Looking for advice on a lift for an 03 TJ

[Outdoorslover]

So lately I've been debating about getting a lift for my 03 TJ. It has just hit 150k and I haven't had any issues with it. I service the diffs,brakes and plugs regularly so it's been a great 4.0.

A few years ago I went to High Country 4x4 and got a quote for a 4" long arm lift(Teraflex) with rear tri-link,engine lowering mounts(I think),belly pan tuck and new driveline. Quote was 7500.00. I couldn't see why since the labor for the lift and the hours called for the job didn't add up. They padded the estimate by 10 hours. Being in the auto business(but not the lifting business) all my life I was a bit taken back by that. I called them back on that and they adjusted the pricing down to 6500.00. Hmmm....So I emailed them for a quote recently since now I'm in the beginning stages of actually doing the lift, got a response from a guy, asked about the rear tri-link and got a huh? for a response. Never heard back from anyone.

I went to 4wheel parts and got a quote from them of 5500.00 for the RE 4" long arm but have heard and read negative things about the RE lifts as far as maintaining, joint issues etc....

I've seen posts for 3" lifts to keep the stability but my concern on that is wanting to run 35" tires. If I can get away with a 3" and still be able to run 35" with plenty of flex and no rubbing, I'm all ears!!! LOL! I'm thinking flat fenders and such too.

Now I've heard the Teraflex is hands down the best of the best. I prefer spending good, for good, long lasting product rather than having to deal with low end and constant issues. Yes, I know you get what you pay for.....so yeah.

Any input would be a great help.

Thanks!!

[JFjeld]

With the kind of $$ you're considering investing in your lift, I would suggest looking at Metalcloak suspensions. And consider installing the lift yourself to save some $$ as well, if possible. I've heard great things about MetalCloak and they use johnny joints with their lifts. They offer long and short arm kits. They also offer some great flat fender kits; perhaps you balance a high-line fender kit with maybe a 3" lift. I've heard a lot of people moving away from long-arm kits in favor of short arm or mid-arm kits. I personally run a 4.5" short arm lift on my TJ, built with various components, but its very smooth and I'm happy with it. I run 35s with this lift and just performed a tummy tuck and SYE over the last month.

I suggest contacting Tim at Northridge in Longmont if you decide to have everything installed. They've got a great website so you know what you're being charged for the lift itself, and they'll be honest with you about installation time and price. I don't know if they deal with MetalCloak, but they do deal with Teraflex and Rock Krawler. Sounds like you've got a great vision for building your Jeep. Good luck with whatever direction you take.

[Outdoorslover]

I'm also curious about the LCG set up. I've read information on runnning 35's with just that set up and plenty of clearance.....

[jayson44]

I've got a 2" OME lift with highline fenders and run 35s. I love how stable it is...much more than our old TJ with a 4" lift & 33s. I'm still on the stock control arms and have no issues. I'll replace them some day, but just saying that you wouldn't need new arms with a 2" lift.

J.

[dscowell]

I am all for low COG rigs.

This is obviously on XJs but the concepts and ideas are universal for any vehicle.
http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/low-cog-suspension-setup-tricks-tips-revised-9-24-12-a-32980/

I like BDS and Rock Krawler so look into those guys as well but Teraflex is a great company and I've heard good things about metalcloak other then what was mentioned above.

[Outdoorslover]

COG is a nice concept from what I've read but my concern with that is, what about the flex and capabilties????

[The StRanger]

get Serious.. Keep it in the crew...
Any thing you can get front 4 wheel you can get through them...
And prob at a better price ..

[jayson44]

flex is overrated, IMO. unless you're comp crawling or running bigger than 37" tires, flex is not something you'll need to really worry about. flex is cool looking, but you don't need the flex of a long arm lift around here. unless you're running Penrose trails every weekend you'll be just fine with a short arm lift. there are ways of getting lots of flex out of a short arm lift as well, but again, I think that most SA lifts flex plenty for the trails here in CO. lots of talk about this on Jeepforum if you're interested.

personally, I've not needed more than the 2" of lift I have now on the trails I've run around here. now, I do need to get a tummy tuck to help keep my belly off the rocks and a proper gas tank skid, but never once has only having 2" gotten me stuck.

I did have to put 1" spacers on the front wheels to keep the 35s from rubbing, but it was more from them rubbing the frame than the fenders. the Nemesis highline fenders I have offer plenty of room and are designed to stuff 37s if I ever choose to go up in size.

I would evaluate what kind of wheeling you want to do most...is it all crazy rock trails like Penrose? or is it the majority of trails that we as a group run on a fairly regular basis? will you be daily driving your Jeep? as I said before, my TJ now feels way more stable on the road than my old TJ with the larger lift. I think once you have your goals in mind, then decide which kind of lift do you need.

J.

