4" suspension lift versus 2.5" suspension lift plus body lift for 33" tires

Hasselblad

Hasselblad

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Utah Mountains
What are the pros and cons of a 4" suspension lift, versus a 2.5" + 1.25" body lift, assuming 33" tires.
Black friday deals I have been a-browsing and may pick up components for a spring (no pun intended) project.

2006 Rubicon, already have a JKS adj front track bar, quick discos, adjustable lower CAs (long on front). Tom Woods DC shaft.
 
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2.5" lift probably won't require a SYE and new rear driveshaft.

More likely to get away with not needing adjustable control arms and track bars... although you probably need them to center the axle and set pinion and caster angles and tune out vibrations.

-Mac
 
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He has a rubicon, doesn't require SYE or new driveshaft.

The 2.5/1.5 you won't have to drop the TC or raise the motor. I have built a few TJs on 33s with 2.5 SL and 1.25" BL and they all ride great, they are not used for any real technical wheeling, mostly driving around town and out to hunting locations.
 
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gasiorv said:
He has a rubicon, doesn't require SYE or new driveshaft.

The 2.5/1.5 you won't have to drop the TC or raise the motor. I have built a few TJs on 33s with 2.5 SL and 1.25" BL and they all ride great, they are not used for any real technical wheeling, mostly driving around town and out to hunting locations.
Click to expand...

Yeah I don't see myself doing anything more extreme than newly churned up logging roads and such. No bouldering planned. Mainly to get the clearance back (95k miles or so on the springs/shocks) and have the breathing room for 33" with a little bit of flexibility with the discos discoed.

The shop doing the regearing advised 4" suspension for 33s, but that seems a bit more involved (I'd be doing the suspension work).
 
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So my short list of BF purchases:

- OME Springs: I have heavy ARB bumpers and winch & spare carrier, which part # should I be looking for front/rear to avoid rake? 2885 and...? I also on occasion tow my quad on trailer about 1400lb (I do position it to keep a safe tongue weight)

- RS5000X Gas Shocks set, would I need taller with the added BL?​

- Body Lift: non-plastic

Should I futz with adj upper CAs? The regear shop is going to be putting on a rear trackbar relocation bracket, should I get an adj rear TB as well or is the stock fine with 2.5-3"?​

 
Hasselblad said:
So my short list of BF purchases:

- OME Springs: I have heavy ARB bumpers and winch & spare carrier, which part # should I be looking for front/rear to avoid rake? 2885 and...? I also on occasion tow my quad on trailer about 1400lb (I do position it to keep a safe tongue weight)

- RS5000X Gas Shocks set, would I need taller with the added BL?​

- Body Lift: non-plastic​

​

Should I futz with adj upper CAs? The regear shop is going to be putting on a rear trackbar relocation bracket, should I get an adj rear TB as well or is the stock fine with 2.5-3"?​

Click to expand...

Do not run a rear trackbar relocation bracket. It sacrifices too much up travel with only 2" of lift.

Springs really depend on hard/soft top and how much weight you have in bumpers, armor, etc.

I have a hard top, rock sliders, 33 spare with Moryde carrier, and UCF aluminum bumper. I purchased the following from Kolak.

Front Coils- 2933
Rear Coils - 2942

Isolators

RS500x RS55239/RS55241
 
I’m not familiar with any 1.5” body lifts…if you can get a full 2.5” of suspension lift, a 1.25” bl from Black Magic Brakes or Savvy would be a great choice. And I would add a 1” motor mount lift which will eliminate monkeying around with the fan shroud and ease rear driveline angles.
 
Hasselblad said:
Their concern with the stock had something to do with the TWoods DC driveshaft and pinion angle. Something about the trackbar and gas tank shield.
Click to expand...

I just went through this….an adjustable track bar only is your best option. The brackets are not helpful until 4+” of lift and associated longer shocks where 2” of bump stop is necessary.
 
You definitely want the OME heavy duty springs with all that weight. Mine needed them with just the hard top, rear bumper, and gas tank skid.
 
So would the safe thing to do be just springs and isolators for now, then when I get those on to measure for the proper shock length, or would those ranchos (rs5000x) good to go with the 2.5+1.25 lift?
 
Hasselblad said:
So would the safe thing to do be just springs and isolators for now, then when I get those on to measure for the proper shock length, or would those ranchos (rs5000x) good to go with the 2.5+1.25 lift?
Click to expand...

The Rancho's I listed were the correct ones for 2-3" of lift. The only variable in your equation is which rear springs.
 
 
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I've run 33s with a ~2.5" lift on my Rubicon with no body lift since I bought it new. Current they are a 3rd set of 285/75R16. I also ran a set of 255/85R16. While I didn't do the very hardest trails I've done stuff like Blanca Peak, Holy Cross, Steelbender, Golden Spike in it without issues. Good spotting a line selection was important and those trails all look to be in much worse condition now, but they weren't a cake walk back then. You do need to extend bumpstops to keep the tires out of the fenders with this and this isn't a buggy with maximum travel, but it worked for me and continues to work for me. These days I'm interested in highway miles to BLM and forest service roads to trailheads and such with confidence that I won't be in above my vehicle's or my capabilities. YMMV

Last winter I did a big refresh on it with new 2.5" Rancho springs and RS9000XL shocks with fresh energy suspension 3/4 poly spacers as spring isolators. I've really liked the ride quality and the option to choose the shock setting usually choosing setting 3 or 4 on the highway and going up to a higher value on bumpier trails or turn the back up a notch when I've got to pick up some heavier stuff at the hardware store.

This worked fine with the Rubicon driveshaft, but when I installed a Barnes Bolt-on (no-lift) transfer case skid which lifted the transfer case 3/4" or so. That set my upper driveshaft angle a bit too steep causing some issues. I used a set of 1" t-case spacers to address that for the short term - maybe. I chose the Barnes skid so that I wouldn't ever have to deal with rust on the skid-fram interface again - not for clearance issues and the T-case spacers aren't hurting that objective. But now the shifter sits a bit low which I don't like so much. I'm thinking I'll do the DC driveshaft so that I can bring the skid flush to the frame again.

Rubicon hills.jpg
 
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My 05 TJRU has the OME 2.5” lift. PO did it so I don’t know the spring rate. Picture shows my rig with 300-400 #s of gear in the back plus 1200# teardrop. Handles great on the highway but I can tell the difference with the sway bar disconnected on the highway. I’ve done some pretty gnarly trails with zero issues. I run 32s.

IMG_4158.jpeg


IMG_1865.jpeg


IMG_0763.jpeg


IMG_0764.jpeg
 
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