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I talked myself out of buying a Frankenlift...
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Author:  Sapien [ Sun Sep 18, 2005 2:45 pm ]
Post subject:  I talked myself out of buying a Frankenlift...
I've been contemplating the Superlift 4-1/2" lift for a while, and I've been saving my cash since I bought the Liberty. Well, yesterday I deposited my student loan disbursment in my savings account, and I had not even driven out of the bank parking lot before the money started burning a hole in my pocket. I went home, did some heavy reasearch on lift kits, and decided that I couldn't hold onto the money through winter to wait for the superlift kit. So I looked into the next best lift: the frankenlift. I could save money that way, and I'd still be lifting the jeep by 3.25", so I convinced myself that I'd do that.

I filled out the forms and almost clicked send, and then a heavy thought sunk in my head:

the frankinlift will send the cv joints into a yoga bend position, where as the Superlift will retain stock cv angles, therefore making it much safer, not to mention the t-case is going to be dropped a bit with bracketry.

So, then I went on the internet to do some research on superlift, and their reputation, and found several IFS systems that they made, read reviews on them, and decided that it will probably be a pretty good lift.

I'm going to have my parents hold onto the money for me, so I dont blow it, but I'm going to wait this one out and wait for the superlift kit to be released. I can save money while I wait so that I can buy some offset rims and bigger tires to compliment the kit.

I'll have to take a look at the flex that this kit allows, and also at the durability of the Liberty's post-lift. Besides those things, the only thing that would keep me away from this kit is if somebody comes out with a SFA kit by then... :twisted:
Author:  skrracing [ Sun Sep 18, 2005 2:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Cool
It's cool that you are doing what is right for you but just FYI. I really dont know where you came up with the CV joints out of wack for the Frankinlift. Man there are HUNDREDS of those kits out there and we have not seen a CV joint prioblem at all. The tallest kit out there is the Skyjacker. Glad you are putting some thought into it but and you should buy the kit that fits your needs...But the Frankinlift kit is one of the best kits out there.

I would also let any new kit hit the market for a while and see how it works out before i would lay down any funds on it. I will not go into names but there was just another new kit that came out and a couple of guys rushed to buy it...They are still trying to get things worked out and have spent TONS of money trying to get it to work right.

The Frankinlift has been a very TESTED and PROVEN kit without problems.

Hope this helps. Later
Author:  My 02 KJ [ Sun Sep 18, 2005 4:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
i dont think that any of us should go over 3' due to the amout of angle of the cv's i mean if your going to take it off road dont wast your $$ but if your just going for looks get the 7 up kit... but i would not buy it if i wanted to take it off road
Author:  Skyjump136 [ Sun Sep 18, 2005 6:46 pm ]
Post subject: 
My CVs don't look bad with the Frankenlift. I'm not sure where you came up with that one. Now the Skyjacker was a whole different story...
Author:  Se7enLC [ Sun Sep 18, 2005 6:53 pm ]
Post subject: 
My 02 KJ wrote:
i dont think that any of us should go over 3' due to the amout of angle of the cv's i mean if your going to take it off road dont wast your $$ but if your just going for looks get the 7 up kit... but i would not buy it if i wanted to take it off road


Yeah, I agree 3' (3 feet) is a lot of lift :-P

He mentioned looking at the 4.5" superlift. I'm curious about that as well, that seems like a good number, if it's really not that much more expensive than the normal 2-3" lifts
Author:  Tokyojoe [ Sun Sep 18, 2005 6:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
My 02 KJ wrote:
i dont think that any of us should go over 3' due to the amout of angle of the cv's i mean if your going to take it off road dont wast your $$ but if your just going for looks get the 7 up kit... but i would not buy it if i wanted to take it off road


Whoa! A 3 foot lift? I'm all for it! :wink: :lol: 8)
Author:  TheChucklesStart [ Sun Sep 18, 2005 7:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
Sapien, have you gotten armor yet?

I would recomend a tranny skid and rock sliders and a diff gaurd and a rear locker.

Last time we met, you didn't have those, then I would get those and just wait till you build up your funds again (that costs about as much as a high quality lift anyhow) and then the lift situation might be different enough and you can think about it longer (plus you might take enought time that other lifts have come out and proven themselves by then).

This also gives the benefit that you won't have to pay for breaking something since you will have armor.

Also, my CV angles are just about the same as stock, just down instead of up.
Author:  Sapien [ Mon Sep 19, 2005 3:07 am ]
Post subject: 
Hmmm. I guess I was misinformed about the frankenlift.

Now lifting the jeep will be more for comfort on the trail for me than looks, but I dont want to regret it if I get the frankenlift now and then 6 months down the road, I see how well the superlift jeeps are doing and wish I had one... So, I'll just wait this one out, maybe buy the lift with my spring disbursment...

Charles, I agree that I need skids and boulder bars, I've already ordered a spare tire lifting bracket from RRO, which I think will keep me from experiencing that trouble with spare tire clearance that you had when we were out last time... :lol:

The frankenlift lifts the jeep higher than the other 2.5" lifts out there, does this mean that it will fit bigger tires than 245/75/R16's? If I were to get some rock crawler rims with less backspacing, would I be able to fit wider tires than 245/75's without rubbing when I turn? I just think that it's hard to tell a lifted liberty when you see one because of the tire size...
Author:  TheChucklesStart [ Mon Sep 19, 2005 3:43 am ]
Post subject: 
I am curious about that too, I noticed that most members in the so-cal group have 31" tires unless they have 265/75 (which wasn't that common).

