Ready for a lift...

I'm ready for a lift for my TJ Rubicon and I'm looking at the Skyjacker 4" Economy Lift Kit with Hydro Shocks (http://www.quadratec.com/products/16117_191.htm). I've looked at a few different options and brands and this one seems to be the best fit from my limited perspective. I am seeking greater knowledge. Is this a good kit to purchase? I will be using 35/12.50/15 tires with 15x10 wheels.

Thanks in advance.

I'm ready for you this time Redneck Houston. ;-)

i am also interested in this as a co-worker just bought a 98 TJ and is looking for a lift for it. he isn't going to wheel it but wants to put it on 35s and have a decent ride.

I definitely would not get the 15x10's. 15x8's would be a much better choice. They will hold a bead much better and your bearings will last longer.

I will comment on the lift when I have a little more time.

Duke wrote:

I definitely would not get the 15x10's. 15x8's would be a much better choice. They will hold a bead much better and your bearings will last longer.

I will comment on the lift when I have a little more time.

Just to clarify...you would do 15x8's with 35/12.50R/15? Would the width difference be too great with that combination? I really want 12.50 tires so I'm looking for the best fit. I'll check back when you have more time. Thanks.

35's on a 4" lift is asking a little much on a TJ. 33's are ideal on a 4", unless you plan on some metal removal, or limit your up travel. I ran 33's and 3" lift and rubbed pretty good.

As far as lift is concerned, there are a lot better options than the skyjacker, you can get into a 3.5" basic rubicon express around $600 (W/O shocks).

I would recommend Rubicon express, or teraflex.

What is your actual budget on the lift, at 3" and above an SYE is usually required.

Conscious_Dream wrote:

Just to clarify...you would do 15x8's with 35/12.50R/15? Would the width difference be too great with that combination? I really want 12.50 tires so I'm looking for the best fit. I'll check back when you have more time. Thanks.

Yes. For reference here is a link to some specs from Interco for one randomly selected tire model....... http://www.intercotire.com/tires.php?id=7&g=1 ....Scroll down to the 35x12.5x15 size and you will see they spec out anything from a 15x8 to a 15x10 tire size. For anything, but mud and sand, I would generally stay relatively narrow.

I was in your shoes a few years ago, I read every forum and talked with ever person… for the set up you describe your really better off with a 6” teraflex w/ long arm kit and SYE. Or less tire (I would still stay with the teraflex w/ long arm kit), it’s something you only want to do once so go big or go home… And you got to do it all at once, you will regret trying to do pieces at a time.



Me, I saved up the cash, and realized that I could buy a CJ for not much more then I was about to drop into my TJ, so I did that… Paid cash for CJ, sold TJ for truck…

TxCrawler wrote:

35's on a 4" lift is asking a little much on a TJ. 33's are ideal on a 4", unless you plan on some metal removal, or limit your up travel. I ran 33's and 3" lift and rubbed pretty good.

As far as lift is concerned, there are a lot better options than the skyjacker, you can get into a 3.5" basic rubicon express around $600 (W/O shocks).

I would recommend Rubicon express, or teraflex.

What is your actual budget on the lift, at 3" and above an SYE is usually required.

Listen to TxCrawler or me I bought a '98 TJ w/a 4" Pro-Comp Lift and 35" tires (previous owner's idea of off-road was dirt roads around Austin) I have maybe 3" from tire to stock fender flare. Get a 6" long arm or get the 4" w/33's JMHO

TxCrawler wrote:

35's on a 4" lift is asking a little much on a TJ. 33's are ideal on a 4", unless you plan on some metal removal, or limit your up travel. I ran 33's and 3" lift and rubbed pretty good.

As far as lift is concerned, there are a lot better options than the skyjacker, you can get into a 3.5" basic rubicon express around $600 (W/O shocks).

I would recommend Rubicon express, or teraflex.

What is your actual budget on the lift, at 3" and above an SYE is usually required.

