j4mison

So I just picked up a new to me stock XJ. It's a 1998, 4.0, 2WD.
Yes, I know, 2WD... It sucks. whatever. Before you all say it, I have used the search function, and been reading for over a week about all different ways to lift and what lifts to use and everything. I want to get people's CURRENT opinion. Most threads I've been reading are 2-3 years old and basically useless imo.

I want to lift it 4.5 inches, and have been looking around, and zone seems to be the best "bang for my buck" I've heard of some people doing the zone lift and then using longer shackles or relocation brackets or something and netting a little extra lift - is this possible, and if so, what exactly do I need?

I'm a total beginner to jeep stuff, and I know I need an SYE and "CV" driveshaft. I've looked at IRO's SYE kit and am probably going to pick that up and a driveshaft somewhere - should I buy a driveshaft from somewhere like Tom Woods?

Also, anything else I need to complete this lift, please let me know. I don't do very hardcore offroading, just occasional mudding and trails. I won't be beating the hell out of this jeep, it's my daily driver.

please don't try and convince me not to lift it or to lift it less, just give me advice on what I need to lift it to 4.5".

93_xjcherokee

The more you lift the more mods you will need. Longer brake lines, adjustable control arms, etc. Zone is a good brand for the money and if you have a high budget, you can look into more expensive kits like Rubicon express, iro, and others. Just do your research and make your own decisions.

aroundincircles

The taller the lift the more compromise. especially for a DD. do you NEED 4.5" of lift? or could you get away with a 3-3.5" of lift and not have to compromise so much? what is your end goal?

jay_sco

I may be mistaken, but the SYE is for the transfer case only, which you don't have, because 2wd.
With that big of a lift you may still need a driveshaft, not sure.

aroundincircles

Correct, SYE is for those who have a transfer case as it has a "S"lip "Y"oke that needs to be "E"liminated.

2wd doesn't have this, and has a longer drive shaft than a 4wd, and so the angles are slightly better, but you can do a transmission mount drop (often called a "t-case" drop which is not entirely accurate since you are actually dropping the transmission. Or get shims for the rear axle to fix angles.

j4mison

so since its 2WD, should I still use the t-case drop? I've heard that that's basically a "bandaid" for the problem, and the real cure is an SYE. apparently I don't need that, and if so, is a trans mount drop the best option, or will that hurt me and my jeep in the long run?

93_xjcherokee

You don't need adjustable control arms either with 2wd

SteveMongr

Than how, at 4.5" lift will you dial in wheel base and caster without adjustable uppers or lowers?

SteveMongr

Tire size usually determines lift height, along with if fender flares will be kept stock, removed, or aftermarket.
What size tire do you plan on?

jay_sco

Lift it and test drive it, you may not need anything. You may get away with dropping it less than an inch. It varies by each Jeep. There are some people that run that size lift on their 4x with no problems, and no TC drop.

j4mison

the tire size and or fender trimming would determine my overall height. I want to gain 4.5 inches solely from the lift. any extras gained through tires and or fender trimming is exactly that, extra. sorry if I mislead you.

j4mison

well the problem with that is I'm lifting it myself - one, budget reasons, and two, I really want to learn how and work on my own jeep as much as possible. if I did have vibes or problems after lifting, how would I know it was the lack of tcase drop instead of my error installing the lift?

93_xjcherokee

The way I see it, longer control arms will do just fine because he doesn't need to adjust for his front pinion angle. No need for adjustables unless you need to adjust front pinion. Am I right?

sycoglitch

Wrong. The higher you go, the more chance you do need to dial in caster. At least adjustable uppers is needed for sure. Some people use DB with stock CA to achieve same specs but a lot of people don't like DB because if ground clearance issues

sycoglitch

No, what Steve meant, people usually determine the height they want based off the overall tire size they are going to run. If you're just doing 31s then 4.5" is a waste of time and money. If you want 35s but keep stock fenders than you'll need to go higher, etc.

People that just say "I want to be "X" high, waste money and ***** everytime. Also people that dont listen and buy cheap lifts to save money, end up spending double to change it later.