I don't know about the rubbing though, but I am in the market for tires so I am curious.

I could let you check out whatever I choose though and see if you like the frankinlift with that size of tire and if you think you want to try bigger or smaller.

I am curious if new wheels would eliminate the rubbing on 235/85's.
Author:  Eddo [ Mon Sep 19, 2005 7:22 am ]
Post subject: 
One other think to consider Nate. The super lift will probably allow you to fit 33s. However, I'm pretty sure they will be some rubbing. The wheel wells on the KJ are kind of small.

Second, then you putting more stress on the front diff w/ 33's.

Third, with 33s you are probably going to really start to notice that the stock gears don't cut it. Probably wouldn't be able to use OD on the highway that much. Plus there are no gears available for the front of the KJ. All you can get is 4.10 from the dealer or bone yard, but in reality you would probably want 4.56s.

Finally, to lift it more than a few inches and do it right is quite expensive. The superlift will probably cost twice the Franklin, and if you want to run 33s you will probably want to find a way to reinforce the front diff and at least upgrade to the 4.10s. Once that is all said and done it is probably 4 times the cost of the Frankin Lift running 31s.

But I would do as Charles said, get bars and skids first. No matter how tall you are, you are going to want to try harder and then hit something.

And the KJ with a moderate lift and running 31s is increadbly capable. Lot more than it looks and defiently more than people give it credit.
Author:  camper [ Mon Sep 19, 2005 8:00 am ]
Post subject:  superlift availability?...
is there new information about the availability of the superlift product for the KJ?....I read this forum pretty regularly and I haven't seen anything mentioned that this lift is closer to market than it was 12 months ago....

I agree....order some boulderbars from all-j california....they're sponsoring this forum and their bars work really well....
Author:  krazz1e [ Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:03 am ]
Post subject: 
Broken record here... frankenlift is one of the top lifts on the market.

With the superlift the big ? remains what if you run 33's will your front aluminum diff hold up if you wheel it? Give it a shot and let us know.

Or run the franken, rusty or similar some 31's and play it safe. :)
Author:  kj in a tight spot [ Mon Sep 19, 2005 1:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
TheChucklesStart Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 12:43 am Post subject:

I am curious about that too, I noticed that most members in the so-cal group have 31" tires unless they have 265/75 (which wasn't that common).

I don't know about the rubbing though, but I am in the market for tires so I am curious.



I run 265/75/R16s on my Skyjacker. I have rubbin only in full wheel lock. It is not bad at all and has not affected my on/off road drivin at all. Hope that helps.
Author:  OSUKJ [ Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
One thing to keep in mind before getting the superlift is that 4.5 inches of lift will void the warranty whereas a 2.5 inch lift should not. I talked this issue over with 4 different dealers and they all said that 3 inches was the max amount of lift and two tire sizes over factory was the max as far as tires go. I've had my SkyJacker on for about 1 1/2 years now and have had 0 problems. I've also had 0 problems with warranty service with the lift on as well. I would only wait for the superlift if lift height and ability to clear 33's is what you're after. However, dont let CV angle worries be the only reason to get the superlift. Good luck with whatver you decide to go with.
Author:  Ed [ Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:42 pm ]
Post subject: 
The other thing to keep in mind is that the Frankenlift actually exists, you can buy it and fit in onto your KJ right now. The Superlift doesn't, and so you can't.

If you want to do some serious wheeling right now and you want the extra clearance that a lift will give you then you'll need what's available now. If you just want to pootle around for a few months until another lift materialises (or doesn't, or turns out to be another 7-up non-lift) then that's fine. Personally I know I'd rather be out driving than sitting around waiting!
:D
Author:  My 02 KJ [ Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:52 pm ]
Post subject: 
i would buy the 7up kit and put a SFA but that would be the only way i would buy it.. i dont see the point of the lift if you cant use it like you want to.
Author:  Ed [ Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:57 pm ]
Post subject: 
My 02 KJ wrote:
i would buy the 7up kit and put a SFA but that would be the only way i would buy it.. i dont see the point of the lift if you cant use it like you want to.

Err, why would you bother to buy the 7-up kit only to replace the front end with a SFA?
Author:  Sapien [ Tue Sep 27, 2005 1:52 am ]
Post subject: 
update: I flip flopped again and ended up ordering the frankenlift about a week ago, I think the deciding factor was the issue of voiding my warranty with the superlift. I'm just waiting for the lift to ship in...

Thanks everyone. -Nate
Author:  JJsTJ [ Tue Sep 27, 2005 7:53 am ]
Post subject: 
Good choice! I'm pretty sure you will be happy with it.
Author:  LibertyN8 [ Tue Sep 27, 2005 8:45 pm ]
Post subject: 
Cool Sapien! I'm saving my penny's for the frankenlift. it is the best one on the market. I've seen it in action in moab, AWESOME FLEX!
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