Whats wrong with a Rough Country lift?

Viking Jeeper

Viking Jeeper

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I purchased my 2005 TJ last Summer. The PO had a RC 2 1/2 inch lift installed with 285/70R17 tires not long before I bought it. One of the reasons I bought it other than the low mileage is that it pretty much had the lift, wheels, and tires that I wanted already. Now I'm spending a lot of time here reading up and see that RC lifts are not well liked. Whats wrong with the RC lift? I've never owned a Jeep before and it rides a little rough but I just wrote that off as being a Jeep. The lift included the RC shocks.
 
My other jeep had a RC lift on it. I had no problems. I did eventually replace the rear shocks but, that's because I outboarded them.
 
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Mike the Silver TJ said:
I purchased my 2005 TJ last Summer. The PO had a RC 2 1/2 inch lift installed with 285/70R17 tires not long before I bought it. One of the reasons I bought it other than the low mileage is that it pretty much had the lift, wheels, and tires that I wanted already. Now I'm spending a lot of time here reading up and see that RC lifts are not well liked. Whats wrong with the RC lift? I've never owned a Jeep before and it rides a little rough but I just wrote that off as being a Jeep. The lift included the RC shocks.
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What don't you like about it other than all the Jeep snobs don't oooooh and aaaah over it?
 
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Rough Country lifts include shocks that are more like pogo sticks than shocks. They are absolutely horrid in my experience.

In addition, my thought has always been that with companies like Rough Country, FabTech, SkyJacker, and so many others, they are focusing on building lift kits for every vehicle they can, whereas small companies are focusing on building lifts just for Jeeps.

The latter is in my opinion usually a better choice, as if they were designed specifically for Jeeps, usually that means there is better engineering put into them.

The other thing with Rough Country is that they use cheap poly bushings in their control arms (or at least they do on some of them) which are less than idea for the serious off-roader.

All things considered though (and I really do mean this) if all you're doing is driving it on-road, a Rough Country lift is just fine, honestly. Swap out the shocks for some better riding shocks (i.e. Rancho RS5000X) and you'll have a lift that will serve you well.

It's only when you get into the more serious off-roading that the Rough Country lift won't be as ideal.
 
So, to piggyback onto Mike silver TJ's post.....

I had always liked the look of a lifted Jeep. CJ, TJ, YJ, etc. Classic look with a 4" lift, 33s, hardtop....just the whole package always looked good to me. I thought, "Hmmm...maybe someday I can have that." Well, 4 months ago, a Jeep for me became available. I had already looked around at stuff for what I could do. This lift, those wheels, these bumpers, etc. Kinda had pricing figured out, so knew what I was getting into as far as building it. Now, this particular specimen has lived up to the "just empty every pocket" stereotype. Fine. It is, what it is (for now).

I'd thought I'd just throw a Rough Country 4" lift on it and be done. Cheap, effective, done. Done a lot of reading since. (more in a minute....I'm at work.....LOL)
 
GEEP4ME said:
So, to piggyback onto Mike silver TJ's post.....

I had always liked the look of a lifted Jeep. CJ, TJ, YJ, etc. Classic look with a 4" lift, 33s, hardtop....just the whole package always looked good to me. I thought, "Hmmm...maybe someday I can have that." Well, 4 months ago, a Jeep for me became available. I had already looked around at stuff for what I could do. This lift, those wheels, these bumpers, etc. Kinda had pricing figured out, so knew what I was getting into as far as building it. Now, this particular specimen has lived up to the "just empty every pocket" stereotype. Fine. It is, what it is (for now).

I'd thought I'd just throw a Rough Country 4" lift on it and be done. Cheap, effective, done. Done a lot of reading since. (more in a minute....I'm at work.....LOL)
Click to expand...

OMG Leave us hanging why don't you? LOL :D
 
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There's a couple different types of Jeepers. There's those that mostly drive on the street, it's their commuter or weekend ride. Bumping around in the the woods. For that, most any of these lifts work just fine: Rough Country, Zone, Rubicon Express, ect.

Then there are more experienced wheelers that want the most performance out of their Jeeps. That's where the higher end parts come in, like midarms, quality joints and steering, quality shocks that you can get the most amount of travel for your combination of lift and tires.


I've commuted, wheeled, and trailered all sorts of lifts: Tomken, RE, Rough Country, Teraflex, and self-fabbed. They all worked for my intended use and budget at the time. It all depends what you use it for, not everyone needs the best shit.
 
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A lot of reading. A lot of it here. And a lot of it saying, spend a little more for a better setup. I get it. If you can spend $750 vs $600, then do it. $1200 would get a pretty good setup. There's no way I'm spending $2k (or more) on this thing. When I bought it, I told people it was either going to be a 5 month fling, or a 5 year (or longer) love affair.

