Greetings fellow Jeepers,

I originally wanted to go with this 3" lift by Zone Offroad, however, I made the decision to back out because:

1. If it turns out I need an SYE to eliminate any weird vibes, I wouldn't be able to purchase one due to the lack of funds.
2. The tires on the Jeep are only a few months old. I don't have the funds to replace them.
3. I need at least 18 mpg. Jeeps aren't good on gas. Lifts help embrace that fact.
4. I like the look of the Upcountry Jeeps. I'm kinda aiming for that look.
5. I'm a wuss.

I decided to aim for somewhere around the 2" mark. I do not have any measurements at the moment to see how much my wagon is a saggin', but I'm going to assume it's at least 1 1/2 inches, so this will be at least a 3" lift (in accordance to the Jeep's current state). So, here is my current build:

Coils

Coils

$64

Front Shocks

Front Shocks

$70

Leaf Spring x2

Leaf Spring x2

$300
$140
$70
$40

POR-15

POR-15

$48
$18

POR-15 Cleaner Degreaser

POR-15 Cleaner Degreaser

$13
Total (give or take) $763

I was hoping to stay below $600, but I'd rather save up some more cash and do it right the first time than have flat leafs and leaking shocks a short while later (looking at you, Rough Country). Also, the previous owners had the Jeep undercoated, which was nice, but they then decided to store it at the bottom of a lake for a few years, so everything else is pretty rusty. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so I might as well attack the rust while it's only on the surface. I'm going to shop around and see if I can find better prices, but Amazon has free shipping, and that's pretty hard to beat, especially when it's heavy objects like these (on a side note, the delivery person is going to hate me).

Anyway, I was wondering if I should go with the Crown leaf springs to save a $100, but the reviews are hit and miss. They also don't come with bushings installed, so I gotta go through the hassle of doing that. I talked to a few guys this evening that use Crown leafs on their rigs personally and say they perform pretty well for the price point.

Crown Leaf

Crown Leaf

$85

Crown Leaf Bushing (F)

Crown Leaf Bushing (F)

$9

Crown Leaf Bushing (R)

Crown Leaf Bushing (R)

$7
Total (give or take) $101 - save a hundred bucks as compared to the Dorman ones.


What're everyone's opinions here? What do I need to add? What should I look out for? Any tips for when I get the parts and start to put them together? Thanks in advance.

 

I’ve never gotten 18 mpg out of any of the Jeeps I’ve owned so best of luck to you !

 

Putting leaf spring bushings in ain't a hard job dont let it scare you.

Dont skip out on coil spring insulators and new bumps tops in the front. While u have the coils out you might aswell just replace them

 

In my experience you don't need an SYE for just a 3" lift, and good luck getting 18 mpg, I only got 15 when mine was stock.

 

I get 22 mpg out on the highway at about 65 mph. (stock 1988 4.0 AW4 Full time NP242)

But on the county roads I'm lucky to get 12. Can't drive fast enough to get into overdrive.

 

I pretty much got the same set up, but went with the crown leafs.
i haven’t had the time to put any of it on unfortunately.
if you’re not in a rush, wait for amazon or eBay to do 15-20% off. That’s what I did.

Don’t forget new hardware, there is a guy on here that sells the entire hardware kit, which I got.

Maybe one day I’ll have the free time to get it all put together

 

??? my jeep in stock trim got a mix of 21. i saw 23.999999999999 on a mostly highway trip. i did 703 injectors, hot air intake, long tube and catless exhaust, 2” lift with 235/75/15 tires and it settled around 20 in the summer and 18 in the winter (including extended cold idles). several of my friends bought xjs and every one of them got (gets) 18+ in stock trim. stockish - i feel like 18 mpg is the norm and anything less indicates a problem.

 

Not trying to diss at all, just understand.

For equal money why buy crown or dorman leafs when you can get OME?

Am I missing something?

 

HEY mcnerd,
I just did some figuring over at Amazon. Price difference per spring between Crown w/bushings and OME w/bushings is like $66. Difference is $26.50 in favor of the Dorman spring. Still not a bad price for the OME's.

 

Added coil spring insulators to my list.

My Jeep needs a tune up. but I get about 12-15 city and 22 highway.

mcnerd, do you know his name?

Can someone provide a link to OME leafs?

 

Dude I went with $70 long add a leaf off eBay (2"lift) ((came with new clamps))
And like 30 bucks for a 2 inch coil spacer and bam. Done. Luckily didn't need longer shocks and also I got new sway bar ends because mine were trash . I overpayed @$50 for both but my dad got his for $18 online.

I wasn't going to spend 700 for 2 inches on a $2500 xj. I mean shoot, I got new rims and 235/75/15 wildpeaks and the lift for 800 total.

 

Old Man Emu CS033RB Leaf Spring
They don't include bushings. From my research those are the best riding springs in that size lift. If ride is not important then might not be worth for you. I have them and love them. I removed the middle leaf to get the lift I want.

 

Three main reasons why I'm doing this project:
- the ride sucks
- it's sagging really bad
- it's pretty rusty

Coil spacers and add-a-leafs aren't going to solve any of those problems, unfortunately. I paid $1K for it and spent about $400 in tires, so spending $600-800 for a lift isn't really too big of a deal to me (I budgeted for it). I really like this vehicle and I hope I can get it to last another 5-10 years before I buy something electric.

 

Those OME CS033RB leaves are good, but they might be more lift than you want. This is what my jeep looked like with just them in the rear
Like previously mentioned, it might be worth it to remove a leaf to meet your needs

 

Hello Kyle:

looks like you are sitting about the same as me after installing a pair of 755# leaf springs from General Spring. Now I am trying to figure out which coil spring or coil spring / spacer combo I need to raise the front somewhere between 2" and 3". Part of my issue is I don't know how much my front is sagging if any. Also, I don't want to just throw a spacer on these old springs. I am curious to know what you plan to do.