Lift for a newbie

misterzero · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:37 am **Posts:** 117

http://p087.ezboard.com/fkjjeepfrm3.sho ... 2107.topic

So allow me to continue.

"...I bring before you a basic lift question.

So I'm looking to get a Rusty's lift kit. I'm really torn on which to get. I'm in college, so money isn't exactly "flowing," but I don't want to get a cheap lift that's really not going to benefit me a whole lot. So, is the Rusty's spacer lift worth getting? What's the big difference(s) between the spacer lift and full suspension lift?"

" So what I'm seeing is, the RRO combo > Rusty's spacer? :p

Also, with the Combo lift, what's the max tire that can be fitted? I was hoping to get some Wrangler MT's."

I've been reading a bunch tonight about lifts and for the RRO combo lift, I keep reading that it's for pre-lowered KJ's. I've got an '05 Sport, so my KJ is lowered. What type of differences would that make? Also, what are the key differences between the Rusty's spacer lift and the RRO combo? I promise, once I get this clear, I'll be done with my newbie questioning. :lol:

hoss75 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:49 am

I'd personally recommend Rusty's full suspension lift.. I feel you get the most bang for your buck. The ride quality after I put my lift in was actually better than stock. If you compare a lowered and a pre-lowered KJ that both have spacer lifts the pre-lowered KJ will still be higher than the lower one.. On the other hand with a full suspension lift both KJs will now sit at the same height.

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 9:59 am

The Rusty's coil lift or All J's Frankenlift are the best out there so far. Plenty of testing on both on the trails and they perform well.

priell3 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 11:29 am

I'm having this lift kit from 4WD Hardware being installed next week.

I'll have pics and measurements of before and after the install with both stock and the new tires.

misterzero · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:37 am **Posts:** 117

hoss75 wrote:

I'd personally recommend Rusty's full suspension lift.. I feel you get the most bang for your buck. The ride quality after I put my lift in was actually better than stock. If you compare a lowered and a pre-lowered KJ that both have spacer lifts the pre-lowered KJ will still be higher than the lower one.. On the other hand with a full suspension lift both KJs will now sit at the same height.

Well, yeah, I'd love to get Rusty's full lift, but I was hoping I could get by with just a spacer lift. Aye, I dunno...I may just give in and spend the bundle for the coil lift. I'm not looking for massive flex, but then again, I don't want to get a lift that's not really "worth" getting, if that makes any sense.

KJ04 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:52 pm

By the time you add rear shocks to the spacer lift and shipping charges you might as well go for a spring lift. Or you can create your own lift with individual parts. Check all the angles before you jump and buy something that isn't right for you.

265/75/16 max on the tires of choice.

hoss75 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:46 pm

slightly modified he says...

misterzero · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:37 am **Posts:** 117

I was thinking that same thing, hoss. :lol:

Original Bigfoot · **Posted:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 10:09 am

I bought Rusty's "Budget Boost" and installed it myself. All told, $237, with shocks, including shipping to New Mexico. Expensive when you consider the actual parts involved, but cheap considering what it does.

What I have found is that Rusty's "Budget Boost" and Rocky Roads "OTT" are nearly identical. Interesting that most folks call Rocky Road's "OTT" a POS, but I have never seen that term applied to Rusty's. There was misunderstanding when I bought mine...everyone said "buy Rusty's!", and they were referring to the coil kit, rather than the budget boost, but I didn't know that.

If I had it to do over, in that price range, I would probably go with the Rocky Road Combo Lift. Seems like it solves the control arm banging against the spring issue pretty well. In the meantime, I am just letting mine bang away and see what happens long term. (It only happens at full droop.)

AdamIsAdam · **Posted:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 12:25 pm

I found the Rusty's lift to be an AWESOME bang for the buck. I wheel with a friend who's got spacers, and he lifts his rear wheel off the ground A LOT more than I. Also, my RTI was 613 and his was 580. I'm not 100% sure what that means, but I know bigger is better! :wink:

Also, I've been extremely happy running 245x75/16's. If you go to 265x75 you'll limit your steering ability some. I think the steering ability when in tight trails is more important than 20mm of tread width. I guess that depends on the types of trails you run too, but most tires come in both sizes so the call is yours.

Kaboom · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:03 pm **Posts:** 31

I just think it's funny that Original Bigfoot says he is letting his Rusty's lift just bang away, and then AdamisAdam says he thinks Rusty's lift is an awesome bang for the buck. Am I the only one that sees the humor in that? LOL.

And moving right along...

I have another newbie Liberty owner suspension lift question. Isn't it true that the front suspension of the Liberty has a finite amount of suspension travel, and that these suspension lifts do not really change that? In other words, how much suspension travel do the stock Liberty's have, and how much suspension travel do the lifted Liberty's have? For example, if the stock Liberty has 5" of front suspension travel, with 2" compression, and 3" extension, but a 2" lifted Liberty also has 5" of front suspension travel, then it would have 4" of compression, and 1" of extension. Is this a somewhat accurate assumption, or am I way off base? Thanks.

Kaboom

LimitedLurker · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:18 pm **Posts:** 114

I think a good setup for you would be the RRO combo lift with 245x75 (30.5") tire. This will probably rub some but it shouldn't be dangerous. This is a common setup and people running this type of setup have reported very few problems. Actually 245x70 may be a better tire size but you're young so go for the larger tire. Hopefully someone that actually uses this lift can chime in on the pros/cons of the tires.