I had recently been thinking the Zone hybrid/combo was the direction I was going to go. Less suspension lift, but usually better manners as far as driveline vibes or issues, but still having the height I want. Still wanting to replace the control arms, as I think this 18 year old vehicle would benefit from having something, anything, as far as new bushings/arms.

My plans for usage, are mainly road. Occasional offroad and nothing serious enough to break stuff. I have too many other projects where I can't afford to be busting this one every time I go out. Probably closer to mall crawling, LOL, than anything else. But like I said, I do understand the value of this vs that. But first on my list, is the "look".

This thread, and I think the one linked above, is about the first I've seen where anyone (Moderator or other) ever mention that, "Hey, you know what? If all you want to do is lift it, put big tires on it and go putting around the trails and not try to flip the thing over, then, yeah. The Rough Country will do that." I think we all do it, to some extent, oversell or over-hype oranges over apples. I think the majority of the folks on here and just overall, are probably more serious off-road-ers and yes, they need something better. They've either experienced it firsthand, or enough knowledgeable folks that have been down the same path and understand the intended direction have suggested the better solution. But sometimes a guy just wants an apple.

Will I decide to get a Rough Country, like I originally planned? I don't know. Or the Zone combo? I don't know. I know that next on my research list is to see what I can put together with individual shocks (the ones everyone recommends), springs, body lift and control arms and motor spacers. Just to see what the pricing looks like compared to the kit options.

I hate doing things twice. So, yeah. I'd rather spend extra now on a decent setup, if the benefits outweigh the cost. Better now, than twice later.
 
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GEEP4ME said:
A lot of reading. A lot of it here. And a lot of it saying, spend a little more for a better setup. I get it. If you can spend $750 vs $600, then do it. $1200 would get a pretty good setup. There's no way I'm spending $2k (or more) on this thing. When I bought it, I told people it was either going to be a 5 month fling, or a 5 year (or longer) love affair.

I had recently been thinking the Zone hybrid/combo was the direction I was going to go. Less suspension lift, but usually better manners as far as driveline vibes or issues, but still having the height I want. Still wanting to replace the control arms, as I think this 18 year old vehicle would benefit from having something, anything, as far as new bushings/arms.

My plans for usage, are mainly road. Occasional offroad and nothing serious enough to break stuff. I have too many other projects where I can't afford to be busting this one every time I go out. Probably closer to mall crawling, LOL, than anything else. But like I said, I do understand the value of this vs that. But first on my list, is the "look".

This thread, and I think the one linked above, is about the first I've seen where anyone (Moderator or other) ever mention that, "Hey, you know what? If all you want to do is lift it, put big tires on it and go putting around the trails and not try to flip the thing over, then, yeah. The Rough Country will do that." I think we all do it, to some extent, oversell or over-hype oranges over apples. I think the majority of the folks on here and just overall, are probably more serious off-road-ers and yes, they need something better. They've either experienced it firsthand, or enough knowledgeable folks that have been down the same path and understand the intended direction have suggested the better solution. But sometimes a guy just wants an apple.

Will I decide to get a Rough Country, like I originally planned? I don't know. Or the Zone combo? I don't know. I know that next on my research list is to see what I can put together with individual shocks (the ones everyone recommends), springs, body lift and control arms and motor spacers. Just to see what the pricing looks like compared to the kit options.

I hate doing things twice. So, yeah. I'd rather spend extra now on a decent setup, if the benefits outweigh the cost. Better now, than twice later.
Click to expand...

Well, that was worth the wait. :D I fully agree with what you are saying. I too am glad about how the others are saying it depends on what you want to do, for what you should get.

As of right now, I don't plan on lifting my Jeep anytime soon. But, I have thought about it and am always scared off by some of the story's I read about "death wobble" and things not meshing up and having to replace this or that too. I too am not wanting to do major 4x4 trails or anything. More mall crawler/daily driver/ light mountain fire roads and the like.

I think if I did a lift it would be more for the "look" then anything. Maybe be able to go through a deeper water channel or rut. LOL But not a major 4x4 type of crawling and all. It is nice to know that there just may be something out there for me that won't cost me an arm and a leg to get the look I want. Right now I am focusing on the small things that make it more personal to me. I'm happy with that.

Way I look at it, right now I have the only lowered Jeep in the city. LOL Everyone is lifting and I am staying stock. LOL

Thanks for a great thread you guy's. Very informative. :D
 
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mrblaine said:
What don't you like about it other than all the Jeep snobs don't oooooh and aaaah over it?
Click to expand...

It's not that I don't like it. As I said, I would have put it on if the PO did not. Recently though I have seem some negative remarks about RC and just thought I would ask.
 
