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Okay guys I can't find a straight answer for this question anywhere; what will happen if I use 3inch lifting blocks instead of an aal? Everywhere else I look say a lot of don't use those they are bad, I would like to know why they are bad to use. Thank you
The problem with using lift blocks that tall on the stock leaf spring is that the leaf springs are not stiff enough to account for the extra leverage caused by the 3" blocks and it will cause axle wrap. Lift blocks are fine on vehicles that have stiffer springs I have 6" blocks in the rear of my Super Duty and don't have any issues but the springs are much stiffer than the XJ leaf springs. If you do run blocks 2" is the maximum I would reccomend then you can get longer shackles to give you an extra inch or so, or maybe just do 1.5" blocks with 2" shackles.
first, this will happen over time (i know there's no block in this pic, just so you get an idea) because the springs are not stiff enough like mentionned above
Just buy proper spring packs and be done. They aren't that expensive.
AAL's are almost as bad as blocks, as they are just a band-aid to already worn leaf packs.
Just for reference, when I bought my XJ, it had a budget lift on it, with 3 inch aluminum blocks, and an AAL. On the driver side, 2 leafs were completely broken in half, and the other side had one broken, and another cracked in half. The aluminum blocks were deformed as well.
I don't recommend blocks, but if you decide to go this route, make sure they're steel. If you do an AAL, just realize you'll probably be replacing them not long after.
Buy quality leaf packs, cry once. OME, metalcloak, RE. Avoid RC. I now run RE 4.5 leafs with the RE boomerang shackles, for a total of 5.5" of lift. Zero complaints, and with the Bilstein 5100's, it rides awesome on the street, and even better offroad.
The problem with using lift blocks that tall on the stock leaf spring is that the leaf springs are not stiff enough to account for the extra leverage caused by the 3" blocks and it will cause axle wrap. Lift blocks are fine on vehicles that have stiffer springs I have 6" blocks in the rear of my Super Duty and don't have any issues but the springs are much stiffer than the XJ leaf springs. If you do run blocks 2" is the maximum I would reccomend then you can get longer shackles to give you an extra inch or so, or maybe just do 1.5" blocks with 2" shackles.
When altering the suspension your main concern if it's an on the road vehicle has got to be how it will handle. Especially in the hairy situations you can encounter. I've used blocks for yrs on heavy duty p/u's but 3" blocks on the already light duty springs would concern me.
I have something similar to these on mine. Summit doesn't have the exact ones anymore but mine are for a 3.5" lift. They are pretty decent for the price.
Stay away from blocks and aal at all costs. I installed an aal on mine when I bought a budget 3" lift. It already had worn out springs and the aal just made it worse. They actually started to bend over the aal. They were just a bandage until I could get full replacement springs.
Lifting blocks
