Do I really need a transfer case drop kit for a 4" lift?

AZ2CO98tj

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CO, USA
do i really need a transfer case drop kit for a 4'' lift kit? i do not have an SYE currently and i just installed my currie/savvy short arm kit if that makes a difference. i have spoken to so many individuals with opposing positions on the matter. i know its a fairly cheap thing to do but i hate spending useless money if there is no proven benefit. thanks in advance!
 
Absolutely you do. If you have a 4" lift kit, you either need a SYE / CV driveshaft or a transfer case drop kit.

Failure to do one or the other will result in bad vibrations and eventual damage to your drivetrain. This isn't an opinion, it's a fact.
 
Absolutely you do. If you have a 4" lift kit, you either need a SYE / CV driveshaft or a transfer case drop kit.

Failure to do one or the other will result in bad vibrations and eventual damage to your drivetrain. This isn't an opinion, it's a fact.
is there a correlation between the size lift and drop needed? thanks
 
is there a correlation between the size lift and drop needed? thanks

No, unfortunately not. However, all you need is washers and longer bolts. Your local ACE Hardware has all you need. Go grab 4-5 thick washers per bolt (6 bolts total) and then grab longer bolts, as you'll need them due to the stacked washers.

Should cost you no more than $40 in hardware, likely less!

Just add 3 washers per bolt, tighten it up, and go for a drive. If there's still vibrations, add 1 more set of washers and go for another drive. Do this until there are no more vibrations.
 
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but i hate spending useless money

Look into the SYE and driveshaft. Do it correctly once, especially if your going to wheel it. That skid plate is like a big shovel and only gets bigger and digs deeper when you drop it. You raised it 4" and are going to lose an inch or more with a drop.
 
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Look into the SYE and driveshaft. Do it correctly once, especially if your going to wheel it. That skid plate is like a big shovel and only gets bigger and digs deeper when you drop it. You raised it 4" and are going to lose an inch or more with a drop.

X2. A SYE is the right way to do it for sure. Doing it with a transfer case drop should only be viewed as a temporary band-aid.
 
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If you have the SWB TJ yes you definitely want to install a SYE kit and CV driveshaft when installing a 4" or taller suspension lift. It's only with the Unlimited LJ that you can get away without the SYE kit which is due to the additional wheelbase the LJ has.

A tcase drop with enough drop to eliminate the vibrations from a 4" suspension lift on a SWB (short wheelbase) TJ would have to be so deep that you'd lose most of the ground clearance which is the main benefit of such a tall suspension lift.
 
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Definitely need to do something about the driveshaft angles. Transfer case drop is the cheapest route. But if you plan on wheeling it, the transfer case drop should only be a temporary solution until you can install a SYE and new rear driveshaft. Even in its stock position, the transfer case skid hangs so low that it gets caught on pretty much everything you plan to drive over. Lowering the transfer case even more than that eliminates so much clearance that you'll notice it the first time you go off-road.
 
do i really need a transfer case drop kit for a 4'' lift kit? i do not have an SYE currently and i just installed my currie/savvy short arm kit if that makes a difference. i have spoken to so many individuals with opposing positions on the matter. i know its a fairly cheap thing to do but i hate spending useless money if there is no proven benefit. thanks in advance!
I'm curious - now that you've installed the lift, have you driven it at any reasonable speed on the highway? If you have, and haven't experienced any driveline vibrations, you are either very lucky, or a ticking time bomb...:eek:
 
Look into the SYE and driveshaft. Do it correctly once, especially if your going to wheel it. That skid plate is like a big shovel and only gets bigger and digs deeper when you drop it. You raised it 4" and are going to lose an inch or more with a drop.
that certainly makes sense
 
I'm curious - now that you've installed the lift, have you driven it at any reasonable speed on the highway? If you have, and haven't experienced any driveline vibrations, you are either very lucky, or a ticking time bomb...:eek:
just got the lift installed over the weekend with the adjustable control arms and is now in the shop for a full alignment. havent driven it yet at any speed. will check once i get it back
 
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Definitely need to do something about the driveshaft angles. Transfer case drop is the cheapest route. But if you plan on wheeling it, the transfer case drop should only be a temporary solution until you can install a SYE and new rear driveshaft. Even in its stock position, the transfer case skid hangs so low that it gets caught on pretty much everything you plan to drive over. Lowering the transfer case even more than that eliminates so much clearance that you'll notice it the first time you go off-road.

