He’s on the right track , there has been a general movement in the last 6 months or so toward less lift , smaller (than 35”) tires and a desire for optimum drivability and ease of entry/exit . The new build is an Anti Build sort of ...
If I’m off base , please tell me ...just going by observation ...and commenting from experience :
One of the best riding , driving TJs I have ever driven was a stock Apex model with Duratrac tires I believe, and I try to drive as many as I can .
If it was lifted , it wasn’t much ...and it just did nothing wrong .
As I write this , I realize I have a 4” lift , and not sure I will change it ...but if I had a 2.5 , it would go no higher.
Most 4” lifted TJ’S I have driven are just awful. I know they all aren’t , many of us have been able to find the driving and handling manners we want ...but I think it’s a crap shoot if it isn’t done with correct knowledge and completely.
I think it’s safe to say , generally , that the more extreme the change , the farther away from stock ride and drive you are going .
Today I was thinking about long arm lifts , I have 2 tj’s and one is 4@ zone short arm and one is long arm with 5000x shocks .
Both drive really good , but the short arm rides slightly better, and it’s arguable which one drives the best . They have different tires (m/t vs KO2 ) so that alone is enough to be factor .
A long arm looks soooo different it gives the impression it’s just doing things for jeep a short arm can’t .
I’m convinced it probably isn’t in most cases. I’m no suspension guru, and I’m just speaking from a normal driving standpoint .