Hi,
I have a stock 2000 sport with 216k.
I believe rear leaf shackles are broken. Rear leafs are sagging and the rear end sits lower as you can see in pic.
Ride is very rough. Rear suspension makes lots of creaking, groans, and knocking. (I have checked, the broken shackles have not caused any damage)
I just added 30" BFGs which rub on turns and the rears contact the body on hard bumps. (sometimes causing fender flares to fly off on the highway)
Obviously, I need to replace my suspension setup. I am also looking at upgrading to improve ride and clear my tires. Here is where it gets tricky.
I want to be able to go off-road. Noting major, but small water crossings, mudding, and minimal crawling. Mud, snow, and streams are all this will see as I am in MA.
I also want to daily drive it. I want the ride quality improved from where it is now.
I drive on the highway a lot and would like to still be able to maintain 80-90 mph. For this reason I do not want over 2 inches of lift.
Does anyone have any advice as to what shocks, springs, etc. I should get?
I am looking at replacing the shackles and then installing an Old Man Emu lift (which comes with whole leaf springs, not add a leaf.)
If anyone has any other ideas or input that would be greatly appreciated as I am not entirely sure how the OME kit does with all of this. I think it is my best option but I'm not sure if any other kits are better.

you can see the rear sitting much lower than the front end.

 

I feel like I've always heard that the Old Man Emu hardware is excellent when the primary use of the Jeep is to be a daily driver. So that does kind of sound like what would work well for you. I'd love to see a picture of your broken shackles, honestly.

Old Man Emu's stuff is more expensive than Rough Country but it's supposed to have a better ride in town. Were you thinking of something like this?

https://www.jeepinoutfitters.com/pro...erokee-1984-01

That is assuming your rear leaf springs are actually worn and need to be replaced and that you'd like new shocks. I'm seeing a lot of Old Man Emu stuff as being out of stock so I'd probably call to make sure things on websites are actually available. These are factory-spec shackles then:

https://www.quadratec.com/products/9...QaAq0KEALw_wcB

If you're targeting 2" of lift and your rear springs aren't shot out, you can get away so much cheaper by just buying lift shackles - especially adjustable ones - like this:

https://core4x4.com/product/j-xjmj-lss2/

Then you have to figure out what you're doing for the front coil springs. It kind of just depends on whether you'd like to replace all of the springs and shocks. The complete kits are usually a good way to go because obviously everything you need comes with it.

 

There are many ways to go about lifting your XJ. I just recently lifted my XJ that was suffering from the same problems you describe. The previous owner installed a cheapo 2" lift, consisting of a 2" spacer for the front coils and a longer shackle for the rear leafs. After doing much research on this and other sites, I discovered that 3" of lift is obtainable without major modifications required. It can also be done inexpensively. Aftermarket OEM replacement leaf and coil springs are available that can get you a couple of inches of lift.

I used the Dorman 929-301 leaf spring from Amazon for $133 a piece (both bushings are installed). These are the UpCountry OEM replacements that will lift about 1" over the stock standard springs. in your case they will make an enormous difference in the rear, much like mine. That 1" plus the longer 2" shackles gave me a solid 3" lift in the rear. You say your shackles are broken so you will need to replace them anyways. Find a well built 2" lift shackle to replace your broken ones and your rear lift will be set.

I bought the Moog CC782 coils for the front ($78 a pair on Amazon). This is an OEM replacement for the early Grand Cherokee (ZJ), but fits the XJ and gives you a lift. I had to remove the 2" spacers and install the stock isolater to level out my XJ at 3". What I read about this spring was it would give you 1" of lift. I can't explain what I got 3".

You will need to replace your brake hoses with the longer ZJ components. These are OEM replacement hoses that bolt in place of the shorter XJ hoses. Dorman H622066 Front driver side $22, Dorman H622065 Front Passenger Side $14, Dorman H622067 Rear Center $14, all from Amazon. New bump stops for front and rear, Autoacc 5" XJ Front Bump Stops $28, Autoacc 3 Inches Rear Suspension Bump Stops $32.

This completes the lift but you may want to replace the front axle bushing since you are already there and add a steering stabilizer. Read the Tire and Lift sticky thread and any other thread about lifting. There are many tips on how to deal with removing the old bolts successfully without needing to cut into the frame rails. You will need to use heat and possibly an angle grinder. Fortunately a propane torch will do. penetrating oil like PB Blaster or Kroil should be applied days or even weeks before removal.I was fortunate to by an XJ from the south without any rust and had no issues. You will have a hard time dealing with rust with an XJ from the rust belt. Best of luck to you.

P.S. I have a little drive line vibration that needs attention. I plan to lower the transfer case to help with this. It can be done inexpensively as well. I plan to use washers to space out the cross member. I happen to have some available in my shop. I also installed Bilstein shock that are made for 2-3" lifts. Bilstein 5100 Series Set of Front & Rear Monotube Shocks $368, again from Amazon.


3" lift

 

OME makes a super quality product, not even comparable to a rough country or other cheaper option. Not sure what kit you were looking at but if you need shocks you can’t go wrong with bilstein 5100’s for price and performance

 

I have 1993 Cherokee w/ 295 k miles . Its rear leafs look like ' w's ' . I bought Crown springs ( labeled HD's ), they haven't said yet what the ratings are
And a .75 inch frt. coil spacer . Front height 33 " from ground to fender flare, rear is 34" . All of this was to handle 17 x9 x 4.25" rims plus the tire choice .
I wanted to add an inch to the diameter of the tires, make a small change in engine rpm at hwy. speed.... So like you, I'm still pretty stable and can run 80 -100 Haha.
only when needed. you'll also see in the photos a 2 degree wedge to lift the diff . rear shocks are Gabriel spring overs. Had a drive line issue, when the install was completed ,
the driveline was almost out of the xfer case, so that's why the added 1" drop and wedge.

xrfer case drop -1"

about a 1" height modify

Crown springs

the silver sliver is the wedge 2 degree

17 " rim