A recipe for an affordable but quality 2.5" lift
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
Hello all...
I'm new to Jeeps and off-roading in general. I have a completely stock 2005 Sport with 51k miles. It was involved in a fender bender prior to my purchase so it needs minor body work. The coolest part is it's a right hand drive
. I live in SoCal and don't have plans for any major off-roading; just fun dirt/fire trails. I would like to keep my stock 15" steel wheels but add 31" tires.I am not familiar with lifts other than the leveling strut/spring assembly I installed on my F150. Frankly, I am not eager to lift the Jeep unless I have to. Many posts here say a 31" tire will work just fine on a stock suspension except under major articulation. I would like to start with the new tires only and see where it goes. However, I do want new shocks to help with the rough ride. I am interested in the Rancho RS5000X mentioned by Chris. Their spec'd for 0-2". Does that mean that installing those shocks alone, without longer springs, will keep the stock height? If so, I think I will obtain both, a better ride and room for a future 2" lift if needed.
Thought/advice? THANK YOU!!!
Hello all...
I'm new to Jeeps and off-roading in general. I have a completely stock 2005 Sport with 51k miles. It was involved in a fender bender prior to my purchase so it needs minor body work. The coolest part is it's a right hand drive
I am not familiar with lifts other than the leveling strut/spring assembly I installed on my F150. Frankly, I am not eager to lift the Jeep unless I have to. Many posts here say a 31" tire will work just fine on a stock suspension except under major articulation. I would like to start with the new tires only and see where it goes. However, I do want new shocks to help with the rough ride. I am interested in the Rancho RS5000X mentioned by Chris. Their spec'd for 0-2". Does that mean that installing those shocks alone, without longer springs, will keep the stock height? If so, I think I will obtain both, a better ride and room for a future 2" lift if needed.
Thought/advice? THANK YOU!!!
Yes, installing those shocks alone without lift springs will retain the stock height.
Good morning,
I'm new to Jeeps and not yet well versed in their setup. I am very interested in this setup. Will it negatively affect suspension geometry? Any premature wear on other parts that I should be aware of?
Thank you
No, it’s such a mild setup that the impact on geometry will be minimal, especially if you have a long wheelbase model!
Thank you. No long wheelbase, just a Sport. Do you know if I need to do anything different since I have a RHD model.
I can’t say for sure since I’ve never worked on a RHD model but I don’t think so. I think the only place you’d run into an issue would be the track bars perhaps. I think the RHD requires specific track bars.
You are correct, the front track bars are reversed. The setup you recommended in the original post does not affect the front track bars, correct?
The track bar might be off 1/4” or so. Not enough to cause any issues or even be noticeable. You could get an adjustable track bar but you don’t necessarily need one.
Although I saw many negative posts about the quality of the Rancho shocks, I took the advice on this post and ordered them anyway. I will confirm, the negative posts have some truth. The weld/crimp on the tube of all 4 were extremely rough and crooked and the paint job is a joke. One of the shocks bad to the point it looked like it was used. Most likely, it was a returned item given that Rancho put a yellow sticker on its box that says "new stock." The rear ones didn't even have a tie keeping it compressed during shipping. It's just very disappointing and frustrating that you go out of your way to buy American made products only to see their mediocre quality. Some would say it's just cosmetic but if Rancho thinks the shoddy cosmetic stuff is acceptable, I don't have much confidence that their ride/build quality is any better. I am going to install them to test them out anyway. I hope I don't regret not getting KYBs that I've had in 2 of my trucks.
I have been following the recipe that was listed out for a 2.5" lift. Using the Rough Country Springs instead of the Pro Comp since they were not available. The RC springs are the 653 Spring Kit that list a 2.5" lift. I have replaced the springs on the rear and then started to add the Rancho shocks. I know that the suspension has not been driven on or cycled and that the Jeep is still nose down since I haven't started on the front lift yet. However, it appears that the shocks might be too short? Using the Rancho RS55240 for the rear shocks 0-2 inch lift.
The weight of the Jeep is on the jack stands and the jack is not lifting up on the rear of the Jeep at this time. It is a soft top so lighter than a hard top. The Ranchos are slightly longer than the originals that I pulled off. The picture that shows the shock and lower mount: the shock is free and not binding or braced against the lower mount, it's just sitting there for reference.
Anyone that has followed this plan have the same issues? Just want to make sure that I put the right shocks on.
Thanks for any advice.
The weight of the Jeep is on the jack stands and the jack is not lifting up on the rear of the Jeep at this time. It is a soft top so lighter than a hard top. The Ranchos are slightly longer than the originals that I pulled off. The picture that shows the shock and lower mount: the shock is free and not binding or braced against the lower mount, it's just sitting there for reference.
Anyone that has followed this plan have the same issues? Just want to make sure that I put the right shocks on.
Thanks for any advice.
So for my 2005 LJR do I need anything other than springs, shocks, and track bar relocation bracket? I'm looking at the OME HD 2" springs with the recommended Rancho shocks and they look way more affordable than any kit. (I already have a Savvy body lift and a Brown Dog motor mount lift sitting in the garage.)
Many of the parts listed are no longer available. Can we get some updates from recent projects?
Many will say the spring doesn't matter.
I went with Rancho's 2.5" springs.
Front 615B-E
Rear 616B-E
Other 2-2.5" spring options with dual rate springs are Rock Jock, JKS, Synergy.
The correct RS5000XL for a 2.5" lift are
Front RS55239
Rear RS55241
The correct RS9000XL adjustable for a 2.5" lift are
Front RS999239
Rear RS999241
Mine is not a budget 2.5 though.
I went with Rancho's 2.5" springs.
Front 615B-E
Rear 616B-E
Other 2-2.5" spring options with dual rate springs are Rock Jock, JKS, Synergy.
The correct RS5000XL for a 2.5" lift are
Front RS55239
Rear RS55241
The correct RS9000XL adjustable for a 2.5" lift are
Front RS999239
Rear RS999241
Mine is not a budget 2.5 though.
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Looks good! No track bar or aftermarket CA needed? No clearance issues/rubbing? I might do the same thing to one of my TJ's.
As I said, not a budget 2.5, though I did run that for a long time (20 years) with 255/85 R16 TAKM and 285/75R16 TAKO. I didn't have any specific issues running that with the stock skid aside from some rust caused by water trapped between the skid and frame.
I run a full set of adjustable control arms, adjustable front and rear trackbars and in order to mount the Barnes skid closer up went to a DC driveshaft. I have a steeper caster which steers and tracks better.
You do need to adjust bump stops appropriately. I am currently running some Spidertrax 1.25" spacers as I feel that rides a little better in the highway ruts out here. Snow chains do bad things to pavement. It will rub now a little at full stuff right now with front sway bars disconnected. Not enough to cause issue, but they do touch the flairs. I'm not really trying to take it rock crawling anymore but played a bit on Fins and Things when I was in Moab last month.
I run a full set of adjustable control arms, adjustable front and rear trackbars and in order to mount the Barnes skid closer up went to a DC driveshaft. I have a steeper caster which steers and tracks better.
You do need to adjust bump stops appropriately. I am currently running some Spidertrax 1.25" spacers as I feel that rides a little better in the highway ruts out here. Snow chains do bad things to pavement. It will rub now a little at full stuff right now with front sway bars disconnected. Not enough to cause issue, but they do touch the flairs. I'm not really trying to take it rock crawling anymore but played a bit on Fins and Things when I was in Moab last month.
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but many years ago I moved away from the poly spacers. In place of those, I've used these to level out the front:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4067351601...pid=5337789113&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4067351601...pid=5337789113&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
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