Mike the Silver TJ said:
It's not that I don't like it. As I said, I would have put it on if the PO did not. Recently though I have seem some negative remarks about RC and just thought I would ask.
Click to expand...

Having gone off the build deep end myself (but with some amount of thoughtfulness), one thing I have come to better understand is that there are many things I don't know. There are certain things I just don't know and can't conceptualize about Rough Country. So, I try not to say much specific about it anymore.

Your Jeep has some kind of RC kit installed. It is what it is. Learn it and figure out what you might need to be different, if anything. Understanding what the specific components do will help focus your thoughts. For example, if the ride is rough, look at shocks and tire pressures rather than the arms.

Regarding the Zone Combo, it is a clever bare bones kit the gets the job done reasonably well. There is no magic to understanding how it works. And it is very beneficial to learn why it works. The value is that it is a pretty good base on which to build off of without replacing much of the initial kit. But I am unsure if there is a good argument to replace a RC with Zone when it might be more wise to address specific aspects of the build.
 
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Chris said:
Rough Country lifts include shocks that are more like pogo sticks than shocks. They are absolutely horrid in my experience.

In addition, my thought has always been that with companies like Rough Country, FabTech, SkyJacker, and so many others, they are focusing on building lift kits for every vehicle they can, whereas small companies are focusing on building lifts just for Jeeps.

The latter is in my opinion usually a better choice, as if they were designed specifically for Jeeps, usually that means there is better engineering put into them.

The other thing with Rough Country is that they use cheap poly bushings in their control arms (or at least they do on some of them) which are less than idea for the serious off-roader.

All things considered though (and I really do mean this) if all you're doing is driving it on-road, a Rough Country lift is just fine, honestly. Swap out the shocks for some better riding shocks (i.e. Rancho RS5000X) and you'll have a lift that will serve you well.

It's only when you get into the more serious off-roading that the Rough Country lift won't be as ideal.
Click to expand...

I do some off roading. Got stuck in the mud last week. Pretty sure I was hung up on the TC case skid. Could not move at all. I am now looking at UCF TC skids. Just not looking to spend a ton of money. I'd like to keep my Jeep until I can't drive it anymore then give it to my son so I want things done right.
 
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I have the RC 4.5" X-Series lift and it did what it was intended to do, however, I have since replaced piece by piece. I got a bad taste from the install where each control arm and track bar threads had slight rust/crap build up on them it took me almost 30min each to clean the threads; there are 8 of them by the way. The rear track bar is still stuck tight I have to remove, put one end into my trailer hitch and use a super huge ratchet extension to adjust it.
I spent a lot of time cleaning/prepping the RC stuff just to install, maybe it was just the kit I got, but whatever.
The only RC stuff I have not replaced is the front and rear adjustable control arms and springs. They are actually pretty beefy and quite frankly I do not see any reason to replace yet. At some point they will be replaced though. When I replaced the RC track bars with ones from JKS, the quality is actually quite noticeable.

With all that said, what you have will let you do plenty of fun things, don't let the internet crowd make you believe you have a piece of shit Jeep/lift. Absolutely swap the shocks out asap though, huge difference. If I could start at day one again, I'd drive/wheel it until I figured out what I really needed. Once you start getting serious then you can debate dropping the money on the "cool guy" stuff.
Save your money from swapping lift stuff and put a lunchbox locker in your front axle, well worth the coin. I have one and it is super fun, have fun with your Jeep and take cool pictures.
82051
 
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I have an 03 Rubicon with 32,000 miles ,a 4" rough country long arm kit, rancho 5000x shocks and 33" ko2 on beadlock rims at 26 psi

The control arm bushings are the same oem part # as a 3/4 ton Dodge pick up truck.

The jeep is unreal to drive . It doesn't do anything wrong .

You can take your hand off the wheel at 65-70 and it just goes straight .

I can't speak for everyone or the whole gamut of things a lift can and can't do , but I'm so pleased with mine I'm afraid to change anything .....even my underwear.
 
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If you're not moving control arms mounting points for better geometry, outboarding the rear and modifying front shock mounts, I'm not sure a RC lift kit is such a problem. My RC 4" kit has no trouble maxing stock shock mounting points.

I will be upgrading down the road with out a doubt. It won't be bolt on or short arm either, but what do I know. I'm no where near Jeep snob status.
 
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Mike the Silver TJ said:
I do some off roading. Got stuck in the mud last week. Pretty sure I was hung up on the TC case skid. Could not move at all. I am now looking at UCF TC skids. Just not looking to spend a ton of money. I'd like to keep my Jeep until I can't drive it anymore then give it to my son so I want things done right.
Click to expand...

It will be fine, trust me. The worst part about the RC lifts are the garbage quality shocks and the poly bushings. But again, you don't need to spend a ton of money all at once on a really expensive lift. Do that once you have the means.
 
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