rusty's 4.5" lift???

[phinx4x4]

i am looking at rusty's 4.5 leaf pack kit and was wanting to know if any of you guys know how well it handles??? Its for a DD/Weekend toy. Also i drive about 1000 miles a week for work, so would it be better in the long run to go with just a 3.5" lift?? My old jeep had a 3.5 and i loved it but want to posibly try to go a little bigger.
-Matt-

 

[EvilXJ2k5]

I have the rustys 4.5in spring kit, I would recommend that over the aal, a lot of people dont really like rustys, but I have had no problems with it and my jeep is a dd.

 

[stewie]

i have rustys 4.5" leaf pack kit. im pleased with it for now. the ride is rough at first but will calm down a little over time. mine too is a DD/toy

the install sucked with a bit of rust on the stock components and broken bolts. Rustys instructions were not the clearest on most of the prcedures so a good manual is essential (haynes, chiltons or FSM). but for the most part, everything bolts up in the same manner as the old came out.

some things to avoid with Rustys are the HD Track bar and the HD Track bar mount. both have gotten a bad wrap here on the site and are known for problems.

a personal recomendation is to get yourself a set of 95 yj brake lines for the front and a 96 dodge dakota 4x4 rear brake line. the rustys kit comes with "extention brackets" but wont help mutch at full flex. the yj and dakota lines are a bolt on mod and are realy easy to do especially since your already working right there. they also give you lots of room to flex and even to grow. i would be comfortable going to 6+ inches with those lines.

the ride with any short arm kit is going to be a lot rougher than a long arm kit. im asking the jeep fairys to get for me a long arm kit for cheap, but they like to keep me waiting.

I see that your jeep is a 99. you will most likely need an sye if you go past 3 inches. it would not be a bad idea to do the sye before you lift it up. true, a tc drop is included and may help most people, but the 97+ xjs are known for having vibes after being lifted.

hth
stewie

 

[EvilXJ2k5]

Yeap if its rusty you'll want to soak everything down with pb a day or two ahead and let it soak in, I had a really hard time with the leaf spring bolts that go into the frame, I was lucky and they didnt break, the ride is a little rough at first but does get a little better as stewie said, more than likely your rear upper shock bolts are going to break, as for the brake lines, the 95 yj rear brake line will bolt right up, same with the 96 dakota, only difference is that the dakota line is about 2 inches longer

-Adam

 

[phinx4x4]

COOL!!! I am ordering the SYE kits here in the next few weeks and hope to have the lift in a month.

Cant wait for my Tax return to come in and help with paying for this stuff.

Befor i order the sye parts what do you guys think about tom woods?? If i remember right he had a somplete kit on his website. Ride does not bother me to much, its more the GF that it buggs but to bad for her. LOL

-Matt-

 

[WheelinJR]

my only vote is go for stainless lines, they wont flex like rubber, and therefore will work a little to counteract the loss in braking power when you go to larger tires.

that mixed with some DOT5 brake fluid instead of dot3. works awesome, won't boil...only downside is it only has about a 6 month life before you need to bleed it out and replace

 

[white_elephant]

4.5 its awesome thats what i had...rusty is the awesome too....

my advice if you can afford go with 4.5 and ask him to send you adjustable lower arms...i so regret that i didnt do that....no i have to upgrade to long arm since now im on 6 inches of lift..

but if you can play with your wallet enough to order the 6.5 lift kit will be the best option...

why?? well

i started with 4.5 and 31s...no im on 6 and 33s....and i have spend twice the money...

 

[caz]

Negative... do not get his adjustable lowers unless you're prepared for an earthquake-sounding ride. I have his adjustable lowers and wish I wouldn't have gotten them. I'm actually going to swap over to RE's LCA's w/ their drop brackets. Also, I'm not a big fan of the trac bar. It hasn't broken, but overall quality isn't the best imo. Other than that, I love the lift. It rides and handles great. I daily drive it.... 4.5" full pack sitting on 33's. You will definitely need an SYE. His AA/TW kit is very complete kit and a good setup. Don't install the sye until the lift is on. Rusty basically sells 2 kits, one for 0-4" of lift and another for 4.5"+. Good luck...

 

[nickangus]

ive got rustys 6.5 kit and i hate there stuff and there customer service is even worst the bushing were shot after about 6 months and they said that its my issue and they could send me a new set for 100 bucks

dont buy rustys stuff......

