needs some help (again lol)

C

casual

NAXJA Forum User
Location
high dezert
im hoping to get some info from crazyjim, because hes not to far from me, and im hoping to end up with something similar to his jeep in this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in9l2pUsCHw
but any advice is greatly appreciated!!

anyway im trying to get a decent jeepspeed type of truck going..its a daily and no it will never compete..but im looking for some fast offroad stability and such...prerunner-ish lol. im looking for 4-4.5" of lift 31" tires & 4.10's & full frame reinforing where ever i can..no cage yet though.
so im about to buy the RC 4.5" long arm kit. for my 96' jeep 4x4. ive been reading quite a few reviews on it....and for the most part it seems a pretty decent kit...but it needs to be upgraded in a few places.

1. ive heard some bad things on their leaf packs, about bushing falling apart and such. and im not sure they would take the abuse of whoops/fast trail riding and possible jumps...
so any advice here? what should i get for a 4.5" lift? or do you guys think the leafs provided will be fine?

2. there track bar is kinda skimpy. i wouldnt trust it for too much abuse. (jumping/fast trails/whoops)
is there anything to upgrade to thats compatible and more beefy?

3. there shocks wont hold up, so im selling them asap. no even gonna install em.
i plan on running a 10" shock up front. what should it be though? bilstein or fox (5150 or 7100) and what about rear shocks (5150 or 7100)?

i think this is everything i have to ask right now...
im hoping to run without sways, so is the fox or bilsten more stiff because RC springs are only 155lbs/inch and id like to compinsate that? and is there any other issues or anything you guys would see wrong with that kit? or anything else i should add or upgrade?
any advice will be taken into concideration. im learning from you guys here lol

note this isnt a full on jeepspeed rig. just something to have some fun in every once in a while. it will get beat on but not very often...just want a fun daily driver.
 
Lift - another vote for the RE with drop brackets. We go very fast with that setup. If you want a long arm setup, I like the RE better than the RC.

Track bar - RE heavy duty setup. We've never broken one on the racer.

Steering - upgrading steering is a MUST. We use the Currie setup on the racer.

Shocks - 7100's if you can afford them. Use the T&J's upper mount in the front.
 
stay away from rc for high speed stuff...


fox, or mid-level bilstein stuff can be valved however you want, a benefit of higher end shocks, do not buy em off the shelf, call a valving-distributor and tell em what you wanna do.

if you havent bought the parts yet, but you allready know the coils are too soft... your doing it wrong... peice together your lift the way YOU want it.
 
Agreed with what XCM said. You're better off piecing together a lift. And I think it'd be a good idea for you to reconsider the 31's. They've got a lot more rolling resistance in the bumps. The larger the tire the better she rolls over the rough stuff.

That entire suspension set up on the XJ in that video was built piece by piece and from deals I found here on NAXJA over time. The most expensive part were the Fox's and the air bumps. I got a smokin' deal on tires, wheels, springs, etc. Just start looking around, you'll find some deals popping up here and their.



As for what parts you NEED. I went longer than I should have on stock steering, but I wasn't racing, and it never failed on me. The same can be said about my UCA's, both were factory stock, neither ever bent or tweaked on me. My LCA's were some off brand bushing control arms but they worked. A big factor is your track bar, I agree with the RE track bar and bracket, it's a great track bar. Until you start doing your own fab work, I don't think they get much better.
 
Another vote for drop brackets.

Also I would recommend the Rock Krawler Bombproof trackbar over the RE one. I have used both and the RK one is definately more solid.

If you want a cheaper option on the shocks, check out FOA's. You can valve them nice and stiff.
 
thanks for all the info on here guys. a while back i posted about running a Re 3.5" super flex with full packs and doing drop brackets but couldnt get any good adivce.
you all have just rechanged my mind lol. crazyjim would it be ok to come to you for info?
im 18 and to be honest have always done the car thing. but now thats all changed thanks to a good friend. hes got a 96 xj with budget in his mind. he has 1 fox shock and 1 billy 7100 on the fornt of his jeep its priceless...hes running 33's and 3.55's and its not slow by any means.
so imma jeep man now. thanks for all the help all of you guys. your advice has lead me in the RIGHT direction.

now for new questions lol.
1. should i get the RE6030 kit? or just peice my own parts together? or should i get RE6130 kit and swap the springs and leaf packs?

2. what "upgraded steering" should i do? are we talking the durango box or are we talking the Currie steering unit?

3. crazyjim, can we pm and can you help me get a list together?...like parts and stuff. ill do the searching for prices i just need a sorta spefic list of what i need. as i said im totally new to this stuff lol.
 
