Green_96GCL

I just bought my first jeep (96 grand cherokee 5.2l) and took it to some trails this weekend and had a blast! its completely stock but it still did good. I am looking at adding a lift kit but i have no idea where to start. i am big into honda cars so this is a whole new field for me. i did some reading around and want to go to a 2-3'' lift. it is a daily driver so i needs to keep it reasonable and drivable on road. would a 3'' be to much? i want to keep it simple and not have to go crazy to make it all work.

so if someone could point me into good reliable brands of lifts at a good price, extra parts needed to make it work, stuff i should get with a lift kit...should i go with a smaller lift... any help would be appreciated. thanks!

Jordan1996 ZJ

ok so i got the same exact model and year, and i bought a 3.5 inch lift (spring swap) for $330 it was the cheapest I could find that worked with the AWD models. and let me just say you are more than likely gonna get death wobble, and possibley a broken front axle, so it can get expensive and frustrating, other than that the lift kit i bought was nice ironrockoffroad.com, nice stuff

OH and by the way a 2" lift isnt really worth the work

country_boy454

Its all time four wheel drive not AWD. Difference being we can select 4-lo or 4-hi. I think you mean a broken front driveshaft not a broken axle. On the street and minor trail rides my front cv style driveshaft did great. I took my 96 into the local OHV area and did some hill climbs I shouldn't have been on. Got the front end all flexed out and maxed out the limits of my driveshaft so in turn it broke. I am putting another cv style back in here soon. They front driveshaft doesn't play well with the extreme angles! A common fix to this is to swap in a driveshaft from a 4.0 ZJ with the u joint front and using the u joint pinion from a 4.0 ZJ also.


I think a 2.5" BB from just about any company will make you happy. If you go this route get new shocks also. Your stock ones will work but they are probably worn out anyways. You can stick up to 31" tires on with minimal rubbing.

Another common low buck lift is the F-R swap. You take your front springs and put them in the rear and buy new front 3.5" springs. Jordan1996 ZJ did this.

I went with a KOR 2.5" BB plus a set of Up Country Springs (they are 1 inch taller than stock springs) which netted me about 3.75" of lift. I am able to put my 34" LTBs under with some rubbing.

Some companies are Ironrockoffroad.com, KOR, Rough Country, Rusty's Offroad

Enjoy!

Jordan1996 ZJ

i did make a few gramatical mistakes,opps. i all ways confuse the driveshaft for "axle" and I new it was an all time 4x4 i didnt really think know there was a difference, and my Cv driveshaft is still intact but it is definatly going to have to be replaced, even a small patch of sand creates a lot of shakin

considering you dont want to replace a lot of stuff a 2.5 would probly be a good fit

country_boy454

What do you mean by shakin? That to me sounds like axle hop and if so thats not your front driveshaft causing that problem.

srgrock43

Ok, I got my Cherokee with a 2.5 lift. They put f 150 spring on the front and left the sway bars off. The back they put steel square tubing for lift blocks, and installed air shocks.

1. I had 1in toe in on the front,and yes I found out what the death wobble was the first week I had him. We took off the track bar and it was under a lot off pressure. we made the hole bigger and welded a nice thick washer in the right place. minus the sway bar and alignment. the front is fine.
2. The right blocks that go in the back have a taper in them. That taper is important. your u joints can go bad. you will feel a vibration. DO NOT use aluminum blocks trust me. Air shocks are not the way to go. mine will be changed.
3. If you go any higher there are other thinks that will be a factor in your lift. drive shaft angle, transfer case, and other things.

I have a good friend that has a spring shop. That's all he does is install spring on all cars, and trucks, and he owns a jeep.

Jordan1996 ZJ

uhh, im not really sure but it only really happens when im going up a tiny tiny hill and the tires spin just a little, if its the axle im gonna shoot myself

country_boy454

Sounds like a hack job of lifting it to me..... Do you realize your talking about a XJ and he has a ZJ so lift blocks do not apply here.




This is normal. This happens because of loss and then gain of traction. Do it too hard and you can snap your axle or other components.

Jordan1996 ZJ

well i used to go to the silver lake sand dunes and never had a problem, but now that i lifted it, ive been getting problems such as this, so i dont really understand how lifting it can cause this problem?

country_boy454

The angles of the control arms have changed. This is why long arm kits are so nice they bring everything back close to stock geometries.