[Outdoorslover]

get Serious.. Keep it in the crew...
Any thing you can get front 4 wheel you can get through them...
And prob at a better price ..

??????

[Outdoorslover]

flex is overrated, IMO. unless you're comp crawling or running bigger than 37" tires, flex is not something you'll need to really worry about. flex is cool looking, but you don't need the flex of a long arm lift around here. unless you're running Penrose trails every weekend you'll be just fine with a short arm lift. there are ways of getting lots of flex out of a short arm lift as well, but again, I think that most SA lifts flex plenty for the trails here in CO. lots of talk about this on Jeepforum if you're interested.

personally, I've not needed more than the 2" of lift I have now on the trails I've run around here. now, I do need to get a tummy tuck to help keep my belly off the rocks and a proper gas tank skid, but never once has only having 2" gotten me stuck.

I did have to put 1" spacers on the front wheels to keep the 35s from rubbing, but it was more from them rubbing the frame than the fenders. the Nemesis highline fenders I have offer plenty of room and are designed to stuff 37s if I ever choose to go up in size.

I would evaluate what kind of wheeling you want to do most...is it all crazy rock trails like Penrose? or is it the majority of trails that we as a group run on a fairly regular basis? will you be daily driving your Jeep? as I said before, my TJ now feels way more stable on the road than my old TJ with the larger lift. I think once you have your goals in mind, then decide which kind of lift do you need.

J.

My rig is a daily driver. As for trails, nothing too crazy only because of clearance issues but would love expanding my horizons. Hence, me wanting to run 35's. I went to OME website and the selection process wouldn't even give an option for an 03 Rubicon. It jumps to JK's 07 and newer. So no clue there.

I'm wanting to check out all sorts of trails. Two years ago I went to a few trails out of Buena Vista off hwy 50 South of Salida then west and had a great time but I didn't have enough clearance to get through a few trails and wouldn't mind going back. Wheeler Lake is another one I'd love to do but I'm sure I can do it with the stock height.

I would imagine my Dana 44's could handle 35's without re-gearing???

[jayson44]

yeah, a lot of manufacturers are jumping their websites to the JK stuff...kinda dumb, IMO. this is what you'd want: http://www.quadratec.com/products/16090_001X_A_PG.htm

again, it uses the stock control arms and you could always upgrade those later. I'd also grab a new trackbar from JKS as your stock one won't last long with 35s...mind certainly didn't.

your d44s can handle the size of the tires from a strength standpoint, but the gearing is up to you. do you have an auto or manual? with a manual, 35s will feel sort of sluggish, but it will probably be ok. with an auto, I would think you'd be hating life with 35s and not regearing the axles. I'm speaking from experience of running a manual with 33's and 3.73 gears. I didn't mind it, but it wasn't ideal. I'm assuming that 4.10 gears and 35s would be a similar experience, but maybe see if someone else has done it?

J.

ps. for reference, I'm running 4.88s with my 35s and it drives pretty close to stock, with a little higher RPMs at 65mph & up...

[Outdoorslover]

yeah, a lot of manufacturers are jumping their websites to the JK stuff...kinda dumb, IMO. this is what you'd want: http://www.quadratec.com/products/16090_001X_A_PG.htm

again, it uses the stock control arms and you could always upgrade those later. I'd also grab a new trackbar from JKS as your stock one won't last long with 35s...mind certainly didn't.

your d44s can handle the size of the tires from a strength standpoint, but the gearing is up to you. do you have an auto or manual? with a manual, 35s will feel sort of sluggish, but it will probably be ok. with an auto, I would think you'd be hating life with 35s and not regearing the axles. I'm speaking from experience of running a manual with 33's and 3.73 gears. I didn't mind it, but it wasn't ideal. I'm assuming that 4.10 gears and 35s would be a similar experience, but maybe see if someone else has done it?

J.

ps. for reference, I'm running 4.88s with my 35s and it drives pretty close to stock, with a little higher RPMs at 65mph & up...

Yeah, I'm an Automatic. So I'm sure going up I70 would suck more than it already does!!! LOL!!!

[JFjeld]

I run 35s on 4.88 gears on my 2001 TJ. But I have the 4-cylinder with 3-speed auto trans. Even with my gearing, it sucks going up the initial climb to I-70. I usually take Clear Creek Canyon (Hwy 6) out of Golden to get to Idaho Springs, and am usually OK after that.

Since your auto would have an extra gear (I'm assuming its a 4-speed auto), 4.88 gears would probably be ideal. Keep in mind that to run 35s effectively, you need to consider steering and braking upgrades as well, in addition to gearing. At least you have a Dana 44 which would comfortably handle 35s.

[The StRanger]

??????


Serious off road. There a vendor on here.

