shum8

So my 88 looks like the original owner may have just stuck some coils and maybe an add a leaf under my XJ. It looks like its possibly a 2 or 3 inch lift. The control arms havent been changed or anything. Shocks are probably 20 years old also. So heres the deal. My cousin has opened up a small shop working on Razors and etc. He tells me hes a dealer for RC. Id love to help him out any way I could. So I went to RC website and watched a lil vid they did on their X Series 4.5 lift. I would like some honest feedback on this lift please. It is my intentions to run 33x1250s with Bushwacker flat flares. So knowing that I only want feedback about the lift. Thanks in advance and dont be afraid to be honest.

my89xj

Most people here say rough country is junk.

Now I never had issues with my rough country stuff... BUT I only offroaded in mud. So my stuff never got really abused.
They have great customer service IMO

Now with this being said, I would encourage you check out some other companies for lift kits.

Such as:
Zone
Iron rock offroad
Rubicon Express

xjsc92

My setup is exactly what you want. I like mine pretty good. Nice and soft. Then again it isn't as good as it could be but it's a solid start! The pic is me and my bro. He has a 6.5" rustys and he doesn't have near the flex. Honesty I think rough country does really good for the price. I haven't really abused mine but I have tested it on some half decent terrain and it's awesome so far.

kickice24

I have the RC 4.5: X-series on 33's myself and it performs well for what it is. It's held up well to the abuse I put it through and any issues I have had were promptly resolved by RC customer service. Check it out in my build thread. https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f46/in...pe-ape-124675/

dlaratta1

I ran rough country 3" lift for awhile. I did eventually switch some stuff around and swapped out some parts for other brands. I don't think you get an out of the box perfect set up from any company. No matter what brand you put on your xj you will always want to replace some components for another brands because it might match your use for it. Every full lift kit has a compromise somewhere in it's components to make it useful to a broader range of customers. Rough country is a great start in my opinion but keep in mind you may want to replace some parts before they even have a scratch on them just because they don't work for you. Every kit comes with this possibility. If you are not getting an awesome discount from your cousin you may want to check out other options. I have rustys coils and springs now but still use rough country control arms and drop down kit. Everything else is a mix that works for me. I am at 6.5 and I drive mine all over plus beat it up in the woods on the weekend.

XJwonders

I think rough country is fine if u do mild wheeling, but please please don't get the track bar. So many people here broke it just driving out of the driveway.

Red82

Their leafs suck.

Grip

Never had a single problem with their full leaf packs.

xjmarc

Google rough country leaf springs and you'll see thousands of complaints about them being too short which causes shackle issues which in turn causes handling issues. They've said for a couple of years they are working on it but nothing has changed as of yet. I've installed several of their kits and that and the bushings, which have been upgraded and no longer an issue, were the only problems I've run into. I was told the shackle relocation would fix the springs but I would think having the right size springs would be a better fix. Also their shackles are very weak and prone to bending if you actually wheel you rig.

Red82

What he said. I got full leaf packs and wish if spent just a little more money for half way decent leafs.

shum8

We prob not gonna be wheelin much if any. Im hoping for a super sweet deal but not holding my breath.

xjmarc

If you get it plan on shackle relocators as well otherwise it'll ride like a tank. Shackles should be leaning to the rear at 45*. With those if you're lucky they'll be 90* but most likely closer to 45* plus to the front.

cleenrob

I have rough country coils, shocks, and rear aal with probly 50k and mild medium abuse with no issues other than the aal giving me a rough ride and some sag. I say if its a dd mostly on the road, RC will be fine.

96blackxj

i have a 3 inch rough country lift with the add a leaf, the rear is sagging a little its about half inch lower then the front but its not that bad i like the ride on the street, as i dont have any swaybars front or rear and its not really that bad.... i do want to go higher though i want to go 4.5" probably long arm as well but that gets expensive

the only thing i dont like out of my whole lift, is i got a pro comp track bar and my heim joint went bad on it while driving on the freeway and it got massive death wobble scared the living crap out of me you can imagine how bad dw is just imagine with no swaybars

my 3" rc flexes pretty dang good i tucked my front tire inside the fenderwell but when i go 4.5" i might look at something else

JD Cravin

I have the 6.5 inch Rough Country long arm kit. I went wheeling every weekend for the last year in various conditions, with regular maintenance i.e. greasing the things that need to be greased, tightening the nuts that need to be tightened, it has held up remarkably well, however I did wear out the rear springs that came with it in one year's time...

I also recommend rough country because their kits come with everything you need although their rear springs leave a lot on the table.

I did put it through some rough wheeling every weekend for a year but never the less, those springs should have held up for at least another year.
I now have Rubicon Express rear springs and they are awesome but very stiff.