Lifting stock TJ and need opinions

[Guilar2000]

Looking to lift my stock TJ 2006
I recently got death wobble on it from taking it off roading a hand full of times in the 2 years of owning it and figured if I’m gonna fix that might as well finally lift it. Everything about it is stock picked it up from a 1st owner that never took it off-roading I want to lift it about 4 inches maybe 3.5 but don’t have much knowledge on any lift kits or anything extra I have to add. If anyone has any suggestions on what to buy and install I’ve been eye balling this rough county kit for a while now but not sure if it’s best since everyone shit talks rough county. I don’t do any extreme off roading just little stuff here and there and only plan on going up to 33’s I’m riding 31’s rn. Lmk ur opinions on this kit and if I’ll need anything else besides what comes with it and if there’s anything better! Budget is about 2k ish, thanks!

 

[macleanflood]

Lots of posts on here discussing the pros and cons of a rough country lift.

Google wranglertjforum "rough country", wranglertjforum rc, wranglertjforum rough country.

Lots of good info in the resources section.

Me personally I spent a year slowly removing bits and pieces of a Procomp lift kit that I would say is roughly equivalent that a previous owner installed fixing issues...mine didn't come with an adjustable front sway bar or rear track bar relocation...this one does.

You'll probably need to space the transfer case or do a slip yoke eliminator.

Lots of good posts on this forum!

Welcome to WTF!

-Mac

 

[TheBoogieman]

Lots of posts on here discussing the pros and cons of a rough country lift.

I've never seen a pro and I bought a Jeep with that exact RC lift on it.

 

[bbaldwin237]

Welcome!

What Mac said! There's a lot of threads very similar because the price entices a lot of people when they are shopping and see these complete kits that are substantially cheaper than everything else. Most will say that this is a case of "too good to be true." You get what you pay for with suspension products and some things you don't want to cheap out on.

Where I put things in ( ), these are just popular recommended options and not meant to be an exclusive list.

You could do a 2-3" suspension lift and 1-1.25" body lift combo (Zone is popular )and get yourself to your 33's within your budget using decent products. Just make sure to get a quality body lift, again lots of good info around here (Black Magic Brakes, M.O.R.E., Savvy, and Currie). If you only do light, occasional off-road, the control arms don't necessarily need to be replaced if yours are in decent shape. You could always replace them with factory replacements for pretty cheap. This would allow you to get better adjustable track bars (Currie, Core, JKS) and shocks (Rancho 5000x or Black Maxx).

Pay attention to little things that might be needed such as extended brake lines, transfer case spacer or slip yoke eliminator (spacer is cheaper if you're willing to sacrifice the belly clearance), motor mount lift and fan shroud mod (lots of info here), tailgate reinforcement/support, etc.

Here's some great resources/reading material.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-index.73409/page-2#post-1415371

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/a-beginners-guide-to-lifting-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.733/

 

[bbaldwin237]

I've never seen a pro?

Price

 

[TheBoogieman]

Price

Even that is too high for what you get.

 

[Mac57]

If you truly have death wobble on a stock TJ then that needs to be addressed first before lifting it. Do the dry steering test to determine suspension issues and identify what needs fixing. Out of balance wheels /tires usually contribute. And alignment. Once you know what needs repairing choose your lift kit and new wheels /tires with those other repairs in mind. For moderate wheeling 4 inch lifts are perhaps excessive. Consider a 1 1/4 inch body lift, raised motor mounts, transfer case shifter cable along with a quality 2 inch suspension lift kit such as Old Man Emu (OME) to run with your new 33 inch wheels and tires.

 

[Shank]

On a budget something like Zone 3" with a 1.25" BL would likely be your best bet.

 

[TheBoogieman]

On a budget something like Zone 3" with a 1.25" BL would likely be your best bet.

That would be their 4.25" combo lift (MML too). Some places let you order it with Rancho RS5000X shocks. Under $650 with disconnects. I've had mine for over 7 years with zero issues. I didn't have any vibes with my Rubicon, so I didn't even use the MML.
p.s. Please excuse the filthy Jeep pic. It rained for 3 days and I couldn't wash it before my wife took the pic at the surgery center she works at.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

If you truly have death wobble on a stock TJ then that needs to be addressed first before lifting it. Do the dry steering test to determine suspension issues and identify what needs fixing. Out of balance wheels /tires usually contribute. And alignment. Once you know what needs repairing choose your lift kit and new wheels /tires with those other repairs in mind. For moderate wheeling 4 inch lifts are perhaps excessive. Consider a 1 1/4 inch body lift, raised motor mounts, transfer case shifter cable along with a quality 2 inch suspension lift kit such as Old Man Emu (OME) to run with your new 33 inch wheels and tires.

