[twisted_ed]

2 questions for poeple who have used this lift.

1.) its supposed to be 4.5... how high was it to begin with and what did it settle down to?

2.) has anyone had to change the drive shaft and put on a SYE to make it drivable?

my lift is at the shop but i need a few more dollars before i can put it in. i was wondering on the hight to see if i need to get my girlfriend whos 4'9" a ladder hehe

but mostly I need to know if i need to save up to afford a drive shaft and sye before installing the lift... i dont intend to off road till i get the sye and driveshaft but i want to lift it asap

[GottaBeJeep]

Well, those rear springs will sit you about 6-6.5" of lift in the rear to start, and the front will be about 5.5". I highly recommend that you get the SYE/CV driveshaft. It doesn't matter what year XJ you have or if you get vibes or not. That much lift is going to put a lot of stress on your TCase. Cheaper to put in the SYE/CV shaft now than to replace a blown/grenaded TCase later, and still need to install a SYE/CV shaft after that to prevent it from happening again. I'm sure you get the point.

[jcr23]

i second that, the jeep was pretty much not drivable until my SYE came in right (about a week later). The vibes were horrible with all kinds of grinding noises. do the SYE. also, right after the lift i was sitting at 6" up front and 7" out back. after a couple months and some wheeling i'm at around 5 - 5.5" up front and 5.5 - 6" out back. i haven't measured since the fall though so i'm probably lower than that at this point. one final note, the SYE probably won't cure all your vibes, i still have some vibes at over 60 mph to get figured out

[GottaBeJeep]

Originally Posted by jcr23

one final note, the SYE probably won't cure all your vibes, i still have some vibes at over 60 mph to get figured out

Did you put in shims in your leaf packs after installing the SYE? You may have to experiment a little with shims to get it perfect. You have sagged, so that can have an effect on your shimming angle as well, so what worked at 7" will not work at 5", etc.

[twisted_ed]

i got the add a leaf version... so i dont know how that will affect it. i have brand new 10 month old stock rear leafs the shop made and put in... they are gonna rearc them to match the add a leaf.. their work seems like it works well. so i dont know how high that will take me

[Carp.xj]

Go to ericsxj.com
then to the "Parts he has previously used" and click on RE 4.5" lift.
I believe in this section there is a chart with measurements including after a month or two. Good resource.
The only thing is, he used a bigger rear leaf spring pack then comes standard in the RE 4.5" kit.

It will still be helpful....

[creeperjeep]

All I can say from experience is,
we installed a RE superflex kit on my buddys Rubicon and it flexes like a bastard with them there johnny joints.
As for leafs, AAL is junk...but anyways, its possible to get a good driveline angle outta it.
Do a T-case drop and shackles and shims IF you have to.

[twisted_ed]

yah no doubt that add a leafs arnt the best... the shop is gonna use the add a leaf to make a better spring pack for the cost of install so ill get a better spring pack out of it

[jcr23]

Originally Posted by GottaBeJeep

Did you put in shims in your leaf packs after installing the SYE? You may have to experiment a little with shims to get it perfect. You have sagged, so that can have an effect on your shimming angle as well, so what worked at 7" will not work at 5", etc.

yeah, i haven't shimmed it yet, i wanted it to settle some, especially since i don't do much highway driving unless i'm home. this summer i'm gonna pull the front shaft and make sure that's the cause (or contributing). just the final dialing-in of the lift basically

[GottaBeJeep]

NO shims with a CV driveshaft will cause vibes. You really need the shims. If you are at 5.5-6" in the back, then try 6* shims if you have lifted packs and stock shackles, or use 4* shims if you have an extended shackle with the lifted packs. They make a big difference. The front shaft usually doesn't become much of a problem.

[MDP_JeepN]

I heard that you should install the lift and then the SYE. Then after that, you should measure your driveshaft and then order it serperately. Why is this?

Also, why are there different lenghts? Shouldnt it all be the same measurements for the most part?

[GottaBeJeep]

Originally Posted by MDP_JeepN

I heard that you should install the lift and then the SYE. Then after that, you should measure your driveshaft and then order it serperately. Why is this?

Also, why are there different lenghts? Shouldnt it all be the same measurements for the most part?

Different lifts give different actual lift heights, so it is best to measure after installing the lift, however some companies have a pretty good knowledge of just how much lift is expected out of a certain kit, so with the knowledge of what lift is going on, the type of TCase, and the rear axle, they can get pretty darn close so you don't have to wait for one to be built after the install, then you can install it all at once and be on the road.

There are different lengths of driveshafts because of simple geometry. Your drive line is like a triangle. The length of the drive shaft is the hypotenuse of the triangle. If the length stays the same (straight level line from TCase to above yoke of rear axle), and the height/lift changes (straight line down from TCase to level with yoke of rear axle), the hypotenuse (driveshaft) is going to change. Did that make sense?

[MDP_JeepN]

Originally Posted by GottaBeJeep

Different lifts give different actual lift heights, so it is best to measure after installing the lift, however some companies have a pretty good knowledge of just how much lift is expected out of a certain kit, so with the knowledge of what lift is going on, the type of TCase, and the rear axle, they can get pretty darn close so you don't have to wait for one to be built after the install, then you can install it all at once and be on the road.

There are different lengths of driveshafts because of simple geometry. Your drive line is like a triangle. The length of the drive shaft is the hypotenuse of the triangle. If the length stays the same (straight level line from TCase to above yoke of rear axle), and the height/lift changes (straight line down from TCase to level with yoke of rear axle), the hypotenuse (driveshaft) is going to change. Did that make sense?

Good explantion, kinda clears it up for me.

I planning on going with the 4.5 RE kit also. But I dont want to have an undrivable jeep, because it is my main method of transportation. I am gettin it from redrock4x4. I woud think with how many drive shafts they have sent out they would know the measurements.

[GottaBeJeep]

You would think so. Be sure to let them know your current lift height, TCase, Axle, new lift height going on, and the length of your current shaft from center of TCase UJoint to center of Axle UJoint.

[yennerXJ]

I didnt read through all these posts, but it seems the lift q's got answered. As for your girlfriend, my fiance is 5'1" and I got the RE 3.5" Super Ride and she had a time getting in. Not bad, just a little bit, but I would imagine another inch lift and 2 inches less in heighth might make a difference.