j4mison

understood, I'm probably going to be running 33's but I might trim up even more and stuff 35's in there. as of now, 33's are the plan.

j4mison

I read that uppers are only needed on like 5.5+ inches of lift.. that all I needed were lowers. am I wrong? I need all these questions answered before I go blow money on the wrong thing.

sycoglitch

Dont spend money just yet. There's a helpful chart that shows what you'll need with any size lift. As for going 4.5". A good way to do it is to go 4.5" coils and in the rear get a good quality set of 3" leafs and an extended shackle. That way you get lift and can flex well.

jay_sco

That's not a problem around here, it's highly encouraged! You'll figure it out I'm sure.

odgreen

What have I told you about spatting off advise that you have no idea about? Last time you left when called out. Next time I see you attempting to give advise that is incorrect I will remove you from the Damn forum! Understand?

odgreen

Op. Buy the zone 4.5 kit. I have it on my daily and it's the best kit for the money.
Install it per the instruction. Add the "T case drop" that consists of a transmission x member drop spacer. Set your toe and go. Simple.

Another thing. Yes a 2wd transmission has a slip yoke. It's not a t case only thing. But the difference is no one makes an elimination kit. That being said with the trans drop spacers you will be fine.

The zone kit will come with every part you need for install.

Dumajones

Excellent advice right here^^^^^^ I have the zone 4.5 on my daily driver, like Od said its a great lift for the price.. It was a little stiff at first, but after about 500 miles the ride has soften up alot..

j4mison

so just for clarification - buy the zone kit and install only the zone kit? no SYE, no new driveshaft, only their t case drop?

I'm sorry I keep repeating all the same things and this thread is going on forever - I'm an 18 year old computer science major and know NOTHING about cars or jeeps - however, I'm willing and ready to learn. I just need some advice and then I'll be ready to go! thanks everyone for your help, it's really been very beneficial.

sycoglitch

As long as you're willing to learn and get dirty and can take some criticism, then you'll be alright here. And yes, zone makes quality lifts. I'm running their coils and I have no complaints for three years now

j4mison

definitely willing to do. I'm calling Zone tomorrow and making sure their lift will work - on the website it says only 4wd, so i'm going to talk to them and see if they'll work with me and let me know what else if anything I need and what i don't need from their kit!

off topic question, how would I go about seeing which axle I have in the back?
I know it's either an 8.25 or the D35, just not sure how to tell which is which.

salad

Unless you do a hack'n'tap SYE there is none available for 2WD transmissions. And the DS would be very expensive. 2WDs, lacking a transfer case, have a much longer DS and gentler U joint angles in the first place. I wouldn't even plan for a drop or shims... see what happens.

Here's a tip, dude: XJs are over thirty years old. People who wrote those guides are still on this site. The companies making equipment have been around for - guess how many years? This isn't some bull**** Python module you found on Github with a vapid readme that developers abandoned after four months. This stuff is like basic math, not the latest API...

odgreen

Yes buy the zone kit. No sye because there isn't one available. The kits say for 4 wd because that's all it was made for. The only diff between a 4x4 and a 2 wd is axle and tcase/trans

j4mison

One more question, I'm buying the Zone kit, I called and they basically said do it, but they can't guarantee it will work just because they're Michigan based and haven't tested it on a 2WD cherokee yet. so basically they said do it, but don't sue if it doesnt work

Whenever I buy the kit, should I buy the steering stabilizers with it, or go pick those up aftermarket? Zone's are $40

toasterknight

Don't waste the money on a stabilizer. They are useless on properly set up suspension.

j4mison

Thanks everyone for the good help and advice!! I just ordered the Zone 4.5" lift, but I ordered from RockRidge4WD. They had free shipping on the lift, and claimed it was the exact same lift as Zone's, just with free shipping. Saved me about $110, made me a very happy camper. I'm super excited for it to get here, and have nothing but good things to say about customer service at both companies.