LJ lift advice

[bobthetj03]

Its funny, in the back of my mind I had a feeling that OME would end up being the end result. A part of me wanted to try and piece it together myself. I have read ome tend to runs on the softer side.

Im sure Dirk would help me piece together a lift minus the body lift. Rokmen makes a 1/2 body lift that I wouldn't be opposed to.

You could easily piece together a OME lift and likely get most of it off Amazon with free shipping if Prime. I bet @Chris has links for it since he just recently purchased the same lift components. Just figure out if you want the light duty springs or the HD ones. Several of us on this forum have had good success with Rancho's RS5000X shocks with this lift if you want to save some coin vs. getting the OME Sport shocks. @Chris has had good success with Bilsteins as well. Dirk is a great guy to talk to as well, so he can be helpful, but not necessarily the best price, but good customer service has value.

 

[skrelnik]

You could easily piece together a OME lift and likely get most of it off Amazon with free shipping if Prime. I bet @Chris has links for it since he just recently purchased the same lift components. Just figure out if you want the light duty springs or the HD ones. Several of us on this forum have had good success with Rancho's RS5000X shocks with this lift if you want to save some coin vs. getting the OME Sport shocks. @Chris has had good success with Bilsteins as well. Dirk is a great guy to talk to as well, so he can be helpful, but not necessarily the best price, but good customer service has value.

A great quality with Dirk is he will mix and match springs for your set-up, light, medium or heavy. Within this link is a download to the OME vehicle application guide by specific vehicle, or the entire catalogue.

http://www.arbusa.com/Vehicle-Application-Guide.aspx

 

[Camdenst]

much obliged. I will keep you guys posted with my decision.

 

[RubiconLJ]

There are days I wish mine was back down to only 4" of lift and 33's; it's sort of a pain getting in with 5+" of lift and 38 Creepy Crawlers. LOL
I've had OME on two other rigs and they do make nice riding springs. I'd personally go with the adjustable RS9000 shocks to allow you to set the shocks to your comfort level. They aren't much more money for what you get.

 

[Camdenst]

There are days I wish mine was back down to only 4" of lift and 33's; it's sort of a pain getting in with 5+" of lift and 38 Creepy Crawlers. LOL
I've had OME on two other rigs and they do make nice riding springs. I'd personally go with the adjustable RS9000 shocks to allow you to set the shocks to your comfort level. They aren't much more money for what you get.

I have never been up that high... but that was kinda what I was hinting at. Right now as it sits with the 2in coil spacers, 285s and the seat risers it would be hard to get in with out touching the rocker guard bar.

 

[Camdenst]

I had a local shop price out a lift the other day and this is what I got back... Roughly $1400


Part Number Part Description Part Price Each Quantity Extended

BDS 3" FR 109.99
BDS 3" RE 99.99

FOX 2.0 PERFORMANCE SERIES SHO FR 249.98
FOX 2.0 PERFORMANCE SERIES SHO RE 249.98
FOX 2.0 STEERING DAMP 149.99

2001 JKS QUICKER DISCONNECTS 165.00

METALCLOAK TJ ADJ FRT TRACKBAR 2.5+ 179.00
METALCLOAK TJ/LJ REAR ADJ TRACKBAR 189.00

 

[fxrsliberty]

I had a local shop price out a lift the other day and this is what I got back... Roughly $1400


Part Number Part Description Part Price Each Quantity Extended

BDS 3" FR 109.99
BDS 3" RE 99.99

FOX 2.0 PERFORMANCE SERIES SHO FR 249.98
FOX 2.0 PERFORMANCE SERIES SHO RE 249.98
FOX 2.0 STEERING DAMP 149.99

2001 JKS QUICKER DISCONNECTS 165.00

METALCLOAK TJ ADJ FRT TRACKBAR 2.5+ 179.00
METALCLOAK TJ/LJ REAR ADJ TRACKBAR 189.00

I would at least add adjustable uppers

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[JMT]

You could save some coin on that Steering Stabilizer. A steering stabilizer is a very simple valve. The $25 Monroe would work just as good as the Fox, but it needs painting, so I’d get the Rubicon Express for $35. It’s black and will blend in nicely with your fox shocks setup, and save you over $100. Man, Fox is really proud of their steering stabilizer

 

[RubiconLJ]

For that much lift, I'd rather see you use good quality track bar drop brackets and a drop pitman arm. It'll keep them flatter and keep the cycling of the suspension closer to stock. The adjustable bars will re-center the body relative to the axle but the increased angle from the lift will cause a more significant right-left shift when you hit a bump. IMHO, of course. And if you're sticking with 33's, I agree with JMT that a RE steering dampener will be more than enough. The larger bore of the Fox allows for increased dampening without making the valving especially stiff. The Fox is really meant for 37"+ tires, or a ton off wheel offset where the extra leverage will require more dampening.