Can I use the factory shocks with the basic Rubicon Express 3.5" lift? What is an SYE? I'd like to stay around $700 for the lift budget.

TJ Bear wrote:

TxCrawler wrote:

35's on a 4" lift is asking a little much on a TJ. 33's are ideal on a 4", unless you plan on some metal removal, or limit your up travel. I ran 33's and 3" lift and rubbed pretty good.

As far as lift is concerned, there are a lot better options than the skyjacker, you can get into a 3.5" basic rubicon express around $600 (W/O shocks).

I would recommend Rubicon express, or teraflex.

What is your actual budget on the lift, at 3" and above an SYE is usually required.

Listen to TxCrawler or me I bought a '98 TJ w/a 4" Pro-Comp Lift and 35" tires (previous owner's idea of off-road was dirt roads around Austin) I have maybe 3" from tire to stock fender flare. Get a 6" long arm or get the 4" w/33's JMHO

Thanks. It sounds like the 4" lift with 33's is best. I'm glad I posted the question because I didn't know what I was doing.

So as it stands at this moment: 33/12.50R/15, 15x8's, and a 3.5" to a 4" lift. I'm still not sure what SYE is but I'll look it up.

Thanks!

CJATE wrote:

I was in your shoes a few years ago, I read every forum and talked with ever person… for the set up you describe your really better off with a 6” teraflex w/ long arm kit and SYE. Or less tire (I would still stay with the teraflex w/ long arm kit), it’s something you only want to do once so go big or go home… And you got to do it all at once, you will regret trying to do pieces at a time.



Me, I saved up the cash, and realized that I could buy a CJ for not much more then I was about to drop into my TJ, so I did that… Paid cash for CJ, sold TJ for truck…

I'm not sure if I'm ready for a 6". I think I'll do the 4" with 33's. I haven't looked up Taraflex yet but I am going to. I've seen a Jeep with a 6" lift and it was definitely nice. I'm still new to this world and think a 4" would be best to start with.

Conscious_Dream wrote:

I'm ready for you this time Redneck Houston. ;-)

think so huh?

i would look at rough country here http://www.roughcountry.com/jeep_tj_suspension_lift_kits.html

i've been using their stuff alot lately and it is the best value of anything i have seen

now that ive said that, i woulden't waste my time and money on lifting a tj over a couple of inches with short arms

this just gets worse off road https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiROCen8a_U

i would do a mild 2.5 lift, add a GOOD track bar, and start cutting and not stop till my tires fit

pro's

1. low cog
2. more stability
3. better road manners
4. cheeper......more money left for other mods
5. easier to get in and out of
6.impress others with your jeeps surefootedness offroad

con's

1. lower jeep
2. wont impress young boys with your super tall jeep









but what the fuck do i know.........i got this off a flyer at the holiday in express last nite

of course this is the best option right here

a little more money up front but bad arse.........and no funky vibrations or driveability problems, and you get a full armor package with it

http://www.genright.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=TFHFTJK

first,I would not waste my money on Skyjacker. I would either go with rough country or rubicon express. Rough country is a great lift for a great price, or rubicon express IMO is the best lift available for the TJ.

Second, a 4" lift will easily clear 35's on the trail. The guys that rub w/ 33's on a 4" lift are the guys that run the factory bump stops and the shocks that came w/ their lift kit. My dad has a 3.5 RE lift w/ 14" travel shocks w/ short arms and his jeep has great flex and handles great off road with no rubbing issures. We just finished the 3rd jeep with this setup and all 3 flex great w/ short arms, road handle great, and flex really awesome........ In fact, we are about to do some fender trimming, and get 39's under his jeep w/ no more lift(maybe a 1" body spacer, MAYBE). DONT DO A 6" LIFT..... TOO TALL.........
Pic of my dad's jeep w/ one 35" tire(35psi as well) pulled up on my TJ with 44" boggers.....

