BigC9164

I am in the process of purchasing this jeep 2001 Jeep Cherokee
or one just like it. tow package(3.75 gears, lsd, ChyCo 8.25, AW4, np231)

I would like to go to 3.5 or 4.5 inches but would also like a little better highway ride and mileage and not have to deal with an sye or tcase drop..so i think i am going to stick with the 3" kit and possibly add spacers later.
this is the plan... 3" RC lift and some s-10 or Dakota leaf packs. and try to skate away with a pretty secure lift for under $500? And then get some 30" muds or 31" bfg km2s? probably mounted to the stock wheels.
would this be a good idea? if i would like to do some simple to heavy/moderate trail riding and later add an aussie locker up front to compliment the lsd in the back?
thanks for the advise and help in my 1500 dodge ram to XJ conversion!
never thought i would leave the truck word for a tiny jeep! but im hooked!

93gc40

Did the seller say it is LSD and 3.73 gears, because Tow package doesn't garranty it. Looks great by the way and price is not too far off. With any XJ after 1995, there is no garanty of not needing a TC drop or SYE with any lift, some need it with a 2"bb some can go up to 5". Sounds like you are going in the right direction, though. Good Luck!!

jmm0122

No tow hooks? How sad. Thought they came with the tow package.

07Negative

Congrats on leaving the truck world. Jeeps are a non-curable decease.
As for your lift ideals. If you go over 3" of lift without a doubt you need SYE.
If your doing light trail riding. I wouldn't even bother with a lift period.
What I did with my 2001 XJ is this. Detroit locker in the rear, BFG M/T, armor, quick disco's, good shocks, and recovery. end of story. That jeep was sick and very capable. I wasn't wheeling boulders and tree's. But when it came to over land, freeway, trails. It was killer. I eventually lifted to 3.5" and 31's. But I liked it better stock height.
personally I think 4.5" of lift with 32 or 33" tires is the best combo. Maybe do a long arm kit for ride quality.
Now I have a 1999 XJ. 4.5" of lift. 33" KMII's, which by the way has to be one of the best tires ever!
I would however say don't do a RC lift kit. I'd go with more of a quality kit. Though I have never put a RC kit on one of my own jeeps. But I've had friends do them. Great at first but suck in the long run.
Alot of cats will knock Rusty's lift kits or their shipping rates. But they are great lift kits for the money. T&T Customs makes what I think one of the best lifts. Rubicon Express is a dime a dozen and they don't even do their own fab work. It's out sourced and put together in a warehouse. Nothing special. And it's expensive. Better off with Rusty's. Rusty's also has killer customer service. Zack is freaking awesome.
But again. If your mainly doing light trails, some little mud holes, snow, that kinda stuff. Don't sweat a lift kit man. Do what I stated above. You'd really be amazed at what an XJ can do with just a lock and good tires.
Hell, you could go all out like the big lift guys and do the frame strengtheners, bumpers, winch, skids. You don't need a lift for all that.
There is more then one way to skin a cat to, right?
Hopefully that helps you a little.

BigC9164

i am not going to pay more than $3300 for it with that many miles. and on the test drive i did a 40ft dirt/dust burnout (not serious) but up a hill and left two marks...so i am guessing that it has the lsd with that and the tow package there is a good chance it has the upgraded gearing. and how good of a chance is there that i will need a tcase drop with this kind of a lift?
and overall will this give me a relatively good lift for only 3inches? as opposed to going with a lift that doesn't have the new control arms? i am guessing the angles on the rough country control arms will have a better ride then the factory ones? and will allow for a tad bit more flex?

BigC9164

well i like the looks of a lift though! haha. but i would like to not spend more than 500 bucks. and i would like to not get an sye because thats another 300, but i would do a tcase i guess and give up the ground clearance as long as i make a skid plate. but will the rc really be that bad? i dont see what could be bad about some springs and control arms? obviously the shocks wont be all that great but then again the rusys kit doesn't even include shocks! so that kit is almost more than Rubicon express?

jmm0122

You could get really really luck and not need a t-case drop or sye, but i doubt it. I have a 99 with 3.5" of lift and i needed a t-case drop and i still have vibes from 40-45. I would just go ahead and plan for one, if you dont need it then return it. You really wont know till you lift it.

BigC9164

so are the rough country control arms really going to give me a better ride then the stock ones?

07Negative

Rusty's kit comes with Rusty's designed shocks. They are made by this company I can't remember the name of.
Tcase doesn't always have to be dropped in a 3" range. That's a play it by ear kinda deal. A Rusty's 3" lift with spring pack is only 400 bux. That's rather cheap. However. I'd tell you to get the upper control arms as well. It doesn't come in the kit. But you might as well do it. You'll get good ride quality with a complete kit. I don't know about a piecing things together. Don't use stock control arms. Stock arms are horrible.
Take your time. I can understand if you like the look of a lift. We all do.
I'm just not sold on RC stuff. I'm sure it'll work fine. Just make every dollar count. Don't buy twice.
I didn't need a tcase drop on my 01 XJ when I did 3" of lift. I did the SYE and drive shafts though. Only b/c I knew it would be better.

BigC9164

well it seams to me to be worth it to get the RC kit due to the control arms as well as the best customer support out there!
is there anyone who has anything else to warn me about or to ask me or tell me? i want to know everything about it before i do this lift! seeing as how i am new to this kind of thing.

BigC9164

65 views and no comments...everyone must be watching the Lakers/Boston game too

Tural

hey that is one clean jeep. and in that condition 152k miles is nothing. here are some general warnings. the heads on 2000 and 2001 XJ's are prone to cracking, so at some point it would be a good idea to get a head from '92-'99 XJ.
before you put a liftkit on your rig. get to know it. this is very very important and it will save you a ton of money in the long run. KNOW YOUR RIG. inside and out.
let me explain why. there's a thing called "the inch-idis". Webster defines it as wanting more lift than what you already have .
when you get lift kit components, make sure to get some that will support an additional inch or so. because, your 3" lift kit migh set your at 3.5".
putting a liftkit on a daily driver will take a bit more than just springs and shocks.
here's how you can achieve a good result with your liftkit.
springs
full leafs
shocks
sway bar drop bracket
longer brake lines
lower control arms
sye
HD steering stabilizer
adjustable trackbar
steering gearbox brace
drop pitman arm
new tie rod ends
new bushings on everything up front
differential gear match.
new brake pads and shoes.
might need new axle u-joints.

these are the things you will eventually need. you don't have to have'em all at once, just plan on investing some money on your rig if you wanna keep it comfortable and reliable. a lot of people will tell you that you don't need half of these things, but when you get bigger and heavier tires put on your rig, your 10 year old steering components will wear down much faster. i'm actually sure that more things could be added to that list.