Zone 3” lift kit on ‘00 TJ SE questions

m1gu3l

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Denver, CO
Hi everyone! this is my first post here and I posted this question on Reddit, but looks like this is a friendlier and more knowledgeable crowd. I have a few questions before I start working on installing the zone 3” lift kit on my TJ this weekend.
  1. This kit seems pretty complete, has anyone installed this kit and what parts I should get before I start taking everything apart?
  2. Any gotchas you experienced installing this kit or similar 3” lift kits?
  3. I'm also upgrading from 31x10.5r15 to 33x10.5r15, should I get the alignment done before or after the tires to 33”s?
  4. Should I bite the bullet and get new wheels while I'm at it and upgrade the 33x10.5 to 33x12.5?
 
Soak all the bolts, especially the upper rear shock bolts in something like kroil for as long as you can. I'd rent spring compressors to make the job easier, the type that go outside the springs. The new longer springs can be tough to get in place without them.

Do the alignment after the lift, the tires wont change a thing. Here's a great write up, it's easy to do yourself.
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-align-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.85/

Your wheels don't look stock, upgrade if you want new ones. I like the narrow 10.5 tires but that's just an opinion.

Take some before and after measurements and pictures.
 
Soak all the bolts, especially the upper rear shock bolts in something like kroil for as long as you can. I'd rent spring compressors to make the job easier, the type that go outside the springs. The new longer springs can be tough to get in place without them.
Thanks for the info, I started spraying everything on Wednesday, but I heard WD-40 is actually bad and won't help as it will remove the grease not lubricate. I bought some other spray at home depot, but I can't remember what it was, I will check when I get home. I was also planning on renting the compressors from o'reilly's

Do the alignment after the lift, the tires wont change a thing. Here's a great write up, it's easy to do yourself.
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-align-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.85/
I saw that post for alignments and looks super easy :) I will report back on how it went.

Your wheels don't look stock, upgrade if you want new ones. I like the narrow 10.5 tires but that's just an opinion.
Take some before and after measurements and pictures.


They are not stock, the previous owner put 31"s I do like the 10.5 look vs fatter tires, I also like smaller wheels vs big ones. Right now I have 31x10.5r15 and the plan is to go to 33"s same width and wheel size

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I just did the exact same lift on a 2003 TJ or should I say I had it done for me about a month ago

The aim was to be able to use the several sets of wheels & tyres remaining from my previous Ram 1500 ownership's.
I had a set of 5x4.5" - 5x5.5" 1" custom adapters made by (wheelspacers.ca) Chilliwack, BC, Canada.
The install went relatively smoothly and we did a full tyre balance and alignment at the same time.

I ended up with a great looking rig I couldn't drive over 72 km/h (~45mph) as we had developed the infamous death wobble.

In all the research I did while waiting for my shorts to be cleaned it seemed like this was not uncommon and the cure was not too painful.
First suspect was wheel balancing, the trackbar, then caster.
Since we had already done the balancing the next thing we did was re-check the install and re-torque all the bolts.

In consultation with the Zone guys (who were great) we ended up replacing the track bar and then the caster adjustment bolts.

Apparently when a solid axle vehicle is lifted the front wheels "fall backwards" something to do with the geometry after we replaced the track bar the improvement was amazing but I could "recreate" the death wobble in one very peculiar circumstance; there is a hill in the town where i live that has a sweeping off camber left handed corner if I hit the brake pedal hard at a certain point in the corner the wobble would reappear. After this we adjusted the camber to bring the front wheels forward by 2 degrees.

I have been driving it now for about a month and have had no sign of the wobble since.

It was a stressful situation, I was terrified I had a undriveable jeep or I was going to have to take out a second mortgage, I was freaking. Having said that my mechanic shop and the Zone guys were great and never showed any signs of abandoning me or throwing their hands in the air.

It was a few extra dollars I had not expected to have to spend but who is to know whether those parts were worn and ready to be replaced anyhow.

From not being a Jeeper it was an amazing learning experience, I sure got familiar with suspension terminology and hardware

Conclusion, I would still do it again YES in a heartbeat.
Would I have been better off buying 5x4.5 wheels and the appropriate tyres, Yeah but the cost would have been greater if I wanted 3 sets - off road, winter, highway.

All in all a deep end into into being a Jeep owner.

