So I have installed a fab front bumper(which is not finished yet) and now my jeep is driving completely different(in a really good way IMO). Before, my RC 6.5 inch short arms lift felt really rough and stiff(when going thru street bumps or potholes it felt like the shocks were really hard and stiff).
Now after driving my XJ for a couple hundred of miles I can say it feels like the suspension is really working, like going thru pot holes or street bumps are really soft now and A LOT smoother, as well as taking sharp turns are more smooth as well. The rear is still kind of stiff as I haven installed the rear bumper but I think it should change after installing it.
I am sure this is not a placebo effect as I wasn't expecting any changes but the difference on the driving is between day and night.

Is this normal, or is the added weight going to wear or affect my suspension now?

 

6.5 short arm lift?

Yes, the extra weight is masking the poor lift geometry.

It will until your components wear, which won't be long, especially with a RC lift.

 

Yes I know I have to either got with long arms or drop brackets, but haven't decided yet. I know RC does not have the best reputation out there, but it has worked good for me for the las 2.5 years and the previous owner for the other have a year however I hardly do any rock crawling or crazy wheeling but I and do a lot of mudd and moderate to hard trails every weekend besides this is the only car I drive everyday, so this lift kit has been really good for me.

 

Ok then

 

I'm glad to hear your thoughts on how the extra weight up front affected your ride. I've always thought my Rubicon Express 3.5" coils are way too stiff but I just picked up a winch and bumper that will be going on soon. I'm interested to see if they have a similar effect for me.

 

Man I got to say the difference if colossal in my case, I hope it works the same way with your rig.

 

So after installing the rear bumper and finishing the front one I have started to get terrible death wobble at very low speeds even with out hitting any bumps. I am currently installing the RC long arm upgrade kit to fix the problem due to my short arms, but now I would like to now how far can I go without a SYE? I do have the hack n tap kit but just want to know if id be ok without it in the mean time.

 

Extra weight on the suspension will make the vehicle ride smoother.

 

It was ridding smoother, until death wobble starting to be a huge issue, now I am installing long arms as the added weight messed up my geometry an everything is a mess now.

 

How bad is the death wobble? Are you just feeling very apparent vibrations, or is your jeep shaking violently side to side? I once thought I had death wobble until I drove behind a jeep that actually had death wobble. It looked like the jeep was having a childhood tantrum and wasn't concerned for it's own well being. Death wobble is no joke. It's scary for people outside of the jeep...not just the ones in it.

Along with that, I really can't believe you aren't noticing any issues at 6.5" lift with the stock rear driveshaft. I'd say get that hack-n-tap on now, and get a new driveshaft before installing long arms.

 

Well yes its shaking violently side to side even at very low speeds(25 mph) and not hitting any potholes or bumps. Before installing the bumpers I had no issues with death wobble or vibrations(i had 6.5 short arms with no SYE) and i could go as fast 70 mph. But now ever since I had the bumpers installed the added weight started to mess up everything.

I have the hack n tap, its just a matter of installing it but I have limited time so I wanted to know how far I can drive without the SYE.

 

Oof...that's a bummer. Hope we can help you figure it out.

How heavy is the bumper/winch combo? Did you notice a significant loss in front lift? Did you re-align and adjust your trackbar to recenter the axle? I'm just brainstorming for whatever might make the small enough change to cause the angles to get just bad enough to start the wobble.