Anybody with a Rusty's 4.5" lift on a 98 or newer XJ???

[XJ/XRMike]

hey everybody, I have a 2000 XJ with the 3" skyjacker add-a-leaf kit. The add-a-leafs has turned my jeep into a battlewagon as much as it stiffened my rear springs. I recently purchased the rusty's 4.5" rear leafs to remedy the problem and soften the ride. Now the skyjacker kit is being modest when they call their kit a 3" kit so I don't exactly know what size coil spacers to put in the front until after I put my rear springs on. What i am asking of you all is if there is any body out there who has the rusty's 4.5" lift on a 98 or newer XJ could you measure the distance between the center of your rear wheel and the bottom of the fender flare. With my add-a-leaf springs I have 20.5" between those two points. I was hoping that I could get an idea how much higher I am actually going with these new rear springs. Thanks in advance to anybody who responds!

 

[CheapXJ]

hey everybody, I have a 2000 XJ with the 3" skyjacker add-a-leaf kit. The add-a-leafs has turned my jeep into a battlewagon as much as it stiffened my rear springs. I recently purchased the rusty's 4.5" rear leafs to remedy the problem and soften the ride. Now the skyjacker kit is being modest when they call their kit a 3" kit so I don't exactly know what size coil spacers to put in the front until after I put my rear springs on. What i am asking of you all is if there is any body out there who has the rusty's 4.5" lift on a 98 or newer XJ could you measure the distance between the center of your rear wheel and the bottom of the fender flare. With my add-a-leaf springs I have 20.5" between those two points. I was hoping that I could get an idea how much higher I am actually going with these new rear springs. Thanks in advance to anybody who responds!

17" Rear

17.5" front

 

[sarvermr]

17" Rear

17.5" front

those are the stock numbers and thats not what he's asking. reread the post.

sorry i can't help.

matthew

 

[CheapXJ]

those are the stock numbers and thats not what he's asking. reread the post.

sorry i can't help.

matthew

doh! :gee:

 

[COXJ]

Just throw it in and find out. almost any 4x4 shop has front spacers so ya wont have to order them. i did the exact opisite new 5.5 re up front and rustys 4.5 in back but they were more like 3.5s when i swaped them out. good luck and watch your rear leaf springs from rustys.

WIll

 

[ZachMan]

I had his 4.5 on my 2000. Stock it measured 18" w/ his 4.5" springpacks I got a solid 23- 23.5".

 

[Land Yacht]

???

and watch your rear leaf springs from rustys.WIll

Please elaborate as I am considering purchasing Rusty's 4.5" lift with these spring packs.

TIA

 

[ZachMan]

Re: ???

Please elaborate as I am considering purchasing Rusty's 4.5" lift with these spring packs.

TIA

Alot of folkshad problems with his older springs. The springs he uses now are good quality, they ride well and don't sag much at all, but they can tend to be uneven. mine had a solid 1" difference between them once they were on my Jeep. Over time they will even out....

 

[SV1CEC]

Re: ???

I guess I am known for talking against Rusty's springs on this (and other) forums, but, as it's been said, "Good Luck with them". Where shall I start? From the fact that they were too short for the application, leaving the shackles all the way forward, touching the shackle mounts front edge? That they allowed the leaves to move within the front bushings, leaving the leaves touching the right side of the front mounting points? That the antifriction pads broke within a month? That the second leaf is turned upwards in such a way that it binds with the shackle when flexing? That the ride was so harsh that my kidneys started travelling up to my throat each time I hit a speed bump at 3 mph?

I ended up removing the smallest (lower) leaf, replacing the front bushing and using slightly longer shackles to compensate for the problems. Oh yes, Rusty send me all those (new bushings, new shackles), but I still had to pay twice to have them installed.

Finally, their flex is nothing to write home about.

I hope this helps some to avoid facing the same problems I had.

Rgds
------
John

 

[StevenJ]

I have been running Rusty's 4 1/2" lift for about 10 months. I really like the lift and have had no problems. The leaf springs do ride high and the shackle will pull forward untill the springs break in. It took about 300 miles and now the shackle is straight up and down and the ride is very soft with good articulation. Rusty expects that you will have extra weight in the back so the rear will be 1/2" to 3/4" higher than the front. With my C4X4 bumper and 33X12.50 spare it is just about right. My XJ is a 1989 but I don't think it would be much different for a 98 or newer.