To the O/P I wouldn't be concerned too much, be thorough, doublecheck everything, enjoy

If you need anymore info post or PM me

Cheers,
Geoff

P.S. sorry its a bit long winded but I wanted to be accurate
 
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I just did the exact same lift on a 2003 TJ or should I say I had it done for me about a month ago....

That's exactly the information I was looking for, I feel very confident on my skills and installing this kit, I've worked on a few cars before (VW, Mazda, Chevy) but this is my first jeep. I've been doing research and watching a ton of videos. I'm mostly afraid of the death wobble and how to address it, if I'm driving on the highway.

I'm also a little scared that this 2.5L might not be able to handle the 33" tires and maybe I should have stuck with the 31"s . Sounds like I'm getting buyer's remorse.
 
I'm also a little scared that this 2.5L might not be able to handle the 33" tires and maybe I should have stuck with the 31"s . Sounds like I'm getting buyer's remorse.

A re-gear will be in your future for sure. I constantly regret not sticking with 31's.
 
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A re-gear will be in your future for sure. I constantly regret not sticking with 31's.
Man... I'm really starting to regret going the 3" lift and 33" tire route. I have the lift kit, camber bolts and adjustable track bar at home. But I might have to pass on it and just stick with the 31's
 
Man... I'm really starting to regret going the 3" lift and 33" tire route. I have the lift kit, camber bolts and adjustable track bar at home. But I might have to pass on it and just stick with the 31's

Is it a 3" spring lift or a 2" spring/1"body lift kit?
 
Technically, for 33's you really need a 4" lift or combination 3" lift 1.25" BL to get proper up travel, but you could still run that 3" lift and go with 32's. Gearing and highway performance will still suck, but slightly less suckage.
 
Man... I'm really starting to regret going the 3" lift and 33" tire route. I have the lift kit, camber bolts and adjustable track bar at home. But I might have to pass on it and just stick with the 31's

Why can't you install the lift and just stick with 31" tires?
 
Why can't you install the lift and just stick with 31" tires?
I feel like it would look goofy with too much spacing between the fenders and tire, also seems that it's a lot of pain to go to a 3" lift for not tire size gain and changing geometry, having to get new adjustable arms, drop the transfercase, SYE, blah, blah, blah, not to mention higher center of gravity increasing the chance for rollover.

Sounds like I'm really convincing myself to get a set of fox shocks and 2" spring spacers, would ride better for about the same price and would look awesome with the 31's
 
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Well, I liked your second plan, but you installed the 3” lift and, in my opinion, it looks great! If you do need tires, Id suggest GoodYear Duratracs. They’re all purpose and lighter than most other tires. At least they were when I was researching the heck out of options for mine. There’s some newer brands or styles as of then so, there may be choices that are comparable or better. Noted a couple people installing Patagonia tires in the YouTube world.

Best of luck!
 
Well, I liked your second plan, but you installed the 3” lift and, in my opinion, it looks great! If you do need tires, Id suggest GoodYear Duratracs. They’re all purpose and lighter than most other tires. At least they were when I was researching the heck out of options for mine. There’s some newer brands or styles as of then so, there may be choices that are comparable or better. Noted a couple people installing Patagonia tires in the YouTube world.

Best of luck!
I really like it too, I thought 31”s were going to look too small, and I bought a set of 32x10.5R15 KO2 but I haven’t installed them yet. I will look into the Goodyear Duratracks as the KO2 were pricey and since I haven’t installed them I can return them and keep looking around.
 
It lifted a lot more than what I expected

Mine did too. Right now, I have no intention of installing the 1.25 body lift that came with my kit. With the 33's and my short legs, it is sitting right about where I want it. Now, after it's settled a little (if/when it settles), I may rethink it.

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If you stick to 32s you should be good with the 3" lift. If you want to go to 33s, then you need to add a BL or different springs/shocks. Either way, you need to set your bump stops up correctly by cycling the suspension. It sounds like a pain, but you may be doing this several times and you'll get really good at :)
 
Hey Miguel, finally got a few min to go grab a few photos...

This is exactly the same as you were thinking.
Zone 3" suspension lift
JKS adjustable track bar
Zone caster adjust kit ( 2 degrees)
1" wide 5-4.5" to 5-5.5" spacer adapter
17" Black Iron (Kal Tire) aluminium wheels
285/70/17R Nitto Terrain Grabber 33" LT 10 ply tyres (off my dodge ram)

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