Recently purshased a 91 and not having ever driven a Cherrokee am surprised at the ride quality it has totally stock. I would like to lift it and curious at how much it would affect it's driveability. I've found a 4.5" Rubicon Express I can get for $550.Good deal?? Thanks

 

A lot will be dependent on if it's a soft ride system or not. Mine is 3.5" and is a set of coils from a 96 Grand Cherokee and leaves from a 98 S10 Blazer. I get a lot of complements on the ride quality. Also went thru the death wobble corrections. I've test driven a couple that rode like an old west buckboard. It'll do you well to research thoroughly before committing. I'm did and I'm very happy with my choice.

 

Some of the major components in ride quality are shackle angle, control arm angle and quality of shocks.

 

dead on. some things people do to maximize ride quality with lift kits are Long arms, and Shackle relocation brackets to have the optimal geometry for a soft suspension on road, and more capable offroad. Shocks will control the suspension in a soft or harsh way depending on condition/quality.

That seams like a fair price. I really like my RE springs. I thought it rode ok, but kind of harsh with just the Short arm (non adjustable) RE kit. after the long arms and shackel relocation it now rides really soft for a lifted vehicle.

 

There just seems like so many choices out there. I'm very naive about lift kits and I don't awant to spend a bunch of time and money to not be happy with the outcome. I guess I'll keep investegating before pulling the trigger.

 

The ride will be quite a bit stiffer. Most lift kits will do that. I would really recommend OME lift kits for ride quality. But you still need to figure out how much lift your going for and what size tires you want to run.

 

when you are searching for your lift, look at the spring rate of the coils. the higher, the more stiff the springs are and ride. but control the veh better when swaying. the lower, the softer the springs are. better ride and better flex (squishier), but less controlled at high speed corners, etc. stock is about 150lbs.

 

To provide the best ride, your control arms should be as horizontale as possible. For control arms, you have a few options.

1. Regular short arms. Basically what comes on your jeep or aftermarket ones that replace those. This is the least expensive and provide the worse ride of all.

2. Short arms with control arm drop brackets. You will hear good and bad opinions on these. They just lower the frame mounting place on the control arms. In turn, reducing control arm angle. They bring back your ride quality but you loose ground clearance from the brackets.

3. Long arms. These provide the best ride of all but are the most costly. If you are serous in offroading, i can almost guarintee you will end up with this some day. And in long arms there are multiple setups and ill leave those for you to search and discover.