Questions about Zone 4.25" lift

hamrickac

hamrickac

TJ Enthusiast
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West Virginia
I know there’s a lot of reviews on the zone 4.25” lift and people really seem to rave about it. I have a few questions that I haven’t really been able to find the answers for though.

Has anyone run this lift for a while to know how the springs sag and settle over time.

How do they handle the weight of heavy bumpers, winches, etc.

I’m avoiding reusing factory track bar and purchasing the jks adjustable. Anything else anyone suggests?

Anyone have input/ problems to throw in would be appreciated too.
 
Suggest a SYE kit and an aftermarket Tom woods drive shaft. Now I believe that kit comes w a motor mount lift, if Im not mistaken and what you need to adjust vibration on a budget. But every Jeep is different. Mine, with just the 3” spring lift, needed a SYE kit and new drive shaft. A transfer case drop did little to remedy any vibrations in my situation. Very well worth the thousand bucks w installation, in my opinion.

That trackbar is a nice choice. Also, I kept all my stock control arms, but installed all new OEM. My Jeep drives down the road, straight at 80 mph w no vibration in any gear.

As far a sagging, Ive had none that I can significantly say is noticeable. However, I dont have a spare and I dont have aftermarket bumpers nor a winch. YMMV ~ best of luck


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fourpointzero said:
Suggest a SYE kit and an aftermarket Tom woods drive shaft. Now I believe that kit comes w a motor mount lift, if Im not mistaken and what you need to adjust vibration on a budget. But every Jeep is different. Mine, with just the 3” spring lift, needed a SYE kit and new drive shaft. A transfer case drop did little to remedy any vibrations in my situation. Very well worth the thousand bucks w installation, in my opinion.

That trackbar is a nice choice. Also, I kept all my stock control arms, but installed all new OEM. My Jeep drives down the road, straight at 80 mph w no vibration in any gear.

As far a sagging, Ive had none that I can significantly say is noticeable. However, I dont have a spare and I dont have aftermarket bumpers nor a winch. YMMV ~ best of luck


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Will definitely be doing a sye and custom drive shaft in the near future ( just for safety)the bb I currently have 3” front 2.5” rear hasn’t caused any vibes at all so I doubt the 3” coils will but I’d rather do things right then worry in the long run. I also planned on adding adjustable control arms everywhere in the long run just for strength and steering geometry sake.

I’ve also been told that the zone lift doesn’t level and adjust rake. Will I need to apply a 3/4” spacer over the front springs?
 
I dont have a lot of noticeable rake, as they call it. But I also dont have a winch and only run a spare when offroad. Spacer up front is up to preference. Adjustable control arms are not a necessity w 3 inches of lift. Upper rear adjustables w a SYE is common, though Ive been fine w mine stock. No vibration / issues. Various shops have measured my angles and everything has checked out.

Additional note: aftermarket arms will need maintenance. The OE’s do great as is, last very long and are proven for most wheeling. End of day, your money, your call.


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Alex01 said:
I would suggest selling the zone shocks and buying rancho rs5000x shocks.
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Is this from personal experience? The Zone gas shocks do seem a little stiff to me.

Also OP, I just added a set of 3/4" spacers to the front to compensate for my winch and bumper. looks much better now.
 
Have ran my Zone 4.25" combo lift for 3 1/2 years now, so far no sagging that I've noticed. I went with their slightly more expensive Hydro shocks. All I used was the provided MML, no driveline vibes at all for me. As @fourpointzero said, I can also be running 80 and let go of my wheel and my Jeep is straight and smooth as an arrow. I will say on rough choppy trails I think the shocks are stiff, rides a bit rough unless your crawling, but for the money I'd recommend the lift no doubt. I do not have heavy bumpers, a winch, or spare, so I cannot comment about sagging due to weight, but I will tell you the 3" suspension lift for me was more like 3.5-3.75". The front seems to sit slightly lower than the rear, so I'm almost sure the added weight of the winch will make it sag some. I think the JKS trackbar would be a great choice. I personally reinforced my factory trackbar bracket with 1/4" steel and drilled the new hole, my axle looks nice and centered and have had no issues.
 
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twistedlv said:
Is this from personal experience? The Zone gas shocks do seem a little stiff to me.