RRO combo lift is slightly smaller, just over 2", and does not require new rear shocks. Stock shocks may wear out a little faster but it will probably be easier for you to come up with some $ next year to replace them. There is always the option to do a clevis lift to get a little more lift for free. You also have the option to buy a set of pre-lowered springs for your KJ and get another 3/4". Larger lifts cause upper ball joint contact and failure. The contact is noisy, but you can build a bump stop, the failure can be deadly. Larger lifts can also lead to torn CV boots and CV joint failure. Caution on RRO, I've ordered from them 3-4 times and never had problems but others have. One complaint is they can be slow. We have seen this with other KJ suppliers too. These are small businesses and they face many challenges.

Be careful about "Rusty's Lift", they have 2, spring and spacer. Haven't heard much about the spacer lift except the concept was copied by RRO to make that OTT kit. The RRO OTT kit is not well accepted although I have not had problems. I would have to question the potential for problems with the Rusty's spacer lift.

Don't even dream about 265x75 on a lowered KJ unless you're willing to make significant modifications: I mean cutting the bumper and air dam and adding Wheel spacers or new wheels. Most larger tires require leveling the weld at back of the front wells. Fat tires need to be moved out or they will rub on the sway bar and the knob on the top of the upper A-arm. The A-arm will cut the tire. MOve them too far and the rub moves to the outside and can pop rivets on the fender flare. 245x70 or 245x75 have worked well for a lot of people. 75s cause more rubbing but this does not seem to be dangerous, just noisy.

For your situation I would recommend caution. College is expensive, you understand that, and maybe you can swing the bigger lift but what about the $ for a new upper A-arm? Not to say everyone is going to have a problem but what if you do? College is also demanding on your time, you're better off spending it on the books instead of under the KJ replacing worn bushings.

There are several tweeks that you can make along the way to help your KJ grow. Do the lift now. Do the clevis at christmas break. Next summer add the taller springs. You don't have to do everything now.

Are the spring lifts better. Yes, but at a price. In a few years we'll hopefully have a 4 inch lift that is designed to be wheeled and addresses some of the KJ shortcomings.

Original Bigfoot · **Posted:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:55 pm

That is pretty humourous about the "bang a way" and "bang for the buck" thing...especially when the situation was pointed out by a person who's username is "Kaboom"! :lol:

hardeee har har!!!

Troysterr · **Posted:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 2:11 pm

Kaboom wrote:

Isn't it true that the front suspension of the Liberty has a finite amount of suspension travel, and that these suspension lifts do not really change that?

Yes, that's true. The common lifts available for the KJ do one or more of the following:
1) Force the wheels down (lifting the body up) by compressing the springs (pucks) or increasing the stiffness of the springs (coil lifts).
2) Lower the strut assembly slightly, by placing a spacer between the top of the strut and the unibody (most >1.5" lifts do this).
3) Essentially do an über-clevis lift (Rough Country).

None of those mods increase the overall suspension travel. In fact, puck lifts dramatically reduce upward travel. That's the main advantage of coil lifts over spacer lifts.

Removing the front sway bar increases flex substantially, though.

LimitedLurker wrote:

RRO combo lift is slightly smaller, just over 2", and does not require new rear shocks.

Just to clarify, that may be true on a lowered KJ, but definitely NOT on a pre-lowered. I had my stock shocks on mine for a few days after installing the Combo lift, and it felt like my shock mounts were going to get torn off on every bump.

The stock struts should be fine for a long time (I still have mine and I've been lifted for over a year), but I'd figure the cost of shocks into the total cost of the lift. My Pro-Comps were cheap, but if I were going to do it again, I'd get the Rancho RSX's that All-J sells. (You can get them from 4 Wheel Parts to save on shipping.) Part #17004.

As far as the best lift, my opinion:

Best overall lift: All-J Frankenlift
Best value (pre-lowered): RRO Combo Lift (most available lift w/ minimal risk of damage)
Best value (lowered): Rusty's Coil Lift (roughly same final height as Combo on a lowered KJ, seems more expensive but includes struts and shocks--maybe you can buy it w/o the struts to save $?)

KJ04 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 2:41 pm

BEWARE!.... Rusty's spacer lift and the RRO OTT are the same animal. RRO coppied theirs off of Rusty.

Rusty's has spcer lift and a coil spring lift. Don't get the spacer lift!

The RRO Combo is a full 2.5" in the rear, so extended rear shocks are needed. The front puck and upper spacer plate net 2.125". Just add a 3/8" clevis adjustment to make up the difference.

misterzero · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:37 am **Posts:** 117

Thanks for all the info so far!

LimitedLurker -- yeah, I agree with the 245x75 tire size. That's what I've pretty much decided to shoot for. Thanks for inputting on all the college stuff. I understand 100% what you're saying. :lol:

SVEN90BUCS · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2005 11:20 am

So which lift kit did you decide on?

I needed to replace my tires and bought 245/75/16 REVOs. They're nice. They just rub a little. I want to get the RRO Combo lift kit to hopefully fix the rubbing issue.

misterzero · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:37 am **Posts:** 117

I'm saving up for the Rusty's Coil Lift. Wanna wait until I can go get some new tires with it. Don't want to drive a 2.5" lift with the stock Wrangler ST's. :lol:

Troysterr · **Posted:** Tue Jul 26, 2005 9:15 am

SVEN90BUCS wrote:

I needed to replace my tires and bought 245/75/16 REVOs. They're nice. They just rub a little. I want to get the RRO Combo lift kit to hopefully fix the rubbing issue.

That's the config I have, and I love it. If I had an '04, though, I'd have gone with Rusty's lift. Once you take the shocks and struts into account, it doesn't cost any more than the Combo lift, and you get about the same final height. (I have a pre-lowered '02, though, so the Combo lift gives me a little extra height.)

But you'll like the Combo lift. Great bang for the buck.

Lift for a newbie

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