knotcher

1998 xj; mainly a daily driver with aspirations to take it offroad.

i was going to get a 3" rough country lift with replacement springs for $509. i found a local deal on a new-in-box rough country 4.5" lift with an add-a-leaf for $350.

if there were strictly an off road vehicle and gas was at a reasonable rate (thnking bigger lift = bigger tires = more gas), i wouldn't even question it...but that's not the case, and i also really like the idea of replacing my springs all together instead of the add-a-leaf.

thoughts on what i should do?

ericfx1984

well as for the Add a Leaf, I would ONLY do it if your current springs are still at stock height

3" vs 4.5" is not as big a deal as you might think, as far as ride height goes...

the difference is that with 3" you need lots of cutting for anything over 31-32" tires, with 4.5" you need little to no cutting for 32-33" tires

BUT with 3" you need almost nothing other than the basic cheap kit, however for 4.5", to do it right you need almost everything:

adjustable track bar
new lower control arms (adjustable would be best)
brake hoses
t case drop or better yet Slip Yoke eliminator with new rear drive shaft)
(stock upper will work, but adjustables would be better)

as you can see the list gets pretty thick with 4.5"


here is (MINE) 3" with 285/75/16 (basically a skinny 33" tire) and lot's of trimming







made some flares









here is 4.5" with 285/75/16 and little to no trimming

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f59/xj...21/#post861401

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showpost....9&postcount=12

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f177/...ml#post9951868

capndoodles

3" and 31's. Does just fine for me as both a DD and a weekend trail rig. With this kit i didn't have to buy any new parts to accomadate for the lift, but just as ericfx1984 said when you get to 4.5" you have to get a bunch of new parts to go along with the higher lift

knotcher

good stuff guys thx.

@capn - you have pretty much the same rig i want, with the lift, tires, wheels and roof rack. i'm concerned about getting it in my garage. you don't happen to know what your clearence is do you (to to bottom)?

capndoodles

Haha that was actually one of my first thoughts after i put the lift on. I was like oh jeez i hope this fits in my garage! I dont know the measurments off hand right now but i can check in just a little bit. I think i have a pretty standard garage and as long as i dont pull in to fast going up over the little step into the garage it fits in there just fine

knotcher

where'd you get that carrier? looks pretty close to what i want.

capndoodles

I actually built it myself!

knotcher

very nice...now that i look at it again, i see it riding on the stock roof rack. cool.

blacknbluexj

im running 3" with 31x10.5 as a dd and for the trails. drives great for both. i would like to lift it higher but probably not for a while always fun to have dreams... lol. im gonna be trimming the fenders back to hopefully get some 33's on there maybe? debating if i want to, like you said bigger tires= more gas specially driving to school and work everyday

07Negative

Your decision making should be based around what kind of terrain is in your area. If it's big ol' rocks. You may want to consider 4.5/5.5" lift.
If your doing more trail and not so much rock gardens. I think a 3 or 3.5" lift is perfect. The quality of ride on a short arm kit isn't as bad opposed to 4.5+ inch of lift.
Do leaf packs tho not AAL. Not that I'm tryna tell you what to do. But AAL not the best over time. You can get a Rustys or a RE kit around the same price and better quality than RC.
Just my 2cents.

No4x4Yet

+1

Thats tru but you can get a 3" lift for a few hundred bucks and have soem fun and collect parts fort he 4.5" lift over time. Shackles in the rear and spacers up front and you can keep the spring from the 3" setup. This is my plan.

93gc40

Decide what tires FIRST.. Go from there. For DD rig, that goen off-road occasionally. I'd add a locker and some protection, minimal if any lift. Out wheel all those Unprotected, Open/Open, 3-4" lifted rigs anywhere. 2" Budget Boost can fit up to 31" tires easy, with minor trimming.

capndoodles

Yeah its just u-bolted down to the roof rails but it works amazingly i love it!