 

[RubiconLJ]

Also, I agree with fxrsliberty that you may want to consider upper adjustable arms to correct your caster angle. As you lift the vehicle, the caster will shift forward, and the steering will feel more twitchy. I think someone makes an offset upper ball joint for the TJ, but that's a lot of work to save a little money over the adjustable arms. Moral of the story: many times a complete lift will actually save you money as manufacturers bundle parts at a savings over all the individual items. It's just a matter of finding the best to suit your needs and budget.
P.S. sorry for not quoting original posts; I'm not a poster, and haven't taken the time to learn that facet of the posting code.

 

[Camdenst]

My goal is around 3in for 33s, my idea was to lift it and add arms as needed down the road... I don't need any nasty grams from bank of America.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

My goal is around 3in for 33s, my idea was to lift it and add arms as needed down the road... I don't need any nasty grams from bank of America.

I'd add a 1" body lift so you have 4" total additional clearance for those 33's. 3" is not quite enough clearance on the trail for 33's. At least it's not if you do trails harder than flat graded dirt roads.

 

[skrelnik]

I'd add a 1" body lift so you have 4" total additional clearance for those 33's. 3" is not quite enough clearance on the trail for 33's. At least it's not if you do trails harder than flat graded dirt roads.

Jerry, since the OP is looking for 33s, is open to a DPG kit, and prefers not to have a body lift, would the OME 4" shocks and coils be a good option? In which case he could go with a "DPG Kit".

All DPG kits are a la carte. Dirk will add, remove or swap any parts within DPGs off the shelf kits.

I wondered this myself but ended up with the smaller 2" set-up.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Jerry, since the OP is looking for 33s, is open to a DPG kit, and prefers not to have a body lift, would the OME 4" shocks and coils be a good option? In which case he could go with a "DPG Kit".

All DPG kits are a la carte. Dirk will add, remove or swap any parts within DPGs off the shelf kits.

I wondered this myself but ended up with the smaller 2" set-up.

4" suspension lifts open open up other issues like the need for a SYE kit and CV driveshaft. A 3" suspension lift plus a 1" body lift gives a lower COG than a 4" suspension lift does and costs less to provide the same 4" of clearance due to the lack of need for the SYE and CV driveshaft.

 

[Camdenst]

What is different about the dpg kit that allows articulation, it’s a 2ish inch spring and a 1in body lift. Together it is roughly 3in of lift.

Also thank you all for help, it is very much appreciated.

 

[fxrsliberty]

Hi Trevor - I have a 2005 LJ with the intention of moving to 33s. I spoke with Dirk at DPG Offroad about what I needed to get 33s on, but doing it correctly so I do not experience issues, like vibes or a pack of partying gremilns. Of course I used the forums as well since they provide an infinite amount of knowledge.

While I am just reporting what was recommended to me for a 2005 LJ, there are many brands that offer similar parts so you do have options. In no way am I saying this is the best of the best, just what properly fits to get 33s on without issues.

2.5" OME spring and shocks
JKS front adjustable trackbar
JKS rear adjustable trackbar
JKS front anti-swaybar disconnect endlinks
JKS rear adjustable anti-swaybar endlinks
JKS 1.25" body lift
Brown Dog 1" motor mount lift
DPG 2" front bumpstops
DPG 2" rear bumpstops

I also have 15" wheels with 3.7" backspacing from Extreme Terrain.

I would get another quote, imho, the body lift and motor mount lift are just a way to get around an SYE and a good rear drive shaft. Taller springs means you can take advantage of more of you travel.

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[skrelnik]

I would get another quote, imho, the body lift and motor mount lift are just a way to get around an SYE and a good rear drive shaft. Taller springs means you can take advantage of more of you travel.

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Keep in mind that the OP and myself have LJs. The BL and MML, when used with the 2"-2.5" springs, are only needed to create additional space to fit 33" tires. We would not need a SYE in this case.

Seems to be pros and cons of either route, and the Buyer needs to weed through our suggestions to make his/her best possible decision.

 

[fxrsliberty]

Keep in mind that the OP and myself have LJs. The BL and MML, when used with the 2"-2.5" springs, are only needed to create additional space to fit 33" tires. We would not need a SYE in this case.

Seems to be pros and cons of either route, and the Buyer needs to weed through our suggestions to make his/her best possible decision.

His quote, imho, spent a lot of money on parts not really all that effected by 2+ inches of spring. There are dozens of 3 inch "kits" that don't include sway bar mods. The worst part of the sway bar mods for this height is that most are not usable with 4 inch kits when the inevitable upgrade happens. There are cheap sway bar relocation brackets.

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[Camdenst]

I was exploring the 3in spring idea to get away from a body lift, and major changes that happen around the 4in mark. I understand the benefits such as a lower profile T-Case and raised gas tank skids, lower center of gravity, I just don’t like the look.

Long run I could see adding the UCF no body lift skid and the appropriate arms to help the pinion angels. I will also already have the brown mount mml and a UCF tranny mount. Just looking for ideas and feedback.

I was inspired to build a better jks spec 3in kit, there is very little infor on the product. There are a few, savy has the choice of Bilstein, bds pushes for Fox, than there are Ranchos. Metal cloak run there own 3.5in coils and shocks or ome shocks with a upgrade.

 

[Andy5150]

You'll want to re-gear for those 33,s if you haven't already. What transmission do you have?