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869 views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  20WJ04 
#1 ·
Hey I have had my 04 WJ limited for about a month or two. I have been looking to do some work on the suspension and get new wheels and tires. I was first looking at a 2.5 inch lift from Rusty's and then thinking of getting a lot of other suspension parts. Then i saw a 4 inch long arm kit from rough country that has all the suspension parts i want (I would also like to run 32-33 inch tires). The main issue i see is that it says it will not fit all wheel drive vehicles, this is due to front end vibration, does anyone know how i could get rid of that if it occurs? Also if someone knows if it is a good lift? I was Looking at getting these wheels and tires off of a Rubicon.
 

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#2 ·
If you want to run 32 or 33 inch tires, you'll need a 4 inch lift, and depends how much trimming you want to do as well.

The front end vibration they are referring to is probably the death wobble. It can happen to even stock WJs so don't let that deter you. I am lifted only 2" and fought DW several times.

To prevent it, you want to make sure all steering linkages, ball joints, track bar, and control arm bushings are new, or in very good condition. With bigger tires, I'd recommend upgrading your stabilizer shock, and you want to make CERTAIN your tires are very good condition and well balanced. You will also want to make sure with a lift you have adjustable control arms to fine tune caster angle.

You can do all that work, and still end up with DW. There is no sure way to prevent it, at least that I believe.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 
#3 ·
The vibration they are referring to comes from the type of front driveshaft found on WJ's with the full time 4WD transfer case (AWD). The WJ's with transfer case shifters marked 4WD-N-and 4LO are considered AWD and come with rezeppa style joints on the front driveshaft. These type of joints are very smooth hence the use on the AWD rigs, however, they are not very tolerant of the high angles they see at 4 plus inches of lift. So instead of the lift companies telling you that a new front driveshaft and different pinion yolk and transfer case output yolk to run their lift, they just say dont use that lift.

Heres the scoop though. The rezeppa joints will wear out with that much lift. It may be 100 miles or it may be 2000 miles. Once they do, there are tons of threads and write-ups on how to swap out that style for the Spicer/double cardon style fronts that came stock on other WJ's with drivetrain options. The parts can be found in all the junk yards or even ebay if you dont want to pull your own. Get the lift!
 
#4 ·
Yea what ^^^^^^^^^ He said!!....lol
The RC Long arm is a pretty good kit. Only down falls are the springs and shocks. Use the RC Long arm but get Bilstein 5100s and like I'm doing get IRO springs. But you can run the long arm, there's plenty of threads on here about people already installing the kit. So go for it! If you get driveline vibs, cross the bridge when you get to it. Some get it some don't. And as stated above, you may not even have the rezeppa shaft anyway. I have an AWD and mine is not a rzep.
Yes, there is better kits out there but I think the RC carries the biggest bang for your buck!! You'll be able to run 32's with minimal trimming, 33's would take some good trimming up front. Now 35's your opening up Pandora's box and have to do a lot more to get them to work.

Good luck to you! And any questions a search can easily get you the answers you're looking for. A lot of very well written threads on here by more informed individuals than myself...lol
 
#5 ·
Thanks guys. great feedback. I was looking at a bunch of suspension part that were adjustable and that totaled to over 2 grand without a lift and this 4 inch lift has all the parts i wanted. Also i was looking at the bilstein 5100s but i did not know that rc springs were garbage as well, thanks for that tip. with the lift srpings and shocks i am looking at the same price as the other suspension pats alone so i think i am going to go this route. now just to afford the rims and tires.
 
#6 ·
Yea the RC springs and shocks are too stiff for most people's liking. Plus they don't last as long.
Once my setup goes on it will contain....(picks were made by alot of reading)
RC Long Arm kit (minus the shocks, springs and rear A-arm)
(RC will add or subtract from their kit for you)
Bilstein 5100s
Iron Rock Springs or Clayton 4.5 springs
Iron Rock adjustable A-Arm
JKS adjustable track bar
Addco Front Sway Bar
JKS Disco Barend Links
Iron Rock front spring spacer (to level out the front)
Iron Rock Spring Isolators (set of 8)
RC's dual steering stabilizer (this may change, others make a higher profile one for clearance)

Just trying to help ya with ideas. Smarter to plan out your project looking to the present and the future)
When deciding where to buy, always contact @Kolak first! Awesome vendor, very knowledgeable
 
#7 · (Edited)
If you are getting the the Rough Country 4" lift, long arm travel. Go for it. This has been shown many times to be a great lift. I am still saving for mine.

The vibration could be many things. Bushings, pinion angle, ball joints. The steering stablizer has nothing to do with death wobble. Death wobble is cause by any number of items listed and more. Generally you will get it if you get bigger tires, or wheels with a shallow backspace. Remember that the WJ was tested for the exact suspension, tires, wheels, brakes, and so on to run smoothly.

Pinion angle is one of the biggest causes of death wobble. Use the measurements given by rough country to set your upper and lower adjustable arms. Then double check your pinion angle. Too much angle will shake you up. Caster is another problem and cause of death wobble. In many cases I've heard the caster almost has to be set to perfect and then tweeked a bit to make it ride right.

And no the All time 4wd on the WJ does not mean you have a Rzeppa DS. Mine came stock with a double cardon and I have quadradrive.

Don't just take my "opinion" on this matter. Look around. Talk to some of the guys that have 4" or higher lifts on their WJ to see what death wobble problems they have had.

Again. Get the 4" RC long arm lift. Its beefy, very stout, and worth the money. Even if you gotta change a few things later. It's still worth the money.
 
#8 ·
If you are getting the the Rough Country 4" lift, long arm travel. Go for it. This has been shown many times to be a great lift. I am still saving for mine.

The vibration could be many things. Bushings, pinion angle, ball joints. The steering stablizer has nothing to do with death wobble. Death wobble is cause by any number of items listed and more. Generally you will get it if you get bigger tires, or wheels with a shallow backspace. Remember that the WJ was tested for the exact suspension, tires, wheels, brakes, and so on to run smoothly.

Pinion angle is one of the biggest causes of death wobble. Use the measurements given by rough country to set your upper and lower adjustable arms. Then double check your pinion angle. Too much angle will shake you up. Caster is another problem and cause of death wobble. In many cases I've heard the caster almost has to be set to perfect and then tweeked a bit to make it ride right.

And no the All time 4wd on the WJ does not mean you have a Rzeppa DS. Mine came stock with a double cardon and I have quadradrive.

Don't just take my "opinion" on this matter. Look around. Talk to some of the guys that have 4" or higher lifts on their WJ to see what death wobble problems they have had.

Again. Get the 4" RC long arm lift. Its beefy, very stout, and worth the money. Even if you gotta change a few things later. It's still worth the money.
Quadradrive is the exception to the Rzeppa AWD rule. Thanks for the reminder.
 
#9 ·
I second that.....my rig came from the factory with Dbl Cardon DS. When I first started to learn about my WJ, the driveshafts were a little confusing....lol. Not quite sure why there were 4 designed for the WJ platform. The Rzep (to me) was and is the better design, I just wish it could handle the lift angles.
 
#10 ·
There is a lot of poor information in this thread, in addition to recommendations from those who have no personal experience with certain of the products that were suggested. My advice would be to take what you read on this forum with a grain of salt and perform your own research from various sources prior to making purchases.
 
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