4x4tirechirp

X2

RE has excellent customer service when my friend worked with them (that is what he said I have no way from my experience to prove that)

LazersGoPEWPEW

So if I wanted to go for a lift for 3inches would I be fine choosing the RC since I don't really need brake line extensions etc etc. How bad are these shocks?

bigbadxj

I don't mean to seem as if I'm angry just tired of people with the RE kits thinking that just because they spent 2X the money that thier stuff is better than all others especially RC cause of how cheap they are. Once again RE parts are of good quality but for the price it's not like they are made of 1/2" Chromoly or something. I listed the parts to prove to the quated poster that he didn't even which company used which types of lifting parts and to so what you get for what you pay. I will end this for by saying if you want to RE ,RC, Rusty's don't do it because some pompous jerk tells that the quality is better because it costs more.

whowey

I removed what I had posted here because I didnt like my attitude in what I wrote.

89eliminator

i like RE because of the quality. Not saying RC is junk, but the parts and fit/finish of RE products is really nice.

96 XJ Sport

I hear ya. To be fair, though, he didn't say it is better because it costs more. He just had a very blunt way of saying that he thought the quality is better. Just giving him the benefit of the doubt... I'm taking all opinions into consideration, especially ones like yours and whowey's who have used both.

I didn't get to see what you posted, but that's respectable

Have you used RC parts, too?

okcjeeper

If all you want is 3" go with RC they make good stuff. There are only a couple lifts I think is junk and RC isn't one of them. I have a friend who runs superlift coils and procomp leafs and monotube shocks and his rides almost as good as my RE lift with twin tube shocks.

89eliminator

i have used RC disco's and AAL's.

smtippin

I too am pondering the 3-4.5" lift and although I have NO experience with the lifts, I have scoured the forums and the webpages for into and prices. What I have determined is that both are good lifts and depending on what you will be doing, the RC lift will likely work just fine and you'll never know you didn't spend a mint on the lift. Before we get to my opinion though (somthing you have been trying to avoid by asking for objective data), lets look at the offerings of each company.

The Rough Country Series II and full leaf packs costs $609.95 for:
3" lifted coil springs
lower control arms
sway-bar drop brackets
new rear springs
(4) Nitro 9000 series shocks
(http://roughcountry.com/jeep_xj_3x.html)

The Rubicon Express Super Ride kit with Full leaf packs costs $584.95 for:
swaybar disconnect adapters
sway bar end links
coil springs
leaf springs with bushings
SS rear brake line
U-Bolt kit
Lower control arms
(4) DT 3000 shocks
http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/rub...0s-p-4903.html

The Rubicon Express Super Flexkit with Full leaf packs costs $799.94 for:
GEN2 Sway bar disconnects
Coil springs
Bumpstops
Leaf Springs with bushings
spring clamp clip 2.5"
SS rear brake line
U-Bolt kit
Lower control arms
(4) monotube shocks
http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/rub...ocks-p-34.html

Now that we know what is in each kit and how much each kit costs, we have the foundation for discussion of the specific products. You see for the kits that RE offers, you get sway bar disconnects (much improved in the super-flex kit) and RC does not (just the drop brackets) offer these. The RE also provides a SS rear brake line and you will have to get your own with the RC kit ($15-30 for the JK part at any auto parts store and I'm not sure it is SS). The main weakness of all three of these kits, as I understand, is the shocks. As I understand it, the RC shocks and the DT3000s are pretty similar their quality is such that you'll likely want to upgrade before long. I'm not sure about the monotubes, but again this is all opinion based and not factually based. Per the forum, the favorite shocks regardless of hte lift you use is either OME or Bilsteins.

That being said, looking at the completeness of each kit, the lore about which is of better quality (as susceptible to fault as it is), and the over all price, I personally do not see a major benefit of the Rough Country Series II kit over the Rubicon Express 3.5" Super Ride as they are comparably priced (actuall shipping costs not factored into this evaluation). The only possible benefit of the RC kit is that it nets you less height and therefore may not produce as many vibes but remember that every XJ responds to lifts differently so there is no way to know if either of these kits would produce vibes (note: 97 and newer XJs tend to be more prone to vibes than the older model).

