How can I eliminate RC transfer case drop?

[Thumper4fun]

I bought my low mileage 2000 TJ with a 4” Rough Country lift and I want to get rid of the RC transfer case drop. Can I accomplish this with an SYE Kit alone or will I need to also buy rear adjustable upper and lower control arms? Not looking to do a tummy tuck at this point or spring perch relocation, just want to get the extra ground clearance by eliminating the TC drop and not have drivetrain vibrations.

I guess I could get a Zone combo lift and swap it in for the RC lift and accomplish the same thing for about the same effort and cost of a SYE kit. A SYE kit and adjustable rear control arms would more than exceed the cost of the Zone Combo lift.

My TJ is not my daily driver, I never intend to run larger than 33” tires and my off-roading consists of moderate to rough trail riding, no rock crawling but I do encounter some rocks, mud and deep ruts so I need all the ground clearance I can get within reason so the transfer case drop has to go.

Thoughts? Opinions?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

With a 4" suspension lift you'd need a SYE, CV driveshaft, and adjustable length rear control arms so the pinion angle could be adjusted. You could get away with just upper arms to raise the pinion angle but uppers/lowers would be better.

Or as you surmised, Zone's 4.25" lift which includes a 3" suspension lift and 1.25" BL eliminates the need for the SYE and CV driveshaft but you may still need some amount of tcase drop in addition to the MML/motor mount lift included in the Zone kit to completely eliminate the vibes caused by the 3" suspension lift.

 

[Chris]

X2 to what Jerry said!

 

[pagrey]

The Zone combo seems like an odd way to go. It's a drop in lift height so your transfer case skid might end up at the same overall height it is now. If getting the skid up is the goal I don't know if the Zone kit is the right answer.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

The Zone combo seems like an odd way to go. It's a drop in lift height so your transfer case skid might end up at the same overall height it is now. If getting the skid up is the goal I don't know if the Zone kit is the right answer.

Maybe, maybe not depending on how much drop his tcase has. Some need up to 2" of tcase drop for a 4" lift.

 

[Thumper4fun]

The Zone combo seems like an odd way to go. It's a drop in lift height so your transfer case skid might end up at the same overall height it is now. If getting the skid up is the goal I don't know if the Zone kit is the right answer.

The transfer case drop with the 4" RC kit is 1.75". So 4" - 1.75" = 2.25" of ground clearance increase with the RC kit. The Zone kit has 3" of suspension lift with no TC drop so you realize the full 3" of ground clearance increase.

If I go with the SYE, CV diveshaft & adjustable upper and lower control arms I should realize the full 4" of ground clearance from the RC lift which would be an additional 1.75" of ground clearance at a cost of around $1000.

The Zone combo lift would increase ground clearance .75" at a cost of $550. I figure I could sell my RC lift and RS5000X shocks for $300 to offset the cost of the zone lift making my net investment $250 for .75" of additional ground clearance.

At the end of the day I have to decide if ~1" of additional ground clearance is worth $750.

 

[bobthetj03]

Sounds like a lot of effort and money just to gain 0.75" of clearance, and still may find out you need to drop the skid some anyways to cure any vibes. How about just a MML and see if you can reduce the drop some that way. Would be a whole bunch cheaper if all you'll gain is 0.75" going the other route.

 

[Boinked]

X2 to the MML. For $160 you "might" gain enough to get rid of 1" of transfer case drop.

I say might because there is no perfect formula. Even though the tj was mass produced it seems like everyone is slightly different.

I have an aprox 3" of lift with no drop. But i have a MML. And no adjustable arms. It has no vibration. I am not saying that it will work for everybody. Just it works for mine.

YJ, TJ, LJ Torsion Rubber Bomb Proof M.M with I" Lift https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DBHB198/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[Thumper4fun]

A 1" MML would be an option if my goal was to minimize the transfer case drop but my goal is to eliminate the TC drop while maximizing my ground clearance at a reasonable cost.

 

[KCNoDots]

OP: I have a 3" BDS lift, and 1.25 BL and 1" MML. I still had to drop my TC 1" to eliminate vibes. FWIW / YMMV.

 

[Pcleaners2]

With a 4" suspension lift you'd need a SYE, CV driveshaft, and adjustable length rear control arms so the pinion angle could be adjusted. You could get away with just upper arms to raise the pinion angle but uppers/lowers would be better.

Or as you surmised, Zone's 4.25" lift which includes a 3" suspension lift and 1.25" BL eliminates the need for the SYE and CV driveshaft but you may still need some amount of tcase drop in addition to the MML/motor mount lift included in the Zone kit to completely eliminate the vibes caused by the 3" suspension lift.

im gonna start a project with a ford 8.8 soon and 33 inch tires. I assuming i wont need adjustable control arms if i weld up my pinion angle correctly right? and then maybe i can also delete my MML? I got the ome 2.5 lift and was just gonna add 1" body lift
what you all think? any input ...

 

[TurboTJ]

I have a 2 inch OME lift and a 3/4 inch transfer case lift. It’s a Rubicon so it didn’t need the SYE. With just that minimal lift I had vibration at clutch engagement. Installation of a Tom Woods double Cardan drive shaft completely eliminated the vibes. When I hear about people doing 4 inch lifts without an SYE or double Cardan I am surprised. Maybe their tolerance for vibration is less than mine.

 

[Boinked]

I have a 2 inch OME lift and a 3/4 inch transfer case lift. It’s a Rubicon so it didn’t need the SYE. With just that minimal lift I had vibration at clutch engagement. Installation of a Tom Woods double Cardan drive shaft completely eliminated the vibes. When I hear about people doing 4 inch lifts without an SYE or double Cardan I am surprised. Maybe their tolerance for vibration is less than mine.

When you tummy tuck. It does weird things. If i remember correctly @Chris said something about they length of the drive shaft changes dramatically.

 

[Chris]

When you tummy tuck. It does weird things. If i remember correctly @Chris said something about they length of the drive shaft changes dramatically.

Yep. When you add a tummy tuck, it's basically like adding 2-4" extra of lift (depending on how much you tuck it). It rotates the pinion angle seriously far back on a TJ (not to much on an LJ) and can cause a host of issues I found.

 

[Pcleaners2]

So I’m keeping the 2.5 inch ome lift and gonna put in ford 8.8 which will give enough clearance in rear for 33” tires. For front just will add 10mm coil spacer. This should work. I just wanna know the pinion angle if I delete or don’t delete the MML.
Has anyone done this? Or any input ?

 

[jjvw]

So I’m keeping the 2.5 inch ome lift and gonna put in ford 8.8 which will give enough clearance in rear for 33” tires. For front just will add 10mm coil spacer. This should work. I just wanna know the pinion angle if I delete or don’t delete the MML.
Has anyone done this? Or any input ?

Rethink the 8.8.

33s need more than 2.5" of lift. A real 1.25" body lift will get you close to enough.

Keep the MML.

The correct pinion angle is the one that doesn't result in vibes.

 

[Pcleaners2]

Ok so I’ll make it the same as my stock Dana 35? I wonder what that pinion angle is. I don’t wanna pull it until f8.8 done