Zone 4.25" Combo Lift Questions
- Thread starter ngreene9
- Start date
fourpointzero
TJ Addict
Those rubber bushings last as long as anything else on the market, when exposed to constant mud. Not to mention that stock control arms cost less than replacing one aftermarket bushing.
Good thing the Zone 4.25" combo lift only has 3" springs then.
Ya, I recall reading some of the most experienced Jeepers say similar. Stock arms flex well, (bushings) last a long time, and are cheap to replace.
To be clear, I’m not an avid off-road guy but I have taken my Jeep on trails that Jeeps with all the ‘extras’ and modified parts have had issues getting over. Driver error is the truth. For me, my TJ rides fantastic on any road with my set-up. Maybe I’d feel different if I go with all the aftermarket parts. For me, if it’s not broke, I won’t fix it. Did that a few times and got bit by regret.
The fact of the matter is that the Zone Combo kit pushes the stock control arms, track bars and drive shafts right to the limit of functionality. It gets the job done. It is very good to understand why it works as well as it does. And the better your understand why it works, the better you can continue to build off of it.
ErikOffroad
TJ Enthusiast
So for the caster angle with the factory drive shaft the objective is to get the u joints at the exact same angle. You do this by matching the angle of the output shaft on the transfer case with the angle on the pinion. We are manipulating the angle on the t case by either raising the engine to increase the angle or lowering the skid to increase the angle. The goal is to match them so the u joints don’t bind or do anything funny . Also you are pushing the u joints pretty much to the maximum limit they can take with this setup.
Look, when I first started looking at lifts, I was looking at RC. I did a lot of research on this forum, and I am lead to Zone. It seems like a much better lift on the budget side of things. Zone and Rancho. Those are the two things that are preached most on here lol, and I'm sure that there is a good reason behind both of them.Buy it without shocks and get the Rancho RS5000X shocks. I've run this lift on several of my Jeeps. It can get you just as far as more expensive lifts IF you have the driving skills. Nothing is more satisfying. Well, maybe driving around a stuck Hummer on the trails with a stock TJ.
p.s. I grew up in Enfield CT.
That seems fair enough. So really, if I want to just the rig lifted, there is no harm in going with the lift, and track bar right away. And then working on the control arms later down the road.
ErikOffroad
TJ Enthusiast
Sweet. In the instance I need a SYE, do I have to do the control arms too? Or can I do one without the other?
I've seen one bad review on here about the zone lift, apparently the springs sagged for them after a while. But mostly I've seen great stuff, and if anything I can buy new springs eventually. 400 for springs, body lift, motor mount lift, sway bar links, bump extensions, brackets and all the hardware needed seems like a pretty good deal
And for the sye, based on what I've seen you need at least rear upper adjustable, because for a cv driveshaft you need the adjust the rear axle pinion
With a SYE and new driveshaft you'll need at least rear upper control arms to properly set your driveshaft angle. The double cardan style driveshaft needs to be aligned properly to minimize vibration and prolong the life of the u-joints
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-properly-set-your-pinion-angle.228/
Where did you get the RS500x shocks? Would you mind dropping the link to the ones you got?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01963N4ZY/?tag=wranglerorg-20
Great price, and they also got delivered about 24 hours after I ordered them
Does anyone have the body lift with the 2005 manual? I’ve head somewhere that the manual on the 05 can be an issue with the body lift. is this true?
fourpointzero
TJ Addict
I believe, if not mistaken, the shifter can be a bit of a pain to shift into 2nd and 4th because of the bezel that the shifter boot attaches to gets ‘in the way’ since the body tub is lifted via the spacers
The MML puts in in a slightly better position. I've had it on two 05' TJs and zero issues. Shifting problems come up when you do a BL and a t-case drop.
p.s. The manual on an 05-06' have the same issues as every other year. No better, no worse.
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I bought a Zone combo without shocks. JKS adjustable front and rear track bars. Upgraded to the ZJ steering linkage. Bought the recommended RS5000x shocks. With stock control arms, no motor mount lift or transfer case drop, it was un-drivable. The rear driveshaft/u-joint angles were so bad. Had to stack about 1.5" of washers between the transfer skid and frame to get it tolerable. It would shake just a hair upon takeoff from a stop, but smooth out. Decided to not drive it very much until the budget healed. Went with an SYE and Tom woods rear shaft. Then went with adjustable control arms (full set) to dial in the pinion angles. Maybe the 3" Zone springs are more than 3" lift. Maybe I was just unlucky. I'd read about others with various brand 2.5" or 3" lifts and not need the other upgrades. But it was truly undrivable with just the springs installed. Motor mount spacer kit might have fixed it. But I also wanted to have the better stuff in case I, or another owner decides to push it further.
I ended up not putting the body lift on, since the height achieved with the suspension part of the lift satisfied my wants. But if I did put a body lift on, I think I would go with someone else's with metal spacers instead of plastic.
Hindsight: I might go with double adjustable arms vs. one with a bushing on one end and a Johnny joint on the other.
I am very pleased with the road manners of the Zone springs and RS5000X shocks. No real experience yet with it offroad. I've been working on it for 2 years and finally have it ready for some trails, etc.
I did go with the Savvy transfer case linkage upgrade. I should have done it when I was messing around with the transfer case, SYE, etc.
I ended up not putting the body lift on, since the height achieved with the suspension part of the lift satisfied my wants. But if I did put a body lift on, I think I would go with someone else's with metal spacers instead of plastic.
Hindsight: I might go with double adjustable arms vs. one with a bushing on one end and a Johnny joint on the other.
I am very pleased with the road manners of the Zone springs and RS5000X shocks. No real experience yet with it offroad. I've been working on it for 2 years and finally have it ready for some trails, etc.
I did go with the Savvy transfer case linkage upgrade. I should have done it when I was messing around with the transfer case, SYE, etc.
I'm hearing you, and a few others express a little concern over the BL on the combo lift. Do you think that getting the BL is worthwhile? Does it make more sense to get the whole 4.25 Combo from Zone with the RS5000X Shocks, or just get Zone's 3in Lift Kit and also get the RS5000X Shocks?
Besides the BL, the only other difference I think there comes with the fact that the 4.25 uses a MML, whereas the 3in has a T-case drop.
ErikOffroad
TJ Enthusiast
I personally wouldn’t do the t case drop. It’s low enough as it is from factory and gets hung up on everything. With the body lift and motor mount lift in the kit, it is cheap but it’s effective. I have had zero issues with those parts. If you do want a more premium option this company moar makes lifted motor mounts and savvy has a aluminum body lift available.
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