samhain

Hi everyone. Ok so my suspension on my 99 is stock. It's beginning to get a little worn out so I want to do an entire refresh. I've done the brakes but now I want to do the rest. Shocks, control arms, bushings, possibly get rid of the d35 and replace with a 8.25, the works. I want to keep it a stock height but want upgrades. Thinking about bilstein 4600s, tubular arms, poly bushings etc. What do you guys recommend and what should I buy. I'm not very mechanically savvy.

JPXJMOAB

I'm going to recommend OME.

Tsaani97xj

Beyond the shocks I would just use quality OEM parts if you just want to refresh. Not much to gain except a harsher ride with poly bushings etc.

JPXJMOAB

poly bushings will last longer .. But definitely rougher ride

samhain

What about control arms? Are there upgrades that won't raise my height? What about steering stabilizers, tie rods, track bar, sway bar links etc?

Tsaani97xj

The ZJ tierod would be worth doing for peace of mind. The rest I am not aware of anything that isnt custom made for an upgrade at stock height. If youre willing to pay for custom you could get some adjustable arms made to fine tune your alignment. Not worth much IMO but would be cool. As suggested though a small 1.5-2" OME lift is supposed to improve ride dramatically and doesnt require as much modification as a higher lift. This would be a great upgrade with some 235s.

yorkee

What is your goal? better on road manner? Or better off road capability?

Alternative to the tubular lcr... If you can find a wj lcr with GOOD bushing (especially the oval one), you can swap i in with a little modification on your current lcr mounts. It is beefier and got better bushings then stock, thus on-road ride quality is better. And you can fit wider tire without rubbing the lcr because wj lcr bent inward.

You can get one of those no-lift shackle relocation bracket, along with little longer shackle to change the shackle angle a bit while maintaining stock height. That should give you firmer rear spring and better drop on the rear...

samhain

this is how it currently sits. 31s and no lift on trimmed fenders. I don't want to lift it as I like the look just bump stop it. my goal is to daily drive it as well as do some mild off road stuff. nothing major. essentially, if I can upgrade the suspension with better aftermarket parts without lifting it that would be my goal

samhain

What size bump stops should I use with this setup?

yorkee

I have no problem driving on street when I run stock height with 31s. However, never try putting it on trails.

Are you going to chop the fender?

I would put it on ramp / jack and see what's rubbing/hitting first... then you can measure what size of bumpstop you need.

Or you can you can buy the longest one, put it on task, and start trimming it.

samhain

Can I use bilstein 5100s like this with no lift or should I stock with 4600s? Some people say I need to be lifted some have said I don't need a lift

XJlimitedx99

Oem parts should work fine for what you plan to do with them. I don't see the sense in buying nice aftermarket parts unless you're going to do a small lift and use them a little bit.

A ZJ tie rod will be a good upgrade, along with an oem drag link.

The WJ control arms sound like they would be good for you.

How deep are you looking to get into this? If I was in your position I wouldn't spend all the money on oem parts when I could buy nicer lift parts for a little more.

Fred/N0AZZ

All of the better parts are made for lifted XJ's and most start at a min. of 3" of lift. Then you can get quality aftermarket parts, and some are for ones with at least 4 1/2" of lift min.


There are hundreds if not thousands of the members here with lifted DD and they drive great. Mine at 4 1/2" still has VG road manners with a decent ride as will most all who do them correctly with good parts. It depends on what kit you choose as far as leafs/coils then good shocks I run Bilstein 5100's on mine.


But I'm sure that you found this out also during your search the two doesn't go together at all