^ This, 100%, needs to be done first.

 

[Rickyd]

No rough country! That drop pitman arm and trackbar setup are going to cause steering problems.the shocks are junk and the springs sag.the flex joints fall apart in less than a years street driving!

 

[TheBoogieman]

No rough country! That drop pitman arm and trackbar setup are going to cause steering problems.the shocks are junk and the springs sag.the flex joints fall apart in less than a years street driving!

I barely made it home on the 2 hour drive when I bought a Jeep with that RC lift. I got home and had to replace the dpa and shocks asap. The adjustable arms actually lasted 3 years of deep mud usage, but squeaked and had to be greased every couple of months.

 

[JMT]

Looking to lift my stock TJ 2006
I recently got death wobble on it from taking it off roading a hand full of times in the 2 years of owning it and figured if I’m gonna fix that might as well finally lift it. Everything about it is stock picked it up from a 1st owner that never took it off-roading I want to lift it about 4 inches maybe 3.5 but don’t have much knowledge on any lift kits or anything extra I have to add. If anyone has any suggestions on what to buy and install I’ve been eye balling this rough county kit for a while now but not sure if it’s best since everyone shit talks rough county. I don’t do any extreme off roading just little stuff here and there and only plan on going up to 33’s I’m riding 31’s rn. Lmk ur opinions on this kit and if I’ll need anything else besides what comes with it and if there’s anything better! Budget is about 2k ish, thanks!

View attachment 465888

All good advice here. You can do way better for way less $$$.

Zone combo 4.25" lift with Rancho 5000X shocks.
Get a ZJ front tie rod and tie rod ends
Balance your tires (get them PERFECT. Close isn't good enough. Tire imbalance is always what triggers Death Wobble).
Check all your front end components for irregular movement.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[MikeE024]

As folks have said you want to confirm your tires are balanced.

If you still have issues, I’d do a dry steering test.

Confirm the hubs, ball joints, pitman arm, and track bar are good.

When I added Currie’s currectlync kit, I changed the pitman arm, but didn't change the original ball joints and hubs that were good until the regear.

In summary, you don’t want to mix new parts with bad parts so try to locate all the worn out items and change them so you are good for the long term.

 

[Danarch]

Sounds like Zone is a “decent“ option. I am waffling between a 3” BDS system for about $1,000 when adding new front track bar and front LCA’s and 3.5” Rubicon Express for $2,000, includes all control arms, new front. Front brake lines etc. so a lot more to the kit.

 

[JMT]

Sounds like Zone is a “decent“ option. I am waffling between a 3” BDS system for about $1,000 when adding new front track bar and front LCA’s and 3.5” Rubicon Express for $2,000, includes all control arms, new front. Front brake lines etc. so a lot more to the kit.

Your shocks and control arms are what you want to focus on. I really don't like RE stuff.

 

[Danarch]

Your shocks and control arms are what you want to focus on. I really don't like RE stuff.

Thanks for the input. I hadn’t considered them but a couple of people in the club stated they had great warranty service from them on parts / labor. For me its parts as most likely will install myself, it’s not that difficult to do.

 

[Guilar2000]

That would be their 4.25" combo lift (MML too). Some places let you order it with Rancho RS5000X shocks. Under $650 with disconnects. I've had mine for over 7 years with zero issues. I didn't have any vibes with my Rubicon, so I didn't even use the MML.
p.s. Please excuse the filthy Jeep pic. It rained for 3 days and I couldn't wash it before my wife took the pic at the surgery center she works at.
View attachment 466061

Dude that’s a badass jeep what tires & wheels are you running??

 

[Guilar2000]

Ended up buying a zone 3 inch suspension lift kit. I’m stuck between what shocks to put in though. Should I go with the fox shocks performance series or the adventure series I have rn the performance shocks but I see the minimum requirement is 3 inch lift will I be fine or will it be pushing it. Should I just get the adventure shocks or keep the performance ones. Rear shocks specs says the minimum lift requirement is 2.5 to 3.5

 

[Rickyd]

Ended up buying a zone 3 inch suspension lift kit. I’m stuck between what shocks to put in though. Should I go with the fox shocks performance series or the adventure series I have rn the performance shocks but I see the minimum requirement is 3 inch lift will I be fine or will it be pushing it. Should I just get the adventure shocks or keep the performance ones. Rear shocks specs says the minimum lift requirement is 2.5 to 3.5

Choose shocks by length and travel desired not lift range. And make sure you adjust bumpstops to match. Sorry,but it isn't a simple yes or no off a chart to get good results