAZING, but offroad and sharp potholes they are really harsh. Soon to be replaced with Bilsteins.
- 1" transfer case drop. Off ebay, similar to Rusty's which is basically box tubing that incorporates the bolts, xmember, and frame. I didn't have any vibes (maybe SLIGHT on decel) and didn't want to inquire any, so threw this on for grins. No problems whatsoever on or off road. If I go higher, SYE is number one on the list...

This is all on 31" BFS km1's. Absolutely no trimming, stock fender flares still there. No rubbing issues. On the stock Ecco wheels, they tuck up nicely into the wells.

I do wish my entire setup was a little more flexy, but it handles extremely well on the road and highway. As well as treating me fairly offroad. I still have some more wheeling to do before I figure out exactly what direction I'd like to take the setup in the future. A lot of this sport/lifestyle/hobby is trial and error. Some times you hit the nail on the head, sometimes you blow hundreds or a part and are totally disappointed. Learn from everything, and apply it all realistically. If you build a competition rig, you're probably gonna have to pick something else for those 100 mile commutes. Alternately, if you have a 2" BB and some 31's, chances are you're not gonna be stomping around Moab either. Find what works best for your exact taste and needs. Hope this helps even if it's just something else to compare to...

 

[I3ig E]

Thats good info DanMAn2k06 and everyone else who has chipped in ive really been thinking about my 100 miles a day drive....i think ive settled on 3.5 lift and 31''s that way i can get off road and not totally kill my MPG'S...once i get another daily driver then its balls to the wall.

 

[$700later]

Thats good info DanMAn2k06 and everyone else who has chipped in ive really been thinking about my 100 miles a day drive....i think ive settled on 3.5 lift and 31''s that way i can get off road and not totally kill my MPG'S...once i get another daily driver then its balls to the wall.

good plan. and then when you are feeling frisky you can drive your jeep to work from time to time.

by the way, where are you in KY?

 

[I3ig E]

I live in Elizabethtown $700later

 

[hagermanfolley]

I like your setup. And for the shocks I might go Rusty or the new one is about to release from Rusty.

Thanks It really works well for me. I dont remember who supplied the JK rubicon with shocks but they are good. My friend lifted his right away so when I got the shocks they had about 200 miles on them. Havent tried rustys shocks, let me know how they turn out.

John

 

[Schneiper678]

build your own cause the rest don't truely work. but if your building a pavement princess order it up.

 

[I3ig E]

LMAO! @ pavement princess.

 

[darkoverlift]

From what I have learned and from first hand experience Iron Rock Off Road has been my personal best for parts, upgrades, ect...

 

[FiveNdime]

Searching is always helpful on here and has worked well for me. Other then that I run a 6.5" Iron Rock LA lift. I love it, will never use another lift unless it outperforms mine. I've wheeled it and drove it on the road. I have only good things to say about the product as a lift and as a company. Again do a search, or look at peoples sigs to see what people like then do some more research.

 

[DanMan2k06]

Searching is always helpful on here and has worked well for me. Other then that I run a 6.5" Iron Rock LA lift. I love it, will never use another lift unless it outperforms mine. I've wheeled it and drove it on the road. I have only good things to say about the product as a lift and as a company. Again do a search, or look at peoples sigs to see what people like then do some more research.

My buddie's got this on his ride and has nothing negative to say about it. Except drilling through the 3/16" frame plates during install

 

[Rod Knee]

Alternately, if you have a 2" BB and some 31's, chances are you're not gonna be stomping around Moab either.

Actually, with some driving skills there is a heck of a lot you can do around Moab with a BB, 31's, and open diffs. Three months ago I did Poison Spider and Elephant Hill with very few problems. There were some obstacles I passed on but that was generally because of my tendancy to not risk damage were others would, not so much because of the vehicle's actual level of capabilty. There's alot of trails I've done at stock height and 235's around Moab too, with just sway bar discos as my only suspension or driveline modification.

Tom