[Martinsc]

I just got my jeep about a week ago. It is a 1998 Sahara edition. I plan on getting a 3-4 inch lift 33 inch tires and a bunch of other stuff once I have enough money. Just looking for some advice or input since I am new to Jeeps.

Here are some pictures.

[WheelinWV]

Nice Jeep. Click free is conditional upon having, I believe, 50 posts.

[fr0st_m0nkey]

Originally Posted by Martinsc

click free

[tufrthnails]

Looks good man which lift are you planning on going with?

[Martinsc]

Originally Posted by tufrthnails

Looks good man which lift are you planning on going with?

Not sure yet I need to save up some money. I would rather get a high quality lift rather than a cheap one that will just give me problems. Do you have any suggestions?

[tufrthnails]

If I had to do it again I would probably went with Rusty's 5.5" LA. I ended up spending at least that much.

[bgoman]

Nice Jeep! I suggest going with a smaller lift if it's your daily driver. I went with the 2.5" Skyjacker because anything under 3" usually doesnt give much trouble in the way of drivetrain. That being said, if you have the money to go higher and get bigger tires then do it. The only reason I haven't yet is that I can't afford the part to fix the changes to the drivetrain (higher lift changes the angle of the drive shaft, also gets into control arms witch usually come with a lift kit but make the kit cost more). You can still run 33" tires on 2.5"-3" of lift too. I'm planning on adding a body lift to mine and from my understanding body lifts dont have nearly the same effects on drivetrain that big suspension lifts do (although i might have to do more research on them). In the end, the overall lift is higher with bigger tires and the new suspension anyway. I did have to have my U-joint replaced but that was because it came from the factory phased and I just hadn't noticed. Also, get quick-disconnects cause the first thing your gonna want to do is flex and I really regret replacing my sway bar connects with new stock ones.

Thats just what i've learned from this site, and one other important thing is that if your not willing to or cant afford to pay for repairs or parts, then just leave it stock. This member's threads might help you, they certainly helped me understand a whole lot about running big lifts and big tires: (Go to his Forum Signature section on his profile)

http://jeepspace.jeepforum.com/never%20monday

EDIT: Another thing I learned about from this site is Gear ratio and axles. You need a higher gear ratio to turn bigger tires, this means you have to replace the ring and pinion in the axle. You wont have to do this for 33's but any bigger and you might find you need them. Most Jeeps have a Dana 30 in the front and a Dana 35 in the rear. These axles become to weak with a lot of lift and big tires, most people on here swap to D44's from what I've seen. Again, you probably wont have to do any of this but just keep it in mind.

[tufrthnails]

Only thing I would add to the above post is Body lifts are fine for tweaking you suspension and clearing motor mount lifts. But as a general rule they aren't great as your primary lift especially if you plan on flexing. Not only that a 3" Bl looks horrible with that huge gap. He is right you should do your research on how much you really want to spend. Although a 4" lift with 33's is a typical lift without a slip yoke eliminator and CV-driveshaft. anything more you definitely will need one. this is where your body lift can come in. If you want that extra lift a 1" bodylift can give you that. But don't just take my word on this. Ask around and learn as much as you can.

[male_dude001]

really nice jeep man. I guess u should go for mud terrain tyres

[Martinsc]

Yeah I will probably be getting the BF goodrich Mud Terrain

[digitalcox]

Nice looking TJ, welcome to the forum. In regards to lifting, do it right the first time. It will lessen the amount of headaches in the future.

[sanchagrins]

Here is mine. Looks pretty much identical. Mine is an '02 and I went with the RC 3.25" and 33" BFG KM2's. While the RC 3.25" is probably one of the least expensive lifts in that lift range I have had no problems with it at all so far. I tooke it out wheeling this past weekend and had no clearance, ride, mechanical issues with it and it flexes pretty nice. The new 2.2 series shocks are supposed to be huuuge upgrade from their original ones, and the ride (imho) isn't much different than stock. I got the lift and steering stabilizer for just under $400 shipped.... but then again if you have cash to spend might as well go for something more expensive... I mean why not ? Good luck buddy, I'll be watching this one!

[Martinsc]

I was thinking about getting the Rubicon express 3.5 lift. I will probably put it in with one of my friends. Is it a hard thing to do.

[sanchagrins]

Hard is all relative. What kind of mechanical experience does you and your friend have? Also what access to what tools do you have? Air tools make things immensely easier. I installed my kit with a buddy with air tools(who had done multiple lifts, as this was my first one) and it took us 6 hours. I feel that I could now install a lift on my own if I had the proper tools, assuming nothing else went wrong.

But then again this was for the RC kit, I have no personal experience with the RE 3.5"

[Martinsc]

Put the lift on yesterday so decided to update the thread. I went with the rough country 3.25 lift. Some other stuff that I got was full soft doors, soft top, new front bumper (free), cb radio, and tow hooks.

Jeep :: Jeep picture by Martinsc - Photobucket


Jeep :: Jeep picture by Martinsc - Photobucket


Jeep :: Jeep picture by Martinsc - Photobucket


Jeep :: Jeep picture by Martinsc - Photobucket


Now all I need is some 33's so if anyone has any for sale let me know.