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Lift kit sugguestions

3K views 38 replies 14 participants last post by  yj_kev 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I am currently looking into a few lift kits. This has been my first jeep build and will be my first suspension lift. I am looking for a kit between 400-700$ that is around 4 inches. Any sugguestions?
 
#5 ·
#6 ·
I've had my 4" rough country for 5+ years and served me well, just went through the Rubicon trail with it so for the $ you really can't beat it. If I were you go for their military wrap x series kit for a few more bucks. Be prepared to do a sye in the future too.

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#8 ·
Idk..I have the 4" kit. DREDnot states the RC springs ride like crap...I, on the other hand can't vouch for that as I have no experience with any other. Personally I'm not complaining but might if I found another brand riding much nicer!? Listen to the experience not just me. For a little over $700 bucks that ProComp kit is what he said rides better seems to be the one to get if you are concerned of the ride. The Old Man Emu is around $1000 and nobody seems to doubt their quality.

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#9 ·
How do you plan to use your Jeep? If you want a daily driver with occasional light to moderate off road use then a good ride will be more important than if you are building a vehicle for use in sand or rocks.

What size tires do you plan to run? Tire size goes hand in hand with choosing a lift.
Most jeepers state that anything greater than a 2 1/2" lift will require a slip yoke eliminator and the resultant cost, along with a new driveshaft.

If ride is important to you then I suggest you listen to DREDnot. His technical knowledge is unsurpassed on this forum.

For a few hundred bucks more, you can be assured of the best ride possible with the OME kit.

You will still be riding on WW II technology. Don't expect a TJ ride from a YJ. It just won't happen.

Good Luck, L.M.
 
#11 ·
How do you plan to use your Jeep? If you want a daily driver with occasional light to moderate off road use then a good ride will be more important than if you are building a vehicle for use in sand or rocks.

What size tires do you plan to run? Tire size goes hand in hand with choosing a lift.
Most jeepers state that anything greater than a 2 1/2" lift will require a slip yoke eliminator and the resultant cost, along with a new driveshaft.

If ride is important to you then I suggest you listen to DREDnot. His technical knowledge is unsurpassed on this forum.

For a few hundred bucks more, you can be assured of the best ride possible with the OME kit.sed

You will still be riding on WW II technology. Don't expect a TJ ride from a YJ. It just won't happen.

Good Luck, L.M.
I'm running 33s right now and don't plan on going any bigger. It will be used as a commuter (no more than 50 miles a week all in the city) but i will also used for moderate off roading (mostly as my hunting vehicle). We have some pretty deep spots at the camp. Seeing how I live in florida I doubt I will do any extreme rock crawling. Another thing that im keeping in mind is that it is a 27 year old vehicle so I do not want to spend half of what the jeep is worth in a suspension system.
 
#10 ·
another +10000000 to stay away from Rough Country.

When I initially lifted my Jeep, I bought their 4.5 "military wrap" spring kit. Right off the bat, the rear driveshaft that was supposed to be a fit for my kit and SYE wasn't even close. Within 18 months the springs were sagging so bad that 33's would rub going around a corner if anyone was sitting in the back. Just last week, one of the stainless braided brake lines blew out, they're less than 3 years old.

All I have left on my Jeep of that kit now are the, SYE kit (which they don't actually make anyway) front lift shackles, and the shocks. The shocks are actually decent.
 
#13 ·
Best riding dual purpose road/off-road worthy lift kit is Old man emu 2.5"

Best off-roading/minor on-road kits: Rubicon express extreme duty 4.5" or BDS 4.5". The rubicon express kit rides a little softer and BDS has the best warranty over anyone period. Both of these kits come complete with stainless steel braided brake lines and everything else needed. Pair these with an SYE, better gears and bigger tires and you'll be very happy. Just very pricey.

Best budget kit brands would be Zone offroad, and maybe skyjacker and procomp as well. Skyjacker shocks are awful!

I'm part of an exclusively YJ jeep club and have driven and experienced almost every lift kit on the market and these are the only I recommend.
 
#14 ·
Running 33s on a DD in mostly city driving and some moderate off roading, I'll bet you will be happier dropping down to 31s the next time you buy tires. You will get a little more oomph off the line and perhaps better mileage with city driving. Plus, your clutch may last longer. With the 31s you can get a 2 1/2" lift and save all the dough for a SYE.
You may find someone that wants to trade your 33s for a nice set of 31s.

You seem reluctant to invest the bank into an older toy. You can either give up other hobbies so that you can build your "dream Jeep", or you can build a budget off-roader. Very few of us can have all the toys just the way we want them. A "stage 1" build can be an economical project and quite enjoyable for most circumstances. The real expense starts when you go into single purpose rides like 12 X 35 mud tires and all the rest of what's necessary to make them work.

My choice for January is a new gun or full steel doors for the Jeep. This month the Jeep wins. I don't have to buy ammunition for the doors.

Good Luck, L.M.
 