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definitely piece together your kit. youll be able to get good deals if you are patient. i wish i wouldve done that instead of buying a kit. and i wouldnt run RE springs for a go-fast rig. they will be soft. and by upgrading the steering we do mean that the draglink, and especially the tie rod should be upgraded.
 
ya i think peicing together my own seems more logical now. i can get things that will last longer and work better for what im doing..
and i can run the tnt 3/16" frame stiffeners now to...with the RC long arm kit i couldnt because the stupid transfer case skid. so a plus in my eyes.

and i can get the exact stance im after lol.
ill see if i can get a picture up..but my buddies xj is sitting at just under 5" raised in the front and a smidge under 4" in the rear. im after the same stance...a very slight rake to the rear, nothing to drastic.

well ill get a list of what i think i should get and what i think works and then ask for your guys help again..probably just pm crazyjim. thanks alot guys.
 
alright guys ran into a question.
do i need adjustable lower control arms? or would the solid ones be ok?
im looking at 4.5" of lift & drop brackets. so adjustable lowers or solid lowers?

and i planned on using the RE 3.5" xj coils..which have a spring rate of 241lbs/inch!
would this be stiff enough for what im after? ill be running billy 7100 w/ remote resi's. (unless anyone here thinks i should run fox 2.0's?) <---crazyjim whats your opinion?
and from what i read the 275/78 valving is what i should need.
or should i run RE 3.5" ZJ coils? would they be any stiffer? or is there another option with around the same lift?

remember this isnt a full on trail rig. so it does need to retain some comfort on road as its my daily.
 
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basicly this is my list so far.

RE 3.5" coil springs (RE1300)
RE 3.5" leaf packs (RE1463) (dont have enough cash for deavers nut ios there a better alternate?)
RE adjuatable LCA (RE3715) (do i need adjustble lca?)
RE adjustable UCA (RE3780)
RE track bar (RE1660)
RE track bar brace (RE1665)
RE track bar braket brace (RE1670)
RE drop brackets (RE9900)
Currie HD tie rod system (CE-9701)

also will be doing full frame stiffeners.
TMR 1/8" front frame plates
TNT 3/8 frame stiffeners
Currie tubular frame stiffeners

please let me know what i should upgrade/downgrade or add to the list...
besides for tires and that crap...mainly looking to get a suspension list done first.
 
lol didnt see where it said thickness :doh:

waiting to get some answers on the 3.5" RE coil springs. they are 241lbs/inch! and if not is there something else with the same lift thats stiffer?
 
The Rough Country drop brackets are probably going to be cheaper then the RE drop brackets...

Also, look at the HD Engineering frame stiffeners... http://www.hdoffroadengineering.com/
They're a site sponsor here and they make decent stuff at a decent price.

You don't need adjustable LCA's or UCA's... anything fixed at the stock length would work for you at 4.5" lift and drop brackets. Adjustable is nice, but not necessary if you are staying at one height with your Jeep.

I didn't see shocks on your list...
 
thanks a lot ert01. the move questions i ask the more tsuff i find. this is honestly the best forum ive been on. outta all the cars ive owned jeep folks seem to be the nicest.
youve all been a great help. especially in decision and helping me learn new stuff.
im vbert grateful that people are willing to help even though it can get annoying at times. i thank all you for this:wave1:
and for shocks im gonna run 10" 7100 bilsteins.
i just need help deciding on valving. ive read the 275/78 is perfered..but idk what to do honestly because people say the RE springs are soft at 241lbs/inch...so that leads me to think i would need stiffer valving?...idk its got my head hurting honestly.

if im going to run the RE springs which are 241lbs/inch what valving should i get. should the 275/78 be ok? especially since its still a daily?
 
hey ert01 thanks for the link im actually just gonna grab the H.D. offroad frame stiffener set. and then run the currie tublar's still.

thanks alot that helps save on shipping. man i love this forum.
 
casual said:
thanks a lot ert01. the move questions i ask the more tsuff i find. this is honestly the best forum ive been on. outta all the cars ive owned jeep folks seem to be the nicest.
youve all been a great help. especially in decision and helping me learn new stuff.
im vbert grateful that people are willing to help even though it can get annoying at times. i thank all you for this:wave1:
and for shocks im gonna run 10" 7100 bilsteins.
i just need help deciding on valving. ive read the 275/78 is perfered..but idk what to do honestly because people say the RE springs are soft at 241lbs/inch...so that leads me to think i would need stiffer valving?...idk its got my head hurting honestly.

if im going to run the RE springs which are 241lbs/inch what valving should i get. should the 275/78 be ok? especially since its still a daily?
Click to expand...
Run 360/80 in the front and 275/78 in the rear
 
casual said:
but idk what to do honestly because people say the RE springs are soft at 241lbs/inch...so that leads me to think i would need stiffer valving?...idk its got my head hurting honestly.

if im going to run the RE springs which are 241lbs/inch what valving should i get. should the 275/78 be ok? especially since its still a daily?
Click to expand...

241lb is stiff. That is stiffer than most of the Jeepspeed teams run. The Deaver Jeepspeed coil is a progressive 200/225 rate spring. When people talk about the RE spring being too soft, I think they are referring to the 5.5" spring which is about 185lb.
 
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