Again, the decision about lift, in my opinion, should be based primarily on the intended use of hte XJ. If you just want a lift to make it look cooler, get which ever one you want. If you want off-road capabilities, the additional articulation and sway bar disconnects in the RE super flex may be most appropriate.

s

Addendum: Please note that this mini-dissertation is based solely on research and NOT EXPERIENCE and is therefore fundamentally flawed, yet subject to less bias. Also, a previous poster noted that aftermarket products, like quick disconnects for the sway bars, may improve on these lifts for little additional financial investment, which may be an important factor to consider when determining which lift is for you. I intentionally did not incorporate this into my post here as it would take way too much space and I cannot comment on the ease of use, cost, durability, or any other factor in these additional products.

MY OPINION:
Personally, I think I am leaning more toward the RE super ride with upgraded shocks from 4x4 groupbuy.com (yet to consider shipping costs), but am trying to justify the super flex as I am interested in the articulation. A big seller for me is the additional height the RE gives (4.5" observed after installation by many). I hope to add heavy bumpers, rocker guards, rack, and more weight and I don't want to over burden the 3" lift on the RC (not sure if it will, but it makes sense that both will sag over time so starting with more height would minimize the impact of sag).

If anyone has actually read this far into my post, I would LOVE to see flex pics of both the RE Super Ride and RE Super Flex 3.5" lifts and measured if I could be so bold as this would really help me and likely others make a decision in their lifts. I also ask for corrections to my post as experience is often the best teacher and well...I have none.

98 JeepJeep

you wont touch a RE 6.5" lift for the money RC wants for theres...who cares if it doesnt come with longer brake lines? you could get BL and a SYE kit and still have money in the pocket. Im not exactly sure where everyone is geting that RC is poor fitting. I think they have put out way more kits than RE......I will be buying my kit from RC. No worries here...........

smtippin

You make a good point. I think the OP should decide how high he wants to go. The options and considerations involved in a 3.5" kit vs. a 6.5" are huge.

s

96 XJ Sport

I'm pretty much settled on 4.5". That is the ultimate height that I think I want to get to and I just want to do this once. I eventually want to run 33s with trimming, but 31s for now and have plenty of room to flex without trimming.

I did get through your dissertation and I appreciate it. I agree that the quality issue is the stuff of lore and we're not going to solve that one definitively. So let's talk price. I would even go as far as comparing the two RE 3.5" kits to the RC 4.5" since the REs apparently net 4.5". So that would be this one at $655.95 http://roughcountry.com/jeep_xj_4.html. The difference from the RC 3" is it adds a TC drop and sway bar end links instead of the sway bar drop brackets. I'm going to do a SYE either way at 4.5" on my 96, so that's a wash to me with either kit.

So the RC 4.5" is actually $70 more expensive than the RE 3.5" Super Ride and pretty comparable as far as which parts except that the RC has a TC drop and the RE has rear brake lines. Then the RE 3.5" Super Flex adds arguably better sway bar disconnects, better control arms, and better shocks for an extra $150 to $200. So the conclusion I'm reaching is that RE and RC kits are actually not that far apart in price when equipped with the same parts. To make the RC 4.5" match the parts in the RE 3.5" Super Flex would cost somewhere close to the $150-$200 price gap. So I don't get how RE is so "overpriced".

LazersGoPEWPEW

Here's a dumb question inbound.

What is an SYE? A search resulted in more threads with the acronym.

whowey

Slip-Yoke Eliminator. It replaces the slip-yoke end of your rear drive shaft with a fixed yoke type. When you get a good sized lift and start to flex, the slip yoke can slide completely off and drop the drive shaft out. They also lengthen the rear drive line a bit, so some people will use one to reduce the angle to help with vibrations.

macsXJ

I have owned and installed only RC components, 3" AAL, 3 " springs and the 4.5 Rock Kit with full Leafs. My only complaint about them are the Shocks. (1) I had a bad batch of bushings, (2) The shock quality is not the best, remember you get what you pay for, if you want plush riding shocks, pay more $$ to add them to the RC kit.

NOTE: About RC, I have called them about the bushings and within 3 days I had new bushings at my door. I like customer service, and when a company stands behind all the items they sell.

I have not ran or installed another company's products, I have just stayed with RC because I have not had issues with parts or products.

Bottem Line: If you want to spend the extra $$ for a name, to each there own.

My .02