[Serious Offroad]

http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.com/Suspension-Lift-Kits/Rubicon-Express-Suspension/Lift-Kits/TJ-LJ

[dieseldoc]

With what you afe running and want to run, a 2.5-3" kit is perfect for you.
quadra tech has some new kits low on cost but high on quality.
You have seen my rig, leveling kit with 33's.
I rub the center of my fender flairs but thats it.
I think a 3"kit with the flat fenders will leave you plenty of room.
A good sway bar disconnect and you will flex fine.
In colorado you dont need tons of flex. And in the Rubicon you are locked both front and rear thus you can deal with a tire floating.
large flex numbers look cool but realy they are only for show.
locked rigs can go fine with tires in the air.

You alrady have the s.y.e. so you need the belly pan and a few inches of lift and off you go.
35" tires I would step to a 4.88 gear set.
The factory 4.10's are ok for 33's but 35's you will want a touch more.
the 4.8i's will give you the power for the hills here.

Hope that helps some.

[Outdoorslover]

I appreciate the link for RE lifts but as I said before I'm really not interested in the RE system.

Anyone else have some input on their rigs?? I'm certain there's more Jeepers out there that give give feedback. I've received some great feedback so far and I appreciate that.

[Outdoorslover]

With what you afe running and want to run, a 2.5-3" kit is perfect for you.
quadra tech has some new kits low on cost but high on quality.
You have seen my rig, leveling kit with 33's.
I rub the center of my fender flairs but thats it.
I think a 3"kit with the flat fenders will leave you plenty of room.
A good sway bar disconnect and you will flex fine.
In colorado you dont need tons of flex. And in the Rubicon you are locked both front and rear thus you can deal with a tire floating.
large flex numbers look cool but realy they are only for show.
locked rigs can go fine with tires in the air.

You alrady have the s.y.e. so you need the belly pan and a few inches of lift and off you go.
35" tires I would step to a 4.88 gear set.
The factory 4.10's are ok for 33's but 35's you will want a touch more.
the 4.8i's will give you the power for the hills here.

Hope that helps some.

It does help. Thanks!!

What new kits are we talkin' from QT?
I was wondering about what size tires you were running. I never really looked. Since you mentioned you hit the wall rather than the right side on the last run we did I was really baffled since I thought you were running stock height and I was embaressed I hadn't tried it since I'm running 31's(I think)

[Outdoorslover]

Any input on Clayton lift kits compared to Teraflex???

[Outdoorslover]

I'm being told that even though I have the SYE on my Rubicon I have to replace the driveshaft to do my belly pan tuck, 1" body lift and the engine mount swap. Is this correct???

I've always been under the impression there's no need for that since the Rubicon has the SYE.

[jayson44]

moving everything up will stretch out your rear driveshaft. depending on how much lift you go with, you may need to get a longer driveshaft. but do you really need the body lift and motor mount lift? that's another question to ask.

J.

[Outdoorslover]

moving everything up will stretch out your rear driveshaft. depending on how much lift you go with, you may need to get a longer driveshaft. but do you really need the body lift and motor mount lift? that's another question to ask.

J.

Body lift and engine mount lifts are for keeping angles correct. I was told.

[jayson44]

so, body lifts are great if you need a little more room under your tub for stuffing things when you do a flat belly skid plate. some Jeeps need them, others don't. personally, I'm not a huge fan of them, but like I said, they're useful, if not absolutely needed, if you're trying to go as flat as possible on the belly.

MMLs are a pain, haha. yes, they can correct angles, but that's only really needed if you're doing a larger lift...ie. 5-6" or more. it depends on your lift height as to whether it would help or not. I did a MML on my last TJ because I didn't have the cash to do a SYE. but that wasn't that great of an idea. if you're sticking to a 3" or less lift, you definitely don't need one, and I'd say you'd be getting into more hassle than needed if you do it. if you get a MML, you almost HAVE to get a BL to offset the engine hitting the back of the firewall. my first comment about MMLs being a pain? that's why. I put my MML on w/out the BL and had issues with wiring getting pinched behind the valve cover. it also made my shifter sit funny as well as my tcase shifter. putting on the body lift eventually fixed all that, but it was a pain.

of course, this is all just my 2 cents. having owned a TJ with a BL & MML and now one that doesn't have either, I'm happy w/out them. but I'm also running a lift that allows me to not need them, either.

J.

[jayson44]

all that to say, I know plenty of guys with Rubis running 3-4" lifts w/out body lifts and MMLs. I also know a bunch who have them. haha. sorry, if that's not a lot of help.

personally, I say do the lift first and see what you've got. if you have some extreme angles going on with the driveshaft, then do the MML and BL.

I'm a huge fan of not installing things that aren't needed and saving money. :D

J.

[Outdoorslover]

Well, I've put half down on the addition to my belly pan tuck,MM and BL. In two weeks it'll be done and I'll be ready to try more trails. Then decide if I want to just do Arched fenders and 33's or go full blown 4" long arm and 35's. Really depends on the trails I do and how often I get out to run them.