Sorry, I really should have been more specific in my first post. I'm not afraid of going bigger. This is my second xj. The first was a '00 with 6" of lift, 35's, locked f&r, armor, yadda yadda… I did mostly rockcrawling then, but now I'm more into running through the desert and exploring, along with trail runs and still being somewhat DD/family oriented. I know it's a lot to ask, but if any rig could do it, it's the xj

I'm not planning to race jeepspeed, just more mild prerunner type stuff. I'm a pretty experienced driver and I know the capabilities and limitations of the vehicle. That being said, I know that the xj can perform really well with a 3-4 inch lift and 31-33 inch tires. Another big concern for me (as well as many others I'm sure) is budget. Smaller lift/tires will cost less and get better mileage. The main reason I ask about a good 3 inch spring is that I know most of them are fairly soft and will work great for trails and stuff, but I'm not sure which would be better for higher speed stuff. Do I want a shorter/stiffer spring, or a longer/softer one? I know my last xj did great on the rocks, but bottomed out too easily going fast. I also wanted to stick with 3 inch lift so that I could stay away from long arms or drop brackets for now. Down the road I can see going that route, but it's not on option at this point. I've read a lot about the F150 coils and they sound like they may be a good option. I've even seen some moog variable rate ones. Thanks for all the advice!