Any suggestions / tips on installing my lift?

[CaliSteve]

Getting ready to pull the trigger on a lift for my LJ, going with the Currie system. Am decently tooled up, have help if needed, it "appears" to be straight forward in application. Plan is to run 33's on it. Mostly a daily driver, not sure about what shocks to use, currently has 3.73 gears, will it need 4.56's.
All suggestions appreciated as this is my first Jeep.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Currie's installation is straight forward, it should present no problems. For the correct axle ratio to go to we need to know your transmission type, automatic or manual? There is a big difference in what would be the correct axle ratio for the automatic transmission vs. a manual transmission.

Rancho's RS5000x shock is fairly inexpensive and works very well with the Currie suspension. It has a great highway ride yet it provides good enough offroad control so you can drive at pretty much any speed you want to when on dirt trails/dirt roads. I run that shock with my Currie suspension and it's a good combination.

 

[CaliSteve]

Currie's installation is straight forward, it should present no problems. For the correct axle ratio to go to we need to know your transmission type, automatic or manual? There is a big difference in what would be the correct axle ratio for the automatic transmission vs. a manual transmission.

Rancho's RS5000x shock works very well with the Currie suspension. It has a great highway ride yet it provides good enough offroad control so you can drive at pretty much any speed you want to when on dirt trails/dirt roads.

Your right transmission type is critical, it is an automatic. From some content I've read perhaps upgrading of brakes is suggested also.
Thanks

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Ok glad to find out it's the automatic as my TJ has. There is no way 4.56 will work for 33's with your 4-speed automatic like it would for a 5-speed manual transmission. In fact 4.56 is ideal for the 5-speed manual transmission and 33" tires... but not for your 4-speed automatic.

But for your 4-speed 42RLE automatic, you absolutely need 4.88 gears at a minimum but if it were me I'd go with 5.13 which is available from Revolution Gear for both your front Dana 30 and rear Dana 44. The reason your automatic needs a lower ratio (like 4.88 or 5.13) is due to its extremely steep .69 Overdrive ratio which drops the highway RPMs way too low for 4.56 to do anything but lug your engine.

I'm running 5.38 for my 35" tires and it is barely adequate but it sure works great compared to my previous 4.88 which was just terrible with 35's and my automatic.

No, 5.13 will not (!!!) make your highway RPMs too high, they'll be right in the sweet spot. In fact, when I regeared from 4.88 to 5.38 for my 35's to slightly increase the engine RPMs so the engine was no longer lugging, my MPG improved from just under 12 to just over 14 MPG. For your 33's, I definitely go with either 4.88 or 5.13 and 5.13 would be the better choice between the two... and that recommendation is based on what works best on the highway, not offroad where either would be fine.

 

[lovemachine]

@Jerry Bransford is 100% correct, hell he usually is.

For 33’s, you want 5.13 gearing. It’ll be the best thing you can do for your TJ. I’m running that right now, and it’s friggin’ awesome. I have more power, plus my gas mileage has improved.

 

[CaliSteve]

Ok glad to find out it's the automatic as my TJ has. There is no way 4.56 will work for 33's with your 4-speed automatic like it would for a 5-speed manual transmission. In fact 4.56 is ideal for the 5-speed manual transmission and 33" tires... but not for your 4-speed automatic.

But for your 4-speed 42RLE automatic, you absolutely need 4.88 gears at a minimum but if it were me I'd go with 5.13 which is available from Revolution Gear for both your front Dana 30 and rear Dana 44. The reason your automatic needs a lower ratio (like 4.88 or 5.13) is due to its extremely steep .69 Overdrive ratio which drops the highway RPMs way too low for 4.56 to do anything but lug your engine.

I'm running 5.38 for my 35" tires and it is barely adequate but it sure works great compared to my previous 4.88 which was just terrible with 35's and my automatic.

No, 5.13 will not (!!!) make your highway RPMs too high, they'll be right in the sweet spot. In fact, when I regeared from 4.88 to 5.38 for my 35's to slightly increase the engine RPMs so the engine was no longer lugging, my MPG improved from just under 12 to just over 14 MPG. For your 33's, I definitely go with either 4.88 or 5.13 and 5.13 would be the better choice between the two... and that recommendation is based on what works best on the highway, not offroad where either would be fine.

Very interesting, would not have thought 5.13's but makes perfect sense with that overdrive. Majority of my driving will be surface streets. Regarding the gearing, I know better than to attempt that myself, any reputable shops in southern California you can recommend?
Thanks Jerry

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Very interesting, would not have thought 5.13's but makes perfect sense with that overdrive. Majority of my driving will be surface streets. Regarding the gearing, I know better than to attempt that myself, any reputable shops in southern California you can recommend?
Thanks Jerry

I'd either go with John Lemieux at 951-454-1713 or 951-277-1037 at All 4Wheel Drive in Corona off the I-15, or Marty at Mobile Gear at 949-306-2805/310-704-1635. Marty has a mobile installation truck so he can come to you and do it at your house. I recently used Marty and came to a shop he had rented space at over a weekend so he c I've used both people and they're the best.

John Lemieux can provide all parts and labor so the entire job would be warrantied. I believe Marty requires you provide all the parts for him to install so his warranty may not be as all-encompassing. But check with Marty on that, he may be able to get the parts too since he has a relationship with Revolution Gear.

I definitely recommend Revolution Gear for their gears and install kits.

 

[CaliSteve]

I'd either go with John Lemieux at 951-454-1713 or 951-277-1037 at All 4Wheel Drive in Corona off the I-15, or Marty at Mobile Gear at 949-306-2805/310-704-1635. Marty has a mobile installation truck so he can come to you and do it at your house. I've used both people and they're the best.

That's great, does it matter if I purchase the gears or have them supply them?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

That's great, does it matter if I purchase the gears or have them supply them?

I just added that information above while you were typing your answer.

 

[CaliSteve]

I just added that information above while you were typing your answer.

Thank you for the help and contact numbers, very much appreciated!

 

[Chris]

But for your 4-speed 42RLE automatic, you absolutely need 4.88 gears at a minimum but if it were me I'd go with 5.13 which is available from Revolution Gear for both your front Dana 30 and rear Dana 44.

I second this. I put Revolution 4.88 gears in my old TJ Rubicon with the 42RLE transmission and 33" tires. While it was indeed a huge improvement over the stock 4.10 gears, I still was left thinking that maybe 5.13 would have been better. So yeah, 4.88 works nicely, but I think 5.13 might be even better.

 

[balfred]

Also remember that most folks plan on sticking with the tire size that they have for the regearing like 33s but if you are at all thinking of going with 35s then go with 5.38s now but if you are sure about 33s then go 5.13s

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[Rob5589]

Also remember that most folks plan on sticking with the tire size that they have for the regearing like 33s but if you are at all thinking of going with 35s then go with 5.38s now but if you are sure about 33s then go 5.13s

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No 5.38 for the TJ Dana 30.

 

[balfred]

No 5.38 for the TJ Dana 30.

Oops sorry I missed that part. Definitely go 5.13s then over 4.88s. I had 4.88s in a 5 speed 4 cylinder.

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