95 YJ lift questions.

[Upnorthguy00]

New to the jeep world. I just picked up a very nice 95 yj with a 4 banger. I have been looking into lift kits. There is so many out there. I want to run 33X12.50's. I am not going to be doing any real serious wheeling. Just some trail rideing. This truck will also still be driven on the street and free ways. I just want to know what kits are the best bang for the buck. Also should I get the shackel reversal, slip yoke eliminator, aftermarket shackels? Any tips would be great.

Thanks Ryan

 

[Joopin]

If you want to run 33s then you have to have close to a 4" lift, not sure what kind is out there since I went the SOA route. The shackle reversal isn't nessesary for a jeep like you want yours to be.

As for the SYE, a 4" lift is right on the cusp. Some people say that you should have one, others say no. Some people even go higher with no SYE. I would try to get away with none for now and see how it goes.

Shackes are good to have, but also not nessesary. I still have my stock ones up front and the rear I swapped out for boomerang shackles which I recommend if you are going to get a pair for the rear.

Welcome to Jeepz!

 

[jps4jeep]

less lift, more tire..

any 4" lift will allow for 33's to fit. if you would prefer, a 1/2 shackle lift, strategically placed TJ flares, gratuidous amount of fender trimming and a 1" body lift will also fit 33's



my particular jeep is a simple 4" lift, stock height shackles and plenty of trimming and I fit Q's with out issue, I did have to limit my up-travel slightly, but the added tire height makes up for it.. flex is over rated anyways.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Check out www.rustysoffroad.com for a good affordable 4" lift kit. It will come with a transfer case drop of 1" and works fine for what you will be doing. The SYE and CV rear driveshaft is an expensive undertaking and does not have to be done at the time of the lift, can be done down the road to gain that 1" of belly clearance back after the lift.

 

[Upnorthguy00]

What is the best kit to buy? Or should I look into a SPOA lift. What rides the best on and off road?

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

A properly setup SOA lift will ride and perform the best onroad and off, but it's not for the novice mechanic. The best bang for your buck kit, with a decent ride, is the Rusty's 4" kit at the link I posted above.

 

[CrashNBurn]

I myself like either a Rough Country 4" lift or the Rubicon Express 4" inch lift which will run you around 650$ US. They recomend you installing the slip yoke eliminator kit, but you MAY get away with out it, But I would install the kit if I were you. You can check out the different lift kits available at www.rubiconexpress.com or www.roughcountry.com

 

[cali_671]

roughcountry.com you can get a 4 " lift for like 500 bucks comes with shocks and everything you need...... i did my jeep and i clear 33" tires good..

 

[Sparky-Watts]

I, like most people on this board, would recommend NOT getting a Rough Country lift. They have a history of bad leaf springs and poor customer service.

I've got a 3.5" BDS lift with 31's on my '94, and love it. It took about 3 trips wheeling to break in the springs, and it rides as good or better than stock. Awesome flex, also.

 

[yjdave]

Rubicon express. worth every extra penny.

 

[LRwrnglr]

I had a 1" body lift and a 2" shackle lift on my old YJ and I could clear 33s but.....they were rubbing in the rear. But that could be fixed with a sawzaw. I got the shackles from JCwhitney and the body lift from M.O.R.E.

LR

 

[OhioYJ]

One vote for RoughCountry, won't make your Jeep quite as tall as an RE or BDS lift, but they ride well, and flex like crazy. Never seen a Jeep Rough Country lift that could keep 33s out of the fenders, even with a body lift.

Even with my setup, I still run RoughCountry springs, just because of the flex, theres 8 other Jeeps throughout my photo album you'll see with RoughCountry springs that flex like crazy.

With RE and BDS, they say 4" or 4.5", and normally you get 5-5.5" of lift, however they use a steeply arched spring to achieve this. RoughCountry says 4" of lift, and they mean 4" no more. This gives you a flater, better riding/flexing spring. For just over $400 I don't think the RoughCountry lift can be beat. Their front track bar bracket, is also 100 times better than any other companies I've seen.

These are pictures taken of my YJ, shortly after I got it, 4" Rough Country Lift, 2" lift shackles, 3" body lift, I couldn't keep 33s out of the fenders (My shocks limited me more than anything):

Not even TJ flares gave me enough clearance:

This is my buddy Greg's Jeep, 4" Rough Country Lift:

My buddy Kevin's Jeep 4" RoughCountry springs, SOA:

I still run RoughCountry Leafs even with my setup now, beat on them hard for quite a while now and they still work great.

As for their customer service, its awesome. Shortly after I got my lift, the passenger side rear spring sagged pretty bad, lowered the one side of the Jeep 1.5-2". I called RoughCountry up, and they mailed me out a new spring same day.

More recently I had to come to emergency stop in my rig, and wrapped a set of front springs, which could be expected on my rig, and any spring would have done the same thing. I called RoughCountry, and explained to them what happened, and I wasn't trying to get anything warrantied, as it wasn't their fault, I was told they stand behind their product no matter what and they'd help me out. The springs weren't free but durn close, I couldn't have bought a junk yard spring for that price (I basically paid their cost for them).

