Hello and help!

Lionandpsalter

New Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2010
Location
Reidsville
Hey everyone,

I'm very new to offroading and Jeeping, and new to alot of terminology and overall car mechanics.... I've got a 94 xj and have my sights set on this 4" lift for the near future. If I were to include the option with the sye and driveshaft update what else would I need to update on my rig other than brakelines?

I plan on hitting the scrapyard this weekend and scouting for some things such as a zj tie rod, roof rails, and maybe a front or rear bumper (I have the Country's "chrome" bumpers and would much rather have black bumpers and a black grill). do you have any suggestions of other things that might be worth searching for?

Thanks,
Phillip
 
You do not "need" a SYE for anything under 6.5" of lift, and I'd recommend buying a kit that includes lower control arms.. the stock arms are crap when off roading! I'd suggest a Rusty's offroad or Rough Country 4.5" lift kit because you'll get control arms and be able to fit a 32inch tire. And also extended brakelines are not a necessity either like the SYE.
 
the Rusty's certainly seems to be worth the extra money and doesn't seem to be too far out of the question. I'd love to be able to get the RE or even the rough country but I'm not comfortable, nor is my wallet at this time, with going over $1000 for my first lift (although I know I'm going to hit that mark sooner rather than later with new wheels/tires along with a lift ha plus cosmetic updates.... they weren't lying about Just Empty Every Pocket!).
The Rusty lift definitely doesn't look like it compromise effectiveness for the price difference between itself and the RE or RC 4.5 lift either... thanks for the input, I have a new goal!

however with shipping the two kits are priced about 30 dollars apart (with leaf and shackle and rubber end control arms on the Rustys)..... I'm still stuck between the two...... what are some of the pros and cons for each?
 
Call up Brandon at Rides in Conover..it is a bit of a drive for ya, but
1) He can almost definitely get you a better price on either than what you are thinking right now.
2) He has experience with many different lifts and can offer some great insight.
3) if nothing else your rig will become a little more badass just from being around his shop...it just wears off that way.
 
Looks to be about an hour and a half away, which just gives me an excuse to get on the road! a better deal is ALWAYS good especially for a senior in high school who is unsuccessfully job searching!
 
Does anyone know what kind of prices and services are offered at the big 4x4 place up in Boone? I can't recall their exact name...
 
Welcome to the forum! You've gotten some great advice on the lifts already. Have you considered painting your bumper and grill? I spray bombed my Laredo grill and it came out looking great. I hit it with some 120 grit to scuff it up some and then through two coats of flat black on it. Should work on the bumper as well.
 
cltdba said:
Welcome to the forum! You've gotten some great advice on the lifts already. Have you considered painting your bumper and grill? I spray bombed my Laredo grill and it came out looking great. I hit it with some 120 grit to scuff it up some and then through two coats of flat black on it. Should work on the bumper as well.
Click to expand...

X2 did my Laredo also. although i used 320 grit, and a red scotch brite and bedlined mine
 
when i first started looking for xj lifts i thought rusty's was the best from their advertising but was proven wrong.

i went with Rubicon Express. i did the 3.5" lift which was enough to clear 31s no problem. get that then add a one inch spacer in the front and a shakle in the back and bam.....except with 4.5" an adjustable control arm would be a good idea.

i am a senior in high school aswell and am on a budget myself. so a huge lift sounds like a good idea but three inches of suspension on an xj can go a long way. remember that

ps i have seen an xj squeeze in 37s on two inches of lift....
 
so the 3.5" (is it the SuperFlex-add-a-leaf?) is on your rig thats in your build page, the 93 laredo? Thats a pretty fine looking lift.....
would it be possible to go with something like that, or even a RC 3" and get another 2 or so inches off an s-10 bastard pack and shackles or something?

ALSO: what are some more popular places to wheel in our area? I've been restricted to friends' farms and such since I'm going light on my stock setup and am completely new to offroading.....

EDIT: and yes, I'm planning on spraying my grill this week if I get around to it! I'll probably end up buying a good condition junker bumper thats already black if its relatively cheap... theres just something about a black grill and bumper on an xj that really pushes the envelope.... I love it ha!
 
Ive got the RC 4.5 lift on mine and for the price I got it for I cant complain. Now I dont bash mine to hard off road but I can get up a 20in wall with 1 tire and the rest flat. Not bragging but ride quality on a DD Id deff buy the RC lift again. add that flex with sway bar disconects and a little longer brake line up front and I truly cant complain.
 
Lionandpsalter said:
ALSO: what are some more popular places to wheel in our area? I've been restricted to friends' farms and such since I'm going light on my stock setup and am completely new to offroading.....
Click to expand...
You can do URE or Callalantee in a stock'er if you wheel with some sense. If your interested contact ord.sgt.NC26 on here and go to Callalantee next weekend, there is a thread under upcoming events. He runs a stock M38 up there with no problems, and I think there will be some other stock or close to stock there with him too.

Fwiw, RE is the way to go even if you have to wait a little longer to afford the lift. I've wheeled with a guy on a xj with the LA up front and what he can do is crazy for an otherwise stock jeep.
 
