Lift Saga

StG58

TJ Guru
Supporting Member
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Oct 29, 2015
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6,650
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Orygun, the wet side...
So I had an epiphany this morning as I was reading the news and drinking a cup of coffee. All of the agonizing that I have been doing over various lifts and how they will work on my Jeep is pretty pointless. Getting hung up on the exact amount of lift that any one of the various combinations will give me is counter productive. I have read hundreds of threads on many different lift kits and the question always remains "Yes, fine, but what will this do on MY Jeep?". I send off questions to the folks that have installed the lifts asking how they like it, how much lift they actually achieved & etc. Most everyone has dutifully answered with their observations and opinions. All of that time and effort still leaves me with the question "Yes, fine, but what will this do on MY Jeep?". I realized that no one can actually answer that question except for me and my Jeep. It just ain't going to happen any other way.

"Go to the real place. Look at the real thing. Consider the real circumstances." This sign hangs in the prototyping area of the company where I work. I've read it a million times. Hmmm. It finally clicked.

So, I stared at my Jeep, stared at a tape measure, thought about a bunch of stuff that I had researched and read, and hit the reset button. Agonizing over a 1/2 inch of lift plus or minus is pointless. Endless debates about spring types isn't going to give me the results that I am looking for. The goal is to clear the typical obstacle that currently drags on the underside...the amount that I clear by is pretty immaterial, whether it's by an inch or by three inches. As long as I clear.

So, with some basic dimensions taken off of MY Jeep, an understanding of what I am trying to accomplish in my circumstances and a clean sheet of paper, here we go!
 
Agonizing over a 1/2 inch of lift plus or minus is pointless. Endless debates about spring types isn't going to give me the results that I am looking for.

So true. The only way you're really going to know what suits you is to try a lift for yourself.

I can tell you that there are clearly more reputable lift kits out there and less reputable ones (Skyjacker and Rough Country come to mind). If you stick with one of the more proven and reputable lift kits you probably won't be disappointed.

For instance, my OME 2.5" lift kit is fantastic in every way possible. The ONLY (and I can't stress that word enough) reason I am replacing it with the Currie 4" lift is because I wanted a bit more lift and I wanted the adjustable control arms that come with the Currie kit which I'll need for my tummy tuck.

Pick a reputable lift, throw it on there and the chances are you won't be disappointed!

Only YOU can build your TJ the way YOU want it. That's the beauty of these things... More than one way to skin a cat!
 
...and really, the Jeep is doing what I want it to the way it is. The only issues I've run across so far is losing traction and burying the tires at Pacific City once in awhile. Fixed that issue by airing down before jumping out on the sand. When these tires wear out, I'll throw a set of 31x10.50's on. I'll probably have to air down still anyway. Once in awhile the gas tank skid plate scrapes when the Jeep is loaded down. The 31's will give me an additional 2" of ground clearance over the current 27" tires and that may be enough additional clearance to fix that. If not, I can throw on a set of OME springs and shocks, with the additional "stuff" that needs to go with them and that should fix that. The only other thing that is really happening is I lift a front tire on occasion. Hasn't gotten me stuck yet, but it does happen. If it isn't really an issue, it doesn't need to be fixed, right? Considering the real circumstances, my little SE is doing pretty well the way it is right now. Other than little girls on bikes making fun of my tires, that is. lol
 
If it's doing what you want it to do the way it is now, why not just keep it the way it is? My only reason for a lift and a tummy tuck is because I want more ground clearance, plain and simple. I like the idea of being able to go over more obstacles with ease.

If I was in your situation I would do the 31" tires with a 2.5" OME lift. That's keeping it mild, upping the ground clearance substantially, and not breaking the bank at the same time!
 
...and really, the Jeep is doing what I want it to the way it is. The only issues I've run across so far is losing traction and burying the tires. Fixed that issue by airing down before jumping out on the sand. When these tires wear out, I'll throw a set of 31x10.50's on. I'll probably have to air down still anyway. Once in awhile the gas tank skid plate scrapes when the Jeep is loaded down. The 31's will give me an additional 2" of ground clearance over the current 27" tires. The only other thing that is really happening is I lift a front tire on occasion. my little SE is doing pretty well the way it is right now.