#15 ·
My choice for January is a new gun or full steel doors for the Jeep. This month the Jeep wins. I don't have to buy ammunition for the doors.

Good Luck, L.M.
Funny! December budget for me was spent on presents and two new guns. Maybe the Jeep will get some money throw at it in January haha
 
#24 · (Edited)
hope its cool to jump in and ask some stuff :) but one of my next things to do to my 92 yj 4.0l is to refresh my suspension , it already had a 4in rc lift on it went i bought it and being my first jeep i have no opinion of my own on lifts at the moment . i have 33s on it now and was already thinking maybe a 3.5in (i do like the 4in look tho) , but after relizing that i need to regear the thing and do the sye with the 4in po did none of this but did a locker in the rear tho :) . im guessing my man question would be , with that pro-comp 2.5in would i be abull to pass on a sye set for the time being and take the 1in tranny drop off ? after buying a complete exhaust system imma have delete somethig off my todo list this year and it seems its gonna have to be my sye set , i realy do not want to have that drop on my tranny putting more stress on the motor mounts (in my opinion). im not a rock crawler but i like mud , snow and like to not slow down when i see speed bumps
 
#25 ·
The sye is one of the best mods you can do for so many reasons, but even a 2.5" lift will require a transfer case drop kit. Some engine/transmission combos dont need the drop kit on 2.5" kits like the 6cyl with auto or the 4cyl may or may not need it. The motor mounts should be fine even with a transfer case drop kit so you're just stressing yourself out over nothing.
 
#26 ·
Mine came with 4in procrap first trip to the river broke three Springs in one pack so replaced them with Rubicon express 4in military wrap Springs 33×12.50r15 tires these springs they ride super good I also took off the track arms and put bilstein 5100 shocks on it I've offloaded the heck out of it like the heck out of them
 
#27 ·
I've had the same question for a while. I was going to buy a lift kit in the fall, but getting the transmission rebuilt took priority..... I was set on a Skyjacker 2.5" lift, but then I found this for under $600 and free shipping: Pro Comp K3061B 2.5" Lift Kit with ES3000 Shocks for 87-95 Jeep® Wrangler YJ | Quadratec

I've read nothing but great things with the Pro Comp brand!

Early in my research for a lift, I was thinking a 4" lift as well. But since we use our jeep on the sand dunes, 4" would not have been a good choice(too high), plus we have the 2.5L engine. And the cost of the two driveshaft's that would need replacing with a 4" lift, was way more than I want to spend!!!!! Plus extended brake lines, fuel lines, lines that I don't know of.... ha

With the kit above, the only addition parts I need to buy, is a transfer case drop for around $30 and new eye bolts for $25. Once I'm done, I might replace the existing steering stabilizer for $45-$50. And I might even add a 1" body lift when I take the tub off in a few years to restore the tub and frame.

Hope this helps!
 
#28 ·
Ive been running a 4.5" RC Xseries for about 3 years on my YJ. And its never given me a single issue. Even with all the added weight from nose to tail armor Rides awesome flexes well has military wrap springs. The standard rc stuff tarnished the brands reputation but their x series yj lifts are great
 

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#29 ·
Still not that fantastic of a lift. A couple of friends have it and unfortunately rough country still cheased out a few things they could have done to make them perform a much better. They still use very cheap bushings and cheap friction reduction pads between leafs. They have decent up travel, it's the down travel where they really fail. They don't use Hendricks style retainers which allow for a bit more down travel


They also have too short overall length springs compared to my BDS or another friends Rubicon Express kit. Me and my friend have an extra 8" of down travel compared to those with the rough country X-series. Figured that out when measuring for bilsteins... The longer overall length also really helps with stability and makes for a much softer ride.

Overall it's a decent kit for the price and works for a lot of people. I just would rather save up for something a lot better for a few hundred more. BTW I've run Pro Comp 4", Rough Country 4" and now the BDS on my YJ so I've made some mistakes I wish I didn't make the first time around.
 
#31 ·
#33 ·
Don't believe in all the negativity about Rough Country .Most is second hand info and always I knew a buddy who . Those that had issues was due to improper installation or extreme use of what it was intended for .I f you go with their X series military wrap kit it is designed for more abuse than the standard kit
 
#34 ·
It's not negativity, it's you get what you pay for. I personally had a rough country kit and it didn't do what I needed. If you want a lifted jeep to pick up groceries with over size tires and stock gears, rough country is there for you. If you're into doing things right like sye, lockers, deep gears and want to wheel your jeep and have fun, look elsewhere. My absolute biggest gripe with rough country was how quickly the bushings wore out and the lack of downward articulation.
 
#37 ·
looks good. Im debating on forking out the cash to have a kit installed. I have a guy who does fabrication on jeeps at 40 bucks an hour and I also have a 3-inch body lift that I want to replace with a 1 inch but the bolts are rusted to hell. I figured the it will be worth it in the end. Im all about doing my own work but it gets to the point where working in a drive way in the Florida heat where you just say screw it. This wouldn't be difficult but the former owner cut corners on basically every mod
 
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