^ the suck factor is lessened by a lighter weight tire/wheel combination.

 

Stevemongr, hey did you install those IRO. Shackles yet?
Just curious if you will run into the same problem I did.

 

Yes, I just installed one and see the issue. Used a 12" adjustable wrench and bent that part out a small amount. Can also turn the shackle back around so the lettering reads from the rear. If the bumper mount bolts contact shackle, remove and cut them down.
Using the hole for stock height does not allow enough movement for full travel of a 3.5" lift leaf pack. It will work, just limits downward travel.

 

they're only load range C so I didn't think they're too heavy. I also went from steel rims to alloy rims.

 

If you have time can you possibly post up a pic?
Thanks!
Not sure if I'd be willing to Bend that part out maybe it's a lot stronger than I think.....

 

Only needed to clearanced by 1/16". Having the gusset portion of shackle facing toward the rear will also help.

 

I have 31" BFG AT's too and they're alright on stock gears, but like SatiricalHen did, I went with alloy wheels. It was kinda crappy at first, but after upgraded injectors, a bored tb, and the SYE, I gained some of that loss back. I plan on going to 33's at some point, so I'll re-gear then.

 

I'm hopefully getting a bored throttle body soon, got the injectors and exhaust to go with it. I as well plan to regear when/if I go 33s

 

Bored TB is one of my favorite upgrades so far. I went 62mm. I can't speak for any other sizes, but it brought back some pep and made it harder to lay of the skinny pedal. Exhaust is next on the list but I'm not sure if I want to keep it at 2.25" or bump up to 2.5". Not looking for it to be super rumbly, just a good tone.

 

It's not so much "settling" as it is "doing what needs to be done for now and saving in the meantime for what I really want"

There are a couple of reasons:

A) Money. Sole-provider of a household with wife and 3 kids doesn't afford much extra. I do what works, and trust me... my current setup works MUCH better than the stock shackles. Are there setups out there that work better? Sure. There's always a bigger fish. I.E. your setup will never flex as well as a custom triangulated 4-link.... so why not go with that? Answer... 'cause you're happy with your setup and it works, right? OH! And you probably don't have a couple G's to drop on that setup... I'm assuming.

B) The amount of articulation in the rear of my Jeep is pretty well matched with the front. If I added the relo brackets, I'd have more in the back than in the front... and of that, I'm not a fan.

C) I absolutely HATE the look of that setup. No offense to you man, absolutely none, so please don't take it that way. Eventually, I'm going to get shackle relo brackets, but they're going to be no-lift brackets. I hate the way the ones look that just bolt into the current location of the shackle buckets. To me, it looks about as good as body lift. Not mild body lift either... we're talkin' 4" of body lift on a mid-90's chevy k1500... yeah... frame hangin' waaaay down below the body, and big gaps between the frame and bed in the wheel well.

In the meantime though, just going with a set of extended shackles offered a TREMENDOUS improvement over stock... and they were all of 25 bucks at the autoparts store.

So, while your setup is a valid option I'm simply offering readers here another one.

 

well I'm very very offended. Just kidding I think it looks awful too. It would be awesome to have no lift relocation brackets, but at the time I was all about not doing anything I couldn't take off and go back to stock but now I'm at the point of screw it. My rear flexes way more than the front, but I can't afford to make the front flex more than it does now. Also the whole why settle thing was mostly a joke, there's a lot worse out there and I would know.

 

lol... ah ok. My bad dude, I didn't catch the joking inflection in your tone.

These are actually what I'm planning on going with once I finally do go that route. The bolt to the frame rail, through the floor, AND through the rear crossbrace. Just seems like a rock-solid setup to me. Check 'em out...

http://www.polyperformance.com/Syner...Hanger-Bracket

 

That is nice being able to attach it to the rear crossmember. I FINALLY just finished my HD no lift relo's, after a couple bonehead mistakes on my part (cross threaded a bolt, and got another bolt stuck in a bushing sleeve). But it's done now, and so far, I'm super happy. Way nicer ride out back, and no contact of the shackle on anything. You could save $70, and get the HD's and end up with a few more shackle mounting locations. They mount pretty much the same way, except an extra bolt through the frame rail, but nothing through the rear crossmember. I don't foresee any issues with them at all.

 

I have a question here...

I have a '96 Cherokee 2-door. What is the biggest tire size I can go without installing a lift?

 

I'd personally say 30x9.5, but many will say the factory 235/75R15