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Pros an cons of a 4.5in lift?

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Old 08-27-2010, 07:50 PM
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Default Pros an cons of a 4.5in lift?

I currently am riding on 2 inch blocks. The rear leafs are shot. Time for a real lift. So i was looking into a Rusty's Offroad lift. First off i wanted to know what people's opion are of Rusty's lifts. Then the cons, MPG differences. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks guys.
Old 08-27-2010, 09:04 PM
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The cons of a 4.5 inch lift. 1st. Price can be high after you add up the cost of the slip yolk eliminator, and a cv drive shaft. 2nd. You want to make sure you get the rear leaf springs not the add a leafs. That makes it fairly expensive. Rusty's is OK I guess some hate them, some love them, I guess that's how it goes. Mileage is going to be almost no different until you change to larger tires.
I plan on going with a OME 3 inch lift, just buying the springs and then going with Iron man control arms. Everyone that has had Old Man Emu says they are the best and with 3 inches I will not need to buy the sye and cv drive shaft which will save me maybe 5oo dollars, plus if I want to do more lift later, I can add a 1.5 inch coil spacer in the front, and a 1.5 inch lifted shackle in the rear, and still be on better springs and the cost will be close to the same as Rustys.

Last edited by Rock Toy; 08-27-2010 at 09:08 PM.
Old 08-27-2010, 09:13 PM
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First off anything is better than your blocks concerning ride quality. I have a 4.5 lift from RC and love it, got it for $600 with control arm drop brackets. Haven't installed SYE or shaft yet but have not had problems since I installed the lift 2 years ago. No irregular shakes or rattles concerning the drivetrain. For MPG it really depends on tires your getting and if you plan on putting new gears on. If you put 33's on and 4.56 gears you can get around 18-20 on good days as I do. I say go for it buddy and get the 4.5" lift, only good things can happen upgrading. X2 on Rock Toys reply there is no other way to go than getting full leafs, AAL is a waste of money...
Old 08-27-2010, 09:20 PM
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i'd just get a 3" kit. with a 4.5 you'll need a kit with new control arms, track bar, brake lines, etc. plus u might need an SYE so thats even more money. what are you looking to get out of the lift? even if you are looking to fit 33s, if you trim enough you can fit them on a 3" lift, which even with a 4.5 you'll still have to trim.
Old 08-27-2010, 09:22 PM
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all cherokees are different some will get vibes with a 4.5 and t case drop some wont so you wont really know if you need the sye until you get the lift installed and drive it but its always nice to just factor it in your budget...and concerning the driveshaft you can use a stock front driveshaft from the junkyard it would save you some money!
Old 08-27-2010, 09:22 PM
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iv got a 3 inch rustys and it works great for what it is, lifts wont change mpg but a bigger tire will, go long arm if you can afford it
Old 08-27-2010, 10:24 PM
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Thanks a lot guys! it makes much more sense to go with the 3in, if you look at pics of my jeep now i already have the wheel wells cut out and fender flares. At the moment im running 32's so 33's will work fine with a 3in lift.
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