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help when for lifting

OB1214

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Long Island, NY
hello. I want to lift my xj 4.5 inches. I also what to put on 31 inch tires. what else do I need to change out?

Ring and pinion?
drive shaft?
steering box and pump?

please tell me if it is nessisary to change those things out and if I should change anything else out that I didn't list. I will not be 4 wheeling often it's mostly a daily driver, and just like to be higher up.

thanks,
owen
 
hello ob1214/owen,

I will start by saying based on your questions, you should definitely start reading up some on this forum. youll find a lot of information to help you path your intentions for your jeep.

As for your immediate question, youll likely need and SYE and longer brake lines in addition to your lift. 31" tires will fit just fine and provide you with a lot of usability offroad, for most terrain. A drive shaft may be needed depending on what choices you make in respect to the SYE/drive line angles. Ring and pinion/ steering box are likely far from anything you need to worry about at the moment, it will not hinder you, nor serve as much of an upgrade for your current needs.

depending on what your wheeling/ choice of lift kit, a trac bar and sway bar disconnects are a good addition to this size of a lift.





Guys is there not a sticky of requirements per lift size, Im not sure Ive seen one on FAQ or the like??
 
Brake lines are optional. Just loosen the brackets in the front and bend the lines a bit.
SYE is a good idea
Steering gear you will need eventually, but no point in taking out one that's working

Gears depend on your budget, definitely regear if you go to bigger rubber.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
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With 31's, the stock gears are adequate, not great, but close enough. The stock steering will be fine.

At 4.5" of lift, longer front/rear soft brake lines, a longer or adjustable track bar, longer front sway bar links, and an SYE with rear driveshaft will be required. If using short control arms, control arm drop brackets are optional, but will greatly improve the pavement ride and the off-road flex.
 
Up to about 3" of lift, a t-case drop is a potential solution to driveline issues,. With more than about 3" of lift a t-case drop starts having front driveshaft/front pinion misalignment issues, and puts stress on the motor mounts.

The rear driveshaft angles with taller than about 3" of lift and no SYE strains the case output shaft bearings and can cause the t-case to explode.
 
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I'm at about 4.0-4.5 inches on my '92 with a 1-inch Tcase drop and no SYE.

OB1214, what year is your Jeep?
 
As the members input shows, there are many approaches and options for you. Different Cherokee models/years/options have some effect. Your personal preferences and tolerances will also be your guide.

1. Choose and install a suspension system
2. Choose and install your tire and possibly wheel combo
3. Determine additional modification priorities (TCase drop, SYE, ring and pinion, speedometer gear change, brake line mod or extension, sway bar disconnects, track bar upgrade, steering upgrade.

Starting with a high quality and complete suspension system is my recommendation. Talk to a few vendors review their parts list and instructions, get a feel for the differences. An $800 lift kit is no compare to a $2500 complete system.

Build some simple end goals, knowledge, and expense guidelines and START WRENCHING!!
 
bentroia I've been looking at the rough country lift kit which is $1000. seems very nice but according to rough county everything in that kit is all that is necessary. no YSE, pinion and ring, or tie rods. I just don't believe that and I don't want to put in necessary strain on parts. I want this jeep to last a really long long time.
 
Stay away from RC, you'll enjoy life more!
 
If you are looking to do it right and have it last a long time you should look at Clayton and Old Man Emu (often abbreviated OME).

A call to DPG Offroad should get you a package that will match your requirements.
 
No lift kit is complete, some are more complete than others.

Clayton, OME, and BDS are top of the line products and will last nearly forever. Rubicon Express, Iron Rock Off Road, and a few other are good parts that work well and last. Rough Country and Tough Country are not the first choice of many Cherokee owners.
 
One other good company to check out is Full Traction -https://full-traction.com/model.php?XJ-Cherokee-Suspension-Systems&m=4&b=1&t=1#n . As others have said, you will spend more on good quality parts, but it ends up being worth it in the long run.
 
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No lift kit is complete, some are more complete than others.

ob1214, additionally piecing a kit together may allow you some better options for your needs, as well as allowing you to flex your budget toward the most important parts, possibly saving on less important items. This of course all depends on what You want out of your vehicle. RC doesnt have a good reputation, but it will function for a while. Cheap is generally cheap for a reason.

ill throw another vote for OME as a good base for kit parts, rubicon express is decent to.

if you plan on holding on to this vehicle for a good while, i.m.o., your better off steering away from cross member drop brackets and budgeting in an SYE/driveshaft.



TimMN, ( tcase exploding?)not sure ive heard that one yet. :wow:
 
ob1214, additionally piecing a kit together may allow you some better options for your needs, as well as allowing you to flex your budget toward the most important parts, possibly saving on less important items. This of course all depends on what You want out of your vehicle. RC doesnt have a good reputation, but it will function for a while. Cheap is generally cheap for a reason.

ill throw another vote for OME as a good base for kit parts, rubicon express is decent to.

if you plan on holding on to this vehicle for a good while, i.m.o., your better off steering away from cross member drop brackets and budgeting in an SYE/driveshaft.



TimMN, ( tcase exploding?)not sure ive heard that one yet. :wow:


Yeah, this is a good idea, unless you have the scratch to go buy brand new everything. Keep your eye on the 'for sale' section to you locally.

I've been following this thread, really unsure what to say because when i lifted my jeep, i did so with the intention on wheeling it. Hard. Which is what i did, for about a decade.

I started off with a Rusty's lift. Decent stuff that ended up in rough shape simply due to what i put the jeep through. I went with the 4.5" and 33s with a 1-inch t-case drop and i never ever had any vibes whatsoever, but mine was an '88 and the earlier years tend to be more forgiving.

I ran it like that with the stock gearing for many, many years, just fine. It would zip along at 80 on the freeway and still kill it on the trails. But I wanted a little more, was tired of working so hard behind the wheel when out in the sticks. :D

So then I invested quite a bit more into the rig. I went up 2" in the front via pucks and about the same out back via shackles and installed chromo shafts all around. Added in 35s and a front lunch box locker and hit the trails. Oooooooommmmmmmmmmmggggggg, the change was unreal. What used to take quite a bit of effort was now point and go. For what it's worth, i disagree with the masses who say to lock the rear first. That front locker was amazing, friends and neighbors. I later locked the rear and didn't even notice it; then again, the rig had a decent-working LSD out back.

Later, I dumped the gearing to 4.88 front and rear and hated it. At least, on the fwy. On the trail it was a lion, the ruler of all the land. On the freeway, 60 was the new 80 and the rig didn't have any oomph down low anymore. I wanted my 3.55s back lmaooo. Also, I had to add bigger joints up front because the new setup was snapping them like twigs. I left the trail a couple times with broken joints to the stub; thank goodness for lockers!

Anyhow, the point is, with *most* of us, lifts start in one place and end up somewhere else, mostly due to quality and/or wheeling needs. But if yours is going to only see street with a little light wheeling from time to time, a lot of people are real happy with like an OME 3" kit and 31s. That's decent enough clearance to get you thru the brush and it looks great to boot.

/ramble

Good luck, man!
 
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