aircrewallan

hello all! well im a newb to this site! but not to XJ's. ive had 2 so far but neither were lifted, just hard running beasts. but im about to purchase a black 99' cherokee classic with 106K and totally stock and i dont want to keep it that way for long! but ive read all the threads i could find and looked at the Tires/Lift thread with was awesome! so im decided on the RE 3.5 or 4.5 and hopefully some goodyear MTR 32's. but basically i need some help on pricing, odds are im going to get it professionally done and i need to figure out how much cash im looking spending!? lift, install,tires- and also what kind of hidden stuff im not aware of like a must SYE, alignment and little stuff that comes up in the process. i have a 4x4 place in town and also a Les Swabb and i heard they do lifts! so which is better to get the install at? and should i order the stuff through them or to my house?...i know its alot to swallow but i need some help from the panel! so any info or direction would be helpful!!! thanks

XJ?2010

im in the exact situation i would go for the RE 3.5 cause it is possible you wont need a SYE. you can also fit 32's on a 3.5 lift if you trim your fenders. i have never installed a lift but people say you can do it in your driveway with the right tools and seeing that you have had 2 XJ's you know your way around them.

Good luck

aircrewallan

ya well its good to hear others are in the same boat! but still i dont want to start huge...even though 4.5 isnt huge but still-you know when people say you should go with the 1000cc motorcycle rather than the 600cc! its cuz your always going to want more! so i thought i might as well start with the 4.5! i just wanna know what kinda money am i planning on spending you know? i mean on most sites you can just add a SYE for like $4-500 so but should i go with the all new leafs or add a leaf? or get the 3.5'' for half the price and get 1'' spacers? advantages and disadvantages or both? anyone?

XJ?2010

well either way your eventually gonna want to go bigger but i choose 3.5 cause less problems lower center of gravity and for a dailey driver its plentty big plus gas prices ya know but yes get full spring packs and if you can get the super flex its a great value

00XJsport

more than likely you will need a SYE with a 3.5 my buddy has a 98 with a RE 3.5 and said the vibes were HORRIBLE

but then again every xj is different....right around 3-3.5 you start getting into SYE's and longer driveshafts etc...

and my local 4x4 shop priced me up on a RE SR 3.5" for $1,200 installed with shocks...(monotubes)

BLKXJ 96

3.5 Lift with shocks and full leaf packs......$800

4:10 gears D30 carrier...........................$500

31-10.50-R15 tires................................$700

Odds and ends......................................$200

The look on your face when yo see what your jeep will do








PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

okcjeeper

Just remember when you drive a 96 or newer XJ once you go beyond 2" of lift SYE or tcase drop is pretty much a must. I have yet to meet anyone with a newer XJ that didn't have to get one or the other.

00XJsport

thats true, well since the OP has a 99 he will more than likely be throwing a couple hundred bucks into a SYE...

best bang for your buck on SYE...hack n tap???

okcjeeper

Depends on your tcase..if ya got an NP231 then get a nice AA or something along those lines..If it's a 242 well hack-n-tap is your only option..

BLKXJ 96

IMO.... an SYE is a waist of money unless your running 4.5" of lift or more, reason being: At that height the stock drive shaft is too short and with the rear suspention at full droop, the rear drive shaft "could" pop out of the T-case. unless your running a longer YJ style slip yoke. Plus the drive line angle is steaper with a 4.5 lift.

With a 3.5" lift a 1" transfer case drop will correct drive line angle and most vibes up to 80mph on most vehicles, and price wise is a better way to go. if ther is still a vibration you can always add shims to the leaf springs or slightly longer shackles to give you more pinion angle.

UNCC_99XJ

True, but if you go ahead and do the SYE now....when you go bigger (notice I said when, not if ), you'll already have it done and it won't be a problem


IMO, I would go ahead and plan for the SYE now. As mentioned, it all depends on what transfercase you have as to what your options are. If you have a NP231 (no full time option) then you have several reasonable options. If you have the NP242 (with full time option), then you're really limited to about two, and only one of those is reasonable (price wise).

When I lifted my 99 to 3" I had vibes that I was able to correct for the most part with a 1" tcase drop. After about a year the vibes had worn out my u-joints and they needed to be replaced. In addition, my leaf springs (still running the stock ones at the time) had worn out and I was fighting some lovely axle wrap. When I ditched that lift for the Rubicon Express 3.5" lift, I REALLY had some vibes that only an SYE would cure. Since I have the NP242, I had almost no choice but to go with a Hack n' Tap, and I love it.....it's held up great for several months now.

aircrewallan

well first thanks for all the responses! its been very helpful so far! but im confused with whether to go with the AAL (is that for the Tcase angle???) or the SYE? i mean i found an SYE on rubiconexpress.com for $100 so should i do both or is that pointless? or what do i need for the Tcase drop if i just decide to do both the SYE (for later lifts) and the drop? also what is the differance between the RE super-ride and the super-flex except $250? i just want to go with 4.5 so what kinda buget lift or shims or blocks < i dont know, should i be looking at to get that additional 1" front and back? thanks again, its awesome having all this experiance to get the project rolling!

aircrewallan

and i also what to put this out there. im currently deployed overseas and the internet over here is limited so alot of my other sources and searches are blocked so basically once im back, in a few weeks ill use this thread as a referance to get my stuff on order!!!

UNCC_99XJ

AAL stands for Add A Leaf. Your options for lift in the rear are Add A Leaf, where it simply adds a leaf to each of your existing leaf packs, or full leafs, where you have two brand new leaf packs. A lot of people go the AAL method because it's cheaper....but I've always heard of people having issues with them down the road (sagging, messing up the leaf packs...etc). I would stick with full leafs if I were you.

As for the transfer case drop or SYE, it's really one or the other. A transfer case drop can eliminate the vibes for a good amount of people, and keep them from having to spend some extra cash on the SYE. While it's certainly cheaper (all they are are 1" spacers that go between the frame and the crossmember), the downside is your transfercase will sit an inch lower. While this might cure your vibes, it makes the transfer case more prone to damage off road, say from hitting rocks or other obstacles on the trail. If you go the SYE route, you should take off the transfercase drop as you won't need it, and you'll get that extra inch of clearance back. Axle shims are also used to help get the angles back to where they should be. Some use them in conjunction with a t-case drop, and some also use them in conjunction with an SYE (like myself).

The difference between the Super Ride and the Super Flex is that one has slightly stiffer leaf springs (I believe it's the Super Flex that's stiffer). I'm running the 3.5" Super Ride with full leafs on mine....just put it on this summer and I haven't found a thing that I don't like about it yet. Very solid lift for a very affordable price. Had it offroad this past weekend actually and was amazed at how well it flexed.

okcjeeper

Actually the difference between the SuperRide and Superflex is the LCA's (lower control arms) and the sway bar links. The superride kits LCA's has full rubber bushings front and back, the superflex's LCA's has a flex joint on the rear frame mount. Also the superflex kit comes with the gen 2 quick disconnects where as the superride comes with extened non-disco endlinks. Also the superflex comes with extended front bump stops..Other then that the leaf packs and coils are the exact same.