RoughCountry springs just flex well, ride well, their customer service is awesome, and they are still cheap. Thats why I really think they are worth looking at.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

I think springs would be too soft if you ruin them with a hard emergency stop, and can't clear 33" tires after 8" of combined lift. Ever have any axlewrap issues?

A properly setup bumpstop would keep the tires out of the body.

BTW, recently did my front flares similar to yours and real happy with how they turned out.

 

[OhioYJ]

A properly setup bumpstop would keep the tires out of the body.

Nah... You're just limiting flex....

I have bumpstops, they are the things that the flares bolt too.... Some people call them fenders....

 

[jfrabat]

I dont know much about lift, but from what I have read online (on this and other sites), I decided to get a set of RE 4" lift for my rig. I will eventually buy the SYE from Tom Woods along with a new CV Shaft, but that's furthur down the line. For the time being, I will get the lift when the bonus is paid out (in May or early June), and I will use the 1" TC drop in the meantime, as I do not plan to do any offroading for a couple of years.

OhioYJ, I agree with bounty; with all that lift, you should be able to clear 33" tires. From what I read, with 4" lift and 1"~1.5" additional lift (be it from shackles or BL), you should not have any problems.

Felipe

 

[OhioYJ]

OhioYJ, I agree with bounty; with all that lift, you should be able to clear 33" tires.

If you limit your flex you can, but why should I limit my travel like that.

^^Still RoughCountry springs in that picture.^^

 

[MORGSTER]

Inserted from a past post:
I have a 1989YJ I bought new. For several years it was mainly used as a beach cruiser. One day, after experiencing an off-road vacation, I started really looking at what I had.

I noticed the lack of clearance in the fender wells and the odd reverse bend in the leaf springs. I attended several Jeep rallies and club roundups and noticed that these "Serious Jeepers" were all basically using the same spring setup. During the next several off-road runs I watched the performance of these Jeeps and came to the same conclusion, they performed without problems and made it through places I could only hope to go. With that in mind I had only a few other things to look at. How do they perform for a daily driver? What does it take to install? How do they hold up? What is the warranty? And of course how much do they cost? I was presently surprised to find these answers. The spring most everyone was using was Superlift 3 1/2 leaf. One thing I found out was that there is! A difference between the manufactures, quality and life expecentcy. I have now had my Superlift springs with greasable shackles installed for 3 years. A lot of serious rock crawling and many road miles later, I would install these again. One problem friends with other brands have told me is their leaf springs sagged. Unfortunately not always the same and you end up with a crooked Jeep. I mean really crooked. A plus to the Superlift product is they have a history of minimal sagging and if they do they stay level. But the best part is they have a lifetime guarantee. Can't beat that. I had one rear spring sag a little early on and they sent me a new pair. No Charge, Not even shipping. The ride actually improved over stock. I think this had a lot to do with the Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks I installed. The 9000’s are worth the money. Adjust the front a little stiffer than the rear, which stops the front end diving during hard stops and your good to go. The installation was pretty straight forward, floor jack, hand tools, and don't forget jack stands. I have been shopping or at least looking for many years through the J.C. Whitney catalog for odds and ends. Keeping in mind the quality of their products (not always the best) I had never considered Leaf springs through them even though the price was low (about $539.00) Here's what I found out. When you order the Superlift package you call J.C. Whitney, order the size you want and hang up. They call Superlift direct and the springs are sent to you from Superlift. You get the same item weather you buy from J.C. or direct from the manufacture just cheaper. The great part is you can deal direct if you have any warranty concerns. Tires were also a factor; I installed Goodyear MTR's. Great traction, great off-road, great ride, great in snow and they have about 30k miles on them and still look great. In conclusion. Don't make the same mistake most all of us Jeepers do. Find the quality lift and the size you ultimately want and install it the first time. Most people either by the cheap lift and end up with sagging problems or lift 1 1/2 then 2 1/2 then 3 1/2 and end up spending way more in the long run with way to much extra work. Save your money and do it right the first time. Install the greasable shackle bolts for improved ride and less noise.

Note: When shopping ask the dealer if the product is theirs? or if they just distribute for others. Most times you can go direct to save money. Have fun and Happy, safe Jeeping.

 

[Sparky-Watts]

If you limit your flex you can, but why should I limit my travel like that.

^^Still RoughCountry springs in that picture.^^

Is it just me, or does it look like that picture was taken at a mall? :???:

 

[OhioYJ]

Is it just me, or does it look like that picture was taken at a mall?

I know...... shame.... shame.... But actually it wasn't a mall, it was a Krogers.

This picture should help save my reputation:

 

[Sparky-Watts]

I know...... shame.... shame.... But actually it wasn't a mall, it was a Krogers.

This picture should help save my reputation:

Ouch! :shock: Yeah, that saved ya!:lol: So, what's the story behind that?