 

[JLane99XJ]

Rusty's stuff is good entry level equipment to aid in getting ppl into offroading..

i think Rusty's 3" lift with AAL and shocks is by far the best performing lift for the $$ on the market today.

but beyond that their lift kits have negative points (like mentioned- control arms rattle bc of the acme-threads get loose same for the bushings on the trac-bar)

the 4.5" leaf pack will be a bit stiff @ 1st and then soften after 5-10k miles, but it'll make you sad when one side start sagging after the 1st time you take it offroad and get the rear flexed up hard..

his coils are ok.
shocks are same as gabriel hydros.

i buy some parts from him..
some from RE
mostly custom

 

[ZachMan]

Rustys coils and leafsprings are pretty darn good, but like mentioned I think REs control arms and tracbars (hd tracbar and mount) is far superior.

Plus some people think Rustys is cheaper, but look at the comparable RE kit closly and you'll see more is included.

 

[yellowxj]

go with the RE track bar...best one i ever had..out of rustys, RE, teraflex, and Roughcountry,

rustys cutomer service and QC seem to be really hit or miss...when the service is great its great...seems like the moment you have a problem thats not handled right away it will never get handled

 

[mcpheejeep18]

im 16 and i want to put a lift in my jeep.....i like the look of this lift kit and was wondering what u guys might think?????? i off road with it just stock but its just backyard trails . post what u think

 

[AZ XJ]

I started out buying a Rusty's 4.5" kit thinking i was getting a good deal on a lift for my XJ... well since then I've probably doubled what I payed for the kit just replacing all the junk that comes in it. The only thing left of the original 4.5" on my Jeep are the springs. Daily driving my Jeep became a nightmare.. Like stated earlier, it's an entry level kit, and if i was to do it over again I would have spent a little extra and gone with RE stuff. You get so much more for your money.

 

[mcpheejeep18]

what kit do you think i should try?? i want 3-5inchs and i have like 2 grand..... i know i need a sye kit...suggestions

 

[DansGreyMj]

what kit do you think i should try?? i want 3-5inchs and i have like 2 grand..... i know i need a sye kit...suggestions

Rubicon Express

 

[WheelinJR]

Unless you're working with a 97+ the magic turning point for needing and SYE seems to be somewhere around 4-5 inches. I am in a 91 at probably 3" rear with the spring sag (its a 4.5" kit) and I don't have driveline vibes at all, no t-case drop or shims either.

go with a rubicon kit, and whatever you get run a full leaf pack... Well worth it.

 

[tgile512]

i recently ordered and installed the rustys 4.5" kit for my 99 xj, and i love it. i actually got the 3.5" leaf packs because i knew they would sit higher, which they do, so right now i am perfectly level (but i have shackles if the back starts dropping down). the kit rides great and i have no vibes at all, after the shims and tcase drop. the only problem is my gas mileage sucks from the 32's and stock gears but that has nothing to do with the kit.

 

[carlton989]

I think Rusty's or Rubicon are both good kits. I have a RE 3.5" Super-Flex kit with full leaves, .75" coil spacer, shackle and new upper control arms and I am running 35's with no rubbing and cut fenders. A 3.5 or 4.5" kit is great because you can run any size tire up to a 35" (with proper bumpstops and cut fenders) or run just 31's. I have vibes with a t case drop kit, but I am getting a hack and tap/driveshaft this weekend. Good luck with whatever kit you buy!!

 

[FLAGXJ]

I got the rusty's 4.5 spring pack kit along with the 2 inch budget boost (spacers and shackles). I ordered the braided steel brakelines because I didn't want to skimp on the brakes. I have had no complaints besides the trac bar. I am trying to decide on whether to order the Rustys heavy duty drop bracket or get a RE trac bar setup.

My XJ is an 89 and I drive it almost daily and it sees some pretty good trails. I experienced some vibes so I put a SYE in my 231. It was only at very low speeds and it wasn't very bad at all. I could have lived with it but I found a good deal so I went with SYE. I have heard that earlier models are less likely to need a SYE kit. I don't know how true that statement is though.

I have had good experience with RUsty's so far. I have a great ride and nothing has broken. RE and other companies make some nice stuff, too. Just make sure you check what comes with the kit. You may want to upgrade/change some of the components. Good luck and happy wheeling!!