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What lift... what size?

1K views 28 replies 8 participants last post by  xgerstandtx 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello all,
I have read threw and I am still reading many of the lifted pics threads to see who uses what lifts and so on...

My question is this... please list what lift you think is best and why?
I am thinking about 3.5 to 4.5" and probably a 32" tire.
I am leaning towards a long travel type...
It is important for me to not loose drivability, I want to be able to head out down the highway and not have a battle.

I have a 96 GC and I do not really do rock crawling and I am more into adventure/trek kind of wheeling. Having said that though I do want to be able to go basically anywhere I want.

Please let em know what you think.

Kevin
 
#2 ·
3.5" TnT Ciustoms LA with Icleland Offroad Flares and 35's or RE 4.5 Extreme Duty LA with Icleand offroad flares and 37's. Of course you would need chromo'd 44's to do this and 1350 driveshafts, knuckeles, steering, shocks, etc.....gears lockers.
 
#9 ·
well i just got some new black diamond shocks and i will keep those. i already got the brake lines. and i will prob get some quick disco sway bars
 
#14 ·
What I will be selling is:

-Rear upper and lower adjustable rough country X-flex arms
-Front lower adjustable rough country x-flex arms
-Front upper adjustable rubicon express super ride arms
-JKS adjustable rear tracbar
-Rough country 4" springs all around
-Rear rough country shocks
-front bilsteins or rubicon express monotubes(havent decided which to keep yet)

I would let all of this go for $700 plus the ride.
 
#15 ·
Hello all,

My question is this... please list what lift you think is best and why?

Kevin
Not the most expensive , not the cheapest , quality is great , kit is complete (few kits are), highway driving is better than stock will ever be , off-road abilities are hard to beat . It's the best buy for a long arm suspension on the market , just upgrade the shocks . If buying another kit , this would be the one :

IRON ROCK OFF ROAD: ZJ 5.5" Critical Path Long Arm Kit

Stay away from Rubicon Express products , my lesson has been learned !!
 
#16 ·
If you want/need long arm's go with the iron rock off road setup. They are high quality and will ride better than stock on the road.

If budget is an issue(it always is) the RC 4'' lift is pretty good. you can pair that with the double shear adjustable front track bar from IRO and have a pretty quality lift. Than later down the road you can replace the rear track bar. I have the RC lift with IRO track bars and really like it. It flexes well and didnt break the bank. Keep us updated
 
#17 ·
Sweet responses guys thanks...

Except the thread hijacking lol...

My budget would be basically $2k but that would be for tires and steel wheels too. So I dunno about Claytons, someone would really have to convince me why I need to put a $3k lift on a $3k jeep lol, what will it do others wont?
 
#18 ·
You can start using the search tab and find more info comparing LA's to SA's. And do some research on suspension theory.This conversation Has been covered quite a few times.

I would recommend the Critical path LA kit from IRO. Than budget a little extra coin for tires/wheels.
Long term the LA's are ideal but you need to step back and see how much you are gonna wheel and what you need to get out of your truck.
 
#19 ·
For that kind of money you could go with the BDS kit and some economical wheels and tires. I'm running BDS 3" springs and 2" BDS coil spacers along with BDS shocks, rear trackbar relocation bracket, transfer case drop, adjustable front trackbar, **** Cepek 17" DC1's, and Mickey Thompson 32" MTZ's. It rides great on the street and seems to be very capable off road. Just my .02.

 
#20 ·
For that kind of money you could go with the BDS kit and some economical wheels and tires. I'm running BDS 3" springs and 2" BDS coil spacers along with BDS shocks, rear trackbar relocation bracket, transfer case drop, adjustable front trackbar, **** Cepek 17" DC1's, and Mickey Thompson 32" MTZ's. It rides great on the street and seems to be very capable off road. Just my .02.
but once u get higher than around 5 or 6 inches you NEED to get long arms. especially if you go offroading often
 
#21 ·
I off road quite a bit, but not anywhere I could not go in my Range Rover Classic with a 3" lift and on 265/75 tires... although I would be good going a bit bigger.

I currently do not see me going bigger the 33" tires, and so I see no reason to go bigger than a 4.5" lift.

So I guess my next question is does the LA kits make that big of difference when only going about 4"?
 
#23 ·
When you lift a grand above 6'' it is recommended to go LA.
When you lift with the short arm kit your angles increase adding huge amounts of stress on the marginal stock brackets(frameside). when you have LA's it moves your pivot point more to the center of the vehicle resulting in a smoother ride, stronger tie points and more durable arms.

A SA kit lifted to 5.5 rides super rough cause your lower control arms and uppers at horrible angles and more straight up and down that parellel to the ground. I have seen Upper rear mounts ripped right off of the body cause of too much lift on short arms.

If you wheel a considerable amount and want more than 5.5 or so just poney up for the Long arm kits. IMHO I like the 4'' Short arm kit on 33'' tires. it is low and stable while still be highenough for pretty tough trails.
 
#25 ·
When you lift a grand above 6'' it is recommended to go LA.
When you lift with the short arm kit your angles increase adding huge amounts of stress on the marginal stock brackets(frameside). when you have LA's it moves your pivot point more to the center of the vehicle resulting in a smoother ride, stronger tie points and more durable arms.

A SA kit lifted to 5.5 rides super rough cause your lower control arms and uppers at horrible angles and more straight up and down that parellel to the ground. I have seen Upper rear mounts ripped right off of the body cause of too much lift on short arms.

If you wheel a considerable amount and want more than 5.5 or so just poney up for the Long arm kits. IMHO I like the 4'' Short arm kit on 33'' tires. it is low and stable while still be highenough for pretty tough trails.
So I should be ok with 5" and 32's?
 
#29 ·
I run nothing more than 4'' of rough country lift with 33x12.5 tires.

I wheel the crap out of my rig. you can see my truck in my Sig.

The trick to running a larger tire on lower lift is to limit up travel by using bumpstops. Flex and traction is gained by axle droop not "stuffing" an axle. I use a 4'' bumpstop up front and 4'' bumpstop in the rear. I get no rubbing and plenty of travel.

Yes running a 3.5-4'' lift with 32'' tires is not hard and you will only have to trim the front bumper cover. Also it would work best to get the 3.75'' or 4'' back spaced wheels to clear everything when turning at full lock.

Hopefully this all helps.
 
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