Newbie needs Lift help, Please..

Matt400 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 12:21 am

I did a search here on suspension upgrade and quickly got mind overload.
I could use some clear suggestions from owners who have been there and done that.

The wife and I generally don't like lifted vehicles, have owned a few and actually pulled the lifts off for better on road performance but the Liberty we just bought is different because we want a taller tire for better off road clearance.
Price is not as important as performance and functionality, I put together a list of whats important to get some discussion going:

* 245/75R16 or possibly 255/70R16
* Smooth or smoother than stock ride
* Not interested in changing C/V boots all the time
* Little to no tire rub
* Which rim size to use?

Ours is a gas 03 Model built 11/02 so I don't know if that makes it a taller or shorter one to begin with. We don't care for the stock steel wheels so will change those out and realize the width and back space will play a part on what will fit under there.

The intended use is fire roads, mild jeep trails with allot of highway to get there.
The Rancho RSX front & back with OME springs sounds good.. What do you think?

Fouros · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 1:04 am

thats what i have

ome coils rancho struts and shocks and i love the ride quality , been on my KJ for 12 months now and no probs with cv angles and the like

Matt400 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 1:23 am

Fouros wrote:

thats what i have

ome coils rancho struts and shocks and i love the ride quality , been on my KJ for 12 months now and no probs with cv angles and the like

What size tires & wheels are you using?

Fouros · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 1:28 am

on road i run 245/70R16 BFG AT's

off road i run 245/75R16 Maxxis Buckshot Mudders on steel rims

i get a bit of rubbing when flexed with the mudders bit i can live with it

jpzkj · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 1:33 am

Matt:

Call Quinn or Heather @ www.boulderbars.com

They'll be able to talk to you about your options. If you need install ..they've done a TON of KJ Lifts.

Looking at your moniker it sounds like your near All J's...Where is "out west" ?

Good luck

kolesy · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 2:50 am

Matt,

So if you wan tto run those size tires you posted, more than likely you will have some rubbing to deal with. I had 245/75/16s on the stock rims and the frst time i took it out i about crapped my pants when I turned the wheel to full lock and they rubbed on the sway bar. I took care of this with some aftermarket wheels with 4" of backspacing to push the tires out a bit more. Solved that. You still are gonna have to beat the pinch weld down ( the little peice at the back of the front wheel wells that pokes towards the tire), and possibly trim the bottom of the front bumper. It may sound like a lot to do and trust me it is a peice of cake and not a lot of work.

As for the lift. I LOVE my Rusty's coil lift. It is a quality lift and priced FAIRLEY. I have not a single regret or anything bad to say bout the lift. Easy install and really good service from Rusty's. Happy shopping. and welcome to your new addiction!!! :wink:

KJ-BOL · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 10:01 am

If money is no issue I'd go for a Frankenlift, and add some Rubicon Rims/tires - those are 245/75-16 (little rubbing on pinch weld but you need to pound that one anyway.
Lift is about $800 & you can find a good set of Rubi tires/rims for about $800
Reason for going for a franken, the whole front comes pre-assembled so it becomes an easier job when installing - no dealing with spring compressors & the like.
The lift will gain you about 2.5 inches and off road it makes a world of difference.
The handling on road is good if you can take the noise that MTRs generate.... not bad but you deffinetly can feel the humming...
Last.... the KJ looks awesome with that setup.

Matt400 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 1:12 pm

Money or install time is not as much an issue as reliability, I am thinking a 2" would be just that much more easy on the C/V boots than a 2.5" I have access to a spring compressor.

The tires I am looking at are Goodyear Silent Armour 245/75R16
They are 30.5" od and 9.8" section width. Its either those or the revo's at 30.7" od.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 2:23 pm

Matt400 wrote:

Money or install time is not as much an issue as reliability, I am thinking a 2" would be just that much more easy on the C/V boots than a 2.5" I have access to a spring compressor.

The tires I am looking at are Goodyear Silent Armour 245/75R16
They are 30.5" od and 9.8" section width. Its either those or the revo's at 30.7" od.

A 2" lift will be very easy on the cv joints and balljoints. The rustys lift is also easy on those, the franken lift makes them very steep and them seen to hold up really well. There was a topic about someone having 90k on theirs and everything was doing good. On my 04, I lifted it 1.5in and the cv's barely point in the downward direction, Im happy with that... :wink:

My 255/70 generals rub alittle on the front and fairlyb bad on the rear efore the bumpstops. I also have the cragars with 5" BS, so idk how the 245/75's would do with only a 2" lift on the stock rims. They may rub without some trimming on the front. Rear should be ok.

Matt400 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:25 pm

jpzkj- I am in Northern CA, thanks for the link. I called but had to leave a message as the person to talk to is out for a couple days.

The more I read on this the more I think a 2" with proper off set on the wheels is where I want to be.
I for sure don't want a harsh ride.

krazz1e · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:54 pm

Based on what you describe I'd suggest to go with the OME 2" Lift.

It's more mild and proven up front to be safe on the CV angles and ball joints, although you may still have to replace your ball joints due to a design flaw, which may be addressed with this up coming recall....

For tires, if you go with some backspacing rims you could easily do a 31x10.50x15 or 245/75/16. This will give you a nice comfortable rid but a little more clearance.

However, for what you describe, I think you might be better off with full skids, rocker protection and a winch and LSD or full locker in the rear & some good tires.

Matt400 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:06 pm

krazz1e wrote:

For tires, if you go with some backspacing rims you could easily do a 31x10.50x15 or 245/75/16. This will give you a nice comfortable rid but a little more clearance.

I didn't know 15's would fit on Liberty's??

Matt400 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:22 pm

KJ-BOL,
Sweet ride! Just the name of "Frankenlift" scares me, sounds like a beefy stiff ride but maybe not.
I know I said price was not as important but looking closer I see 4 RSX's and 4 coils separate is considerably more than Rustys offering.
http://rustysoffroad.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=rustys&Product_Code=KJSS&Category_Code=sus_kj_kit

Whats going to ride the smoothest?

Newbie needs Lift help, Please..

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