id say 3" lift. and remember, the ride is best in rear, the flatter your leafs are. most leafs already come in 3", but you can also get old man emu 2" and add a longer shackle. i paid about $230 for my OME leafs. ride great.

 

it all depends on how your gonna wheel it. my old xj had 3 inch lift on 31's and it did fine in the trails but I could never do the things my friends with bigger trucks with 4 and 5 inch lifts could do. now in my new xj im 4.5 with 33's and I haven't found one thing I couldn't make it over yet

 

im not going to wheel it like crazy since it will be my college dd. just some trips up to silver lake for the michigan people here. and some other local trails. i basically want it to be a off road capable dd that still has a good ride quality with a lift.

 

X2 if your just doin light trails than 3" and 31s will do you fine

 

For your use I'd probably go with the 3" lift. When lifting over 3" lift on a late model XJ, a SYE may be needed to correct driveline vibrations. You may also need other upgrades such as a better track bar, extended swaybar endlinks, longer brake lines, etc that may not be included with the basic lift kit itself. Plus I'd stay away from an AAL with either lift height. What it all boils down to is that you may need to spend quite a but more money to be happy with how your rig drives lifted 4.5" than if you lifted it 3".

3" lift on 31's is a nice combo for a daily driver, light wheeler, and you can always lift it higher with coil spacers and shackles if you find yourself wanting to later on. Once you've budgeted for the above items that you may potentially need with more lift, that is.

 

i got a 2001 with a 4.5" RC lift. im really glad i went bigger than the 3". im running 32"s and its perfect im in trails alot and have plenty of travel and clearance and still fits in parking structures. 3" probably would ride better and would be cheaper but if your anything like me your gonna get the cheaper one and kick yourself the first time you go out and get hung up on something. Only thing i would never recommend the shackles. i eventually bought the leaf pack cause the shackles kept knocking into my smittybuilt bumper and i had to cut off the end of my Borla exhaust to make it fit around the shackles. Plus they bent easy i kept having to straighten them out. If you wanna go cheap now just get spacers and save up for the bigger lift you wont regret it.

 

Also in west Michigan.
3" going to have 33" under for my dd.
I'm doing a few more things tho this time around.

 

3" vote here. 3 is easy.

 

Yeah, my 00 xj was on 3" and 31's for my first 3 years of school, and I commuted everyday, so it had to be decent on gas too. I was getting 16-17mpg depending on driving style. I did lots of wheeling, anything from light trails to moderate stuff at Rausch. 3" w/ 31's and a front locker will do more than people give credit. Im also ran Hankook ATM's and they wore really well, over 50k on them and still were passing inspection, handled all road weather nicely, and were good offroad...except in thick mud. If youre on a budget, aal will be your best bang for the buck

 

3 1/2"! No vibes, etc. Running 33s with Bushwacker flares.

 

you guys have convinced me to go with a 3 inch lift kit and 31's once i get up to school. but my budget is around $500. im thinking about going with this lift kit http://www.rustysoffroad.com/jeep-su...-pack-kit.html. anyone have experience with it? do you guys recommend the kit?

 

Kit doesn't come with new lower arms.
I would look into some, not necessarily needed for 3" but i recommend them.
Also an upgraded trac bar is recommended, some just drill a hole, but that's up to you.
Other than that full leafs in rear is good.
You might just want to keep your eye on the for sale section, might be a deal on some parts there.

 

http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.co...-SUPERRIDE-KIT

 

^ my vote.

 

That is a great kit but just FYI you'll get more lift than advertised - it's more like 4.25" front / 4.5" rear lift. So you may need an SYE with it, or probably at least a t-case drop. The kit also doesn't include shocks, so make sure you take that into account.

Great lift kit though. I'm running the same springs & control arms on my XJ. Love the way it rides and flexes, and the Jeep looks mean on 31's with the little extra height over a standard 3" lift. You could probably run 32's on it with some fender trimming or longer bumpstops too.

Also, definitely buy any RE parts from Serious Offroad. Best prices on their parts by far & Frank's customer service can't be beat.