Ethan94

any specific reason why you'd advice against it?

LACK

Makes the ride very stiff and it doesnt perform nearly as well as a full leaf pack.

NewKindOfClown

And will wear out quickly, and then you'll spend the money on full leaf packs later instead of doing it the first time

SevenSlotSociety

Hey guys new to the forum so sorry if I'm asking a question that I'm sure has already been asked but I'm currently running a 3 inch trail master add a leaf kit on my 97 XJ with 31x10.5 procomp MT2 tires on 15x8 steelies and I wanna go bigger on the tires eventually to 33s. The only problem I'm seeing is obviously trying to fit these monster tires on my cheap 3 inch kit. I know I will have to trim a bunch and bumpstop but I'm just wondering if it's do able. I won't need much flex since I live in Florida and all there is here is mud and sand. Thanks

Battle

If I were you, I'd find some cheap used 33s on craigslist and just put them on. You can trim later once you realize how bad your clearance issues will be, but they won't be THAT bad.

I use to wheel with the CherokeeForum goons in Florida. 88whitecommanche had a 98 with 3" of lift and 33s. He did a slight fender trim (I'm pretty sure stock bumpstops) and just dealt with it. We called it workhorse because it always ended up pulling people out of mud holes.


Compression issues:

Pigeon

1998 XJ, 4.0, AW4, 231, SUNROOF!

I'm getting everything ready for a 3 inch lift. I'm doing a Zone 3 inch with full leafs. I'm currently running factory wheels (15 x 7 alloy) with 235/75/15's. I want to run these tires for a while before upgrading, as they still have a lot of tread. I will eventually go to a 31 or 32 inch tire and change gear ratios as well.

Zone recommends using wheels with 3.5-4" backspacing for this lift. I believe my factory wheels are around 5.25".

Will using my wheels with this lift cause any issues?

NewKindOfClown

No, they make that recommendation because people generally step up to larger diameter tires with the lift. If you don't rub now, you won't rub with the lift kit installed.

I would plan to get some 15x8 wheels with 3.5-4" BS at the same time that you install larger tires, but you'll be fine with what you have right now.

I also suspect you won't feel a need to regear with 31s, but that's subjective. You certainly won't have to do it immediately, but you may decide you want to after they're on there.

Pigeon

I probably will get new steel wheels when I do the tire upgrade.

I'm undecided about regearing, and will definitely try the bigger tires without it first.

nardey11

Getting a 3 inch lift, don't want mud terrains. Any recommendations of decent/aggressive looking all terrain tires?

NewKindOfClown

Tires give you traction.
Different tires are designed for different types of terrain.
What surfaces do you drive on?

nardey11

Paved roads, sand and the occasional wet dirt trail. Nothing crazy.

salad

I see you're in New York, so you deal with snow and freezing rain, too.

Check out Goodyear Duratracs.

nardey11

Those look great, can I use a 16 inch wheel with a 3 inch lift?

EDIT: Never mind I found ones that fit on a 15.

SevenSlotSociety

Thanks chief I appreciate it

NewKindOfClown

I've been thinking, and we know how dangerous that can be...

So there's the normal two-joint shaft that the rear driveshaft uses:


And there's the CV shaft that the front driveshaft uses:


And there's the Broken Back (aka W) configuration:


The W configuration operates just like the traditional two-joint Z configuration. As long as the u-joint angles correspond, they operate in phase and cancel out the angular momentum. This is very rare in our hobby, but it's common in heavy equipment, marine, and hot rod applications.

But regarding the CV driveshaft that we install along with an SYE...
Is there a reason why the double cardan joint needs to be on the transfer case side? In theory, could it be attached to the axle's pinion yoke with a standard u-joint at the TC output? Assume all angles are correct in both scenarios and oiling the pinion is not an issue.