Need to know the best lift kit for On and Off road use.

[93acaciayj]

I am ready to buy my first lift kit. I know I want at least a three inch lift but I don't know what kind to get. My jeep is on the road as much as it's off road. If some one could give me some ideas on a good riding lift that flexs out well please let me know. thanks Nic

 

[cali_92]

My suggestion is do not get rc 4" spring lift. Besides it being fairly easy to install; the springs are extremely stiff making it bumpier then stocK not that i was expecting it to b smooth But when going over bumps it's a hard jolt through the whole jeep the shocks don't do anything. Just tryin to help. Speed a lil more then u want to. U get what you spy for.

 

[Jason4x4]

I would suggest Rubicon Express. They make great quality stuff. I've also heard a lot of good things about Rough Country and in fact I have a lot of RC stuff on my Jeep but I haven't had a chance to wheel it yet since I got everything put together over Thanksgiving week so I can't really comment on performance.

You could go a couple of ways with this - if you don't get off road a whole lot and you just want to clear bigger tires you could get a 2" budget lift (basically just spring spacers and longer shocks) for about $250 or so. That'll clear 32" tires with minimal rubbing (mainly just on your swaybar with the steering wheel at full lock, but this can be cured with either wheel spacers or aftermarket wheels with the right offset) and your ride will be just like stock. I ran this setup for 3 years and it performed remarkably well off road. And if you want to clear 33" tires you can add a 1" body lift to that. This is going to be your most economical option.

If you want to spend some more coin you can pick up a Rubicon Express 3.5" Superflex kit with adjustable control arms and all that. It'll be quite a bit more expensive but you'll get better flex out of something like that. Going over 2" in suspenion lift is going to require some drivetrain mods (either a transfer case drop or slip yoke eliminator kit with new driveshaft), but if you go offroad quite a bit it will be worth the trouble. I would recommend that you avoid "economy" lifts of more than 2" because they omit some parts that you may not need to get the Jeep on the road, but will cost you eventually (like when you shear off control arm mounts because they're too short and you flex it too hard).

 

[Jason4x4]

My suggestion is do not get rc 4" spring lift. Besides it being fairly easy to install; the springs are extremely stiff making it bumpier then stocK not that i was expecting it to b smooth But when going over bumps it's a hard jolt through the whole jeep the shocks don't do anything. Just tryin to help. Speed a lil more then u want to. U get what you spy for.

Funny. In an impulsive moment I bought a Skyjacker 4" economy spring lift. I realized before I installed anything that this was a mistake and basically ended up *******izing the kit, keeping really only the springs and shocks (and rear swaybar links) and replacing everything else with RC components (X flex control arms, etc). I am amazed at how good the ride is. That's not to say that it's great (it is a lifted Wrangler, after all) but I don't think it's really any worse than stock.

 

[93acaciayj]

I have been looking at either the 4" Rough Country lift or a 3.5" Black Diamond lift. I do more mudding and just cruising down dirt roads and some trial riding (Hopefully more when spring comes). The stock springs and shocks on my jeep are toast, no give in them at all, so even a rough riding lift would be better than what I have.

 

[jps4jeep]

Question sort of, since you are asking for lift advise, I assume you are just starting out with wheeling (or less than a year experience)

If it were me and I had to go back and do it all over again, I would put in a 1.5" lift spring with a 1" stretch front and rear. High Line hood and some generous trimming in the rear and fit some 35's. wheel that till my skills out last the axles, maybe perform some inexpensive upgrades (tj shafts and locker on front, 8.8 or d44 rear with locker) wheel it again for a couple years and then go SOA with 1 tons and run some 42" tires.

fairly inexpensive, far more stable, will have great, if not near stock on road manners and ride quality.

 

[cali_92]

Funny. In an impulsive moment I bought a Skyjacker 4" economy spring lift. I realized before I installed anything that this was a mistake and basically ended up *******izing the kit, keeping really only the springs and shocks (and rear swaybar links) and replacing everything else with RC components (X flex control arms, etc). I am amazed at how good the ride is. That's not to say that it's great (it is a lifted Wrangler, after all) but I don't think it's really any worse than stock.

the main reason for saying my SUGGESTION is not to get RC is because of the springs and shocks. ur stating that u have skyjacker springs and shocks whick i believe would have more flex in them. i got what i paid for. i couldnt wait to lift my jeep so i, like you, impulsively bought the kit i could afford at the moment. i think i would have gone another way. for example a SOA but my stock springs and shocks were toast as well. which kept my from this. and the lowest lift i could get is about 5", 5.5" the spring and the teeth just dont look the best to me.