It seems that the more I research my eyes keep being drawn to the Rough Country 4.5" X-series lift.... for the amount of money it seems like a very complete, durable, and efficient kit. includes: full leafs, upper+lower adjustable control arms, brake lines, adjustable track bar, coils, shocks, and sway bar disconnects all for a pretty modest price.....
I think I'd be a bit more comfortable with this than getting a 3.5 and adding shackles and spacers and such..... my only worry is the fact that this is clearly my only vehicle and I'm not sure how badly a 4.5" lift will affect things like: highway vibration (vibes period) (I'm on the highway quite frequently....), gas mileage (gas prices aren't the friendliest of things...), steering (I'm quite fond of the responsive and very light steering and turning capabilities of my stock jeep, will it be a drastic difference due to the xj's overall increased chunkiness?), etc.
one more thing: what kind of paint did you use on your bumper/grill after sanding?
 
I went with the RE 3.5" super flex kit on my wife's XJ, and I am very happy with it. It says 3.5" but I got closer to 4" to 4.5" worth of lift out of it. The ride is better than stock now I think. Also, got an adjustable track bars to center up the front axle after the lift. I think any lift tends to shift the front axle on the XJ's.:shaking: The steering is tight and once the rear leafs get broke in it is pretty good on the highway. Just my two pennies.
Also, Krylon fusion for the grill.
 
thanks for all the great input everyone, such a welcoming atmosphere!
I believe I've made my mind up regarding which lift kit to shoot towards with the RC 4.5 x series, now all I have to do is keep saving and job searching.....
I've picked up a can of flat black krylon as well, I'll have to get to sanding so I can paint early this coming week!
 
New question: I've been considering long arms after that lift due to how rough I've heard the ride is and I've been told that a cheaper alternative to company long arms would be control arm drop brackets. Does anyone have any input on that? it seems to just be a classic case of quality VS price..... how expensive would a fabed set of long arms cost generally?
 
Just to point out the obvious, if you put a CA drop down then it will be more likely to come into contact with trail obstacles, not that it will but it's possible. A full on LA lift would be a better choice. Don't choose a lift because it is the most complete for the money, it's better to wait, save and get what you really want. I did a complete lift the first time and I had to replace the whole thing. The lift I have now I will remove at some point because I want a lower center of gravity. My suggestion to you would be run as little lift as you can and get someone on here to help you cut your fenders. I helped a guy do his and after a little trimming and a 2" space and shackle lift he was running 33's on his XJ. Regrettably, he wheeled it once and never finished it but that's another story. Do some research into trimming your fenders, the benefits far outweigh the effort, more stable on and off road, can always go bigger later if needed, saves money up front, keeps stock steering geometry and handling, etc.

BTW, what size tires are you wanting to run? I didn't see that when I skimmed the thread again.

The ride at 4-4.5" can be rough, but doesn't have to be, depending on a couple of things. Tires, first item that absorbs shock, make a HUGE difference in the ride, ca mouting material, shocks and spring stiffness.

When I swithed from BFG AT's to Maxxis Bighorns the ride improved dramatically. The BFG's were very stiff and gave very little so bumps, potholes, etc were rough. The Maxxis took care of that since they are a little softer

The material used at the CA ends can make a difference. If you have hard mounts at both ends it transfers everything to the unibody. If you have poly, or some other "soft" material, bushings at one or both ends then they help to absorb and isolate the vehicle from the road as well.

Shock absorbers are just that, if you get good ones they will do a good job absorbing shock from the road/trail. Cheap or inferior shocks will do a poor or inferior job handling road/trail impacts.

If you have stiff springs you should get better handling but a harsher ride, soft springs you get mushy handeling but a softer ride. This is something that is about impossible to figure out until you put the springs in your rig and drive it so it requires a lot of faith in word of mouth.

My .02
 
Rox&Mud said:
Just to point out the obvious, if you put a CA drop down then it will be more likely to come into contact with trail obstacles, not that it will but it's possible. A full on LA lift would be a better choice. Don't choose a lift because it is the most complete for the money, it's better to wait, save and get what you really want. I did a complete lift the first time and I had to replace the whole thing. The lift I have now I will remove at some point because I want a lower center of gravity. My suggestion to you would be run as little lift as you can and get someone on here to help you cut your fenders. I helped a guy do his and after a little trimming and a 2" space and shackle lift he was running 33's on his XJ. Regrettably, he wheeled it once and never finished it but that's another story. Do some research into trimming your fenders, the benefits far outweigh the effort, more stable on and off road, can always go bigger later if needed, saves money up front, keeps stock steering geometry and handling, etc.

BTW, what size tires are you wanting to run? I didn't see that when I skimmed the thread again.

The ride at 4-4.5" can be rough, but doesn't have to be, depending on a couple of things. Tires, first item that absorbs shock, make a HUGE difference in the ride, ca mouting material, shocks and spring stiffness.

When I swithed from BFG AT's to Maxxis Bighorns the ride improved dramatically. The BFG's were very stiff and gave very little so bumps, potholes, etc were rough. The Maxxis took care of that since they are a little softer

The material used at the CA ends can make a difference. If you have hard mounts at both ends it transfers everything to the unibody. If you have poly, or some other "soft" material, bushings at one or both ends then they help to absorb and isolate the vehicle from the road as well.

Shock absorbers are just that, if you get good ones they will do a good job absorbing shock from the road/trail. Cheap or inferior shocks will do a poor or inferior job handling road/trail impacts.

If you have stiff springs you should get better handling but a harsher ride, soft springs you get mushy handeling but a softer ride. This is something that is about impossible to figure out until you put the springs in your rig and drive it so it requires a lot of faith in word of mouth.

My .02
Click to expand...

x2 i did a lot of research before i bought anything. remember traction can overcome suspension height
 
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