4" Suspension Lift help!

[McCoy19]

Picked up this jeep yesterday. It has no lift and sitting on 33s. I want to add a 4" suspension and after reading some threads and reading https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/a-beginners-guide-to-lifting-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.733/

I have a couple of questions. I was looking into the

Rough Country 4-Inch X-Series Lift Kit with Shocks ( I know everyone said RC is sht). The jeep will spend most of its life on the pavement and very few times on a ranch and at the beach. I was going to replace the shocks with the rancho Rs5000X shocks. ​

What lift would you recommend?

I also saw that I need to get a SYE and CV driveshaft. This might be a dumb question, but is that just a front portion of the driveshaft or will I need to replace the whole thing?
Below is the SYE I was planning on getting.

Alloy USA NP231 Slip Yoke Eliminator Kit


Looking for any wisdom when it comes to a lift. ( Very new for me). The last jeep I took over had a 6" lift already on it and was physically exhausting to keep it between the lines. So I want to prevent that by any means.

 

[billyp]

Rough Country is complete junk. I had a 2.5" lift. Within a year the springs were sagging and all the shocks were blown out...

With SYE you replace the entire driveshaft. SYE is the right way to do it....I've got transfer case spacer that works for me.

 

[P man]

Welcome to the forum. No stupid questions here we are here to help

The driveshaft will be replaced completely when you do sye. Don't forget you will need adjutaible control arms to match pinion angle.

I know rough country gets no love but you have to start somewhere. If that's what your budget requires then so be it. If you can afford better than I would suggest upgrading.

Don't forget about all of the other expenses when lifting such as brake hoses, track bars etc.

 

[06lj]

I would consider a 2 1/2 inch suspension lift with a 1 inch body lift. It would be perfect for your needs and save you a lot of work and money. I ran it for years on my Jeep with 33's without issue. I'd still be running it but decided to build for 35's.

 

[Duck Doctor]

Consider a 1” body lift, motor mount lift and some 3” coils instead of the 4” suspension lift. Retain the stock control arms and add adjustable trackbars.

This will allow you to avoid the SYE and new driveshaft.

 

[Blackjack]

If 33s are the tallest you are going to run then something like the Zone combo would not be too bad https://zoneoffroad.com/products/425-in-combo-lift-kit-1997-2006-jeep-wrangler-tj

Then all you really need to add is rear upper arms to go with the SYE to get it dialed in.

 

[bbaldwin237]

If the Jeep is going to almost live strictly on the road and very mild off-road, you could save some money with a smaller suspension lift (2.5-3") and a body lift. Don't feel like you have to go with a 4" lift just to be able to say that you have a 4" lift. Your ride quality will be far more important. This would reduce/eliminate the need for things like adjustable control arms and SYE. Then you wouldn't waste money on RC shocks to replace them and you wouldn't have an RC suspension.

Just make sure that you add the necessary brackets to adjust for the lift (even if you go RC!) or add adjustable track bars. Just try to keep it simple and happy that way the Jeep is comfortable to drive on the street where you will be most of the time.

 

[McCoy19]

I would consider a 2 1/2 inch suspension lift with a 1 inch body lift. It would be perfect for your needs and save you a lot of work and money. I ran it for years on my Jeep with 33's without issue. I'd still be running it but decided to build for 35's.

So with the 2.5 suspension would you need to do the SYE and driveshaft?

 

[GPK03X]

You might want to think about just swapping your 33’s for 31’s. Cheaper and easier!

 

[McCoy19]

If the Jeep is going to almost live strictly on the road and very mild off-road, you could save some money with a smaller suspension lift (2.5-3") and a body lift. Don't feel like you have to go with a 4" lift just to be able to say that you have a 4" lift. Your ride quality will be far more important. This would reduce/eliminate the need for things like adjustable control arms and SYE. Then you wouldn't waste money on RC shocks to replace them and you wouldn't have an RC suspension.

Just make sure that you add the necessary brackets to adjust for the lift (even if you go RC!) or add adjustable track bars. Just try to keep it simple and happy that way the Jeep is comfortable to drive on the street where you will be most of the time.

