Hi guys an gals! First post and I appreciate the add. I'm hoping to get a litte advice here. I inherited a 98 TJ wranger and I'm looking to change it up a little to suite my needs. My dad bought it new and then built it to do some serious 4x4ing. He did all this in the late nineties and I wasn't involved at all so now I'm trying to determine what all he did so i can figure out how to go about making the changes that I want to make. I believe he installed a warn black diamond three inch lift kit which as near as i can tell had the springs, shocks, all eight non adjustable control arms, Slip yoke eliminator and CV style drive shaft, brake lines, sway bar disconnect and transfer case crossmember lowering spacers. I think it was a super comprehesive set. He also changed the gears to 4.10's and both diffs have been fitted with air lockers. All this on 33x10.5 tires on the stock gambler wheels. You all will probably think I'm crazy but now that I have it I'd like to lower it back down a bit and put some shorter wider tires on it as I will never go off-road and I'm not fond of the super tall narrow tire look. So far I've got a new set of 32x11.5 K03's and mounted them on a set of pro comp 15x8's. That definetelly helped but now I'm looking to lower it from a three inch lift to a two inch. I'm assumig that allthough they are not adjustable the control arms were lengthened to correct the angles and caster with the three inch springs. What can I expect if I just change springs and shocks only. will that throw all the angles off and cause me to have to re figure and re calibrate everthing? I'd like to lower it to make it look right and not be so high but I can deal with it if it's going to be a major operation requiring me to change a lot more parts. TIA for any info. I've been googling and AI'ing all for several weeks an it's hard to get a straight answer.
Lowering my TJ
- Thread starter 68Goldfish
- Start date
Welcome to the best Jeep forum.
https://www.rockcrawler.com/features/newsshorts/04october/blackdiamond_xcl.asp
Lowering it one inch won't make any noticeable difference. Leave it alone.
My old 98' with a 3" lift and 32s.
https://www.rockcrawler.com/features/newsshorts/04october/blackdiamond_xcl.asp
Lowering it one inch won't make any noticeable difference. Leave it alone.
My old 98' with a 3" lift and 32s.
A photo of the current control arms would help alot. Many of the folks here have been around TJs a long time and might recoognize what you've got installed currently. At 3 inches, they might be the stock arms. They might not. If they're ~ 30 years old, the bushings in them are almost certainly shot and riding like crap. Also, a photo of the rear driveshaft at the transfer case end, just in case it had been changed for functional reasons. Unlikely at 3" lift, but possible.
You could run a 1" lift with 32s. 31s came stock on some TJs and fit stock. If you want to run an actual 1" or 2" lift, you could do stock TJ arms. A fresh set of Moog ones isn't expensive. You will notice better NVH and they'l feel more responsive than a 30 year set. Be aware that lift springs tend to be a bit all over the place because the weight of our jeeps varies. There are alot of 2.5" springs, but not many 1" or 2" springs out there. A few options for 2" lift specifically.
- JKS and OME do 2" lift spring for the TJ.
- You could do H&R 1" springs + a 0.75" spring spacer.
- You could do stock replacement springs with 1/75" spacers. Moog makes springs at stock ride height for the TJ.
Then you need shocks. I would buck the recommendation for 50/50 travel and either do an OME for 2" lift or do a shock for 0-2" travel such as Rancho RS5000X RS55128 and RS55240. You'll have more up travel than down which is OK on the road, but you won't have to be so precise on preventing bottom out in the shock.
Finally you may need to adjust any bump stop placed on the vehicle previously, and possibly adjust track bars so that the axle is centered under the vehicle.
I'll also mention I helped my dad who is in his late 70s lower his 06 Rubicon back to stock height last year. It had been on 1.75" spacers from the day he bought it almost 20 years ago and he didn't know that. Fresh control arms all around. He has mentioned many times since how much better it drives. A stock or near stock ride height might work better for you.
My silver Rubicon is on 2.5" springs and 33"s for comparison.
My silver Rubicon is on 2.5" springs and 33"s for comparison.
Thanks for the reply's guys. I thought i'd post a pic of the jeep after i installed the new tires and wheels. I have a lot to think about for sure.
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