Here are 2 vids of his jeep getting wheeled, w/ no rub.........
at BMRA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC0wdjVD4To&feature=channel_page
at Rock Creek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLuLW1iSsL0&feature=channel_page

DFW Rusty wrote:

Pic of my dad's jeep w/ one 35" tire(35psi as well)

Good lord...no wonder his center lugs are all worn down. That's WAY too high a pressure for those tires. For the next set, consider doing the chalk test to see at what pressure they'll actually run flat; it'll probably be around 18 to 24. The marking on the sidewall is the MAX pressure it's been rated for under MAX load, not the recommended pressure to run at in a light-weight Jeep. Just for reference. I had to learn this recently with my own Jeep.

Jelani, some advice here has been pretty good. It's your Jeep and your decision, but I would suggest following RedneckHouston's advice and going with a less extreme lift and looking at other options for clearance. Uptravel really isn't the main thing to worry about when wheeling. For reference, I'm running a TeraFlex 3" complete kit (w/shocks and discos), and I love it. I'm currently running 33's, and I don't feel short-changed, but I'll likely be moving to 35's next, and I'll very likely be running a high-line kit for it. I don't think I'm ever going higher on the lift. I really prefer the Low Center of Gravity (LCG or LCOG or Low-COG for short) setups so you're not teetering up in the air when you can accomplish the same thing with a more day-to-day usable height and without the balance and handling issues of being so high up in the air. Sure, it looks kinda cool to the mall crowd, but there aren't many brownie points awarded for rolling over on the trail.

There are three brands of lifts I recommend you consider:

1) Old Man Emu (OME) has a fantastic 2.5" lift that, when combined with their shocks, gives possibly the best on-road ride while also offering trail performance that's pretty damn impressive for "only" 2.5 inches of lift.

2) TeraFlex has earned a reputation as a top-quality producer of lifts and many other parts, and they have many options to choose from. It's hard to go wrong, here. I linked the lift I got of theirs, and I have never regretted going with that option. I had 4 Wheel Parts price match it from an online vendor for around $850, but if I were going to do it all over again I would do the install myself (with help).

3) Rubicon Express is another top-flight parts and lifts company. Cream of the crop. They don't really make a bad part that I know of. Their 3.5" lift comes highly recommended from everyone that has one that I've heard of. For reference, I wouldn't go higher than that. And I definitely wouldn't go higher than that without going long-arm.

Rough Country is definitely a "value" brand, but I've heard their quality has improved lately and that they're actually getting to be pretty decent, now. So you probably won't go wrong there, either.

As far as wheels are concerned, I second (third?) the recommendation for 15x8 rather than 15x10, for all the reasons mentioned. Listen to Duke. He knows

As far as tires, I love my BFG M/T KM2's, and when I eventually go 35, I'll go with them again, I'm sure. My current KM2's are 33x12.50's, and I wouldn't go wider than that until you reach really big stuff like 37's or 40's (distant future for me, if ever, and probably only if she ever becomes a dedicated, trailered trail rig). So 35x12.50 will be a good size choice if you end up there, too. Remember that each size increase is definitely and increase in cost, too. If you think of my Jeep, remember that it's a 3" lift on 33's with a heavy-ass winch on the front and bumper/carrier on the back. That should give you a good idea visually of where you want to go, whether it's a good size for you, too big, too small, whether you're going for performance over perception or whether you want to ride high and look tall (nothing wrong with that, really).

In fact, my 33's only have about 3k miles on them. If you want, we might could talk about making a deal...

Just don't get the Rough Country track bar, spend a few extra bucks and get one with a hyme joint. voice of experience.. ask Geo!

Deacon wrote:

DFW Rusty wrote:

Pic of my dad's jeep w/ one 35" tire(35psi as well)

In fact, my 33's only have about 3k miles on them. If you want, we might could talk about making a deal...

