Im looking to lift my girls XJ as it is finally time. been out for ahwile as I had my foot cut off and reattached... no really.....

anyways. Im going to lift it 4.5" and want it to be 100% reliable and 100%road worthy.
It will see 90% street and 10% dirt. Give or take a few.

Im looking at a full complete kit. Reasons being I would go with something like an RE 4.5 superflex is at 100k miles it will be needing control arms, leaf springs, etc. So If I am going to lift it I might as well lift it and replace all the little stuff to make it 100%

Im looking at something like the 4.5" RE super flex kit with replacement leafs. Ill run bilstein 5100 shocks.

Do you think I should do an SYE with a 4.5" kit even though she wont be rock crawling it right away? Or do i more less have to?

Im also open for suggestions on pricing for these options or similar kit. i will not use Rough country. tuff country or Rustys parts.

4wheelparts has a deal that is better then anywhere I can find right now which is why I am leaning to RE 45." super flex. $950 picked up in their store including tax. I looked at all vendors and not one can come close to that.

anyone else have any other ideas?

 

The RE kit is very nice and bilstiens are great shocks. As far as an sye goes, you'll just have to lift it and see if you get bad vibes. I just lifted mine 4.5" and I have a very slight vibration at highway speed. You really can't go wrong with RE, just make sure to get full leaf packs

 

Ya, i want a complete kit so all the wear items are replaced and good to go. i dont like things wearing out and being sloppy. I like everything 100%

 

So tell us about the foot.

 

I started out with the RE 4.5 Superflex. IMO you will also want to get the RE control arm drop brackets and adjustable control arms if you are going to have 32 or larger tires. I would also do the SYE and a 1 inch transfer case drop. Also I dont really want to know anything about your foot(sorry that it happened and glad you seem to be ok now) but I do want to know about the Coues hunting.

 

Heres a post to my ankle surgery and recovery.... They took bone out of my shin and put it in my ankle and rebuilt the shape then added screws and plates and all kinds of good stuff.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f9/my-...4/#post1652423

 

Any other kits i should consider or deals out there? Right now it seems no one can touch the price of the RE kit from 4wheelparts or anything even close in price.

 

I would defiantly go RE but id consider getting the super ride compared to the superflex sice you said that it will be on the street 90% and theres reallu no need to have the quick discos when a couple wrenches could do the same thing for that 10% of the time and would still not be more than 5 min of your time. And you will need to get an SYE and driveshaft for a 4.5 lift. Though your vibes may not be bad it will cause problems down the road and if you use a t case drop it might get rid of your vibes but still isnt good down the road so if you want to do it 100% like you said id get a Hack N Tap sye and driveshaft prefrebly from Iron Rock Offroad.

 

With 100k on the rear leafs they will need to be replaced or at least the bushings. so the extra money is money well spent on the rear leafs alone

 

That proplem would be taken care of when u get the fill leag kit no?

 

i went with the BDS 4.5" short arm kit. everything went pretty smooth, everything is greasable, the parts are BEEFY. expensive kit, i paid 2k to my door (with tcase drop, all adjustable arms, steering stabilizer, and swaybar discos) but worth it in my opinion. they also have a "no BS" lifetime warranty on all their parts (minus wear items like shocks).

now that ive been driving it for a few days as my DD, i love it. it handles awesome and corners flat with very little body roll, it is a bit stiff and bumpier, but rides way better than my sagged out old parts with 200k on them. its also super flexy, especially with the \rear swaybar gone (dont even notice it) and the front disconnected. it took us about 2 days to do, but most of the time was spent fighting the old crusty bolts and seized up bushings. soak it in PB blaster for like a week before hand by the way.

 

Full leaf kit**

 

I'd look into getting axle shims before a t-case drop. Some have vibe problems at 4.5 and some don't. I do not have vibes with running just axle shims. And i've never had a driveshaft slip off. Though, sye and a driveshaft would be the way to go.

You'll probably see more articulation, less sag, and a better ride with full leaf packs.

 

I have 4* shims and the Tcase drop. Slight vibes at 30-35mph but they smooth out on the highway, SYE and shaft is definitely recommended, that's why I'm saving for one lol. But, for now I can get away with the drop and shims. And yes, full packs or go home. AAL is a waste of money if you ask me...it's like polishing a turd to put an AAL on old stock springs. IMO