Looking for lift on 84 CJ7

[cduemig]

I just bought this truck, MY FIRST JEEP! I know I'm jumping the gun here a little because I still haven't even picked it up yet (It's an 8 hour drive), but I've been planning what I want to do all week. I even had a dream about it and that's rare for me. I picked up a set of Goodyear Wrangler 31" mud / trail tires mounted on a really nice set of 15x10 rims for it. I think I want to go with a 4" lift on it and then get ARB's front and rear eventually. I've got a lot more planning to do, but right now I'm looking at the lifts. I've been researching them and it seems the cheapest is pretty much Rough Country and the higher ends being Skyjacker and such. I talked to the guy who sold me the wheels and he said he had a 4" RC lift on his tj 4cyl and loved it. I'm looking to make this truck my daily driver and make it setup for off-roading when the mood strikes me (which I have a feeling will be often). I'm trying to determine which kit would best suit me for driving and off-roading, but reviews are hard to come by (which I was surprised at). I'm looking mainly at these three options:

4" RC complete - $425 to my door
4" Tuff Country EZ-Ride 400 + shipping w/o shocks
4" Tuff Country Heavy Duty 300 + shipping w/o shocks

The RC is def cheap, but what do you guys think, no good? Can anyone point me in a better direction either price or performance wise? Thanks.

 

[jay79cj7]

Everybody says RC is a really rough ride. I got a Hell Creek 2.5" lift for my CJ, which to my surprise ended up being RC springs. It rides really rough even after a year and a half of settling in. I only have my 25 yr old worn stock springs to compare that to though. The main road I drive on my way to work is not in the greatest of shape. For the first couple months I had the lift on, the only thing keeping me in my seat was my seat belt, literally. This 250 lb guy was flying out, feet leaving the pedals. Its settled in and I have gotten used to it to a degree, but still pretty rough.

 

[GaryMB]

Rubicon Express and Warn/Black Diamond Suspension are the best, but are also the most expensive. The RE kit is nice b/c you get to use wider springs in the front that will give you a better ride. I only have experience with RE and Rancho though, and would say that RE is amazing and Rancho is good quality but the ride is rough. RC has a pretty bad rep; don't know much about TC. I think that a higher quality lift would be worth the extra $ though if you drive the Jeep alot. Even with the Rancho springs on my CJ I had trouble keeping my feet on the pedals on bumpy roads.

 

[fishontro]

i bought 4wd hardwares 4" lift. Its a decent lift, ive heard they use BDS springs, but i cant confirm or deny this statment. Comfortable ride, articulates well, but didnt come with everything needed. NO brake line extentions, bumpstops, extended sway bar connects. After it was all installed and the way i wanted it it came out to the same price as a RE, but without the 2.5 front springs

 

[TwistedCU]

A) - 4" RC complete - $425 to my door
B) - 4" Tuff Country EZ-Ride 400 + shipping w/o shocks
C) - 4" Tuff Country Heavy Duty 300 + shipping w/o shocks

Can anyone point me in a better direction either price or performance wise? Thanks.

Yeah, selection "D)" - none of the above.

Seriously, the better quality lifts are not much more money. There are lots of good suspensions out there. Don't settle for the kidney busters.

Spend a little more, or wait until you can. That's the best advice I can offer.

 

[Sparky-Watts]

Take TwistedCopper's advice. Wait till you can afford a better lift. I just bought a BDS 3.5" lift, so I can't speak from experience yet, other than to say it rides just about as smooth as my stock suspension did, and it isn't even broken in yet. But, from what I've read here, and at other sites, avoid the Rough Country lifts like the plague!! I've heard bad things about the Skyjackers, too, but nothing in particular, just overall dissatisfaction. I'd stick with the Black Diamond, BDS, or Rubicon Express, if I were you. Better overall approval ratings. However, depending on the type of wheeling you are doing, you may not want to lay out the money for something like the RE Extreme Duty lift, just a standard might do if you're not going to abuse it too much. I like the warranty on my BDS: If I can break any component, they will replace it for free as long as I own the Jeep. Can't beat that.

 

[redrooster]

E) Leave the stock suspension and sawzall the fenders.

 

[GaryMB]

F) King coil-overs with 4-link...or maybe SOA?

JK, but yeah, it's worth it to save up your $ and get a quality lift like BDS or RE, it really is.

 

[jeep_n_sam]

85CJ
SUA

1995 - 1996 Rancho 2" Lift w/ RS5000 (Daily Driver)

Rough ride on the rough and stiff on the trail.
RS5000's are junk. (good for slow rocks but suck when you
race across the dunes after the rock crawling)
STATUS = Sold them all.

1996 - 1999 Superlift 2" w/ Superlift Shocks (Daily Driver)

Soft on the road and OK on the trail
STATUS=Sold so I can go higher.

1999 - SkyJacker 4" Soft Rides w/ Nitro Shocks Rear and Doetsch Tech 8000 Pre-Runner Front (Daily Driver)

Very soft on and off-road.
Add-a-leaf for a little more hight and stability for daily driving.
Even with the change, it still flexed on the trail.

2004 - No longer daily driver but I didn't change anything.
Very happy with SkyJacker Softrides.

> I'm looking to make this truck my daily driver and make it setup for off-roading when the mood strikes me.

I suggest to save a few more $$$ and get a higher quality lift the first time.
If it's too loose on road, you can always add-a-leaf later. Whatever you decide,
get the greaseable spring bolts.

jeepnsam

 

[TwistedCU]

Rubicon Express probably is one of the best combinations for price and quality. I never bought one, but the Jeep I have now has their 2.5" standard duty kit. I like it.

BDS is excellent. I can attest. Had their 3.5" kit on a '92 YJ and it excelled on and off road. IF I were looking to get a kit that height I would buy them again.

 

[nica89yj]

G) try a rustys lift, affordable and its great overall.