Also OP, I just added a set of 3/4" spacers to the front to compensate for my winch and bumper. looks much better now.
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I have not personally ran zone shocks but have heard plenty of people complaining about the ride. I have ran bilstein 5100, ome nitrosports and Rancho rs5000x.
 
I installed a Zone 3" lift on my LJ, so I have no experience with their BL. I installed heavier bumper F&R and didn't measure any sag. My bumpers are in the 50# range compared to 15# OEM bumpers. I had no vibration until I regeared to 4.88. now I have a slight, but not constant, vibration at 65-70 MPH. I plan to adjust my pinion angle first before I go the SYE route.

I replaced the shocks with Ranch 5000X and noticed a better/smoother ride, but neither shock makes the Jeep to ride like a european sports sedan.
 
@twistedlv @Alex01

I run Zone’s hydro shocks, (the plain old white shock) I offroad now and again, and do hour long highway rides. I honestly like them. Granted I can’t compare them to Ranchos, since Ive never ran Ranchos. Though, they are on my Amazon list for when the time comes to replace the Zone’s.

Originally, I had Monroe Sensa-Trac’s on my TJ, pre-lift. I have a suspicion that the Zone’s are manufactured by Monroe / Tenneco. But to be clear, Im just guessing.

Upon searching, Tenneco also makes Rancho shocks.


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fourpointzero said:
@twistedlv @Alex01

I run Zone’s hydro shocks, (the plain old white shock) I offroad now and again, and do hour long highway rides. I honestly like them. Granted I can’t compare them to Ranchos, since Ive never ran Ranchos. Though, they are on my Amazon list for when the time comes to replace the Zone’s.

Originally, I had Monroe Sensa-Trac’s on my TJ. And I have a suspicion that the Zone’s are manufactured by Monroe.


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Goes to show that everyone has a different opinion. After trying out a few different shocks the ranchos have been the best for on / offroad IMO.
 
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My Zone hybrid kit came without shocks. So, I am running the Ranchos. With only the suspension lift installed, it was not drivable due to driveline vibes without installing the motor mount spacers or a transfer case drop. I dropped the transfer case plate with 1 1/4" washers, and now only get vibes on takeoff from a stop. Have a SYE to install whenever I get the driveshaft. Have only had it installed for a month or two, so can't comment on spring sag. I did go with the adjustable track bars front and rear. Did install 3/4" spacers on the front coils. Stock (for now) worn out control arms, until I go adjustable for the SYE install.

No real complaints as I don't really have anything to compare it to. The Jeep was stock when I bought it in January, and had not been taken very good care off. Squirrelly as all get out on the highway, it had 1" of toe-in (LOL, but seriously) as well as other issues. Once I got some of the stuff fixed, I lifted it with 33s. It rides as good, if not a bit better, with the lift and Ranchos. I will say, I do seem to get a little swaying if the steering wheel is moved on the highway, but until I get new arms and a good alignment, I just drive at the speed limit or under for now. Could be tire pressure or worn control arm bushing, etc., but like I said, no real complaints at this time.
 
Did anyone have trouble with the shifter 5spd catching in 2nd 4th or reverse after the bl or issues with the shifter sitting lower?

Would it be better for me to run the nitro shocks with the added weight or just stay gas?
 
I’m looking into the Zone combo lift as well but I don’t understand the motor mount lift. Can someone explain why it’s needed?
 
SB50 said:
I’m looking into the Zone combo lift as well but I don’t understand the motor mount lift. Can someone explain why it’s needed?
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Lifting a vehicle increases the angles of the drive shafts. The rear drive shaft on a TJ is short. While lifting a TJ, the rear drive shaft angles quickly become more than than the u joints can handle. This occurs earlier with the rear than it does with the longer front.

A motor mount lift tips the engine/transmission/transfer case back and flattens the angle of the rear drive shaft, allowing it to run with a little more spring lift than without a MML.

The Zone kit is just a series of clever balancing acts to add some spring lift, some body lift and adjust the drive lines a bit. It is far from perfect. It usually gets the job done well enough for most. It is a good starter kit to continue building from.

Understanding why it works as well as it does is valuable. If you can wrap your head around the details, you can piece together something a little better and more nuanced than Zone.
 
That’s a perfect explanation. Thank you. Is there a write up on how to install a MML? I’ve lifted every truck/SUV I’ve ever owned but this is my first Jeep. It’s a little bit different
 
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