The stock SE is an awesome Jeep. Reading thru your post... before a lift, I'd get selectable lockers. They will have more impact than any other change.

Might need some input on ratios. An '02 SE came with 3.73s. I'm thinking that might be OK with 31s and the 4 cylinder, 5 speed.
 
The stock SE is an awesome Jeep. Reading thru your post... before a lift, I'd get selectable lockers. They will have more impact than any other change.

Wouldn't you want to know how he plans to use the Jeep prior to suggesting lockers over the lift?
 
So I had an epiphany this morning as I was reading the news and drinking a cup of coffee. All of the agonizing that I have been doing over various lifts and how they will work on my Jeep is pretty pointless. Getting hung up on the exact amount of lift that any one of the various combinations will give me is counter productive. I have read hundreds of threads on many different lift kits and the question always remains "Yes, fine, but what will this do on MY Jeep?". I send off questions to the folks that have installed the lifts asking how they like it, how much lift they actually achieved & etc. Most everyone has dutifully answered with their observations and opinions. All of that time and effort still leaves me with the question "Yes, fine, but what will this do on MY Jeep?". I realized that no one can actually answer that question except for me and my Jeep. It just ain't going to happen any other way.

"Go to the real place. Look at the real thing. Consider the real circumstances." This sign hangs in the prototyping area of the company where I work. I've read it a million times. Hmmm. It finally clicked.

So, I stared at my Jeep, stared at a tape measure, thought about a bunch of stuff that I had researched and read, and hit the reset button. Agonizing over a 1/2 inch of lift plus or minus is pointless. Endless debates about spring types isn't going to give me the results that I am looking for. The goal is to clear the typical obstacle that currently drags on the underside...the amount that I clear by is pretty immaterial, whether it's by an inch or by three inches. As long as I clear.

So, with some basic dimensions taken off of MY Jeep, an understanding of what I am trying to accomplish in my circumstances and a clean sheet of paper, here we go!

I feel your pain. I tend to over research, over analyze, and end up over complicating decisions.
 
Wouldn't you want to know how he plans to use the Jeep prior to suggesting lockers over the lift?

I read his post first. He mentions burying the axles in sand. He also said he is pretty happy with the stock setup. Sometimes you have to say something to start a conversation.... or at least read the OPs post.
 
Lots of input here, thanks. Yup, the Jeep has the 2.5 liter four banger, an AX5 transmission and 4.10 gears in the normal Dana 30/Dana 35 configuration. That configuration is working very well for me except for the issues that I have already mentioned. It has 215-75R15 BF Goodrich AT tires on Grizzly wheels. It's got pretty low miles for a 1999. Last time I looked it had about 80,000 miles on the odometer. I usually keep the odometer flipped over to the trip mileage. It's in good shape and runs great, so I'm not fighting any gremlins at the moment.

When the current AT's wear down enough I've decided to replace them with 31x10.50's, either General AT2's or Duratracs. It will depend on who has the best deal on each at the time. Other than that future modification all I'm planning at the moment is replacing the very wide fender flares that the PO put on it with stock fender flares. Not much of a MOD list is it?

Once the can of modification worms is opened, it just seems to explode. Especially if you want to do things correctly.
 
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Once the can of modification worms is opened, it just seems to explode. Especially if you want to do things correctly.

So true, so true... Within a matter of 4 months I've probably put close to 10k in mods into my TJ!
 
Ouch! I don't have that much wrapped up in my entire TJ right now. I made a list of all the mods that I thought would be fun and useful a few months back. Kind of a Christmas TJ wish list. When I added it all up, it was actually cheaper to go out and purchase a brand spanking new JKR with all the bells and whistles on it. The realization came to me, that as a practical matter, all those mods weren't going to get the Jeep all that much farther into the back country. I realized that I was much better off further developing my off road driving skills and addressing specific equipment related short comings as they revealed themselves.
 
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