volaticus

Hey all,

I have a 97 Sport that has 287k miles on it. I'm taking it on a cross country move next month so I'm trying to get it in the best shape possible. I have stock suspension, trimmed fenders, and 31" BFGs. I've noticed that when there's a lot of weight in the back of the Jeep or on the hitch it will bottom out on bumps and sound like the rear tires are rubbing something. It's difficult to check exactly what's rubbing, however, since it only happens hitting a bump at moderate speed. I want to fix it, but I'm not sure if the problem is the sagging leafs or if even brand new ones would have this issue with 31s. Should I replace the leafs with new OEM ones or do I need a lift to prevent this?

Thanks!
Matt

http://m.imgur.com/a/iF3xv

IJM

Are they the original springs? If so, they're probably shot after 19 years.

LilWarWagon

At 230k my rear leafs were starting to arch in the wrong direction, if yours have not been replaced, it's probably time. I found that buying a complete rough country 4.5" suspension systems wasn't outragous, handles well on the trail and street, fits my 33x12.5's very comfortably. An option if your on a budget like I am, and want to upgrade, sounds like now is the time.

JeremyXJ

Definitely sounds like saggy springs. A lot of companies just sell stock or slightly lifted leaf spring packs for reasonable prices.

BlueRidgeMark

Just look at the pictures, folks. Those springs are SHOT.

Time for new ones.

g1teg

I also have 31" BFG's on my XJ. 1999.

I had been using a spring saver/helper
https://www.amazon.ca/Superior-11-10...=1&*entries*=0

This gave me back about an inch of fender to work with, but it wasn't good enough. They were really easy to install though and the ride was nice. Recommend for a short term fix.

Afterwards, I did my own bastard pack from a blazer. Worked really well and I got about 2.5" over stock. Really happy with the ride etc.

BlueRidgeMark

Agreed. Short term. Good choice for some situations.

g1teg

Yeah, I dont think anyone who uses those is going to be happy with it for long. They were sagging from my use after only a few months.

BlueRidgeMark

Yeah, I have them on mine now because I needed to buy some time. They are about done, but for the price, they did what I needed.

volaticus

Thanks for all the help everyone! So it sounds like either getting a lift or just getting new springs should correct the problem?

Did you buy your kit directly through Rough Country or were you able to get a deal on it elsewhere? I priced out their 3" kits and I know that $600 is an outstanding price for a full lift, but I'm trying to weigh that vs just getting a pair of new OEM leafs for much cheaper.

Do you have any companies in particular that offer good deals on them? I'd definitely be interested in pricing some out. I saw someone post a link to ones that were $90 per spring. Is that about as cheap as it gets?

Thanks again for all the help on this.
Matt

JeremyXJ

Just do a Google search. Every single lift manufacturer will sell the leaf packs separately. Check Amazon, Quadratec, and any other Jeep parts seller. Unfortunately, they do tend to run about a hundred bucks each.

Fred/N0AZZ

Look at Rustys Off Road at his 3" lift full leaf/coil/shock/hardware package all made in NA and the leafs and coils are high quality not like the RC kits and a better price without the unneeded crap.


You will need an adj. track bar with any of the 3" lifts possibly a TC drop kit as well just have to wait and see but they are cheap.

volaticus

Yeah I was actually researching that one and the Rough Country one yesterday. It seems like there is a divisive split between Rusty's supporters and RC supporters. I kept seeing that "RC leafs are too short," but I didn't really know what that meant, and a lot of the information that was popping up was 6+ years old. Have there been any huge changes in the kits or performance in recent years? I'm honestly more tempted to go with RC due to Rusty's outrageous shipping prices, but if you think Rusty's is substantially better I might reconsider. I just want something that doesn't shake me to death and won't sag. Not looking for max crawling performance or anything.

Matt

westran2002

Like a lot of things in life it's all down to opinion. I was never a fan of RC, I had read all the reviews about the poor quality and horrible customer service not to mention that they don't stand behind their warranty. I was looking at lift kits and actually found the Zone off-road was really good kit and very affordable. Anyway I actually sold the jeep I was looking to lift and got a deal I couldnt refuse on a 99 xj. Well u guessed it, it has a RC 4.5" lift on. Before this I would never have purchased a RC lift after everything I had read and heard but being that this one came with it I wasn't going to drop money that wasn't needed swapping it out. I'm actually super surprised. It looks great, the ride isn't caddy smooth but nowhere near as bad as I had heard and performs very well. So after driving it as my DD for a little while now and off-roading a couple times I have nothing bad to say about RC. For the price I have to say I'm very satisfied. So again it's all down to opinion.

SatiricalHen

If you're planning on moving and using your jeep in the move, I wouldn't suggest lifting. Think about the increased drag from sticking the box higher up. You already trimmed for 31" tires on stock suspension so it will look funny with 3" and 31s. If I were you I would just get stock replacement springs. Almost any lift kit you get wont be complete. Very few come with extended brake lines, track bars, and control arms. I wouldn't recommend a tcase drop because it can mess a lot up (don't know if it's related, but after mine having a tcase drop my engine and trans mounts were ruined, the rms started leaking, the trans dipstick was pushed into the firewall, and it was the first thing I drug offroad.) replaced my tcase drop with an sye. My 3" rough country lift sucks, the springs are too short so there isn't any flex (the shackles are vertical) I had to buy shackle relocators. The bushings are worn out, and the leafs are flat already. I'd go with hd stock packs or a non-cheap lift.