That was a lot of information but I would expect nothing less from you. Thanks for sharing. I do like the way your Jeep sits and I'm not looking to impress mall crowds. You have a TJ, right? I want off-road performance and drivability combined. It sounds like the 3" lift with 33's is the way to go. I need to read your post again because there was something else I was going to comment on...

Were you able to do the 3" lift with 33's without having to purchase anything else or do additional mods?

What kind of dealing are you considering? I'm open to the idea for sure.

rohantmh wrote:

Just don't get the Rough Country track bar, spend a few extra bucks and get one with a hyme joint. voice of experience.. ask Geo!

Thanks for that. Rough Country sounds a little suspect next to Teraflex and Rubicon Express.

DFW Rusty wrote:

DONT DO A 6" LIFT..... TOO TALL.........
Pic of my dad's jeep w/ one 35" tire(35psi as well) pulled up on my TJ with 44" boggers.....

Thanks for steering me away from SkyJacker. I was thinking a 6" would be too much, though it looks great. I really appreciate all of the info. As of now, it looks like a 3" lift. Still debating between Teraflex and Rubicon Express.

redneckhouston wrote:

Conscious_Dream wrote:

I'm ready for you this time Redneck Houston. ;-)

now that ive said that, i woulden't waste my time and money on lifting a tj over a couple of inches with short arms

I checked out the video...he wasn't even going that fast and his wheel came up. We don't want that. Can short arms still be used with a 3" lift opposed to a 2.5"? What is a track bar?

A comparison...

------------------------------------------------------------

TeraFlex 3" Lift Kit with shocks and accessories ($1,020...$850 w/ Deacon's research)

vs.

Rubicon Express 3.5" Standard Suspension System ($600).

--------------------------------------------------------------

TeraFlex:
http://www.teraflex.biz/products/tj-wrangler-3-lift-kit-with-shocks-and-accessories.html

vs.

Rubicon Express:
http://www.quadratec.com/products/16300_401.htm

--------------------------------------------------------------

Let me know what you think.

Well, that video posted was of a Jeep that had its axles spooled. In other words they were welded together, effectively eliminating the differential altogether. It's like being locked...permanently. That'll do that, because the wheels can't turn at different rates on a surface with sufficient traction that the tire can't spin on its own (i.e. dirt, as compared to asphalt), and something's got to give. I've heard it referred to as "pucking" for some reason.

Anyway, notice that the RE kit you linked to does not include all the bells and whistles of the TeraFlex kit, most importantly the shocks and disconnects and transfer case lowering kit (though you may be able to get away without that, though a CV driveshaft is really where you need to go). The shocks will be ~$200 on top of that, and the disconnects will be $150 on top of that.

Don't get me wrong, it's an excellent kit, and I'm not trying to dissuade you. I'm just making sure the differences are clear. Personally, I'm not sure the RE kit isn't actually worth the extra money...

Either way, I would avoid buying from Quadratec if you have a choice. They're rarely the cheapest, and they don't always get the best customer service reviews. You can buy straight from Rubicon Express for the same price, which is always a good thing, or you can price shop around.

Of course, if you go with the ORO SwayLoc or Currie Anti-Rock torsion systems, the disconnects are a moot point

Deacon wrote:

Anyway, notice that the RE kit you linked to does not include all the bells and whistles of the TeraFlex kit, most importantly the shocks and disconnects and transfer case lowering kit

Yeah, I didn't know if I could get away without the bells and whistles.

I'm going to go for the Taraflex 3". 4-Wheel Parts is having a sale on Saturday so I'm going to swing by there to see what's going on. I'll order my wheels and tires then if the sale is good enough...otherwise I'll just order everything from the internet.

Thanks for your help.

[quote="Conscious_Dream"]

redneckhouston wrote:

Conscious_Dream wrote:

I'm ready for you this time Redneck Houston. ;-)

What is a track bar?

A track bar is a multi point axle centering device...and you are never ready for redneckhouston, he'll always find a whole in your Jeep logic !