Awesome! A decent ride quality is important to me. Just saw online that most recommend the 4" lift.

 

[McCoy19]

If 33s are the tallest you are going to run then something like the Zone combo would not be too bad https://zoneoffroad.com/products/425-in-combo-lift-kit-1997-2006-jeep-wrangler-tj

Then all you really need to add is rear upper arms to go with the SYE to get it dialed in.

I haven't heard of this, but I will look into it!

 

[bbaldwin237]

Awesome! A decent ride quality is important to me. Just saw online that most recommend the 4" lift.

I currently have 3" Zone springs, RS5000Xs, rear track bar bracket, and 33x10.50 BFGs with good street manners and plenty of clearance. Your wheel width and backspacing could effect your clearances though.

If you don't know, you can crawl underneath and look at the backside of one of your wheels to find the width and offset/backspacing (it's usually offset that's listed (i.e -19, +0, something like that). If you can't see it with it mounted you can always pull a wheel and look for the data. That can all help you to find others running similar wheels and tires size to get more accurate information.

Are you sure it doesn't already have coil spacers or something on it? 33's are pretty big for no lift at all.

 

[Kurt_S]

So with the 2.5 suspension would you need to do the SYE and driveshaft?

No, you don't need an SYE for a 2.5" lift. You MAY need to do a 1" transfer case drop IF you have any vibrations. I did this exact same lift (2.5" RC) and the 1" TC drop and I'm running 32's. Mine is primarily a weekend warrior for off-road driving.

I will share these words of wisdom you may have read elsewhere on this forum, "Buy once, cry once." If you're thinking about doing more with your TJ then it might be best to save your pennies. The other thing to consider is what are you realistically going to do with your TJ? Drive it with the top down around town on the weekends or as a daily driver, or turn it in to something more intended for off-roading. If so, which kind, mud, rock, sand?

 

[06lj]

So with the 2.5 suspension would you need to do the SYE and driveshaft?

In most cases you can avoid an SYE with a 2.5" lift. If you have some vibrations you can add a motor mount lift.

 

[macleanflood]

If you do a 4" and a SYE you'll be ready for 35s when it's time for new tires!

I'd do Currie 4" springs track bar and maybe CorrectLinc steering, Core 4x4 or Saavy control arms, call Adam's Driveshaft for a SYE and shaft. That'll do for 33s.

You can do the body lift, motor mount lift and maybe fenders when you do 35s.

Don't forget about YJ brake lines! Or Crown...spendy but I like mine!

What gear ratio are you at?

-Mac

 

[GPK03X]

I had vibes with a 2” spring lift. A MML took care of it.

 

[McCoy19]

No, you don't need an SYE for a 2.5" lift. You MAY need to do a 1" transfer case drop IF you have any vibrations. I did this exact same lift (2.5" RC) and the 1" TC drop and I'm running 32's. Mine is primarily a weekend warrior for off-road driving.

I will share these words of wisdom you may have read elsewhere on this forum, "Buy once, cry once." If you're thinking about doing more with your TJ then it might be best to save your pennies. The other thing to consider is what are you realistically going to do with your TJ? Drive it with the top down around town on the weekends or as a daily driver, or turn it in to something more intended for off-roading. If so, which kind, mud, rock, sand?

Weekend around town vehicle. Then occasionally with a 2-hour highway run every now and again.

 

[McCoy19]

I had vibes with a 2” spring lift. A MML took care of it.

Would you need a MML and a transfer case drop, or does having one of those cancel the need for the other?

 

[06lj]

Would you need a MML and a transfer case drop, or does having one of those cancel the need for the other?

With a 2" lift you can usually get away with one or the other. I installed a motor mount lift with my body lift. It made it unnecessary to relocate the fan shroud and gave me the ability to raise my engine skid. There's very little downside to installing one.

 

[GPK03X]

Would you need a MML and a transfer case drop, or does having one of those cancel the need for the other?

Just the MML