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YJ - Best bang for buck lifts

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  • YJ - Best bang for buck lifts

    Friend of mine has a YJ that he's looking at lifting and was hoping I could lend a hand.

    Being as I'm not really familiar with the YJ's I thought I'd hit up the wisdom of some fellow square headlighters. ;)

    What are his best options for a small lift, AAL?, longer shackles?, full packs?

    Reputable brands for the platform?

    Doubtful it will see any trails but ya never know.
    -Mike B-
    '01 XJ Sport
    '11KK Limited

  • #2
    My first YJ lift was a 3" rough country. I wanna say it was about 300-400 ish, but it was a while back. I liked it. Standard lift that replaced shocks & springs, pitman arm, etc. Rough country isn't the smoothest suspension (name kinda says it), but it's a jeep.

    I think a shackle lift would be fine for clearing tires, but won't help with ground clearance. I had them on when i re did my suspension & took them off after the steering was off. I believe the caster angle was off & the steering was dangerous to where I wouldn't even drive in the middle lane between cars.

    You might be able to add leaves to the existing springs or have them arched more. I've heard of this, but have never really looked into.

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    • #3
      Best flex and most durable from what I've heard is Rubicon Express military wrapped. Also most expensive though.

      I ran a Superlift 3.5" forever on my YJ and it worked fine. Not very flexible, but did the job. A friend of mine has close to 15 years and nearly 100k miles on his without issue.

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      • #4
        I have a RE military wrap 3 or 4" .... it came with jeep ! It is stiff enough, I can corner at speed faster than most drivers in sporty cars ! And I have removed swaybars and tracbars ! ;)
        I may be Rad and I may be Bad :pbj: but I am never SAD ! :kilt:
        Yea I'm *Q*C* and ?
        it is a great feeling to have served your country and walk PROUD
        Yes veterans stand tall and their shadow protects all !

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        • #5
          Originally posted by mujeeper View Post
          My first YJ lift was a 3" rough country. I wanna say it was about 300-400 ish, but it was a while back. I liked it. Standard lift that replaced shocks & springs, pitman arm, etc. Rough country isn't the smoothest suspension (name kinda says it), but it's a jeep.

          I think a shackle lift would be fine for clearing tires, but won't help with ground clearance. I had them on when i re did my suspension & took them off after the steering was off. I believe the caster angle was off & the steering was dangerous to where I wouldn't even drive in the middle lane between cars.

          You might be able to add leaves to the existing springs or have them arched more. I've heard of this, but have never really looked into.
          ^^^ pitman arm and overall steering linkage, brake lines, yadayada - I see RC has a 2.5" kit, just springs and shocks. $450 before shipping btw. Is under 3" the magic line for everything else remaining the same?

          Originally posted by TommyG View Post
          Best flex and most durable from what I've heard is Rubicon Express military wrapped. Also most expensive though.

          I ran a Superlift 3.5" forever on my YJ and it worked fine. Not very flexible, but did the job. A friend of mine has close to 15 years and nearly 100k miles on his without issue.
          Originally posted by spunebil View Post
          I have a RE military wrap 3 or 4" .... it came with jeep ! It is stiff enough, I can corner at speed faster than most drivers in sporty cars ! And I have removed swaybars and tracbars ! ;)
          I see a pattern. :)
          -Mike B-
          '01 XJ Sport
          '11KK Limited

          Comment


          • #6
            If I had to draw a line, 3" would be about it for lifting without any other significant mods. If you want to fit in bigger tires, you can install tj flares. You'll need to cut off some sheet metal since they mount highter, but give you another inch or 2 of tire clearance.

            To add to the trend, I now have the RE 1.5" reverse eye springs on a RE SOA kit with 35" MTR's with TJ flares. I got darn near a foot from the tire to the bottom of the flare. plenty of room for tire travel.

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            • #7
              I have a shackle lift for sale that would give 1.25" of lift without any other major mods. Ran it on my '94 for more than a year.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by mujeeper View Post
                If I had to draw a line, 3" would be about it for lifting without any other significant mods. If you want to fit in bigger tires, you can install tj flares. You'll need to cut off some sheet metal since they mount highter, but give you another inch or 2 of tire clearance.

                To add to the trend, I now have the RE 1.5" reverse eye springs on a RE SOA kit with 35" MTR's with TJ flares. I got darn near a foot from the tire to the bottom of the flare. plenty of room for tire travel.
                Copy, thanks. I'll have to ask him what he's wanting exactly - but at least I can give him an idea of what he's getting into.

                Originally posted by biologygurl View Post
                I have a shackle lift for sale that would give 1.25" of lift without any other major mods. Ran it on my '94 for more than a year.
                Sending PM now - thank you.
                -Mike B-
                '01 XJ Sport
                '11KK Limited

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by JeepN4kc View Post
                  Sending PM now - thank you.
                  Replied.

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                  • #10
                    The cheapest thing that can be done is an AAL. Its two main benefits are the price and that it helps sagging springs..... for a while.

                    A small body lift, is fairly cheap but a requires a few hours install. I wouldn't go over 1". Anything more than an 1" and the body lift will cause the body to develop stress cracks and can lead to expensive repairs. I have seen 2-3 vehicles damaged with 3" body lifts.

                    After that, would need to start looking at leaf spring lifts. 2.5" should be enough lift, with some fender clearancing to fit 33-35" tires. I have had OME, best ride that I have experienced but sags after a while. Current leafs are BDS, no sagging.

                    I would not do a shackle lift in the front with the stock CJ/YJ front shackle set up but would consider a small shackle lift for the rear. You get 1/2" for each additional 1" of shackle. Ie 2" longer shackle nets 1" of lift.

                    Wally

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                    • #11
                      Consider an SOA if it is a mall crawler. The problem is with almost any lift, drive angles will vary and you might need to redo driveshafts.

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