rayray0918

Hey guys, I am looking for a lift for my 2001 XJ. I'm interested in the OME 2.5 or 3 inch lift and the BDS 3 inch. Are control arms not needed at these heights cause neither kit comes with them and BDS offers it as an option. The only thing I don't like about BDS basic kit is it comes with a block and AAL for the rear. My leafs are fine but I worry about the block causing axle wrap. I also like the moab wheels but do they have enough backspacing for this height lift? Thanks alot for any advise.

JeepNmpg2

First off, AAL's suck. I had one as a six month band-aid to keep my rear bumper from killing my stock springs before I put on my full upgraded lift, but even with that extra weight it just rode like crap. Also over the course of six months it dropped about an inch. A 5/8ths inch block isn't too bad, but just keep in mind that you get what you pay for when it comes to this stuff. Until your thread, I hadn't heard of BDS or that they even manufacture Cherokee lift kits. Ok, enough of my ranting...

In contrast with the above paragraph, I LOVE OME! It is generally one of the more expensive lifts you can buy, but all I can say is WOW. The company has tuned their stuff especially for the Cherokee's weight and it really works out well, especially at the lower lift heights (2-3 inches). I'm running OME springs and shocks, but my lift is a fairly custom build putting me at around 6.5 front and 6 rear inches of lift respectively. When I have no cargo it is pretty sporty and the first inch of suspension is nice and supple. Start getting crazy offroad or hard lane changes, you feel the firmness kick in without much body roll. Best of all, those shocks just "suck up" trail bumps and hard transitions.

I would however like to close with this thought, what is your goal when it comes to lifting your vehicle? I'm a huge fan of doing things once and all the way. Meaning figure out if you eventually want to run 35 inch tires now, and plan your lift to accomodate, save your money for quality parts and take your time at it. You'll be financially better off in the long run and not have any regrets later. I started with a $200 2-inch budget boost and 30x9.5 tires to get me through until I had saved up the money for the lift I "really" wanted. Still stuck on those 30 inch tires though until I burn a little more tread off of them. Plan to upgrade those to 36's and trim the fenders when the wife isn't looking (probably have to distract her with jewelry).

Just my $.02

Trev1006

I used all bds products. 100% lifetime warranty, end of story. Aal's aren't bad when used right, I have one in my rig now. And again if you go bds, its warrantied for life. Ive had the 3" bds kit you are talking about and if you are going to take it offroad go for the upgraded lower, its a very nice piece. In my opinion I have had ome, its nice but was too overpriced.

Trev1006

Oh, I forgot to comment on the block, yes it will cause axle wrap and wheel hop. I would recommend doing some research on making a s10 bastard pack for the rear. Blocks are not good unless they are very small, I had one to compensate for a heavy rear bumper, but took it out.

rayray0918

Thanks man. I too am one that likes to do it right the first time and I can't believe you've never heard of BDS...haha. I'm probably gonna stay away from AAL and just save up for the full packs. This is my DD so I doubt I'll ever do any hardcore off roading. 4.5 with 32's is probably the highest I'll ever go but I doubt even that. 3 inch with 31's is probably what I'll get and stay with to keep the cost down in the long run and still be plenty functional if I do hit the occasional trail. Mainly I was curious as to why BDS and OME both are which to be top of the line lifts don't come with LCA. I know I can buy them seperate but I just figured they were needed when lifting and should come in the kits

Trev1006

I diddnt read that whole post, "never heard of bds"? My only question is do you own a jeep?

JeepNmpg2

It may sound silly to you, but I honestly hadn't come across BDS when I was researching my lift. Also, when I was actually doing some test rides with a few buddies vehicles, all they had was Skyjacker, Rough Country, Rubicon Express and OME. I decided I liked the OME the most and started working my build around that. It was bloody expensive, but worth it in the end and I got what I wanted ride wise.

Though I'm pretty sure I'm done lifting at this point, but if I decided to swap to a long arm setup (though I highly doubt this) their stuff looks pretty nice and would be worth considering.

I just realized that I never answered your question about control arms (got distracted by the AAL) - No you do not need to swap out control arms at 3 inches of lift. Yes it will pull your front tire back slightly, but it shouldn't affect drivablility. If you do want them though, buy some adjustable control arms so that when you raise it to 4.5 inches in the future you don't have to buy another set, plus they give you some more twistability because of the way they are threaded.

Best of luck to you in all you Jeeping endeavors!