Jeep Wrangler Forum banner

best 3" lift kit

39K views 123 replies 24 participants last post by  TTTE 
#1 ·
I have a 2006 rubicon and i was wondering what the best lift kit for it is. It's a RD so I also need to know what shocks everyone recommends
 
#3 ·
OME makes great shocks and a very good 2.5" kit.
 
#5 ·
Thanks! :) pretty proud of it.

I can't personally attest to holding up long term as I've only had it for about 8 months but everyone says it'll last as long as you have it on the jeep. Offroad performance is good though. And on road performance/ride was improved as well. Very comfortable ride.
 
#24 ·
no they don't.

BDS and Zone share the same parent company, and likely share some manufacturing overlap. Kinda like Procomp, Smittybilt, Rubicon Express and 4-Wheel Parts.

If you want save some money
Zone 4.25 combo has a 3in suspension and a 1.25 bbl under 600$

If you want to break the bank Currie has a very nice 4 inch lift. 2000K and up.
but don't be confused into thinking $600 gets you the same stuff as $2000.
 
#15 ·
Rubicon express superflex, teraflex with 8 adjustable control arms, savvy's Currie 3" are all very good and fairly comprehensive lifts that will provide you with great durability, great off road performance and daily driving comfort.
A basic 3" lift consists of springs and shocks and will likely leave you unhappy with ride quality.
Bilstien and old man emu make some great shocks and Rubicon express shocks are also manufactured by bilstien and valved specifically for their lifts.
Expect to spend 1500 to 2500 for a good quality lift.
If you want to go all out in ride quality then you could go long arm but the cos goes up dramatically.
Plan on a slip yoke eliminator, a rear CV drive shaft and an alignment as well.
Quality lifts will provide you with the performance you would like on and off road. Quality shocks will help even more. Skimping on either and going the rough country, BDS, skyjacker, zone, etc...will have you in the same position as many of my customers...spending a lot more in the long run to undo what they skimped on in the beginning or, in extreme cases, selling their jeeps.
 
#17 ·
Rubicon express superflex, teraflex with 8 adjustable control arms, savvy's Currie 3" are all very good and fairly comprehensive lifts that will provide you with great durability, great off road performance and daily driving comfort.
A basic 3" lift consists of springs and shocks and will likely leave you unhappy with ride quality.
Bilstien and old man emu make some great shocks and Rubicon express shocks are also manufactured by bilstien and valved specifically for their lifts.
Expect to spend 1500 to 2500 for a good quality lift.
If you want to go all out in ride quality then you could go long arm but the cos goes up dramatically.
Plan on a slip yoke eliminator, a rear CV drive shaft and an alignment as well.
Quality lifts will provide you with the performance you would like on and off road. Quality shocks will help even more. Skimping on either and going the rough country, BDS, skyjacker, zone, etc...will have you in the same position as many of my customers...spending a lot more in the long run to undo what they skimped on in the beginning or, in extreme cases, selling their jeeps.
I plan on doing it right. the OME ultimate lift kit might be the one for me but not sure yet. If I am going to spend this much, I want to do it right the first time. Would like to stay closer to the $1500 mark
 
#16 ·
The title says your looking for the best 3" lift so I'm going to say Savvy/Currie. Based upon my research and experience, I think they make the best 3" short arm lift on the market. That is what I put on my 03 Rubicon last year and I could not be happier.

Currie Johnny Joints Suspension TJ LJ

I hear great things about the Fox shocks but I put Rancho 9000 on mine based upon the recommendation I got from Savvy Off-Road and they work very well.
 
#18 ·
If I remember correctly the ome kit consists of a 2" one lift, a body lift, and a motor mount lift. Its a good way to gain clearance and a good ride. The downfall always comes with the re-use of the factory arms. When a suspension is flexing it will bind on the factory arms right at about the point that a 2" lift spring will droop. By upgrading to a kit with better arms you will notice huge gains in flexibility and by pairing with the correct shock you will also notice huge gains in ride quality. Mine is not top of the line but here are what I can remember of my costs
3.5 super flex - 1300
1" body lift - 110
Bilstien 5100 shocks - 300
Sye - 250
Tom woods ds - 350
Tools to install - 100
Brake fluid - $5
I drove this jeep daily 150 miles round trip because it rode better than my ltz Tahoe. I also wheeled this jeep on 4 diamonds with 0 problems.
 
#30 ·
I hear what you say about the Control Arms. Stressing the stock arms past the 2" suspension lift is the issue. On your setup you added a body lift with the 3.5" RE Superflex kit. I suppose that was because the RE Kit included new Arms whereas the OME Kit does not? Would adding new Arms to the OME Kit work just as well? Adding a JKS Control Arm kit for about $275-300 would work with the OME Kit? or does that not make sense. I am not a mechanic nor do I claim to be one. I am trying to make the right decision for myself.
 
#27 ·
Ive come to realize that my local "jeep" shops are useless for the whole lift researching thing. They all want to peddle their product or the one they get the most kickback on. I just had a jeep shop/dealer who does a good amount of lifts tell me theyve never heard of OME. Then I tell him Im going with 15x8 wheel and he said, why would I want to do that? Why not a 17"?? Thats when I realized I needed to leave.
 
#28 ·
Wow, true in some cases but not always. I always try to talk someone into the set up that is right for them, give them the benefits and drawbacks of any kit as well as associated costs and I'm always willing to show how a lift performs. The last thing I would want is to ruin reputation or see someone out on the trail unhappy with something I sold them...unless they were adamant about a product regardless of advice. Then again there is a very tight knit off road community in Louisiana.
 
#36 ·
How much experience do you have with the Duroflex joint to make the above claims?

Having misinformed customers who bought things without doing the research is really no reason to hate on a company either. Most companies don't make a 100% kit right off the bat, some actually allow you to add stuff to the base kit but once people see the price go up they opt out of it. Its because they don't know. It sounds like you get a lot of people who are eager to spend money but not do any research into what they are buying, also known as 90% of consumers (yes 68.7% of statistics are made up on the spot). The base kits are out there for a reason, it gives people a starting point but of course no one is going to market it like that or else no one would buy them. I'm actually surprised that you put BDS and ZONE in your list considering I have seen nothing but great reviews for either of them. Which in itself is surprising because most people are more likely to post complaints on the internet than praise. I will agree that Savvy makes some great arms if not the best although I dont see the point in the double adjustable arms, how often are you adjusting them that you need that? Yeah its a process to dial in pinion but you should only have to do it once.
 
#37 ·
Big dick suspensions and zone fall nowhere near the title "best 3" lift" also I'm not here to tie up a thread, I'm here to share real world experience. If the o.p. has more questions they would like to ask I would be glad to help them, that will free up your time greatly to go do some more research.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top