lift kits!!!

1909 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by PhilD, Feb 24, 2008

shrek919

Discussion Starter · Feb 18, 2008

hey guys!
i bought my jeep about a year ago!!
its still stock becauce i havent been able to come up with the money for aftermarket parts...
im sure there are other post in here like this one...but i was wondering if you guys got any tips on lift kits that you prefer?
i recently have been lookin at skyjacker longarm kits!!
how hard are they to install???
thanks!!KEEP JEEPIN!!

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BigO

· #2 · Feb 19, 2008

What type of offroading do you do? Are you concerned about how it rides on pavement? Most likely, people will recommend the lift that they bought. And what's good for one person may be overkill for someone else.

I've never installed a long arm kit, but I've installed 2 Full Traction 3" lifts and one 3" BDS lift and they can be done by yourself with some basic tools. Figure 8 hours for the install by yourself. Having help will make it a little faster.

Here's a discussion that may be of interest...

http://jkowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1202&highlight=lift

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Living Still

· #3 · Feb 19, 2008

It all depends on how hard you plan to wheel your Jeep and what size tires you plan on clearing. What model of Jeep do you have X, Sahara, or Rubicon? Rubicons come with some beefier axles that allow you to tentatively run 37" tires or 35"s with confidence. Other models will let you tentatively run 35"s or anything below 35" with confidence. Get back to us with more info and we'd love to point you in the right direction. If you are interested in a bigger lift the above link is definitely worth looking into.

-Casey

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PhilD

· #4 · Feb 19, 2008

BigO said:
Most likely, people will recommend the lift that they bought.

That's usually the way it goes

I removed the Superlift 4" kit I originally had and switched to a Poly Performance 4.5" kit. Very happy with the Poly Performance kit.

The Full Traction Ultimate 3" gets a lot of positive comments from those with it and looks well thought out.

The Rancho 4" Long Arm looks interesting, haven't seen one yet though.

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· #5 · Feb 19, 2008

Lifts are not that hard to install but I’d suggest getting some help from a friend. Personally I think the age old adage “You get what you pay for” works with lifts.

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shrek919

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 21, 2008

i do some trail runs and stuff not to crazy but id like to get into some more crazy stuff lol!!!!
im just lookin for a lift that will be decent on the road as well as trails!!

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shrek919

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 21, 2008

thanks for all the help guys im really diggin this site everyone seems pretty cool!!!! KEEP JEEPIN

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PhilD

· #8 · Feb 21, 2008

FWIW I've been very pleased with my Poly Performance kit, very well made and thought out, and the folks at Poly are very helpful.

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MichaelW

· #9 · Feb 21, 2008

X2 on Poly Performance.

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toadontheroad

· #10 · Feb 22, 2008

While we're on the subject...
What's the difference between the "longarm" and "regular?" lifts? Besides being longer, I mean :shaking:

Does the long arm kits move the mounting location of the track bars? Are they better for heavy duty trail running? What's the advantage/disadvantage?

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PhilD

· #11 · Feb 24, 2008

toadontheroad said:
While we're on the subject...
What's the difference between the "longarm" and "regular?" lifts? Besides being longer, I mean

The short arm vs long arm discussion is very VERY long and drawn out, and you'll never get a straight answer on which one is better.

Generally speaking long arm is better for high speed running, like desert racing. Short arm on a TJ was okay on the rocks and certainly cheaper than LA, but over 4-4.5" of lift a long arm started making more sense. But the arms on a JK are 50% longer than a TJ, and I'm personally not convinced you need LA on a JK with less than 6" of lift.

For the highway, long arm will generally give you a better ride, but with the JK's longer arms I'm not totally convinced it is needed. My Poly 4.5" lift pretty much drives as nice on the road as the vehicle did when stock. It feels and handles just fine.

The LCA's with long arm kits can become a rock magnet, although the argument is that use them as sliders or ramps for sliding over rocks. I suspect that shortens the life of the bushings/joints quite a bit, and you always run the risk of bending one.

Like I said, you'll get many different views, each with their own theory/reason why one is better than the other. The best thing you can do is drive and/or watch vehicles with different set ups and decide for your self.

Does the long arm kits move the mounting location of the track bars?

Depends on the kit I would think, but I don't think any require that. It is mouting locations for the control arms which will change.

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