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Questions about lift kits and body lifts....

5K views 25 replies 8 participants last post by  G_Spot 
#1 ·
so i was reading around in another thread about lift kits (which is gonna be my first major mod). it was brought up that a 3" lift kit and a 1" body lift would be both functional and cheaper than a 4" lift kit (because i guess you have to buy other equiptment when purchasing a 4" lift kit). i saw that the Pro Comp 4" lift kit was around $650. but it looked like it included everything for installation. if you could please help me out i'd appreciate it.
-is that combo. the best way to go for a 4" lift?
-is a 3" lift kit going to clear 33" tires?
-what is going to be included in a 1" body lift and how much will it run?
-also, who are some good vendors to deal with as far as customer service and pricing?

thanx again,
chris
 
#3 ·
oh ok. so then a 3" lift kit and a 1" bodt lift sounds like it would be the way to go. so who do i turn to for a body lift (company, dealer)?

thanx again,
chris
 
#13 ·
If you go with just a quality 3" lift you can clear 33" Tires. You also should not have to buy a SYE kit & CV Driveshaft, which will save you a bunch of money. If you added a 1" Body Lift then you can go to 35" tires. I have 33"s on mine w/ 3" BDS lift.
It was just over $700 but came with springs,shocks,disco's,and all acc. I love it and they have a lifetime warranty.

Premium Lifted Suspension Systems - BDS Suspension
 
#14 ·
check out Absolute Offroad Home Page. Joe is a Vendor on the board and can get you any product you need. Also give him a call or pm absoluteoffroad on this board. He'll talk you thru some good options.

Everyone has different experiences when it comes to driveline vibes. We had a member here just the other day who got vibes off of a 2" lift. Odds are if you stay at 3" of suspension lift you will be able to manage any vibes you have. Start going over 4" and you are pretty much gaurantee'd to have vibes.
 
#15 ·
Since Mr C does not seem inclined to I thought I would clear this up :D.

Any body lift will require relocating or cutting the fan shroud regardless of manufacturer. That is unless it is done with a mml at the same time. That's why these two things are so popular together. The mml will also help to adjust for linkage issues caused by the bl as well as improve drive line angles.

3" suspension + 1" bl will require a combination of trimming and bumpstopping to clear 35's. Unless it's on road only or don't mind significant rubbing.
 
#16 ·
Red rubi, when I put on my 33's the first time, I cleared by what seemed like tons with just a 2 in BB. It doesn't look like it could have rubbed if i tried to make it. I went ahead and put on a 1 in bl also cause thats what everyone said was required to clear 33's with no problems, so i was wondering if anyone knew how much fender clearance was actually required to keep the tires out of the fenders with out extending the crap out of the bumpstops??
 
#19 ·
Well odds are there was at least that much uptravel still in your shocks/bump stops. Then if you add in bigger tires with the same amount of lift you decrease the amount of room you have to work with while keeping the shock travel the same.
 
#20 ·
That's kind of what we're talking about. On road is a completely different issue from off-road and disconnected. I first put my 37's on before the Highline was finished with paint. While driving around town it was fine and I had no clearance issues whatsoever. However, were I to try to off-road, even connected, I can guarantee it would have been rubbing all over the place with only 4" suspension and 1" body lift.

The general guidline seems to be about 3" for 33's, 5" for 35's and over 6" for 37's if no aftermarket fenders or trimming are used. Now this really isn't absolute as each Jeep is a little different as is each lift and whether the front is connected, disconnected, anti-rock or dual rate swaybar. Tire diameter and width, wheel width and backspacing all affect as well as do the track bars and bump stops or lack thereof.
 
#22 ·
On that same line as well, I just looked at and measured my heep and my bumpstops and shocks have about 4-5" of uptravel and my wheel wells have between 8" and 10" in height of space. Last time I flexed with only 4-5" of uptravel allowed by my bumpstops, I still came within an inch or two of a fender that was 10" away when the stance was level.
 
#23 ·
Wow, that's crazy!! I have never been around jeep's a lot and I have looked at a million pics, but I can't wait to get up close and see one flexing like crazy. I think that's my whole thing, It just doesn't seem like it could possibly flex enought to touch that fender without something breaking!!
 
#24 ·
As long as you don't get too flexy it might rub a bit but not hurt anything. It all depends on what situation you end up in. Little moguls can force some big flex out of a BB'd TJ. That's one of the reasons they perform so well but require so much clearance in the wheel wells.
 
#25 ·
Here is a pic of what I am referring to. With a level stance, the lip on that fender is about 10" away from the top of the tire. My bumpstop's have about 4.75" of uptravel up front. You cannot see the passenger tire directly but the top of it is now within an inch or two of the fender lip. If those had been stock fenders (7" from top of tire) my tire would have contacted the fender very solidly.

 
#26 ·
wow thanx for all the helpful insights. looks like i have some thinking and calling to do :)

thanx again,
chris
 
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