But even though he will be lowering it approx 1”....he would be raising it 4”....So overall the transfer case skid should be approx 3” higher than stock
 
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Does anyone know how a 8.8 rear end plays into this scenereo? Is the pinion of a 8.8 higher or lower than a Dana 35? Does it create for a slightly worse or better driveshaft angle?

AZ2CO98tj....sorry for this question but I’ve been wondering this and it seemed to fit in well with the discussion....hope you don’t feel like I’m hijacking your thread.
 
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Does anyone know how a 8.8 rear end plays into this scenereo? Is the pinion of a 8.8 higher or lower than a Dana 35? Does it create for a slightly worse or better driveshaft angle?

AZ2CO98tj....sorry for this question but I’ve been wondering this and it seemed to fit in well with the discussion....hope you don’t feel like I’m hijacking your thread.
not at all, thats a good question!
 
Does anyone know how a 8.8 rear end plays into this scenereo? Is the pinion of a 8.8 higher or lower than a Dana 35? Does it create for a slightly worse or better driveshaft angle?


I can't answer the driveshaft angle question, but you would end up losing about .75" of ground clearance due to the increased size of the pumpkin on the 8.8.
 
But even though he will be lowering it approx 1”....he would be raising it 4”....So overall the transfer case skid should be approx 3” higher than stock

Still too low for any type of real off-roading. The transfer case skid hangs extremely low. I have no transfer case drop and still need to get a tummy tuck. I'm constantly getting hung up on it. Doesn't matter if it is 3" higher than stock, it is still too low and will be a huge hindrance off-road. And even then, if I was putting a 4" lift kit on, I'd certainly want the full 4 inches of clearance.
 
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Still too low for any type of real off-roading. The transfer case skid hangs extremely low. I have no transfer case drop and still need to get a tummy tuck. I'm constantly getting hung up on it. Doesn't matter if it is 3" higher than stock, it is still too low and will be a huge hindrance off-road. And even then, if I was putting a 4" lift kit on, I'd certainly want the full 4 inches of clearance.

Yes, the stock transfer case hangs ridiculously low as it is. Making it hang lower with a transfer case drop kit is sort of counter productive to the entire point of a lift. Unless of course the lift is for looks only (but even then it looks stupid with the TC hanging so low), in which case you wouldn't have to worry about it hanging so low.
 
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Getting rid of the lip and smoothing out the underside will always by itself be a meaningful improvement over stock.

FWiW, my Savvy skid raised the middle about 2.875" above the factory shovel. ;)

The shovel part of the skid plate is probably the more important issue. Mine is all dented up from bashing it on rocks. I'm looking at getting the Savvy skid in the near future. Looks like a real upgrade that would help a lot on the rocks I like to play on. In my personal opinion at least, the stock skid plate isn't good enough if you want to do serious off-roading. It gets even worse when you drop it down, even if it is only by an inch. The statements "serious off-road" and "transfer case drop" don't belong in the same sentence to me. But maybe my definition of off-roading is different from others. Though, judging by your profile picture, we might be thinking of it the same way.
 
Ha! I deleted that because I thought it wondered a bit from the topic.

Regardless, I do agree that the factory skid is a problem and lowering it should be avoided. Had I not gone through the effort of the Savvy skid, I would at least want to do something that got rid of the lip. A lot of capability can be gained with just that little bit.