4.5" RE Kit. 33" knobs, what else do i need?

[sredish]

Hey all,

Pretty new to the xj thing. I am more of a Ford SD guy. A good friend is a crawler with one of those spiders that crawls all over hell. I'm going to get into the jeeps a little with him.

I'm looking at a '92 xj. For lift, I was looking at the RE 4.5" kit and I'll be using 33" rubber. The rear springs are 3.5" with extended shackles. I was going to get a 1" spacer for the front, what should I do to lift the add'l 1", use a block?

What else will I be needing to complete this, besides trimming? I know that a SYE is a possibility, or is it for sure? Is a new driveshaft a necessity, or will the stock one work? Is this kit, pretty much put it on and go? I am trying to figure out what all I will need for my budget. How long of bumpstops should I need? I want to keep as much articulation as possible.

I am looking at the regearing aspect also, with 4.56.

Thanks for the help. I know this is a common question, I just can't find it in the search.

Scott

 

[Kejtar]

why not have RE substitue the 4.5" springs instead?? they are same price as 3.5" if sold separately so I don't see why they wouldn't do it for you....

 

[krh9848]

They will swap the 3.5 springs for the 4.5 ones but beware if you use the shackles supplied with the kit you have the potential for 5.5 up to 7 inches or so of lift in the rear!

 

[sredish]

I had figured initially that it would be too much $$$, but I would much rather the 4.5" springs than 3.5" with shackles, that leaves me more options.

As for matching the front 1" spacer, I'd rather use a block than the shackles.

Scott

 

[krh9848]

I just recently installed the 4.5's in my rig. The shackles supplied only add about 3/4" of lift. With that I am getting 6.5 inches in the rear with about 200 lbs of weight added in the back! Also as I learned from this the guys here if you do not use shacles in the rear you limit the amount of flex you have in the rear. Just thought I'd share what I have been thru already.

 

[Kejtar]

As for matching the front 1" spacer, I'd rather use a block than the shackles.

Any particular reason?? Shackle will offer better movement on the rear spring pack and give you better droop and stuff while a block will potentially lead to an earlier pack sag and or axle wrap....

 

[sredish]

Well, I guess I'm unfamiliar with the benefits of the shackle. Are you referring to the RE shackle having better flex than the stock shackle, so I should use the RE shackle in the kit, not the stock shackle?

Also, is there anything else that will need to be considered for this setup? Will I have to use the SYE kit, or is that something I won't know till its up? What about the driveshafts, will I need new shafts, or will the stock shafts work?

Scott

 

[krh9848]

It being a 92 you may not have trouble with driveline vibes. It ievidently varies for each vehicle. I installed the 5.5 and I have vibes now even after shimming the pinion down 4* to bring the u-joints in phase. I will have to get an SYE and DC driveshaft to fix mine. You may be able to get away with your stock setup.

As for the shackle the RE shackle is longer and will provide more droop/flex and lift height but other than that the stock shackle will work.

 

[Kejtar]

A real quick reaply about the shackle: because of how the spring arcs and how the shackle travels you will not droop as much with the stock shackle as the shackle will go forward and stop on the front of the shackle box mount or whatever that thing is called...... a longer shackle will allow for a better "line/arc" of travel of the end of the spring and thus it will result in a better drolop..... FYI RE used to put in 4.5" springs in the 4.5" lift kit, but they changed to the 3.5" springs and shackle for better performance.

 

[sredish]

Thanks for that input. I never knew that about the shackles. I will definitely be using the RE shackle then. I'll just have to figure the lift height with 4.5" leafs and try to get by with a spacer up front.

I know a lot of people probably come in and tell you how they're gonna do this and that. I appreciate the input because I am planning and budgeting.

Scott