I have a 3.5 tuff country lift and 31's on my 1989 xj and it rides real rough. I can feel every little bump in the road. Is there any way to make it ride smoother?

 

well is it the front or rear that is rough and what shocks are on the truck. post some pics as well please

 

It's probably the shocks. it's also a jeep so...I honestly don't know what you're expecting. If it's extremely rougher than usual but jeeps don't ride like my grandmothers town car. That thing's like a limo...

 

let some air out of the tires fast and quick

 

Which kit did you get. with or without Control Arms, fixed or adjustable CA, rear Blocks or Springs, what type of shocks? What tire pressure are you running?
At 3.5" it will ride a little rougher due to increase angle of Control Arms, longer than stock Control Arms will help some, better Shocks will help some. Going up 1" or more (4.5"+) and getting Control Arm drops or Long Arms will help alot.

 

it's a jeep it's not gonna ride like a Oldsmobile.

 

x2

 

I have the 3.5 tuff country lift on it. it has easy ride control arms, RMX Xtreme mono tube shocks. in the rear it is lifted with blocks.
Here are some pictures of the lift:
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/pictur...pictureid=5946
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/pictur...pictureid=5947

Could it ride rough because they are bad shocks?

 

yes the shocks could be a factor as being a lower end kit the supplied shocks wont be the best also those blocks with what im going to assume are stock leafs will also add to the roughness and likee said what tire pressure are you running as the factory suggested tire pressure will be more then you want for 31x?R15s

but also its a jeep it'll never run smooth when altered from stock ive got a 4.5" rough country with full packs and brand new bilstein5125s and granted it runs smoother with the 5125s then the original kits it still gets the comment from most....."jeez this is rough how can you drive this?"...... i never expected a smooth ride after lifting and even with the original kit i was never bothered much by its roughness

so you could run higher end shocks but dont expect much

my advice would be drop your tire pressure a bit....get some tire chalk and run a line from side to side across the tread, take a run around the block and check the lines.....middle worn off and your over inflated,outter edges worn off and your under inflated the point is to get an even wear on the chalk.......this is how we set pressures at my old tire shop when going up tire sizes and its how i set my 32X11.5R15 m/t and im goin on 3yrs with majority hwy use and a nice even wear and ill be goin with new tires next season

also how old is this lift? it will smooth out a bit after it gets settled in

 

Its simple with a lifted XJ/ZJ/TJ/MJ... Since you have changed the angle of the control arms, more shock is transmitted through to the body than when they were stock and nearly level, allowing the springs and shocks to absorb more of that same energy...

Let some air out of your tires, or get some softer shocks.

 

some bilstines would help but on a lifted xj with short arms a lot of the ride is transmitted through the body instead of the suspension because of the control arm angle. a control arm drop and full leaf pack rear

 

I had it put on about 2 years ago. It has always been rough but i haven't driven it in a while so i noticed it a lot more. Just seemed like it shouldn't ride that rough.

What tire pressure should i be running while using it as a DD? with 31xR15s

 

mine rides great

 

like i said run a chalk line across the tread as i cant say offhand what pressure would work

 

My empty load tire pressure is 28psi front and 30 psi rear with 31x10.50 15' BFG A/T's. Some tires also ride harsher than others.

Some quality gas shocks will help. Lift blocks are hard on the springs.

Good Luck