xjJaceM

I have a 2001 XJ and I want to put wheels and tires and a decent lift. I went to a local place and he quoted me $1,900 for a "lift" and wheels and tires. But he told me the "3.5 in lift" would consist of pucks and shocks. I'm not interested in doing serious wheeling but I will take it off road every once in a while. Any lift suggestions?

sycoglitch

That place is a waste of time. Look into something entry level lift like rusty. Not too expensive. You want to find something with full leafs and coils. You can piece together a lift too. A bastard pack works for minor wheeling. If you search the forums, you will find many pics and suggestions. Just a heads up.

jay_sco

I suggest if you throw that kind of money at a lift you at least do it right, i.e., no "pucks". I'm guessing DIY is out of the question? Let's see here, $1100 for wheels/ tires, sounds ok. $200 for spacers, $200 for shocks. Thats $400 for labor, assuming there are no extended brake lines, adjustable track bar, or SYE. All of which would probably be needed for a 2001 and 3.5" lift.

What's the local "place"? Assuming they aren't Jeep or even 4x specialists? Maybe if you post a location you can find some local help.

xjJaceM

$1,100 is the exact quote he gave me for tires and wheels. DIY isn't out of the question I'm just confused as to where I should start at. I've heard a lot about a bastard pack but I would rather just buy a full kit and have everything then go to a yard and try and piece things together

jay_sco

Nailed it! I need to pick some lotto numbers today because I'm on a roll!

Don't know if you've seen this chart but it's pretty helpful:
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/nk...-chart-211878/

My advice is research and don't jump into anything. Even most kits aren't 100% complete so you'll still need to source a couple pieces. Some mandatory, some reccomend. My kit was full for the lift alone, but as I previously stated I still had to get other parts to make it drivable. DIY will save you a load of cash, it's been done literally thousands of times so there's plenty of info and help available.

sycoglitch

Yup. Research research research, OP. We here to.help but we can only take you so far. What are looking looking to do with your jeep. That helps with this process alot. And why 3.5". When YOU know what you need, you'll see this is actually kind of easy

Fred/N0AZZ

The most important items in any entry level lift kit are the quality of the leafs and coils a lot are junk. As for the throw pieces together for a lift you never know quite what you will end up with or the cost.


One of the better quality entry level lifts are the Rustys 3" lifts full leaf/coils ( all made in NA ) shock/hardware pkg. total cost $438 an adj track bar is also suggested with it. You will not find another made in NA lift kit for close to this price period.


With a 3" lift you can clear 31x10:50x15" tires on a 15x8" wheel with 3.75-4" of BS larger if you trim the fenders like most do. I ran 31x10:50's with this lift and with fender trimming 33x12:50x15's.


Many companies offer tire/wheel combos that are mounted and balanced with free shipping to your door and lots to choose from of both.

CR-Snow

^this

I have a rustys 3" kit with 31x10.50 tires on stock 01 wheels. I also have adjustable lower control arms which I think are very important even at 3". I have no fender rubs at all. The kit flexes pretty well and Rustys has great customer service, aaaaaaand they send you like a million stickers when you order lol. And they ship quick.

I'm on stock track bar too, which isn't a huge deal as long as you keep it at 3"

Here's a couple pictures of mine
Pretty good stance at 3" and 31's and it will go a lot further than you think when you hit the trails

CR-Snow

xjJaceM

I've heard a lot about Rusty's and I am tempted to try out their stuff. And stickers are always a plus, lol. Thanks for the input and suggestions

SeaVee

I bought the 1.5" kit OME kit from Quadratec. Not cheap. But rides insane, better than stock. Ended up getting about 2.25 over stock. Running 265's. Rub some, but not too bad

Turbo X_J

If the entire suspension is c. 2001, any lift will only cause frustration.

ddurgin91

Turbo can you explain that one for me?

Turbo X_J

If it doesn't wobble now (15 year old ball joints, TRE s , control arm bushings, unit bearings, etc) it sure will after a lift.

ddurgin91

Yeah true, my "$700 RE kit" quickly turned into more like 2500 after all the little BS parts I had to replace to correct the terrible geometry. Better off sourcing everything first and nailing down a price rather than have some hack at a shop lie you up to $1900 for a set of coils and leafs and some crappy 4WD hardware owned-manufacturer arms and track bar that you could've got for $600 or less

P.S. Death to 4 wheel parts!!!