seed

my rear end is a little lower than i would like,the po used blocks(i know,i know) and kept the stock leaves i would like to get it no more than 1" higher whats the cheapest easiest way,shackles? i'd rather just leave the blocks in for now if possible

JakeWI

that what i would do. cheapest and easiest way i can think of. how tall is your lift? because if i were you and were already messing with the rear suspension, you might as well take those damn blocks out and just do the shackles like you might do anyway. it wouldnt take that much longer to take them out and you are already messing around. but yeah, i would do shackles.

JakeWI

o sorry, i saw your signature after i posted that last comment. i see that you have roughly a 3 in" lift

muddeprived

http://www.roughcountry.com/jeep_xj_shackles.html

or contact Dirk at www.dpgoffroad.com and ask for the OME add a leaf. It's not as stiff as most brand AAL's and nets you 1" or 1.5" depending on your springs. I got a pair of these for $71 shipped last year.

Another option, and a little more $$ but wiser choice, would be quadratec's HD oem leafsprings. THey are known to give 2" of lift and if you don't aquire that amount, you can use one of your stock leafs and stick them in the pack for additional lift.

JakeWI

i wouldnt recommend AAL's. im sorry but i hate them. especially with already saggy springs. i hate them as much as i dont like blocks. but,

yeah full leafs would be the best way. more money, but then its done.

otherwise, Rough Country's shackles are really nice like Mud mentioned.

muddeprived

Neither do I. I had two name brand AAL's before and they SUCKED like a hoover. I spoke with dirk one day and he said i wouldn't be sorry with the Old Man Emu AAL's so i gave them a try. I added them to my existing OME spring pack and the ride quality didn't change. I netted 1.5" from it and they rode like they didnt even have AAL. This is the only AAL i would recommend to anyone interested in this kinda of lift/support. The OME AAL isn't as thick as the other brands, it's almost like your 2nd leaf of the original spring pack but arched a bit more for lift.

TrueBlueXJ

Cheapest route would be shackles, but the blocks have probably already started a negative arch in your springs, so even if the shackles prop you up a bit, the more you ride on those soft OEM springs, the more they'll sag. BEST way? New spring packs.

muddeprived

Fixed it for ya

TrueBlueXJ

Well that's what I meant. New spring packs ONLY... and a shackle if you need it.

Thanks Mud.

seed

yea i knew it...ditch the blocks!...i'll probably just do the shackles for the mean time till though,thanks guys.....btw ho do blocks put negative arch on leaves? they have the same footprint as stock perches and theres not any extra weight on them?....just curious

seed

also just out of curiousity,what is the height difference between you guys front and rears? from ground to bottom of flair mines roughly 1 1/2 higher in the front...should i just leave like that?i guess it's depends on personal preference

TrueBlueXJ

Not that the blocks are CREATING the negative arch, but they aren't helping. OEM springs are designed to obtain a negative arch quicker than HD springs, and even though they claim not to retain some of that negative arch, they most certainly do. HD springs will obtain a negative arch, but under more extreme loads/pressure, and will retain their positive arch for a much longer period of time. Blocks and shackles give you lift, but the negative arch of your OEM springs will continue to soften them over time, causing them to sag under loads that they happily sustained months before. Basically, if you want your rear suspension to hold up to the added weight of bumpers/skids, etc. and the payload exerted in off-road conditions - new, heavy duty, full spring packs are the only way to go.

TrueBlueXJ

Notice the body lines of your Cherokee, most specifically the flare below the door handles. Now notice the fender flares in relation to that body line - the front fender sits higher than the rear fender by design, sometimes creating the illusion that your rear is lower than the front. Match that body line with the angle of your rockers and how parallel they are to the ground. Not saying your rear isn't sagging, because it probably is, but fender height isn't the perfect way to measure.

seed

duh..i totally new that i don't know why i measured to the flare,i'll re-measure

TrueBlueXJ

Measuring from the wheel hub (center cap) to your flares, at STOCK HEIGHT, you should get 17.5" front, 17" rear. So if you've got roughly 3" of lift, you should get a measurment of 20.5" front, and 20" rear. The difference should be approximatly .5". Anything over that will tell you how much your rear is sagging.